The Ninth Annual Manfred R. Lehmann Memorial Master Workshop in the History of the Jewish Book - Shivhe ha-BeSHT

This past May 10-11, the Jewish Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania, in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania Library and the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, presented:” The Ninth Annual Manfred R. Lehmann Memorial Master Workshop in the History of the Jewish Book”. The title of this year’s workshop was “Traditional Eastern European Jewish Book, 1500-1900”. The workshop was led by Prof. Moshe Rosman of Bar Ilan University in Israel.
One of the sessions focused on the work Shivhe ha-BeSHT (hereafter S.HB.) – Praises of the Baal Shem Tov. This work is a hagiography that collects approximately 200 stories relating to Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer Baal Shem Tov (ca. 1700-1760), the BeSHT, who is considered the founder of the Hasidic movement. S.HB. was first published in 5575 (1814) in Kapust (Kopys).
S.HB. became an important work for scholars of the Hasidic movement since it furnished biographical information about the BeSHT and other early Hasidim. Since the work was based on oral tales that were only written down many years after the BeSHT’s passing, scholars examine each story critically in order to determine what to accept as factual.
One factor contributing to the difficulty in properly appraising S.HB., is the collaborative nature of its production. The original manuscript was written by Dov Ber ben Shemuel of Linits based on stories he had heard from many sources, especially from Rabbi Gedalyahu of Linits (d.1788). Many copies of the original manuscript had been made by the time Yisrael Jaffe decided to print the work. We see from his introduction to the work that Jaffe had to set the text based on the manuscript(s) that he had access to, and fix mistakes that had crept in during the copying process. Also, Jaffe added approximately 17 stories, relating to the Besht’s early biography, to the beginning of the work. These stories were primarily heard in the name of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi. Even though these stories were added as one piece to the beginning of SH.B., other stories taken from Dov Ber of Linits’ original work seem to have been mixed with them. Furthermore, it seems that additions to Dov Ber of Linits’ work can also be found later in S.HB. Prof. Rosman, in his workshop, discussed how to differentiate between the various sources and thereby to gain a clearer understanding of S.HB.
Prof. Rosman also discussed some later editions of S.HB. that were published in Yiddish (especially the Ostraha/Korets editions of 5575/76). These editions contained some differences from the Hebrew version. Some scholars believed that these differences pointed to the use of a different, perhaps more accurate, manuscript than that used for the Hebrew version. Prof. Rosman, is of the opinion that it has been conclusively shown by Yehoshua Mondshine, among others, that this is not the case. The Yiddish version merely reflects a literary reworking of the stories in the Hebrew version and is not based on a different source.
A number of modern editions of S.HB. have been published and Prof. Rosman discussed the merits and deficits of each edition. Here is a descriptive list of some of these editions:

- Shivhe ha-BeSHT : arukh u-mesudar me-hadash be-tsiruf mevo ve-haarot / me-et Sh. A. Horodetsky [Berlin : Enot, 1922] BM755.I8 D6 1922
[Edited and annotated by Samuel A. Horodezky, this edition contains an extensive introduction and explanatory endnotes. Prof. Rosman noted that this edition has since been reprinted and, at one time, it enjoyed significant popularity. However, since Horodezky made changes in the arrangement and language of the original, this edition can not be used for scholarly purposes.]
- Shivhe ha- BeSHT : im hosafot ; mavo / me-et Binyamin Mints [Tel Aviv : Talpiyot, 721 (1960 or 1961)] BM755.I8 D6 1961
[contains introduction that outlines the history of the work and its various printings, and discusses various figures that the BeSHT had relationships with. In addition to the text of S.HB., also included are collections of material relating to the BeSHT based on the works Porat Yosef, Keter Shem Tov, Tsavaat ha-RIVaSH, and the Kuntres Meirat Enayim found in the Sefer Baal Shem Tov.]
- In praise of the Baal Shem Tov [Shivḥei ha-Besht] : the earliest collection of legends about the founder of Hasidism / translated and edited by Dan Ben-Amos & Jerome R. Mintz. [Bloomington : Indiana University Press, 1970] BM755.I8 D613 1970
[this English translation has a number of helpful additions, including: explanatory notes; an index; a bibliography; a chart showing the source each story is attributed to, together with the page number the story is found on in the first edition and in the Horodezky edition; and an Index of Motifs for the stories based on the Stith Thompson Motif-Index of Folk-Literature.]
- Shivhe ha-BeSHT : faksimil mi- ketav ha-yad ha-yehidi ha-noda lanu ve-shinui nusahav le-umat nusah ha-defus / me-et Yehoshua Mondshayn [Yerushalayim : Y. Mondshayn, 742 (1981 or 1982)] OVERSIZE BM755.I8. D6 1982
[Mondshine’s edition contains a facsimile of an MS version of S.HB. that was obtained by the HaBaD- Lubavitch library in Brooklyn. In addition, Mondshine prints a synoptic apparatus. The apparatus contains a facsimile of the first edition of S.HB. shown opposite the variants found in the MS. The work also contains an introduction comprising many chapters. The introduction discusses many issues relating to the MS and to the S.HB. in general. At the end of the work are a number of additions, including the text of the BeSHT’s letter to his brother-in-law that was originally printed in Porat Yosef. Mondshine prints three versions of the letter’s text in synoptic columns.]
- Shivhe ha-BeSHT : mahadurah mueret u-mevueret / Avraham Rubinstin [Yerushalayim : Reuven Mas, 1991] BM755.I8 D6 1991
[Rubinstein attempts to give us a critical edition of S.HB. In his notes he makes comparisons between the textual variants found in various editions. Prof. Rosman noted, however, that Rubinstein subscribed to the theory that the Yiddish text found in the Ostraha/Korets editions of 5575/76 represents an urtext of S.HB. It is now commonly accepted, as mentioned above, that the Yiddish text is merely a later, literary, reworking of the Hebrew edition.]

Jewish Tombs In the Middle East

This year the JTS Reference Desk received inquires about two Jewish tombs located in the Middle East. We were asked to identify who was buried at Sojod, in Lebanon, about 22 km north of Metullah, and if there are any plans to rebuild that shrine; we were also asked to provide background information about the tomb of Nahum, in Iraq, and its inscription.

Regarding Sojod:

According to an article by Zvi Ilan “Towards a History of the Jewish Community in Lebanon in Modern Times” [translation of a Hebrew article’s title] in a journal called Kardom (March 1983) vol 26-27, p. 134-144: In Ottoman times Sojod was one of the most important sites of pilgrimage for Jews in southern Lebanon, being, according to tradition, the tomb of Oholiab Ben Ahisamakh. He was a Biblical figure mentioned in Exodus 31:6, 35:34, 36:1-2, 38:23; he was described as a skilled artist and craftsman (engraver and embroiderer), appointed by God, to help Bezalel construct the Tabernacle.

Additional documentation connecting Sujud with the biblical Oholiab is from a website about the nearby village of Mlikh
http://www.mlikh.com/history.html#_ftn29, which cites Dr. Estee Dvorjetski, of the University of Haifa esteed@research.haifa.ac.il as verifying the traditional connection between Sujud and Oholiab.

You may note that various sources have spelled the site differently: Sojod, Sajad, Soujud, Sijud, Sujud, Soujad. I am assuming that these differences are due to differences in local dialect, and the passage of time.

I have not found reference to Sujud in current gazetteers or maps, but I have found a location called Sijud (about 22 km north of el-Mutallah ) in an older map: map 16 in Atlas of the Historical Geography of the Holy Land, edited by George Adam Smith (London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1915).

Nineteenth century travelers to the Holy Land, who have chronicled their journeys, have also mentioned Sijud: Edward Robinson and Eli Smith, in Later Biblical Researches in Palestine and the Adjacent Regions: A Journal of Travels in the Year 1852 (Boston, Crocker & Brewster, 1856), p. 44 mention a wely called Neby Sijud [neby means prophet in both Hebrew and Arabic].

William M. Thomson, a missionary, mentioned that local Jews sometimes make pilgrimages to the shrine of Sijud; now [1886] the location is the tomb of a Moslem saint (The Land and the Book, or Biblical Illustrations Drawn from the Manners and Customs, the Scenes and Scenery of the Holy Land, New York: Harper and Brothers, 1886, p. 168).

I have read many such travelers’ chronicles, and these two excerpts are quite typical.

A contemporary explanation of the term “wely” [also spelled weli] can be found in Karl Baedeker’s Palestine and Syria: Handbook for Travelers (1906). In short, it is the tomb of a saint, or holy man, held in veneration by the local population. “In Syria, almost every village has its weli, venerated alike by Moslems, Christians and Jews.” p. lxxv. [At the time this was published, Syria referred to what is now Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, as well as Syria].
http://books.google.com/books?id=BykoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR103&dq=palestine+and+syria+1906&lr=#PPR75,M1

I have not found reference to any specific plans to rebuild this tomb.
Restoration plans for other synagogues were mentioned on the Jews of Lebanon blog http://www.thejewsoflebanon.org/me/ in Fall 2008, but nothing about Soujad. Another website discussing restoration is the Lebanese Jewish Community Council site http://www.thejewsoflebanonproject.org/ , especially the “Renovation” section.

Here is a photo of what remains of the Sojod site:

=====================================================================================
Regarding the Tomb of Nahum:


We received recent photographs of an inscription at the Tomb of Nahum in Iraq along with a request to identify the inscription and provide background information. My colleague Rabbi Jeremy Meyerowitz identified three lines in one of the carved inscriptions as Biblical quotes from Kings and Leviticus. The 3rd line is also a date (1680):

[1]בנה בניתי בית זבול לך
[2]מכון לשׁבתך עולמים
[3]שנת ג˙א˙ו˙ל˙ת˙ עולם

[1] Cf. I Kings 8:13, זבול is here spelled plene
[2] ibid.
[3] cf. Leviticus 25:32, גאולת is here spelled plene and each letter is marked to indicate its numerical value 440. This seems to be a reference to the year 5440 AM (1680 CE)

A book entitled Tombs of Saints and Synagogues in Babylonia: Studies and Documentation, edited by Zvi Yehuda (Or Yehuda, Israel, The Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, 2006) briefly mentions the tomb of Nahum and Sarah (according to one tradition, his sister) in Elkosh."The earliest reports on the tomb date from the twelfth century CE. The enclosure, which also contains a synagogue, was in the hands of the Jews and remained so until the exodus in the mid-twentieth century…The Jews of Mosul and Kurdistan used to visit the tomb on the feast of Pentecost..they acted out the revelation of the Torah at Mt. Sinai" p. 15.

Haya Gavish has written an analysis of the significance of this pilgrimage in her article "Pilgrimage to the Tomb of Nahum Elkoshi in the Folk Narratives of the Jews of Zakho" in Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Folklore vol. XXII (2003) p. 25-46 [in Hebrew]. The English summary states: "this article deals with how the members of one Kurdish Jewish community, that of Zakho, related to the prophet Nahum, and how their attitude toward the prophet shaped their centuries-old religious connection to the Land of Israel. The prophet Nahum gave meaning to Jewish life in Zakho and served as a substitute for the unattainable Eretz-Yisrael--and that once Eretz Yisrael became a reality the community in effect discarded Nahum and the rituals connected with him" (p. viii ).

Tel Aviv at 100

Sara said...
Now that Tel Aviv is 100 years old, any suggestion on finding documnetaries about Tel Aviv? ~Sara Spiegel

Ina said...
The Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive at the Hebrew University http://www.spielbergfilmarchive.org.il/ has a vast collection of films on the history of the Yishuv, including archival footage from Tel Aviv’s early days. Many films are available for viewing on your computer, at no charge, via their website’s Virtual Cinema.Another source is the Israel Film Archive http://www.jer-cin.org.il/ In addition to being repository of past productions, they have also produced/reissued videos on the history of the Yishuv http://www.jer-cin.org.il/Video_Eng.aspx and Tel Aviv, with historical footage.The Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum http://resources.ushmm.org/film/search/index.php?search=simplepielbergalso includes archival footage from Tel Aviv’s early days, available for viewing on your computer.

Rita said...
Regarding the 100th anniversary of Tel-Aviv - Stanford University Library's Eliasaf Robinson Collection has recently gone live and may be viewed at: http://collections.stanford.edu/telaviv. It includes links to the online exhibit and to the collection's digitized content of books, photos, posters, archival documents, printed ephemera, maps and more. The focus of the collection is on the decades prior to 1948 though it does include some later materials.

Jewish Humor

A patron recently checked out a number of books relating to Jewish humor, for a paper that he planned to write on the topic. When I checked the books back in from the book drop, a few of them caught my attention.

One, titled The Jokes of Sigmund Freud, by Elliott Oring, analyzes Freud's use of humor in his writings. Apparently, as the book discusses, Freud used humor to support some of his ideas in his works. Turns out that he told some pretty good jokes.

Also of interest was Shtick Shift, by Simcha Weinstein (also author of Up, Up, and Oy Vey, about Jews and comic books), which talks about Jewish comedians and the changes that have undergone Jewish comedy in the 21st century from previous times.

I also took a look at A. Stanley Kramer's World's Best Jewish Humor, which, as it promises, provides a compendium of Jewish jokes in various categories: one-liners, Rabbi jokes, Chelm, shadchens, NY, Israel, and others.

Television's Changing Image of American Jews (by Neal Gabler, Frank Rich, and Joyce Antler) deals with the obvious--images of Friends, Seinfeld, and the Nanny illustrate the cover--and includes photographs from the Jews in Prime Time Television Conference, an event about which I had never heard.

Finally, for a Leo Baeck Institute memorial lecture (45) Ruth Wisse presented "Some Serious Thoughts about Jewish Humor," which discusses the general phenomenon of Jewish humor and the unique nature that it can take. Wisse points out the ability of Jews to turn even suffering into ironic humor, as evidenced by Broadway's The Producers--"Springtime for Hitler and Germany..." Wisse too makes mention of Freud's use of humor, and brings jokes by various classics such as Saul Bellow, Isaac Bashevis Singer (from his work titled Gimpel the Fool), and Shalom Aleichem. One self-reflective joke, brought by humorist Royte Pomerantsn: "when you tell a Jew a joke, he says, 'I've heard it before. And I can tell it better'."

This all should make for a very interesting paper. My thanks to the student who checked out all of these books.

JTS Professors - Bibliographies of their writings

Patrons often have queries that require access to bibliographies of the writings of JTS professors. Here is a list of such bibliographies for six of our most noted professors. As you can see, some of the bibliographies are incomplete because they were written during their subject’s lifetime. We ask you to join the conversation by suggesting more comprehensive bibliographies or listing works that were published after the years covered in the given bibliographies. Thank you.

Prof. Louis Finkelstein (1895-1991)

Visotzky, Burton L.; Oppenheim, Micha Falk.
A bibliography of the writings of Louis Finkelstein
New York : Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1977.
Z8297.4 .J48 1977 (REF, CIR)
[only covers through 1974]

Hamelsdorf, Ora.
The writings of Louis Finkelstein, 1975-1985 : a supplement to A bibliography of the writings of Louis Finkelstein
[Typescript – prepared for the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, 1985]
Oversize Z8297.4 .J48 1977 Suppl (REF, CIR)
[only covers 1975-1985]

Prof. Louis Ginzberg (1873-1953)

Cohen, Boaz, 1899-1968.
Louis Ginzberg ; jubilee volume on the occasion of his seventieth birthday [English section]
New York : The American Academy for Jewish Research, 1945.
BM42.A2 G5 (REF, CIR)
p.19-47
[only covers through 1945]

Prof. Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972)

Rothschild, Fritz A.
Between God and man : an interpretation of Judaism from the writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel
New York : Free Press Paperbacks, 1997.
BM561 .H45 1997 (CIR)
p.275 -298

Prof. Mordecai M. Kaplan (1881-1983)

Cohen, Gerson D. ; Newman, Roberta
The American Judaism of Mordecai M. Kaplan
New York : New York University Press, c1990.
BM755.K289 A84 1990 (CIR)
p.415-452

Prof. Saul Lieberman (1898 -1983)

Preschel, Tovia ; Friedman, Shamma.
Sefer ha-ziḳaron le-Rabi Shaʾul Liberman - Saul Lieberman Memorial Volume
Nyu Yorḳ : Bet ha-sefarim le-rabanim be-Ameriḳah, 1993.

BM42.A2. L562 1993 (REF, CIR)
p. [1]-28

Prof. Solomon Schechter (1849?-1915)

Oko, Adolph S., 1883-1944.
Solomon Schechter : a bibliography
Cambridge [Eng.] : The University Press, 1938.
Z8789.3 .O42 (REF,CIR, SRR)

Passover Cookbooks

The JTS Library has a wonderful collection of cookbooks devoted to kosher for Passover recipes. An easy way to get an overview is to do a search by subject in the Aleph online catalog beginning with the words "Passover cookery." One can also peruse the shelves under the classification number "TX739" to see the books and decide which to borrow as all Passover cookbooks are circulating copies. The collection includes American Jewish classics such as The Manischewitz Passover Cookbook and The New York Times Passover Cookbook and, from Israel, The Jerusalem Post Taste of Passover Cookbook and Kasher le-Fesah/Passover Gourmet. Several are for those that follow special diets - The Vegetarian Pesach Cookbook and No Cholesterol Passover Recipes. The winner for the most intriguing title of all is The When You Live in Hawaii, You Get Very Creative During Passover Cookbook.

And for those who would like even more recipes, note that almost all kosher cookbooks have sections devoted to kosher for Passover recipes. General kosher cookbooks can be accessed in Aleph by the subject "Jewish cookery"; they are shelved under the classification number, TX724.

Hag Pesah Sameah, Happy Passover, Rita Lifton

Join the Conversation...

Welcome to The Takeaway @ JTSLibrary

Inquiring minds want to learn... JTS Librarians want to teach...

Submit your questions or comments via email (library@jtsa.edu) or ask us in person at The Library's reference desk. We will post our answers and suggestions.

Let's talk...

Holiday Cooking Do's and Don'ts

A visitor requested books that explain what is permitted in the observant home when cooking on the holidays, for example the do's and don’ts of using gas stoves. Some suggestions are: Ehud Rosenberg’s Laws of Cooking on Sabbath and Festivals, a Pictorial Guide (Jerusalem and Spring Valley, Feldheim, 1986) (BM685 .R563 1986) ; Saul Wagschal’s Practical Guide to the Laws of Yom Tov and Chol Hamoed (Gateshead and New York, Feldheim, 1985) (BM690 .W23 1985); and Simcha Bunim Cohen’s The Shabbos Kitchen: A Comprehensive Halachic Guide to the Preparation of Food and Other Kitchen Activities on Shabbos or Yom Tov (Brooklyn, Mesorah, 1991) (BM685 .B644 1991).