Esther Unmasked: Solving Eleven Mysteries of the Jewish Holidays and Liturgy

Mitchell First is a very talented Jewish scholar. He is able to challenge traditional assumptions and reach new, often groundbreaking, conclusions. His articles are meticulously researched, relying both on rabbinic sources and historians of antiquity. A main article explains how both Achashverosh and Esther can be identified in ancient sources.The entire volume consists of eleven articles that address mysterious aspects of the yearly cycle of Jewish holidays and liturgy: what is the meaning of the cryptic phrase in the Sukkot liturgy Ani ve-Ho? what motivated Antiochus to persecute the Jews? what is the origin of Taanit Esther? how many questions were there in the original Mah Nishtannah? why does pe precede ayin in the acrostics of the book of Eikhah?, and more.

Religion & Spirituality

First, Mitchell

Judaism

Kodesh Press

Mitchell First is a very talented Jewish scholar. He is able to challenge traditional assumptions and reach new, often groundbreaking, conclusions. His articles are meticulously researched, relying both on rabbinic sources and historians of antiquity. A main article explains how both Achashverosh and Esther can be identified in ancient sources.The entire volume consists of eleven articles that address mysterious aspects of the yearly cycle of Jewish holidays and liturgy: what is the meaning of the cryptic phrase in the Sukkot liturgy Ani ve-Ho? what motivated Antiochus to persecute the Jews? what is the origin of Taanit Esther? how many questions were there in the original Mah Nishtannah? why does peprecede ayin in the acrostics of the book of Eikhah?, and more.

Kodesh Press L.L.C.

The author writes: “According to Seder Olam Rabbah, the work that forms the basis for almost all rabbinic chronology, the .period from the defeat of the Babylonians by the Medeo-Persians until the beginning of Greek rule, encompassed 52 years and spanned the reigns of three Persian kings. According to the chronology that is universally accepted by historians today (conventional chronology), this period of Persian rule over the land of Israel encompassed 207 years (539 to 332 BCE) and during this period more than ten Persian kings reigned. “This discrepancy between the traditional Jewish chronology and conventional chronology has not gone unnoticed. The purpose of this study is to collect and categorize the variety of Jewish responses to this discrepancy, both by Jewish scholars and rabbinic authorities. Part I provides an introduction to the discrepancy. Part II contains the earliest Jewish responses to the discrepancy. In the major part of the study, Part III, the responses to the discrepancy from the time of Azariah de Rossi (16th century) to the present time are collected and categorized. This unified collection and categorization of the many responses will enable students and scholars to have easy access to what has been written by Jewish scholars and rabbinic authorities about the discrepancy and will facilitate scholarly evaluation of the responses. “Part IV is an evaluation of the responses’ attempts to answer the fundamental question raised by the discrepancy. Part V presents observations on the rabbinic responses. Part VI is a summary and conclusion.”

Jewish History in Conflict: A Study of the Major Discrepancy between Rabbinic and Conventional Chronology

History

World

Jason Aronson, Inc.

A journal of Jewish Law and Thought

Hakirah: The Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought

Zelcer, Heshey

Buchman, Asher Benzion

Fried, Aharon Hersh

Rapoport, Chaim

Muskin, Elazar

Friedberg, Dov

Cohen, Nachman

Bush, Asher

Guttmann, David

Hakirah

Modern advances in medicine and science have been a blessing for the whole world, the Orthodox Jewish community included. But as is often the case, new technologies that arise from these advances present halakhic questions. And on the other hand, the knowledge gained from these advances needs to be evaluated so that it may be integrated into Jewish life and learning. These questions are a constant source of controversy in the Orthodox world, and once again we return to them in this issue of Hakirah. In our Forum section, as a follow-up to articles published in our last edition, prominent rabbis and professors debate the role of scientific discovery and the insights of modern thought in understanding Torah and determining halakhah...

Broyde, Michael J.

Aviezer, Nathan

Loike, John D.

Tendler, Moshe D.

Storch, Ari

Stadlan, Noam

Wiedernlank, Netanel

Vaynman, Efraim

Different branches of Judaism can be distinguished by the degree to which they identify either with the rational or with the mystical schools within Jewish philosophy. In this edition, we focus on these two distinct types of thought but also examine how they are often found in tandem, merged in the minds and works of great thinkers. “Pahad Yitzhak: A Joyful Song of Affirmation” studies the classic work of Rav Yitzhak Hutner which combines the Brisker approach with the mysticism of Maharal and Hassidic Masters to “produce a theological/psychological system that incorporates elements of many strands of Jewish thought” that “form the essential elements of an optimistic, humanistic message.” In “Kabbalah—Escape from Reality or Affirmation of Life?” the author responds to a well-argued article that claims that Jewish mysticism poses dangers to contemporary Jewish society with the counter argument that “Jewish mysticism in the hands of an ethical genius such as a Rav Kook… invigorates rather than vitiates our existence.” Two articles in a special section on free choice argue that the rationalism of science complements man’s search for answers that are in the realm of the mystical. In “God, Man, Chaos and Control: How God Might Control the Universe” the author posits that modern scientific theory can be used to explain the mechanism by which G-d allows for free choice. The author writes, “As our scientific knowledge grows, we have faced criticism and concern from some religious thinkers who believe that science is an affront to religion. However, an educated approach to these big questions reveals that not only is there a history of using scientific lenses to better understand religion, an advanced knowledge of the complexities of our world magnifies the awesomeness of God.” Another essay, entitled “The Jewish Idea of Freedom,” maintains that the Jewish concept of freedom, rooted in creation and man’s free choice, is the first such concept in human history “and still the most radical.” The author goes on to explain how, in the modern era, the Jewish idea of freedom was reborn in the political sphere through the 17th-century revolution in political thought that preceded the American Revolution. But more surprisingly, he demonstrates “the contribution of biblical and rabbinic thought to the contemporaneous scientific revolution.” The importance of understanding the difference between scientific principles and mystical ideas is investigated in “Misinterpreting Rabbi Judah Ha-Levi,” where the author shows that charges of racism against R. Yehudah Ha-Levi are based on confusing the concept of “inyan Eloki” with modern genetics. The misinterpretation of the views of R. Yehuda Ha-Levi is central to another article, “What Must a Jew Believe? Dogma and Inadvertent Heresy, Revisited,” where the author notes that Ha-Levi accepts the view that Jewish identity is defined by belief in certain key principles. “In fact, not only staunch rationalists like Rambam, but also ‘anti-rationalists’ like Ha-Levi, Nahmanides, and Maharal expounded what they saw to be the principles of Judaism.” Tradition and Innovation is the focus of other articles in this volume. In our History of Halakhah section, in an essay entitled “A Short History of the Jewish Fixed Calendar,” the author presents evidence against the traditional view that the Jewish calendar was fixed 1800 years ago, detailing how the discovery of new documents in the Cairo Genizah seemingly disproves this belief, and demonstrates the changes that he believes occurred in different eras until the calendar came into its present form. A Jewish Law article, “Torah Authority,” examines the sources of authority that allow the Rabbis to legislate the calendar as well as other decrees. Similarly, “The Mysterious Origin of Lag Ba-Omer” claims that the holiday was a late innovation, not an age-old tradition related to Rabbi Akiva and Rav Shimon ben Yochai.

Elman, Yaakov

Kadish, Alan

Strickman, H. Norman

Goldman, David P.

Leibowitz, Aryeh

Naor, Bezalel

Krakowski, Eliyahu

Ajdler, J. Jean

The first essay, “Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s Remarks at the Ḥanukat Ha-Bayit of the Talner Shtibel”discusses the role of the beit ha-kenesset as the house of the Jewish people and remarks on the special warmth the Rav feels for the chasidishe beit midrash. By contrast, in“R. Soloveitchik and R. Shubow” we read a hesped for a close friend who was a Conservative rabbi. Here the Rav expresses his warm feelings and admiration for his friend, while in a letter written sometime earlier, he explains why he must distance himself from that friend’s synagogue. In an articletitled “The Rav at Revel; The Rav at RIETS,” a talmid who is the note-taker of the Genesis notes, describes how Rav Soloveitchik, the Rosh Yeshiva, differs from Professor Soloveitchik, the teacher of philosophy.In “Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s Portrayal of the Patriarchs,”the author seeks to demonstrate that the Rav’s portraiture of the Patriarchs is “... the direct result of the way he viewed the Jewish concept of time, masorah (tradition), and the covenantal community.” And in “Recollections and Reconstruction of a Debate on the Nature of Kedushas Eretz Yisrael,” the authors record the disagreement between the Rav and Rav Shlomo Goren in an issue of lomdut with important practical ramifications. Together, these articles shed light on the complex personality of the Rav. 
Our Torah and Medicine section deals with issues that are new either because of advances in technology or because of attitudinal changes in society. The first article in the section,“Danger in Sabbath Law: A Novel Perspective Using Causality and Statistics,” deals with the development of objective standards for qualifying treatments as worthy of being described as pikuaḥ nefesh in regard to Shabbos. The second article, “Halachic Issues Related to Synthetic Biology,”addressesimportant halachic implications arising from developments in this field. A third article, “It Is Legal and Everyone Is Using,” deals with whether recreational marijuana is permitted in halakhah. “Mental Distress and Ḥoli” raises a question, not yet resolved in halakhah, as to whether conditions involving mental distress should be considered illness and the sufferer categorized in halakhah as a ḥoleh.\nOther articles deal with Torah and Science. In “How Science Deepens Our Understanding of Torah: (i) The Rainbow and the Photon and (ii) Rain and Chaos”the author seeks to demonstrate that Torah can help us better understand principles of modern science. In “The Number of Kinnim Revisited” the author claims that a deeper understanding of math can help in understanding the thinking of the Tannaim 2000 years ago. 
In our Minhag section, two articles titled “The Number of Candles in the Context of Mitzvat Ner Shabbat” and “A Shabbat Candle for Every Member of the Family” give different perspectives about the origins of minhagim regarding the number of candles to light erev Shabbos. And “Blessed Are the Cheesemakers: In Search of Ancient Roots of Dairy on Shavuot”suggests novel ideas about the origin of another well-established minhag. 
In the Jewish Thought section, in the essay titled “Ibn Ezra: ‘The All Knows Every Part via the All,’”the author clarifies a perplexing explanation of Ibn Ezra on G-d’s knowledge and shows how what was thought by some to be a radical position is well within mainstream thought.

Hakirah: The Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought (Volume 30)

Zivotofsky, Ari Z.

Ron, Zvi

Schacter, Jacob J

Loike, John

Holzer, Aton

Heller, Marvin J.

Roots and Rituals: Insights into Hebrew, Holidays, and History

Mitchell First’s 62 short articles address interesting questions about the Hebrew language, liturgy, Jewish history, and the calendar and holidays. For example:On Jewish Liturgy: the origin of the Haftarah, the origin of the blessing “Who Has Not Made Me A Woman,” and the origin of our prayer for the government.On Jewish Holidays and Calendar: the origin of the count from creation, the meaning of Yom Teruah, the meaning of “Maccabee,” identifying Achashverosh and Esther in secular sources, and the original three questions in the Mah Nishtannah.On Hebrew Language: the origin of the words brit, boker, hefker, chalom, chatan, kesef, midbar, navi, olam, she’ol, and seraphim. Also, is there a connection between זכר meaning “male” and זכר meaning “memory”? Is there a connection between לחם and מלחמה? He also has articles on words that appear only once in Tanakh, biblical words of Egyptian origin, wordplay in Tanakh, and interesting words in the daily Amidah.This book also includes two longer articles: “The Meaning of the Word Hitpallel (התפלל)” and “The Root of the Word מבול: A Flood of Possibilities.”

Links to Our Legacy (English and Hebrew Edition)

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