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

תוצאת תמונה עבור ‪mitchell first, roots and‬‏Roots and Rituals
Mitchell First
Kodesh Press / 255 pp


Even more than in his previous book (“Esther Unmasked”) Mitchell First, a lawyer, once again treats us to lots of cool facts and bits of information that most people don’t often come across.
In this volume he focuses on “Hebrew, Holidays, and History”.

In addition to the Hebrew language, the Hebrew section includes entries relating to the liturgy. For example, there are great entries on the history of the Haftorah, with 4 or 5 theories on how it originated, how the Shema made its way into the Shabbat Mussaf Kedusha, and a history on the praying for one’s national government. Some of the words and terms that are analyzed include: hefker, brit, chalom, chatan, and, kallah, she’ol and a good number more including a presentation of the many foreign, primarily Egyptian, words in Tanach (and you thought that “totafot” was the only one!) Indeed, the study of different words and phrases makes up a major component of the book.

The “History” section includes a discussion on what exactly was Moshe's speech impediment, archaeology and scripture, and how the “Hertz Chumash” became *the* Chumash for most of the 20th century.

The “Holiday” section sheds new light on concepts such as Yom Teruah, Maccabi, and the Jewish calendar. There is also some discussion on the Book of Esther, although his previous book is the "go-to" for more on that story.

There are four chapters, each with 10-20 entries, making each entry short enough to be inviting and enjoyed. With some sprinklings of humor, this work is extremely informative and some entries are, in fact, completely fascinating. I’m especially impressed with Torah books of quality that are written by learned layman rather than exclusively by rabbis.  I’m not sure if “Factoids” does this book justice, but the information contained here is as fun to read as it is important. Definitely a worthwhile purchase. Yasher Ko’ach.

For more information and to order: http://kodeshpress.com/product/roots-and-rituals-insights-into-hebrew-holidays-and-history

Popular posts from this blog

Food: A Halachic Analysis

Image
Food: A Halachic Analysis Rabbi Yehuda Spitz Mosaica, 480 pp I am unsure whether “outstanding,” “remarkable,” or “spectacular,” best describes Rabbi Yehuda Spitz’s sefer “Food: A Halachic Analysis”  -- though all three adjectives may not do justice. In over 30 chapters discussing various food and kashrut related halacha, Rabbi Spitz, a sho’el u’meishiv at Yeshivat Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem, presents unprecedented clarity in explaining and demystifying the issues. Some of these issues include waiting between cheese and meat, using dishwashers for both milk and meat, fish and milk, eggs and onions left uncovered overnight, chalav Yisrael, marit ayin, and much much more. It is thorough, clear, and makes everything easy to understand. Definitely one of his flagship chapters is the appendix on the history of Gelatin and its kosher status. These chapters are not merely regurgitations of what readers have certainly seen in so many other places, but rather, original compositions in the author’
Read more

Sexuality and Jewish Law

Image
Sexuality and Jewish Law Yaakov Shapiro 430 pages In his Sexuality and Jewish Law, Yaakov Shapiro, an ordained rabbi and non-conformist Lubavitcher chassid, offers a thorough, unapologetic, and uncensored presentation of everything relating to sexual activity and Jewish law.  All rabbinic texts that deal with sexual matters are cited along with the interpretations and comments of all the relevant rishonim , achronim , and poskim . There is also a full presentation of the various halachic opinions and resolutions to the contradictions between them. The exhaustive endnotes are essentially an additional book in their own right. While the book is extremely well researched and impressive in its scope, the author clearly has an agenda and bone to pick. As he writes in the introduction, the book was born out of a bad experience and frustrations with what he was being taught in chattan classes and the “one-sided” approach to the laws of intimacy. The author seeks to put an en
Read more

Aruch Hashulchan in English

Image
Aruch Hashulchan in English Orach Chaim Chapters 242-292 Edited by Rabbi Ilan Segal Translated by Rabbis: Michael Broyde, Ilan Segal, Mordechai Torczyner Urim Publications / 520 pp I am completely blown away by the English Aruch HaShulchan that was just published by Urim Publications. This outstanding volume covers chapters 242-292 of Orach Chaim, the laws of Shabbat. Specifically, these chapters primarily discuss preparing for the arrival of Shabbat, Jewish/Non-Jews partnerships, preparing the stove/oven for Shabbat (shehiya, chazara, and hatmanan), kiddush, the Shabbat meals, and more. For those less familiar, the Aruch Hashulchan is a code of law written by Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein (1829–1908). The Aruch Hashulchan is incredibly unique in that before discussing the relevant halachot of each chapter, it first cited the relevant Talmudic passages and the view of the Rishonim. Most such Rishonim are only accessible to the advanced student of halacha. With this English translatio
Read more