And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end (Ecclesiastes 12:12) A pdf version of this essay can be downloaded here [*] Years in brackets refer to an individual’s or book author’s year of birth Thought experiment for the day: Anyone born 1945 would be pushing towards 80 and mostly past their prime. So name any Charedi sefer written by someone born post war that has or is likely to enter the canon, be it haloche, lomdus, al hatorah or mussar. Single one will do for now — IfYouTickleUs (@ifyoutickleus) July 27, 2022 A tweet in the summer which gained some traction asked for a book by an author born from 1945 onwards that has entered the Torah and rabbinic canon or is heading in that direction. I didn't exactly phrase it this way and some quibbled about 'canonisation'. The word does indeed have a precise meaning though in its popular use it has no narrow definition. Canonisation, or ‘entering the canon’ is generally understood to
We’ve always known the Jewish Tribune to fill its pages with buffoonery, fundamentalism, propaganda, selective facts, myopia, amnesia and even to suffer from the occasional bout of racism if Geoffrey Alderman is to be believed. But at least we read it secure in the knowledge that whatever else they may be, heathens who know not their Scriptures they are not and from the Tribune shall go forth the Torah.
Until last week that is when under the photo of the visit of some C-class celebrity to the tomb of the matriarch Rachel the Tribune placed the tomb in Shchem. Although there is some debate over the correct location no one but the Tribune has to date placed it in Shchem.
I find it most humbling that it has come to this but let me teach the Tribune a posuk in the chumesh that many a child has shed many a tear over for not knowing anything from the context of the posuk in the chapter to the context of the tomb on the way to Bethlehem and not to mention Rashi’s multiple translations of kivrath eretz.
וַאֲנִי בְּבֹאִי מִפַּדָּן מֵתָה עָלַי רָחֵל בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּעוֹד כִּבְרַת-אֶרֶץ לָבֹא אֶפְרָתָה וָאֶקְבְּרֶהָ שָּׁם בְּדֶרֶךְ אֶפְרָת הִוא בֵּית לָחֶם
And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died unto me in the land of Canaan in the way, when there was still some way to come unto Ephrath; and I buried her there in the way to Ephrath--the same is Beth-lehem. (From the JPS 1917 edition)
I notice in the 'traifa' hamodia and news sheets that satmar although they are scared to call it that, has started giving English lessons. Trust them to put their own rov who doesnt know English in charge of it. It makes one wonder why dont they put him in charge of their cheder yeshivo or kollel, subjects he 'ought' to know.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he has also joined. Wouldnt be a bad thing really give him a chance to become one of the sanhedrin.
The Tribune head lines - kehilla seems to look after us, now that we have cheap bread with kedassia hechsher. But why two?
ReplyDeleteWell Kedassia got caught out with the last two innovations, namely cheaper milk and meat (through Westheim/Cost Shop), although they were forced to join the bandwagon on both of these afterwards. Perhaps this time they want to be in the driving seat.
ReplyDeleteI doubt you considered the following.
ReplyDeleteThe "Tribune" isn't a collective of letters who join themselves together into words, call upon some picture friends of theirs, stick themselves onto newsheet and toddle along to the shops to be sold.
It's put together by human beings just like you and I, and it is a real live person who made this silly mistake over Rochel's burial place.
And you've just gone and embarrassed them in public.
The bread is worth its money!
ReplyDeleteI think they embarrassed themselves. And their public is a lot larger than this blog.
ReplyDeleteIt's not Shechem but you should be aware that the location of Kever Rochel isn't so cut and dry. For one thing, the only place Kever Rochel is mentioned in Nach (in Shmuel) places it north of Yerushalayim not so far from Shechem which raises the question of whether there was more than one Efrat and Beit Lechem at the time.
ReplyDelete