Questions tagged [authorship]

Questions pertaining to authorship.

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What is the justification for deception, by opinions that view the Zohar is a 13th century work (not Tannaic), but still valid and holy?

I really do not wish to repeat any of the general discussions about Zohar authorship in any of the questions that discuss that. What I would like to know is the following very specific point: Given ...
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Who wrote Rashi on Chronicles I & II, Nehemiah, Ruth, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes?

The Wikipedia page on Rashi says as follows: Rashi wrote commentaries on all the books of Tanakh except Chronicles I & II, Nehemiah, Ruth, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes. Scholars believe that ...
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How can Psalm 132 reference David and imply that it was written by Solomon?

The gemora in Bava Basra 14b lists 10 people that co-authored Tehillim with David דוד כתב ספר תהלים ע"י עשרה זקנים ע"י אדם הראשון על ידי מלכי צדק ועל ידי אברהם וע"י משה ועל ידי הימן וע&...
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Mefaresh on Nedarim - author [duplicate]

I have potential heard that the mefresh on nedarim is not Rashi. If so, who is the author? Is there a clear source that it is not Rashi?
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The importance of every word in Nach

When we learn the Torah, we work off the assumption that as the Torah is directly from Hashem, every word and even letter is there for a reason, and a lot of commentary and even Halacha is based on ...
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What sources did Moshe Rabbeinu use to write the Torah?

I was asked this question the other day by someone and didn't know how to answer him. How did Moshe Rabbeinu know the stories of Adam Harishon and Chava? What about Avraham Avinu, Yitzchak Avinu and ...
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Who wrote the מתרגם?

At the end of the Gemara masechtas in Shas there is a פירוש called מתרגם. This פירוש translates the French words brought in Rashi into German and sometimes adds more information to such words. The ...
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Who is the commentary on Sefer Orech Apayim?

On the bottom of the sefer there is a commentary by the name "V'Yosef Avraham". Does anyone know who wrote this? See picture below from HebrewBooks.org
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Who made this claim about the author of Sefer Habahir?

Asking for someone else: "I remember a quote of some medieval or later rabbi disputing the claim that Rabbi Nechunya [ben Hakanah] wrote the Sefer HaBahir, saying something like god forbid that a ...
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How do I find "Frum" Authors and their Novels on Amazon Kindle?

I am a big reader. Was only able to find around 30 novels in Amazon Kindle through searching by these 3 authors: Ruth Benjamin, Chaim Walder, & Ruthie Pearlman. Where do I get a full list of "...
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Ibn Ezra and R. Joseph Bonfils And different opinions on Judaism [closed]

Can I agree with them that some passages were not written by Moses and that in some parts there were updates to the type text in Gen 14:14 that is considered a sin in Judaism? I can agree with rabbis ...
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Oft-Repeated Rabbi and East to West Distance Story, what's the source?

There are countless references to this story, often in the context of teshuvah: There once was a rabbi who said to his students: “we are as far from where God wants us to be as East is from West”? And ...
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Who is the “Ahavas Avos”?

I have a Sefer on Pirkei Avos that has a commentary from the Ahavas Avos. I can’t seem to find who wrote this fantastic commentary, however. Some helpful additions: the top of the Sefer says “Breslov” ...
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Rashi Script in Aruch Hashulchan

In my edition of the Aruch Hashulchan, there is often a paragraph that has Rashi script written inside brackets (see pic). What is the Rashi script? Is it the mechaber or someone/something else? I ...
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When was book of Shmuel written?

The Gmara says : שמואל כתב ספרו והכתיב (שמואל א כח, ג) ושמואל מת דאסקיה גד החוזה ונתן הנביא (Baba Batra 15:1), that is Shmuel, Gad and Nathan wrote the book of Shmuel. However, in Shmuel 1 27:6 it ...
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How authentic is the Rambam's ascension to the Temple Mount?

Proponents of ascending the Temple Mount usually quote a letter attributed to Maimonides, regarding his alleged ascension. The letter is as follows: בליל אחד בשבת בארבעה ימים לחודש אייר נכנסתי לים, ...
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Maamar Mordechai in Mishna Berurah

Who is the author of the Maamar Mordechai quoted often in the Mishna Berurah. There are quite a number of sefarim on HebrewBooks with that title and the old prints make it hard to scan through them to ...
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Who was the author of the Sefer Matamim?

The Sefer Matamim is written by Rav Yitzchak Lipetz of Shedlitz. His work provides fascinating reasons for various customs throughout the Jewish calendar, and is occasionally quoted in various sources....
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Who wrote the Haggada?

Who wrote our haggada? Was is a tanna, amora or reishon? I've heard different rumors from different people. Some say Rashi compiled it. Some say it was a tanna while others say it was an amora.
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Who authored the Targum on Kohelet?

Who authored the Targum on Kohelet? I was unable to find an answer online.
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Who wrote the introduction to the Pesach Sacrifice printed on Pesachim 57b [duplicate]

There is an introduction to the Pesach Sacrifice that takes up the majority of Pesachim 57b. An excerpt is reproduced below. סדר והלכות קרבן פסח ראשון בקצרה מצות עשה לשחוט קרבן פסח בי"ד בניסן ...
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Who authored the three hagahos in Rosh HaShanah?

In Rosh HaShanah 11b, at the top of the page in the standard Vilna style printings, is a marginal gloss introduced with the word הג״ה. There is another, introduced with the same word, on the right-...
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Pirush on Tamid

Ezra and I have been learning the gemara of Tamid over the phone. In the standard edition (Vilna and subsequent) there is one main pirush (presumably the same one as in the other minor Kodashim ...
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Who wrote Deuteronomy?

I know this has been covered by many commentators in the past, and here also, but I am still looking for a clear resolution of the ambiguities. Who wrote the Book of Deuteronomy? Does Tradition ...
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When beseeching God, why does the kohein gadol appeal to "the torah of Moshe" and not directly to "your torah"?

Yoma 6:2 reports what the kohein gadol says over the goat to be offered: “Please, ‘Hashem’! They have done wrong, they have transgressed, they have sinned before You, Your people the House of ...
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Implication for Lag Ba'Omer if Shimon bar Yochai wasn't the author of the Zohar

There are a number of posts relating to the questionable authorship of the Zohar ('traditionally' attributed to Shimon bar Yochai, see this wiki for examples, and references at the end). Some say that ...
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Giving credit where credit is due [duplicate]

-The Talmud says, in two places, "He who reports a saying in the name of its author brings deliverance to the world." [Megillah 15a; Chullin 104b] -The Talmud is very careful to always attribute its ...
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According to the opinions that Iyov did not live in the days of Moshe, who wrote his Sefer?

Bava Basra 15a-b lists a number of opinions as to when Iyov lived: R' Levi bar Chama: In the days of Moshe Rava: In the days of the Meraglim Unnamed student of R' Shmuel bar Nachmani: Iyov never ...
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What book is the Iyun Yaakov referring to with the abbreviation כ"ח?

The Iyun Yaakov on Berachos daf 3a on the words "the night has 4 watches" quotes from a book that he refers to with the abbreviation כ"ח. What book is he referring to? (In the new edition of the Ein ...
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Who wrote the Sephardi hoshanot?

Who wrote the Sephardi hoshanot? The name יוסף בר יצחק is all over the acrostics, but who was he?
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Why the Sages said Halachot in their own name instead of their Rabbis?

The Gemmorah sets a rule - while saying a Halachah one should mention its [original] source (Megillah 16a): "אמר רבי אלעזר א"ר חנינא כל האומר דבר בשם אומרו מביא גאולה לעולם שנאמר ותאמר אסתר ...
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Which ספר מנורת המאור Sefer Menoras Hamaor came first?

Which ספר מנורת המאור Sefer Menoras Hamaor came first? Between the two sefarim called ספר מנורת המאור Sefer Menoras Hamaor - One written by Rav Yisrael ben Yoseph Alnakaweh, and one written by Rav ...
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Who composed the text for Tena'im?

In many Ashkenazy weddings, a document called tena'im is drafted and read at the Chatan's Tisch (Chattan's "table" - a separate rom or area where the groom, family members and friends gather prior to ...
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Who is R' Yisrael in Reishis Chochmah, Shaar Hamitzvos, and how much of שער המצוות is from him?

In The Sefer Raishis Chochmah (written by Rabbi Eliyahu de Vidas - 16th century), There is a perek (chapter) called פרק המצוות - The Chapter of the Mitzvos. After his introduction to the perek ...
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What are some of the more 'controversial' statements that are found in Moreh Nevuchim (Rambam)? [closed]

and is it clear that he wrote it. I'm simply curious.
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Who originally speculated that the Orchos Tzaddikim's author was a woman?

I recall hearing (as well as saw from this link) that it has been speculated that the author of the Orchos Tzaddikim was a woman. Did someone originally posit this idea, or is it a rumor that has ...
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Who wrote Piskei Hasiddur?

I've seen people write that the Alter Rebbe wrote Piskei Hasiddur, and I've also seen people write that Rav Chayim Naeh wrote it. They did not overlap in their lives...so who wrote it?
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Who wrote/compiled Rashi on the Rif

In Rashi on the Rif?, a number of questions are posed about this commentary, however, there is one big question still remaining: Who actually wrote or compiled this Peirush? Was it Rashi himself, ...
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Who authored the Tanach?

According to traditional Jewish thought, who authored the twenty-four books of the Tanach?
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Has anyone posed a theory as to who authored Targum Pseudo-Yonasan?

This answer and this one bring several commentaries who hold that Targum Yonasan was not written by Yonasan ben Uziel. Are there any other people mentioned who may have authored the work? To clarify: ...
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Provenance of Testament of Rabbi Eliezer

There is a work known as Tsavaat Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol, which is purported to be have been authored by the Tanna R. Eliezer. According to R. Menahem Lunzano cited here, the work was actually authored ...
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What is the Shulchan Aruch Ha'Arizal?

What is the Shulchan Aruch Ha'Arizal? I expect it to be a compilation of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria's teachings on halacha arranged according to the order of Rabbi Yosef Karo's Shulchan Aruch, or perhaps a ...
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Who compiled and arranged the Ashkenaz Kinnos?

The Kinnos read nowadays on Tisha B'Av seem to have been standardized more or less amongst Ashkenazim to the same 40-odd kinnos, but it obviously wasn't always the case. Many of the Kinnos were ...
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Is the Aramaic Section of Daniel Second-Century BCE Aramaic?

Daniel 2:4 to the end of Daniel 7 is written in Aramaic. Does the type of Aramaic used there support the view of the higher critics who assert that the book was composed in the second century BCE ...
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Did Moshe have written copies of all of Tanach?

The gemara (berachos 5a) writes: (translation based on sefaria) וא"ר לוי בר חמא אמר ר' שמעון בן לקיש מאי דכתיב ואתנה לך את לוחות האבן והתורה והמצוה אשר כתבתי להורותם לוחות אלו עשרת הדברות תורה ...
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Who is the author of Sefer Shoftim (Judges)?

According to Jewish tradition, who wrote Sefer Shoftim / Book of Judges? I'd also be curious to know what secular scholars would answer to this question. However I am mainly concerned with what ...
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Source for Chasam Sofer quote about Zohar

What is the source for the Chasam Sofer having said (regarding the Zohar), "If we could sift the book and keep only what R’ Shimon Bar Yochai wrote, it would be a very very thin book. You would only ...
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Is it true that a certain book of the Tanach was rewritten because it was lost?

I remember being told that a certain book in the Tanach had to be rewritten after it was lost during the Kings period. Is it considered true? If it is, are there mekorot/academic sources for this? I ...
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Who is the author of the 5th parek of pirkei avot?

Most of pirkei avot is very specific about attribution of various ethical teachings, with the notable exception of the 5th parek, mishnayot 1-19, which are all anonymous. Is there a tradition of who ...
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Who was the author/compiler of the Ikkar Tosfos Yom Tov?

I've noticed when learning Mishnayos that with the more basic layouts consist of the Mishna and the commentaries of Rav Ovadia M'Bartenura and the Ikkar Tosfos Yom Tov. It is known that Rav Yom-Tov ...