21
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Accepted
Is it true that a certain book of the Tanach was rewritten because it was lost?
The Sefer Eicha was destroyed by King Yehoyakim who threw it into a fire and rewritten by Yirmiyahu at the command of Hashem.
Yirmiyahu 36:23
23: And it came to pass, when Jehudi read three or ...
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14
votes
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Rashi Script in Aruch Hashulchan
This exists in all editions of the Aruch HaShulchan. See for example the first page of this older edition.
Perhaps you couldn't find anything on this because unexpectedly the introduction to the work ...
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12
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Authorship of Mevo Hatalmud
R. Ishtori seems to be the earliest source who explicitly ascribed the mevo to R. Shmuel HaNagid. A later but important source, R. Yosef Sambari (Divre Yosef pp. 403), ascribed the mevo to the Nagid ...
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12
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Source for Chasam Sofer quote about Zohar
Apparently it is quoted by one of the Chasam Sofer's students, Rabbi Eliezer Lipman Naizatts, in his sefer Mei Menuchot, page 43a, as having been said by the Chasam Sofer in front of many of his ...
- 3,280
12
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Has anyone posed a theory as to who authored Targum Pseudo-Yonasan?
As stated in the comments, and unless a manuscript with the author's name is discovered, we currently have no way of knowing who authored that targum. In fact, already in Rav Hai Gaon's day the author'...
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12
votes
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Who wrote/compiled Rashi on the Rif
The consensus of the majority of traditional and modern authorities is that the "Rashi on the Rif" is not written by Rashi, but rather by a different scholar around the 13th and 14th centuries.
The ...
- 1,571
11
votes
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Who was the author/compiler of the Ikkar Tosfos Yom Tov?
Two editions of Mishnayot I have on hand1 ascribe this commentary, the עיקר תוספות יום טוב, to R' Meshulam Katz.
This Geni page attributes Ikkar Tosafot Yom Tov to R' Meshulam Katz, and identifies him ...
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10
votes
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What does Avot 6:6 mean when it invokes redemption?
In general, גאולה (redemption) seems to mean restoring something to its proper place, as in: returning an enslaved person to his family/home, or likewise, returning an ancestral property to its ...
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10
votes
What does Avot 6:6 mean when it invokes redemption?
The Maharal in Or Chadash on Megilas Esther explains that Hashem performs miracles in order to create a Kiddush Hashem. However, if the person involved in the rescue will take the credit then there is ...
- 4,988
9
votes
Did the Beit Yosef Write Every Siman in Shulchan Aruch?
The Yad Malachi (18th century) (klalei haposqim: klalei hashulhan arukh ve'rama) quotes a responsum of R. Samuel Aboab (17th century) (responsum #251) as stating that he heard that R. Karo delegated ...
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9
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Who authored the Tanach?
According to the Talmud (Bava Basra 14b-15a), the authors were the following (order based on the Gemara there):
Torah (Pentateuch) - Moshe (Perhaps Yehoshua wrote the last 8 Pesukim)
Yehoshua (Joshua)...
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9
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What are some of the more 'controversial' statements that are found in Moreh Nevuchim (Rambam)?
Below are a bunch of "controversial" statements from the Moreh Nevuchim. All quotes are from the Friedlander translation, with links to an online version of this translation.
Similar to the ...
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8
votes
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Targum Pseudo-Jonathan in Rabbinic Literature
The preface to the Oz Vehadar Mikraos Gedolos brings a few more sources besides the ones @Rish brings. I also found a couple on my own.
Rav Binyomin Musfia in his work מוסף הערוך, in ערך אשן ב, and ...
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8
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Who is the author of Sefer Shoftim (Judges)?
The Babylonian Talmud (BB 14b) writes that the prophet Samuel wrote his eponymous book, the Book of Judges, and the Book of Ruth. For a likely Tiberian perspective, the Masorah in the back of the ...
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8
votes
Pirush on Tamid
There’s dissenting opinions who the anonymous commentator is (AKA, “ha’mefaresh”):
Some attribute it to R. Yitzchok b. Baruch, a student of Rabbenu Tam. E. E. Urbach disproved this attribution; R. ...
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8
votes
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Who wrote the מתרגם?
The section titled המתרגם was authored by R. Mordekhai Plungian (מרדכי פלונגיאן). He was a Lithuanian maskil (i.e. active in promoting Haskalah attitudes/methods) and served as a proofreader on the ...
- 6,483
7
votes
Is there a place for the documentary-hypothesis in observant Judaism?
The standard definition of heresy as found in the vast majority of contemporary responsa on topics that require its definition, such as whether spmepne with a given belief is an acceptable conversion ...
- 9,408
7
votes
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Who wrote the Aramaic translation for Psalms and when?
The general scholarly answer is, "We don't really know." On linguistic grounds (i.e. an analysis of its language of Late Literary Jewish Aramaic) it is usually considered a "late" targum, i.e. having ...
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7
votes
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Were there multiple Isaiahs?
To answer the first part of your question, yes the sages discussed the authorship of Isaiah, and he did not write his own book.
See here Bava Bathra 15a
Hezekiah and his colleagues wrote (...
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7
votes
Who composed the text for Tena'im?
I don't believe there is a single set one, but a few with minor variations.
Some of the classic Tenaim texts were collected in Sefer Nachalas Shiv'a, and another version was drafted by Rav Moshe ...
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7
votes
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When was book of Shmuel written?
Abarbanel discusses this issue in his introduction to Sefer Yehoshua and concludes (my translation):
"And it seems that when Yirmiyahu wished to write Sefer Melachim, he clarified Sefer Shmuel ...
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7
votes
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Who wrote Rashi on Chronicles I & II, Nehemiah, Ruth, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes?
Chronicles:
Eran Wiesel, within his discussion of the identity of the author of the commentary on Chronicles (הפירוש המיוחס לרש"י לספר דברי הימים, pp. 303-309), notes that though many Jewish ...
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6
votes
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Authenticity of Maggid Mesharim
Firstly, another scholarly resource that confirms this is R. J. Ẕevi Werblowsky in The Character of R. Joseph Qaro's "Maggid" /לדמותו של המגיד של ר' יוסף קארו He states (fn 1, my rough translation) ...
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6
votes
"Biur Sheimot Kodesh ve-Chol leha-Rambam" Authentic?
I found an article by Yaakov Levinger (על הספר 'ביאור שמות קדש וחול' המיוחס לרמב"ם, מחקרי ירושלים במחשבת ישראל ד) which addresses this sefer. He notes that Prof. Saul Lieberman, R. Menachem ...
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6
votes
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Who is the author of Gott Fun Avrohom?
While Isaac lays out the common claim of Levi Yitzchok Berditschever (as well as the fallacy thereof) he doesn't go farther back. Per the author of the Treasures of Ashkenaz blog, the authorship ...
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6
votes
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Who wrote Piskei Hasiddur?
The Sefer Piskei Hasiddur was written by Rav Chaim Naeh, and it's based on the writings of the Alter Rebbe. So both statements are true.
As you can see in the picture below, under where it says פסקי ...
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6
votes
What are some of the more 'controversial' statements that are found in Moreh Nevuchim (Rambam)?
Continuation of this answer:
3:17
We, however, believe that all these human affairs are managed with
justice; far be it from God to do wrong, to punish any one unless the
punishment is ...
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6
votes
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What book is the Iyun Yaakov referring to with the abbreviation כ"ח?
http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=56230&st=&pgnum=124&hilite= says it's supposed to be כ"ה, which stands for כבוד הבית.
- 7,781
6
votes
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Maamar Mordechai in Mishna Berurah
His name is Rabbi Mordechai Karmi. You can read the English and Hebrew Wikipedia articles on him here. The Hebrew article notes (correctly) that he is often cited by the Mishnah Berurah.
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6
votes
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Who made this claim about the author of Sefer Habahir?
Edit:
Found it. It was written by Rabbi Meir ben Shimon of Narbonne in a letter he wrote against the Kabbalah (published by Adolf Neubauer in JQR 4:3, pg. 358):
"...וכבר הגיע אותו ספר לידינו ...
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