15
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Was Malbim an innovator?
To summarize (and perhaps embellish) Prof. Yaakov Elman's The Rebirth of Omnisignificant Biblical Exegesis in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, which addresses all this at length, Hazal seemed ...
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11
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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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11
votes
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Commentaries on Moreh Nevuchim
A friend of mine compiled the following list:
This edition: https://beta.hebrewbooks.org/14118 has Efodi, Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov, ibn Crescas, and Abarbanel.
This: https://beta.hebrewbooks.org/31594 ...
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11
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Yehudah ibn Balaam's Commentary on Yechezkel
It's available for free on the Genizah website. All you need to do is sign up (for free), then go to the Judeo-Arabic section and look for his commentary on Yechezkel. The first thing you'll see is ...
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10
votes
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Gersonides’ Largest List of Lessons
The largest cluster of lessons is 67. This occurs in a section of commentary covering the large majority of the book of II Samuel.
Now for some more details:
We have commentaries from Gersonides on ...
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9
votes
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9
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The case of the missing Maharsha (Sota 49, BK 82, M'nachos 64)
The Maharsha discusses the pig story in Chidushei Agadot at the end of Sotah, as advertised, but the comment is applied not to the portion of the Gemara on 49b where the story is told, but to the ...
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9
votes
The chachamim on peace
Sotah 17a:
דריש ר''ע איש ואשה זכו שכינה ביניהן לא זכו אש אוכלתן
R. Akiba expounded: When husband and wife are worthy, the Shechinah abides with them; when they are not worthy fire consumes them.
(...
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9
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When did G-d create darkness?
The Ohr hachaim on the beginning of bereshit quotes the Talmud Chagigah 12a. There it lists 10 things were created in the first day, and one of them is Choshech.
ואמר רב יהודה אמר רב עשרה דברים נבראו ...
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9
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Does my uncircumcised friend still needs to be circumcised in order to join the meal for Pesach?
Many laws applied to the Passover offering that do not apply to the Seder. For example, the Passover offering can only be eaten by people who are Tahor (a specific form of ritual purity). There is no ...
- 5,252
9
votes
Who is Filwarg?
The sefer was printed in 1900 Petrekov [Russia], to explain Ibn Ezra. He has number of approbations, of those I recognized the Tehila L'Dovid. The first pages of the book can be seen free on Otzar ...
- 6,058
9
votes
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Why will the Galilee be destroyed? - Sanhedrin 97a
Shir haShirim Rabbah (2:61, p. 121), also records the same tradition concerning the destruction of the Galilee. A commentary thereon, באור כנפי יונה (by Rabbi Jonah Etilzohn), cites the Meor Enayim of ...
- 4,779
8
votes
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What are some non-allegorical commentaries on Song of Solomon?
Some old non-allegorical commentaries on Shir HaShirim:
Rashbam's commentary (translation) separates the allegorical and non-allegorical comments.
R' Avraham ibn Ezra wrote his commentary in three ...
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8
votes
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Tehilim 51, "in sin did his mother conceive him", What does that mean?
Rav Sa'adya Gaon explains in his commentary to Psalms (51:7) that David was not making a statement about the state of Man. Rather, he was speaking personally; that he was so ashamed, that he felt as ...
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8
votes
Difference between sins of Saul and sins of David?
David's sin was a personal matter, Saul's was national.
King Saul was personally commanded to eradicate Amalek. This was a national interest which was under his authority as king. When he sinned and ...
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8
votes
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Have any Jewish commentaries been written on the Septuagint?
There is a current academic attempt (by Prof. Moshe Tzipor from the Bar Ilan University) to reconstruct the original Hebrew text the Greek translation was based on. It has extensive notes, comments ...
- 458
8
votes
Torah based on Mesopotamian (and other) sources
Since your question is divided into two parts - rabbinical responses and how you personally can respond, I'll include in my answer two parts as well: my own personal advice and rabbinical responses ...
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8
votes
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Do you have the source for the quote about not trusting liars
Sanhedrin 89b:
כך עונשו של בדאי שאפילו אמר אמת אין שומעין לו
[T]his is the punishment of the liar, that even if he speaks the truth, others do not listen to him.
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7
votes
Which came first the Mishnah Torah or the Pirush HaMishnayos
Rambam states explicitly in the first paragraph of his introduction to Sefer Hamitzvot that the Commentary to the Mishnah came first:
After having completed our previous well-known work wherein we ...
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7
votes
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Why is the Ba'eir Heiteiv citing himself?
There was a previous sefer called Be'er Heitev, by R. Yeshayah b. R. Avraham, and that is what he is quoting--אשר לפני means "that preceded me," not "that is in front of me." See ...
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7
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Why did HaShem allow Yeshayahu to serve naked?
Rashi quotes the Targum Yonatan and says that "naked" doesn't mean literally naked
naked: (עָרוֹם). Jonathan renders: פְּחֵיחַ, with torn and worn out clothing, but not actually naked.
Other ...
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7
votes
List of which Rishonim wrote on each Masechta?
R. Menachem M. Kasher compiled such a bibliographic list in his Sare HaElef (Section 4), some of which is available here for free (though not the section you’re looking for).
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7
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Source for Baal Haturim Writing Commentary on his Wedding Night!
Hidabroot (here) writes
It is a well-known fact that Rabbi Yaakov [Ben Asher, the Baal Haturim] wrote his entire commentary
on the Torah in one night, orally, although no reliable source has
...
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7
votes
Who was the Megilat Esther?
R. David Conforte identifies (Korei Hadorot 28a) the author of Megillat Esther as R. Isaac de Leon, a student of R. Isaac Kampaton. R. Hayyim Joseph David Azulai, however, (Shem Hagedolim Vol. I ...
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7
votes
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Ma'aseh Oreg on Mishnah Machshirin
The sefer was authored by Rav Yitzchak Isaac Safrin, the Komarno Rebbe.
Yitsḥak Ayzik of Komarno was the most interesting and original of the dynasty’s leaders in its second generation. In effect, he ...
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7
votes
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Commentary of Rash Sirilio on Zeraim
In Wikipedia it says here:
One of the first of the Acharonim to write a commentary on the Jerusalem Talmud was Solomon Sirilio (1485–1554), also known as Rash Sirilio, whose commentaries cover only ...
- 25k
7
votes
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Numbering in the Mordechai
This is a great question, as it exposes the problem with the Mordechai, one of the thorniest medieval texts in terms of the significantly different versions and abridgments produced over the ...
- 11.2k
7
votes
Where can I find Rav David Tzvi Hoffman's commentary?
Al HaTorah has a Mikraot Gedolot which includes Rav David Tzvi Hoffman's commentary.
The specific disagreement is linked, and begins as follows:
מקרבך מאחיך – לשון כפולה. הרמב״ן מפרש, שכוונת הכתוב ...
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7
votes
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R. Saadia's position on mythological beasts
Rav Kapach wrote in פירושי רבינו סעדיה גאון על התורה, p. קכה, n. 7:
"כתב ראב"ע טעה הגאון [...] ונראה כי הראב"ע הוא שטעה. והנכון כדברי הגאון, כי "ענקא" סתם הוא שם מציאותי ידוע,...
- 23.3k
7
votes
Looking for an easy to read chassidic commentary on the Torah
As @sam said his comment, the Nesivos Shalom is a classic. It's been translated to English as well.
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