המעין

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Summaries of Articles                                                                                            ii

Dedicated to the memory of Prof. Mordechai Breuer ZL                                  2

The Commentary of the Rashbatz, from a manuscript, on "Yom Yatz`a Kalat Adanim" - a piyut for the Festival of Shavuot of Rav Zerachya HaLevi "Ba'al HaMa'or" / Rav Avraham Ya`akov Goldmuntz                                                       3

From the Introduction to the volume "Nechmad VeNa`im" ("Precious and Pleasant") of Rav David Ganz / Dr. Shimon Bolag                                      9

The Enslavement of the Jewish People in Egypt - a chapter from the commentary on Exodus, translated by Asher Wasserteil from a manuscript of the author / Rav David Tzvi Hoffman ZTL                                                                                            25

A Responsa Regarding the Pursuit of General Studies [introduction and comments by Rav Prof. Yehuda Levy] / Rav Shimon Schwab ZTL                      35

The Influence of Certain Tragic Events upon the Adherence to "Tsava`at Rabbi Yehuda HaChasid" / Rav Ari Yitzhak Shwat                                                        43

The Ramban`s Response, in his Commentary on the Torah, to the Christian claim "We are Israel" ("Verus Israel") / Moshe Yehuda Rosenwasser 57

Who was Rav Leibe, the rabbi of Lublin? / Moshe David Chechik                69

Intuition Versus Intellect - a new analysis of the sixth chapter of the "Eight Chapters" of the Rambam / Dr. Ya`akov Altman                                     78

To Follow in their Path / Prof. Mordechai Breuer ZL                                         86

Halachic Studies Inspired by the Book "We Have Stood Up and Were Encouraged" ("Kamnu Vanit`odad") / Rav Mordechai Imanuel               91

Memories of the Refugee Camp Bergen Belzen / Prof. Mordechai Breuer ZL 99

Five species of Marror, according to the view of the Rambam / Dr. Zohar Amar                                                                                                                                         108

Summaries of Articles

 

This volume is dedicated to the memory of the late Prof. Mordechai Breuer ZL, the founder of "HaMa'yan" and it`s first editor. It includes articles on topics that were close to his heart, as well as two articles which he authored.

 

The volume opens with the first publication of a manuscript of the Rashbatz, Rav Shim`on son of Tzemach Duran from Algeria, explaining the piyut "Yom Yatz`a Kalat Adanim" recited on the Festival of Shavuot, authored by Rabbi Zerachya HaLevi "Ba'al HaMaor". An introduction is provided by Rav Avraham Ya`akov Goldmuntz, a leading research fellow at the Shlomo Aumann Institute of Yeshivat Sha'alvim.

 

Dr. Shimon Bolag, a close friend of Prof. Breuer ZL, and veteran member of the editorial board of "HaMa'yan", publicizes a portion of the introduction of Rav David Ganz, a disciple of the Maharal from Prague, to his volume "Nechmad VeNa`im" ("Precious and Pleasant"). This is one of the most important - and lesser known - works on "Jewish" astronomy. Dr. Bolag provides an introduction and important comments. Prof. Breuer had previously researched the unique personality of Rav David Ganz, and published an accurate edition of his famous historical volume, "Tzemach David".

 

Asher Wasserteil, another close friend of Prof. Breuer, and disciple of Rav Kalman Kahane ZL, one of the original editorial board members of "HaMa'yan", has already translated and published several volumes of the unique commentary on the Torah by the great sage, Rav David Tzvi Hoffman ZTL of Berlin. In anticipation of the completion of the volume on Exodus, a chapter from this volume on the enslavement of the Jewish People in Egypt appears here for the first time in print. The passage is taken from the original German manuscript by Rav Hoffman, and includes an introduction and comments by Asher Wasserteil.

 

Rav Prof. Yehuda Levy has authored the important work "Sha'a'rei Talmud Torah", which includes responses from four of the leading Torah scholars of the previous generation, regarding the pursuit of general studies and "Torah Im Derech Eretz". Rav Shimon Schwab ZTL received these responses while he was a young rabbi in Germany in the thirties. He later would assist Rav Yosef Breuer ZTL as rabbi of the KeHal Adath Yeshurun congregation in Washington Heights, New York. Recently, the previously unknown letter to Rav Kook was discovered among the archives in Beit Harav Kook in Jerusalem. This letter elucidates several important points concerning the responses of the European Torah authorities, and clarifies the view of Rav Schwab himself. In addition to the query, an emotional, personal letter from Rav Schwab to Rav Kook ZTL, is printed as well. An introduction and commentary by Prof. Levy accompany the two letters.

 

Much has been written in reference to the "Chasidei Ashkenaz" in the time of the Tosafists. Most famous of the Chasidei Ashkenaz was Rabbi Yehuda HaChasid, whose ethical will, attached to his volume "Sefer Chasidim", raises complex halachic and human issues. Rav Ari Shwat, who heads Michlelet Tal Orot in Elkanah, investigated the influence of certain tragic events upon the adherence to the instructions of Rabi Yehuda HaChasid, and reached very interesting conclusions.

 

Rav Moshe Rosenwasser continues his research of the Ramban`s comments in his commentary on the Torah, which constitute a direct rebuttal of Christian thought. In this article the author focuses on passages of the Ramban (scattered throughout his commentary on the Torah) that counter the Christian claim "We are Israel" ("Verus Israel").

 

Rav Moshe David Chechik, a Jerusalemite scholar, attempts to solve the riddle of the identity of "Rav Leibe, the rabbi of Lublin", from whom Rav Yoel Sirkis (author of the Bach on the Tur) suffered anguish and yet held him in high esteem. Following the clarification of this incident, it emerges that the Maharal of Prague was apparently the rabbi of Lublin for a specific period of time, a fact previously unknown.

 

Dr. Altman, whose previous articles in "HaMa'yan" found great favor in the eyes of Prof. Breuer ZL, analyzes the sixth of the "Eight Chapters" of the Rambam's introduction to Pirkei Avot, and endeavors to ascertain the relationship between intuition and intellect according to the Rambam. As a sequel, we bring thoughts of Prof. Breuer, which appeared in the "Parashat HaShavua Sheet" of the rabbi of the Bar Ilan Campus, on Parshat Bechukotai. Prof. Breuer, relating to the 50^th anniversary of the State of Israel, explains the necessity of continued progress in education, ethics and knowledge, on the personal and national levels.

 

Rav Mordechai Imanuel wrote several halachic studies inspired by the book of his father, Shmuel Imanuel, "We Stood Up and Were Encouraged" ("Kamnu Vanit`odad"). In that volume, R. Shmuel (a survivor of Bergen Belzen, together with his brother, the editor of "HaMa'yan", R. Yonah ZL), depicts how they established an educational youth movement in Holland, and thus brought thousands close to Torah Judaism. In this context the memories of Prof. Breuer are recorded, as he was one of the first emissaries who arrived at the Bergen Belzen refugee camp after the Holocaust.

 

The volume concludes with an article by the famous scholar, Dr. Zohar Amar, of Neveh Tzuf in the Shomron, concerning the five types of Marror for Pesach according to the opinion of the Rambam.

 

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The editorial board of HaMa'yan wishes its readers and subscribers a kosher and happy Pesach.

                                                                                                                                    Y. C.