End letter - אגרת המיוחס הר"י אייבשיץ על האגדות

From here:

I now see that the episode in question and this letter is already mentioned in the Shefer translation of Graetz, in Zinz's Gedulot Yehonoson V. 2 pgs. 135ff, 214 and in YY Greenwald R Yonoson Eibschutz pg. 57 ff (the last two books can be found at hebrewbooks.org, Zinz especially has a lot of good material on R' Yonason Eibschutz.)

[Update:Prof. Shnayer Leiman was kind enough inform me of his article in Or Ha-Mizrach 29(1981), pp. 418-428 containing the short commentary to Aggadot mentioned in the above letter.

(He also informed me that: "After I published that essay, the Perush Li-Kzat Aggadot appeared in print several times. You will find it easily in a large volume that gathers together color reproductions of the sha'ar blatt of the major editions of shas through the ages.")

The following excerpt:

complements Eliezer's point in his recent Seforim blog post:

"Besides for these two Gedolim opposing Copernicus, R. Yonsan Eybshutz who was also knowledgeable in Astronomy was also opposed as he writes in 1779:

ועבור זה נתטפשו הרבה מתוכנ' קופרניקוס וסעייתו באמרם שהארץ מסבב אבל שקר נחלו והאמת עד לעצמו כי הארץ לעולם עומדת... (יערות דבש, חלק א, דרוש ד, דף לו ע"א).

(Neher, idem, p. 253, is incorrect when he writes that Eybshutz was positive towards Copernicus' theory). "

See also here on the well known explanation of R' Yonoson Eibschutz that the Tower of Bavel was actually some sort of proto-rocketship. I'm not certain which books he refers to -וכבר חברו בזה חיבורים איך לעשות ספינה כזה לילך לכדור הירחי

(although a Google search might be useful here)

but his rocket sounds a bit like the one in Jules Verne - "From the Earth to the Moon" (written decades after RYE's passing).

A footnote on Jewish footnotes

For Menachem:




See also R Y Nissim Yayn HaTov 1: YD 11 for a discussion of R' Yaakov Meir's acceptance of the cross of honor (or some other type of Medal). And R Y Messas Mayim Chaim 2:YD 74 who insists that the cross doesn't count as a religious symbol unless a man is attached to it [!!!] and that in any event it has been clarified from Christian and their sources that the Cross is only as a reminder of the crucifixion and is not a religious symbol[?].

Continuation

From here

המשך יבוא

A letter from R' Yonoson Eibschutz regarding a little known polemic in the Emden-Eibschutz controversy

RK is Raphael Kirscheim. I am also puzzled that this letter hasn't been republished to my knowledge even until today.

From Hamagid - 9 May, 1877

המשך יבוא

Wanted:anyone who can decipher a German text in Gothic letters

If someone could give me some idea of what the following scans (my apologies for the poor quality) has to say concerning te friendship between R SR Rapoport and R Z Frankel, I'd be most appreciative.

perhaps this one is a bit clearer:

טוב שבאסיים...

There has been a good deal of talk surrounding Rachel Elior's hypothesis that Josephus invented the Essenes from whole cloth (later qualified,etc.) No-one in the English side of the blogosphere has yet cited Meir Bar Ilan's devastating review on Elior's earlier foray into Qumran studies - here.

While we will not be able to really judge Elior's hypothesis until it is actually presented to us in its book form, I'd like to make a couple of comments. First, that Josephus's portrayal of Essenes (and Pharisees, and Sadducees) is somewhat problematic is well known. As you can see here, Josephus did attempt to have the various Jewish sects correspond to Greek philosophies for apologetic reasons and he was not above manipulating some of the details to suit his purposes.

Most of Eliors arguments , in her note here seem to arguments from absence. The lack of references to Essenes in Rabbinic literature or the NT is of no more significance then the lack of references to the "Na-Nach's" on this blog.

R Reuvein Margoliyot did try to find an indirect reference to the Essenes in the Talmud, I think he is wrong but its worth repeating anyway. On the statement (end of tractate Kiddushin) טוב שברופאים לגיהנים - Margoliyot suggests rather cryptically that one who understands the history of the beginning of the group of Essenes will understand. I think he is making some type of connection between the word אסיא - healer and Essenes but I don't think it works.

The Occident reports on the Candidates for Chief Rabbi of England