Classes by Mordechai Dinerman Mordechai Dinerman

The Kittsee Haggadah

The library of Agudas Chasidei Chabad houses a remarkable manuscript crafted in 1760 by the talented scribe and artist Chaim ben Asher Anshel of Kittsee, near present-day Bratislava. We’ll trace the journey of this Haggadah from its creation to its acquisition by the Frierdiker Rebbe. Opening this manuscript, we’ll examine its layout, artwork, nusach, and style of nikud, seeking to uncover the influences that shaped Chaim ben Asher’s masterpiece through a comparative analysis with other Haggadahs of that period.

To purchase a facsimile of the Kittzee Haggadah:
https://store.kehotonline.com/prodinfo.asp?number=HP-HAGG.KITZEE

To view it online, visit the following link and insert card number “1950”:
https://chabadlibrary.org/catalog/index.php?catalog=mscatalog


Additional Links:

Kittzee Haggadah 1748, Gross Collection
https://www.nli.org.il/en/discover/manuscripts/hebrew-manuscripts/viewerpage?vid=MANUSCRIPTS#d=[[PNX_MANUSCRIPTS990000632400205171-1,FL54685621

Kittzee Haggadah 1768, Hebrew Union College
https://mss.huc.edu/phpviewer/index.php?path=MS_451

Kittzee Haggadah 1769, Jewish Museum London
https://www.nli.org.il/en/discover/manuscripts/hebrew-manuscripts/viewerpage?vid=MANUSCRIPTS#d=[[PNX_MANUSCRIPTS990001792760205171-1,FL28179029

Kittzee Haggadah 1771, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
https://www.nli.org.il/en/discover/manuscripts/hebrew-manuscripts/viewerpage?vid=MANUSCRIPTS#d=[[PNX_MANUSCRIPTS990001920270205171-1,FL59161404

Kittzee Haggadah 1772, JTS Library
https://digitalcollections.jtsa.edu/islandora/object/jts%3A62343#page/41/mode/1up

Amsterdam 1695
https://www.nli.org.il/en/books/NNL_ALEPH990013798840205171/NLI#modal-downloadModal

Prague 1713
https://www.nli.org.il/en/books/NNL_ALEPH990013798850205171/NLI

Offenbach 1721
https://www.hebrewbooks.org/4923

Frankfurt 1724
https://www.nli.org.il/en/books/NNL_ALEPH990010665310205171/NLI

In the year 1550, two non-Jewish printers published competing editions of Rambam’s Mishneh Torah. One of them partnered with an esteemed rabbi from Padua, who, in his quest for support, turned to Rabbi Moshe Isserlis. Rama’s response along with a careful examination of the printed volumes unveil the details of this dispute. Rama’s scholarly answer also sheds light on various areas of commercial Halachah as well as the Noahide laws.
The Printers’ Clash: The Battle Over Rambam’s Mishneh Torah, Venice 1550

There have been tragic instances where Jewish women felt compelled to take drastic measures to save the lives of their fellow Jews. When rabbis were presented with these real-life cases, they turned to the story of Esther for inspiration and guidance.

Seduction and Sacrifice: From the Purim Story to the Responsa Literature

Today, we explore enigmatic Megilahs, where the absence of the text eclipses the written word. We’ll learn that this peculiar phenomenon is just a fragment of a larger tendency reflected in the Geniza to produce incomplete texts. We shall unravel the motivations behind this practice, reminding us of the formidable challenges in reproducing sacred texts by scribal hand.

 

Links:

First Megilah image:

https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-AS-00044-00005/1



Second Megilah image:

https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-NS-00286-00043/1



Third Megilah image:

https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-NS-00286-00043/1



First Chumash image

https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-A-00043-00004/2



Second Chumash image:

https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-A-00043-00013/2



First Tehilim image:

https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-NS-00281-00131/2



Second Tehilim image:

https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-AS-00039-00186/2



Final Megilah Image

https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-AS-00041-00207/1


Scrolls, Scribes, and Shortcuts: An Incomplete Megilah in the Cairo Geniza

Tunisian Jews used to refer to Tanach with a very odd name, and few understood why. Fortunately, illuminated medieval Jewish manuscripts can help solve this mystery. They bring us back to the 14th century, where we find Rabbi Yitzchak ben Moshe Halevi fervently contending that there has been a neglect of studying Tanach and that this is akin to abandoning the sacred Beis Hamikdash.



Lost Scrolls, Lost Souls: A Spanish Jew’s Plea to Rediscover Tanach | Favorite Episodes

When we examine medieval manuscripts that feature Aleinu, we uncover intriguing instances of censorship within this ancient prayer. What motivated these textual alterations, and can they be linked to a specific historical event? Delving into this subject unveils a significant episode from the year 1390, shedding light on the numerous amendments and erasures made to the text. These changes continue to influence various minhagim to the present day.



Relevant links:



Michael Machzor

https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/b3f2d1d5-ff07-4a6e-87ea-281c41957925/surfaces/2df6a671-c677-4e7d-a5df-e722f28f4c60/#



Esslingen Machzor

https://digitalcollections.jtsa.edu/islandora/object/jts%3A2173#page/43/mode/1up



Tripartite Machzor

https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/9e481d9a-06e6-41e8-ae36-a58d445a1ffa/surfaces/f6ca5ba3-7c09-4b1f-a288-3d3c052e65e9/#



Machzor from the Rhineland

https://bibliophilly.library.upenn.edu/viewer.php?id=CAJS%20Rar%20Ms%20382#page/489/mode/1up



Worms Machzor

https://www.nli.org.il/he/manuscripts/NNL_ALEPH000044560/NLI?volumeItem=2#$FL21059450




The Scandalous History of Aleinu - New Episode