Volume of Issues of the Journal HaMisdaronah. Frankfurt am Main and Jerusalem, 1885-1889

Volume of Issues of the Journal HaMisdaronah. Frankfurt am Main and Jerusalem, 1885-1889

Volume containing most of the issues of the journal HaMisdaronah edited by the sage Rabbi Chaim Hirschenson. Frankfurt am Main and Jerusalem, 1885-1889.

Many sages of the generation contributed to this journal: Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer of Berlin, Rabbi Sinai Shiffer of Karlsruhe, Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Schorr of Bucharest, Rabbi Avraham Beck of Pressburg, Rabbi David Tzvi Hoffman of Berlin, Shzch"h and more. It also contains many articles from the editor himself.

A special section of the journal is dedicated to printing antique articles, inter alia, 'Aseifat Klalim V'Tziyunim' by Shmuel Niado, grandson of the Kli Chemdah, 'She'erit Yitzchak' by the Ba'al Shem of Michelstadt, Rabbi Zekkel Wormzer; a list of those circumcised in Corfu between 1660-1726 and more.

This journal was apparently ahead of its time, and hence aroused antagonism. In the last issue of the second year (here) there is a feminist article by the editor entitled "Women's Honor." Rabbi Hirschenson writes there "The third matter for which our enemies will vilify us and ostracize the soul of the Talmud, saying a great deal about the fact that the Talmud did not instruct the people to give respect to their wives and did not instruct us to cherish the benefit of a woman's nature to be a helper to a man, internally and externally, supervising her home."

In the eighth issue (present here) there is a sharp letter from the gaon Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld accusing the editor of heresy. The editor's response appears right after it. For more on the prohibition against reading HaMisdaronah, refer to the anthology HaLevanon (Year 20, Issue 8, p. 62) which states "Those who seek ... toiled and found baseless matters that veer from the straight path ..."

Details of the issues:

Year I: Issues 2-12. Issues 2-4 were printed in Frankfurt am Main; the rest were printed in Jerusalem. 1885-1887. Including a special issue (not a regular numbered issue) with an index for all the issues of the first year. Lacking the first issue.

Year II: Issues 1-12. Jerusalem, 1887-1888.

Year III: First issue, none others were printed.

Thick volume, dozens of issues. 21.5 cm.

Fine-very fine condition. One sheet is in moderate-fine condition, with tears in the margins, in the text, without lack. Minimal stains. Old binding, slightly chafed.