New stuff on Sefer Hasidim
The current volume of the Jewish Quarterly Review is devoted in its entirety to Sefer Hasidim. Several important articles there, most of which I have not yet read. But I noticed that Haym Soloveitchik included, as a web-only resource, transcriptions of the citations of SH in various manuscripts. Skimming through, and looking for new material, I noticed this, from Ms. Oxford Opp. 614 (2275), a 14th century Ashkenazic manuscript from the school of Maharam:
As Soloveitchik writes (p. 62):
German pietism is characterized not simply by its extremist ideology but also by its inveterate desire to proffer advice on all aspects of human relations.
Interesting. Because I always feel guilty whenever I sneak a taste of the food for Shabbat. My former roommate would always have a bowl of his chicken soup for Friday lunch, and another friend would gleefully feast on fresh schnitzel. I suppose the Hassid meant simply to taste the dish to ensure it is well-seasoned. Which bespeaks a level of piety on par with standing knee deep in ice water, I guess.
בירושלמ' כל הטועם קדירותיו בערב שבת מאריכין לו ימיו
In the Palestinian Talmud - Anyone who tastes the dishes on the eve of Shabbat will have a long life.
As Soloveitchik writes (p. 62):
German pietism is characterized not simply by its extremist ideology but also by its inveterate desire to proffer advice on all aspects of human relations.
Interesting. Because I always feel guilty whenever I sneak a taste of the food for Shabbat. My former roommate would always have a bowl of his chicken soup for Friday lunch, and another friend would gleefully feast on fresh schnitzel. I suppose the Hassid meant simply to taste the dish to ensure it is well-seasoned. Which bespeaks a level of piety on par with standing knee deep in ice water, I guess.
posted by manuscriptboy | 10:45 PM
4 Comments:
Peter Schaefer at Princeton has been working on a new edition of Sefer Hasidim for some time now. Hopefully it will see the light of day soon. Maybe I'll get the new JQR in time for some nice Shabbat reading.
הירושלמי שהזכרת נמצא בתוך ההוספות המאוחרות למחזור ויטרי, ראה: מהדורת א' גולדשמידט, ירושלים תשס"ד, א, עמ' רפט: "תנא כל הטועם תבשילו בערב שבת מאריכין לו ימיו ושנותיו, ובירושלמי מפרש טעמא שלא יכעוס על בני ביתו מפני הקדחת תבשילו...". וקרוב לוודאי, כי לפנינו קטע מהירושלמי האשכנזי הידוע.
וראה מקורות נוספים: י' גולדהבר, מנהגי הקהילות, ירושלים תשס"ה, א, עמ' קסב.
Addition
It's possible that this custom appears or is hinted in few textual witnesses of BT Sabbath, 119b. see: Dikdukei Soferim: Sabbath, p. 269, n. 5, that in BT Ms. Oxford 366, the version is: "חמין בערב שבת מלוגמה פת חמה בערב שבת מלוגמא", and so is in Agadot ha-Talmud. and see too: Piskei ha-Rid: Sabbath, Jerusalem 1963, p. 424: "פת חמה בערב שבת מלוגמא"; Sefer Rushino: Exodus, ed. M. Weiss, Jerusalem 1989, p. 75: "חמין בערב שבת מלוגמא".
Though it may sound funny, in modern Hasidism (i.e. Hasidism II) there is a fairly developed system of derashot and encouragement for eating erev shabbat from shabbat food (in practice this is often potato "kigel"!). One drash that comes to mind is on the phrase "toameha hayyim zakhu". I experienced this first hand a number of years ago when doing a little soul-searching and spending a shabbat with the rising star young hasidic master, Zvi Meir of Jerusalem, a Chasidishe baalabusta encouraged me to eat some of this delicious "kigel" thing before i left to for shul. I had to overcome my litvishe hangups. It was well worth it, since the intense, "shriyin", 2 hour long "hodi" > Minha > Kabbalat Shabbat > Maariv complex left me exausted. Without the magical kigel, I would have collapsed.
(sorry for the atypical comments on this generally well-composed blog)
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