The Talmud, Brochoth, by Rabbi Joseph Shapotshnick, London 1936.

This is an interesting booklet in English by Rabbi Joseph Shapotshnick, about whom I have written before.  It is from the same period as his book “The Jews Among the Nations“, which is also in my library.

This 32 page book is written in English, at a time of rising anti-semitism in Germany. Most of the book is a long foreword, defending the Talmud against antisemitic interpretations. It is also clear that Rabbi Shapotshnik was very aware of science and the inventions of the modern world.  He digresses on the logic of the Talmud, has a very small section on Masseches Brochos, and then writes on vegetarianism, concluding that, scientifically, man is a “farinaceous” species.

Rabbi Joseph Shapotshnick, the self-titled Chief Rabbi of the Rabbinical Association was often controversial.  He was like Marmite – you either loved him or hated him. He came to London in 1913 and settled in the East End, where he soon became a well known Chassidic character. He was already a published author in Europe, and when he came to London became amazingly prolific, in English as well as Hebrew.

Rabbi Shapotshnick was brilliant, well-meaning, flawed and ultimately discredited in the eyes of the Charedi community to which he belonged.  You can read more about him in Rabbi Pini Dunner’s excellent essay, entitled Rebel Rabbi of London. 

The entire booklet is reproduced below: