Sunday, August 10, 2008

Rabbi Dr. J. J. Schacter kinnot webcast from Yeshiva University

Today is the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av. It is a fast day, traditionally spent studying the kinnot.

To hear a (free) live webcast of Rabbi Dr. J. J. Schacter's reading and commentary on the kinnot, click here: (The Kinnot are chanted in Hebrew /Aramaic, but this all-day lecture/seminar is in English.)

http://www.yutorah.org/tishabav/

It's helpful if you print* the source materials , at the right hand side of the page. (Or keep the .pdf open in a separate window.)

NOTE: When Rabbi Schacter refers to source page numbers, he means the handwritten numbers (not circled) at the bottom of the pages of the complete packet. These don't always line up with the pdf document's page numbers. When he refers to two larger page numbers in pairs, it's to those following the kinnot in either of two different books of the kinnot.

For those observing Tisha B'Av: Have an easy and meaningful fast. May this year be our last.

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Update: This is the book Rabbi Schacter edited and quoted, of the Rav's reflections on the Tisha BAv Kinnot. I have it. It's excellent.

*May I recommend that you print the source materials, but discard them appropriately tonight. As it says in the above-mentioned book, Rabbi Soloveitchik provides as an aside (page 133):

There is an old Jewish custom not to collect and put away the Kinot book for next year. I remember this as a child. They did not save the Kinot books for next year but read through them and put them in the shemot collection to be buried later in the cemetery. Every Tish'ah be-Av they would buy new ones. (Of course, the Kinot books were not as expensive as they are now, particularly those with commentaries and translations.) But the old custom was to buy new Kinot booklets every year. After all, after this year we will no longer need them. [...]

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Leora said...

Thanks. Maybe I'll bring this downstairs so I will have something appropriate to the day to watch...

Juggling Frogs said...

Leora,

I highly recommend it.

Having this on-line access has made all the difference for my experience of Tisha B'Av.

He used to do this on-line from the Soloveitchik Institute when he was in Boston, years ago. I remember nursing Gretta (then an infant) while watching. There was no way I could attend kinnot all with a house full of young kids. This made all the difference.

I'm a huge Rabbi Schacter fan. I'd go listen to him read the phone book. We miss having Rabbi Shacter in Boston so much.

I'm so grateful he is still doing this on-line.

Have an easy and meaningful fast.

Anonymous said...

The information here is great. I will invite my friends here.

Thanks

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