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Thursday, May 15, 2014

Recent Acquisition: The library of Rabbi Dr. H. Norman Strickman

Rabbi H. Norman Strickman is Rabbi emeritus of Marine Park Jewish Center, Professor of Jewish Studies at Touro College and past president of the Rabbinic Board of Flatbush. He received his M. H. L. from Yeshiva University, a Phd from Dropsie University and was ordained at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Seminary. He is the recipient of the Histadrut Haivrit prize in Hebrew Literature and his writings have appeared in Jewish Quarterly Review, Midstream, Bitzaron and Hadarom. He has also translated and annotated Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, Psalms and the Yesod Mora.
Rabbi Strickman is currently in the process of making Aliya to Israel.

Rabbi Strickman's large library consists of several thousand books including nearly any book a Scholar of the Bible and Jewish History will ever see quoted as well as an astounding selection of books a Pulpit Rabbi would find of use. All politics and debates were aside in his library where books were judged by what can be learned from them and not by political considerations. A splendid collection of books that can only be built through decades of searching for and building book by book. Best wishes to Rabbi Strickman and his family upon their Aliya.

One of the many books published by Rabbi Strickman
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2 comments:

  1. Jacob D.May 15, 2014 at 2:31 PM

    I don't know R'Stickman at all but I did see his massive library. It is well evident that this Rabbi has a great love for the Jewish book! What most impresses me is the fact he is able to part from such a collection and make an Aliyah. In Yehoshua Lebanon's (Also known as Mondishine) article on the life of the great Habad bibliophile Hayyim Lieberman (עלי ספר חוברת ו-ז ניסן תשל״ט pg.6) we are told that undoubtedly the early seeds of Liebermans book love were planted during his learning in the years תרס״ה-תרס״ח under R'Abraham Klatzkin (Son of R'Naftali Klatzkin author of שו״ת אילה שלוחה, brother of R'Eliyahu Klatzkin). R' Abraham owned a large library which loved and that deterred him from leaving Lionza and making an Aliyah! A serious book collecter can develop a real deep connection with his books. From R'Strickman we see an example of someone fulfilling at least part (maybe all, I don't know him) of the teaching of רשב״י - (TB Berachot דף ה ע״א) that says ג׳ מתנות טובות נתן הקב״ה לישראל וכולן לא נתנו אלא על ידי יסורין אלו הן תורה וארץ ישראל והעלום הבא.

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  2. AnonymousJune 24, 2015 at 11:54 PM

    I read Rabbi Strickman's Without Red Strings book. It was a real eye opener on the origin of the Oral Law and other rationalist Rambam stuff.

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