sifrei kodesh published in Hungarian pre-WW2

We once spoke about sifrei kodesh published in Hungarian pre-WW2 and how we were surprised to see it. We thought that despite the fact that we have our Bubbe's צאינה וראינה in Hungarian that in circles such as Pupa, this wasn't done. At lest that's the way Pupa would portray itself today... That's what happens when you live in Satmar's shadow for 60+ years... Then again the whole issur against foreign languages is a bit unclear. Was it only in shul that it was assur? Only drashos so as to separate from the neologen? In some shuls it was assur to speak Hungarian, which shows you that Hungarian was the language of choice and that they wanted to uproot that minhag. In any case we have for you today, courtesy of veteran reader Yosef718, several pages of a book that was published by HaRav Shulem Vider הי"ד of Nyíregyháza pre-WW2 and then reprinted in 1947 by the VH in Munich, and then later in Montreal. On the VH copy a woman remembers her sister, and in the Montreal copy a different woman had scribbled the telephone number of the Kicsi Pupa Rebbetzin, o"h. The hakdomoh in Yiddish is from his son Reb Shlomo Dov Vider of Montreal. There he writes that the Orthodox קאנציליי, gatekeepers of the Teilung, if you will, original teilung organizers, were the ones that had this published.

Quite ironic.

Harav Shulem Vider, hy"D. 

Photo courtesy of Yad Vashem.

"ספר "חודש לשנה

Flatbush Jewish Journal Seforim Review by Rabbi Yaakov Levitz

The welfare and livelihood of our brethren is something that is, and should be, of utmost importance to us. In that vein, R’ Moshe Feinstien zt”l ruled that when one is dismissed from his position,his former employer must pay a pension of Chodesh L’shana, one month of pay in return for every year the position was held. Sefer Chodesh L’shana is based on this Psak of R’ Moshe. It discusses the background of the Shaila and explains what R’ Moshe based his Psak on. An important element of the Shaila is what accepted practice is, since we assume that an employer accepts on himself the standard pension in the Jewish world. To show that the accepted norm is indeed a month for a year, Chodesh L’shana includes in it dozens of letters from Batei Din and Rabbonim from all over the world attesting to the fact that they in fact follow the arrangement of a month for a year. The arrangement of Chodesh L’shana, though seemingly new, has its precedent in the Rishonim.The Chinuch (Mitzvah 482) when discussing the Mitzvah of giving gifts to an Eved Ivri who is leaving his servitude, encourages any employer to furnish a worker who is leaving his service with an appropriate send off. Nothing less could be expected of the Jewish people whose Simanim include the Middos of Rachmanim and Gomlei chasadim.

R’ Yaakov Levitz is the owner of Im HaSefer Publishers and Distributors: 718-377-0047 - Or buy it here