Wednesday 19 May 2021

Imrei Yaakov: another of Avot's "forgotten books"

Today one of my chavrutot showed me a copy of Imrei Yaakov, this being a commentary on Pirkei Avot by a certain Rav Yaakov Henech Cymerman. This work, which was self-published in London 1955, consists of some 220 pages of discussion of Avot reproduced alongside the commentary ascribed to Rashi.

I have never come across this work before and have never seen or heard any reference to it. Sadly this seems to be the fate of so many self-published works on Avot, written by earnest but unsung scholars and enthusiasts before the days of the social media -- that almost magical means by which people with something to say on Jewish interest topics can be connected to those who share their interests.

Jeffrey Maynard's Jewish Miscellanies weblog has some biographical information about this author, who has apparently written a commentary on the Torah, but this has nothing to add about the commentary on Avot. A Gerer chasid, Rabbi Cymerman was also a strong advocate of women's education.

Does anyone know anything about this little book on Avot, which I look forward to reading in the near future.

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