Ohr HaHochma Publications Ltd. was created several years
ago. It was during those wonderful years, when I was an assiduous
young kollel man, that I first put on paper my Torah thoughts
on the Nazir Tractate, and then gathered them into a book which
I called, Tosfot Nazir im Perush Arzei Halevanon. With time,
I went on to write and edit additional books.
Once I had acquired enough experience and knowledge, I approached
my first substantial project - the publication of Pnei Yehoshua
on shas by HaRav Yaakov Yehoshua Falk zt”l. This book had always
been widely read in the Torah world and was never far from the
hand of a Torah scholar. However, like so many other ancient
books, it had been censored quite extensively, with lines and
even whole pages omitted from it. Moreover, it was full of mistakes.
With special Divine assistance and help from a large staff of
Torah scholars, we had the privilege of reprinting a new, flawless,
five-volume edition, with numerous additions taken from original
manuscripts and early printed editions with comments and sources.
That is how Ohr HaHochma came to be, which bears the same name
as a work by my grandfather, the pious and learned mystic, Rabbi
Uri Faivel z”l of Budenka, Poland, who was a student of a disciple
of the Baal Shem Tov z”l. This closed a circle that had began
in the wilderness of Poland some 300 years ago, through Kibbutz
Megido in the Jesrael Valley and up to the holy city of Jerusalem,
may it be speedily rebuilt in our days.
With special Divine assistance and in light of the great demand
for ancient and rare books that have not been printed for dozens
or hundreds of years, yet which have not lost their appeal,
Ohr HaHochma was created in order to reprint ancient books.
Among these books are the first edition of the Babylonian Talmud
- Venice, 1522 (ten volumes), Dikdukei Sofrim by HaGaon HaRav
Rabinowitz z”l (twelve volumes), the Munic manuscripts of the
Babylonian Talumud (three volumes), Toldos Hachamei Yerushalayim
by HaRav Frumkein z”l (three volumes).
We recently had the privilege of publishing an eight-volume
exquisite new edition of Chiddushei HaRitba al HaShas by Rabbeinu
Yom Tov Elshvili, edited and corrected according to the original
manuscripts and printed editions. Our plan was to step by step,
publish a selection of ancient books in accordance with meticulous
lists that we had made up while taking into consideration a
variety of issues.
Then, again with incredible Heavenly assistance, we conceived
the idea for this present project, The Otzar HaHochma Electronic
Library , which will contain all the ancient and rare books
that we will be able to attain.
In order to do this, we put together a large staff of cutting
edge printers and computer programmers, who will turn the books
into a digital medium. At the same time, a staff of Torah scholars
and literary experts is working on dividing up the books and
cataloging them according to (Torah and Judaica) subject matter.
This, in addition to consistent accompaniment of bibliophiles,
who spend days and nights in various dusty archives, seeking
out rare books to adorn, enrich and glorify the Otzar HaHochma
Library .
It seems that all of the projects we have thus far worked on
served as groundwork for this current project, which has already
been described as the greatest revolution since the printing
press.
This site was created in order to bring the Otzar HaHochma
Library to those who love wisdom and appreciate books. We
are certain that all of you who cherish Jewish books will take
great interest in the electronic library and its array of opportunities.
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