13 Sivan 5786

אשכנז מבצר המסורת
Ashkenaz, Bastion of Tradition (Hebrew)
Introduction to the series Shorshei Minhag Ashkenaz
by Rav Binyomin Shlomo Hamburger
Bnei Brak, 5786
353 pages

Table of Contents | Sample Pages

Ashkenaz, Bastion of Tradition is a sweeping historical and halachic study of the spiritual world of Ashkenaz Jewry and the enduring strength of its traditions.

The work grew out of the earlier booklet Leading Rabbis Throughout the Generations on the Preservation of Minhag Ashkenaz, which served as an introduction to the Shorshei Minhag Ashkenaz series. In this expanded work, the subject is treated on a far broader scale, with many additional topics exploring the significance and foundations of the Ashkenaz mesorah.

The volume details the antiquity and authority of Minhag Ashkenaz as well as the esteem in which it was held by the Gedolei Yisrael throughout the generations. It discusses the relationship between the Ashkenaz tradition and other Jewish traditions—including the French and Spanish traditions—and explores the Ashkenaz approach to Kabbalistic and Sephardic customs.

Its chapters present a broad picture of the efforts made by leading Ashkenaz rabbanim to preserve their mesorah, and of how that tradition survived so remarkably into recent times through the steadfast commitment of the communities themselves to their ancestral customs. The book also sheds light on the historical and spiritual connection of the Polish and Lithuanian communities to their Ashkenaz roots, as well as the central role of the Rema’s rulings in shaping the Ashkenaz approach to minhag.

In addition, the work traces later developments in European synagogues, the flourishing of Orthodox communities in Germany, the devastating blow dealt to Ashkenaz tradition by the Holocaust, and the subsequent efforts—under the guidance of Gedolei Yisrael—to restore and preserve that heritage.

Ashkenaz, Bastion of Tradition is an important work for anyone seeking to understand the uniqueness of the Ashkenaz tradition, the story of its preservation, and its enduring importance for future generations.