Wednesday, July 11, 2012

A talmid chochom named Shprintza

Here is something interesting. In the beginning of Rabbi Moses Kunitz's Ben Yochai (Vienna 1815) he has a page dedicated to what a wonderful family he came from. He mentions that his great-grandmother Hendel's sister was the famous Rabbanit, Shprintze, the wife of R. Mordechai Kaempner (1700-48).
"They said about her that she was an expert in all the defective and plene spellings, as well as the massorahs of all the Biblical books. You could not quote to her a mishnah or aggadah in all of the Babylonian or Jerusalem Talmud that she did not know by heart. She was also a noted beauty, and her charitableness/ righteousness was well known"

11 comments:

  1. I know this isn't particularly helpful, but it's one of my favorite terrible jokes: Shprintze is the Yiddish cellphone service provider.

    ReplyDelete
  2. How was it in any way helpful? I guess I was being helpful without even knowing it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now I have another terrible joke for my repertoire.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a great metzia!!!! Shkoich!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is fascinating. Do we have anything more Shprintze?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just met Shprintze yesterday, so not yet!

      Delete
  6. I know that this isn't helpful and no one cares but when I saw the headline I thought of Shpitzle...

    ReplyDelete
  7. But there is no evidence she knew Shas and Poskim.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yitz in Lakewood7:56 PM, July 22, 2012

    OMG!! I can't believe this!

    I actually own a hardcopy reprint of the sefer "Ben Yochai" - 1815 edition.

    It was reprinted in original form by "Mechon Zichron Kedoshei Polin" in 1998 and I bought it while learning in e"y. However.. they left out one page.

    Guess which?? You got it.. the Mazkeres Ahava / Shprintza page..

    I only noticed this on Shabbos when I wanted to share this interesting tidbit with my wife, but alas there was nothing to show!

    I'm not sure if I should be deducing another episode of modern day censorship.. but I will say that Hebrewbooks.org gets another kudos for this one. For they have yet again preserved the whole truth in un-abridged form!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's hard to believe that it's censorship. The Chid"a has a whole section in Shem HaGedolim dedicated to women, and there are other such "Likutim" in other books.

      Delete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails
'