A HOARD OF HEBREW MANUSCRIPTS 1 II The examination of the contents of the Genizah is not yet concluded. "The day is short and the work is great," and the workman, if not actually "lazy," as the Fathers of the Synagogue put it, is subject to all sorts of diversions and avocations, such as lectur- ing, manuscript-copying, proof-correcting, and -- novel reading. The numberless volumes of "fresh divinity" which an indefatigable press throws on the market daily take up also a good deal of one's time, if one would be "up to date," though many of them, I am sorry to say, prove, at best, very bad novels. As stated in the previous article 2 on the same sub- ject, there is not a single department of Jewish litera- ture -- Bible, Liturgy, Talmud, Midrashim, Philoso- phy, Apologetics, or History -- which is not illustrated by the Genizah discoveries. Naturally, not all the discoveries are of equal importance, but there are very few that will not yield essential contributions to the department to which they belong. How a Weiss or a Friedmann would rejoice in his heart at the sight of these Talmudical fragments! And what raptures of delight are there in store for the student when sifting and reducing to order the historical documents which the Genizah has furnished in abundance, including even -12- |