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Kotzk Blog
by Rabbi Gavin Michal
I have always been drawn to the teaching of the Rebbe of Kotzk. His approach was predicated upon uncompromising truth and intellectual independence.This allowed him to be fearless and never to succumb to societal pressures. He knew that Judaism was so much deeper and more profound than the way it was perceived by the masses and bent by religious populism. These essays, although not necessarily Kotzker in essence, are certainly Kotzk inspired.
307) SEFER HATZOREF AND THE STORY OF THE 'LOST' STOLIN GENIZA:
The library stamp of R.Yisrael Perlow of Stolin
Some years ago, Professor Yitzhak Y. Melamed discovered what looked like a stamp from the famous lost Karlin-Stolin Geniza or Archive.
He made the discovery quite by accident as he was perusing through a two-volume list of Jewish library markings and stamps that the Allies had found and then catalogued after the Second World War. This catalogue is now held at the University of Chicago's Regensburg Library. The Allies created this catalogue to document the Jewish books that had evaded destruction by the Nazis.
After the war, it was thought that the once-great Stolin Geniza had been irretrievably lost. However, from time to time rare Kabbalistic manuscripts had surfaced in, as Melamed puts it, "the murky world of Hebraica dealers". One such manuscript was bought back by the Stoliner Chassidim themselves and another was purchased by the Jewish National Library of the Hebrew University. These, together with his accidental find, gave Melamed hope that the great Stolin Geniza and library had not been completely lost or destroyed. This article is based extensively on Professor Melamed's intriguing investigation into the Stolin Geniza and his account thereof.[1]
"ONE OF THE GREATEST HEBRAICA FINDS OF OUR TIMES":
To give an idea as to just how large and important the Stolin Geniza was, Melamed tells us that:
[if] the rare manuscripts and books carefully collected and preserved by the Stoliner Hasidim from the early 19th century until the 1930s were recovered, even in part, it would be one of the greatest Hebraica finds of our times.
GERSHOM SCHOLEM DRAWS THE ATTENTION OF THE JEWISH WORLD TO THE STOLIN GENIZA:
Melamed points out that sadly and ironically, the Stolin Geniza only really became known to the broader Jewish community just before it was confiscated by the Nazis. In 1941, Gershom Scholem published his Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, and he announced that:
An unexpected find has provided us with a useful hint concerning the relations between the [old and new] forms of Hasidism. In the biographical legends concerning the life of the Ba'al Shem [Tov] . . . a good deal is said about a mysterious saint, Rabbi Adam Ba'al Shem, whose mystical writings the Ba'al Shem was said to have treasured…
Only recently, however, we have come to learn of a curious fact…the descendants of Rabbi Solomon of Karlin have in their possession a great many Hasidic manuscripts and other documents…
I learned to my great surprise that there is among other documents a voluminous manuscript called Sefer Ha-zoref, written by Rabbi Heshel Zoref of Vilna who died in 1700, just when the Ba'al Shem was born . . . Now all this amounts to no less than the fact that the founder of Hasidism guarded the literary heritage of a leading crypto-Sabbatean and held it in great esteem. Apparently we have here the factual basis of our Rabbi Adam Ba'al Shem[2]. [3]
This short section from Scholem is a theological bomb shell.
THE UNUSUAL ORIGINS OF SEFER HATZOREF:
Based on the historical record, we know that R. Heschel Tzoref was a Sabbatian (i.e., a believer in the false messiah Shabbatai Tzvi). In fact, he was the head of the Lithuanian Sabbatians. He attended the Sabbatian conference in Nikolsburg in 1698/9 concerning the Sabbatian aliya to Palestine under R. Yehuda Chasid.[4] People "flocked to Zoref from all over Poland to… strengthen their Shabbatean faith"[5].
In one section of Sefer haTzoref, he wrote that Shabbatai Tzvi was Mashiach ben David and that he (Tzoref) was Mashiach ben Yosef.[6] According to Scholem[7] R. Tzoref "encouraged the new movement of Shabbatean Hasidim[8]". We also know that R. Efraim Margulies of Brody prevented R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev from printing Sefer haTzoref because of its Sabbatian origins.
R. Tzoref was a leader of the secret group of Nistarim, established by R. Eliyahu Baal Shem around 1590 (Tzoref may have been his student.) The Nistarim were established to preserve the teachings of Abulafia (Sefer haTzoref follows the style of Abulafia as well). Around 1665/6, when Shabbatai Tzvi was declared the Mashiach, Tzoref came out in the open and publicised the existence of the Nistarim. This event could be interpreted in different ways; either to brazenly show allegiance to Shabbatai Tzvi or to distance himself and the secret mystical group from Shabbatai Tzvi.
It is likely that the Baal Shem Tov and his followers would have known about these and other open and public Sabbatian displays by R. Tzoref, even though Scholem[9] writes that the Besht was "seemingly…unaware of their Shabbatean character."
We know that the Baal Shem Tov said of Sefer haTzoref that "universes could be built from it"[10] and he also said of R. Heshel Tzoref that "the messiah's soul has sparked in him [Tzoref]."[11] We also know from the Foreword by the copyist of Sefer haTzoref that "[t]his Sefer haTzoref…[was] found in the house of our master, our teacher the Rav Rivash [the Baal Shem Tov]" and it contained the following inscription:
This book was composed by the perfect and revered Gaon, through whom the spirit of the Lord spoke…Rabbi Heschel Tzoref…who had a different spirit…
THE LINE OF TRANSMISSION:
We know from the extant copy of the Foreword of Sefer haTzoref that R. Shabbatai of Rashkov told the copyist (R. Yehoshua of Dinhovitz) that the Baal Shem Tov had given him his manuscript of Sefer haTzoref to have copied. But then the Baal Shem Tov passed away and his son, R. Hirsch, removed the book from R. Shabbatai of Rashkov's home.
The Sefer haTzoref thus passed from the Baal Shem Tov to his son Hirsch, and then in turn to his son R. Aharon of Tutiev who lived in Kasnitin. It was the Baal Shem Tov's grandson, R. Aharon of Tutiev, who seeing that the original copy was getting worn, agreed to have Sefer haTzoref copied. He gave his prised manuscript to the copyist R. Yehoshua of Dinhovits. At some stage, the book was acquired by R. Mordechai of Chernobyl. When he died the book was divided into three parts and given to his three sons. Eventually, the copied texts found their way to the library of R. Aharon of Karlin (1736-1772), the leader of the Lithuanian Chassidim and then later it became amalgamated into the great Karlin-Stolin Geniza.
HOW DID THE BAAL SHEM TOV ACQUIRE HIS MYSTICAL TEACHINGS?
According to Shivchei Ha-Besht (In Praise of the Ba'al Shem Tov) - a work which actually began to circulate even while the Baal Shem Tov was still alive - Adam Baal Shem transmitted the secret teachings to the Baal Shem Tov in the following manner:
Before Rabbi Adam's death, he commanded his only son, "I have manuscripts here that hold the secrets of the Torah, but you do not merit them. Search the city called Okopy and there you will find a young man of about 14-years-old whose name is Israel ben Eliezer (the Ba' al Shem Tov). You will hand him the manuscripts for they belong to the root of his soul."
Then, we are later told that these secret writings were hidden under a stone in a mountain.
How the Baal Shem Tov received his mystical and 'secret writings' and exactly what they were is, of course, difficult to say with certainty. It depends on which tradition one chooses to follow. Exactly who the mysterious figure of his teacher Adam Baal Shem was, is similarly difficult to identify. Scholem seems to believe R. Heshel Tzoref and R. Adam Baal Shem were one personality. Scholem also says this view was prevalent amongst the students of the Baal Shem Tov[12], but there are also many other views on the matter.
THE STORY OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE STOLIN GENIZA:
Melamed tells the story which began in 1929. A young surgeon with an interest in Chassidic history, visited his mother in Pinsk. His name was Wolf Zeev Rabinowitsch. In Pinsk, he happened to meet a certain David Bachlinski who was the enlightened tutor of R. Moshe Perlow, the Stoliner Rebbe.
The Stoliner Rebbe and his family must have been quite open-minded Chassidim as besides having an enlightened tutor, the rebbe's brother, Asher, had recently returned from Berlin where he had studied musicology.
The tutor, Bachlinski, duly introduced Rabinowitsch to both the Stoliner Rebbe and his brother R. Asher because he wanted to show the young researcher the library which contained rare books and documents relating to early Chassidic history.
Rabinowitsch was so inspired that he wrote to the great Jewish historian Simon Dubnow to tell him of his findings. Dubnow wrote back encouraging both Rabinowitsch and Bachlinski to do more research and to document the history of the Karlin-Stolin Chassidim. Dubnow even offered to write an approbation to their work.
There was an exchange of research and Dubnow published some of the material sent by Rabinowitsch and Bachlinski from what came to be known as the "Stolin Geniza". In the meantime, Rabinowitsch began working as a doctor in Berlin and Bachlinski, with his contacts at the archive, became his paid research assistant.
On July 28, 1929, Bachlinski wrote to Rabinowitsch and informed him of some amazing discoveries he had made within the Stolin Geniza. He had found signed letters from some of the early Chassidic leadership, including R. Dov Ber of Mezeritch, R. Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, R. Yisrael of Ruzhin and R. Avraham Yehoshua Heschel of Apta. He also claimed to have found the Shtar Hitkashrut, or Pledge of Allegiance signed by the students of the Ari Zal as well as a manuscript in R. Chaim Vital's handwriting:
All those things I have read while standing in the cellar where the crate is stored. There were more letters…I wrote down outlines on a piece of paper, and relied on my rather strong memory.
Later, Bachlinski was allowed to take some material home to study and he reported:
[T]his time at least I worked in much better conditions. I did not stand in the cellar as the first time, but rather sat at home…I snooped and peeked as much as I could, and now you can be rest assured that I have not missed anything of any importance.
Even later, Bachlinski continued to update Rabinowitsch:
It turned out that, when I had entered the cellar for the first time the year before, I had seen only a tenth or the twentieth of all the treasure hidden there. I estimate that there are about a thousand letters and other writings of the leading Hasidic figures of all periods (apart from Chabad)…
If the matter is close to your heart and you are able to interest the relevant people I would advise you to speak with R. Asher and R. Avrum Yakli[13] who are likely to agree - obviously in exchange for some gift - to let this treasure be put into use. In the Geniza I have also found some letters by the Maharal of Prague and R. Chaim Vital whose authenticity must be confirmed by experts.
In 1935, Rabinowitsch published the first German edition of his book on Lithuanian Hasidism. He sent a copy to Bachlinski, who replied:
You have appeased me with your important gift, and I have no complaints. I would only ask for one thing. Please make sure to make a few corrections in the Hebrew edition. Do not write . . . "the atheistic youth," since it will certainly not bring much honor to the Stoliner Hasidim to hear that atheists are singing the melodies of the Great R. Aharon…
Whatever you wrote in German is not crucial. But if you write like this in Hebrew, it is possible that the book will come into the hands of the Stoliner Rebbe, who will definitely be insulted.
In the meantime, Rabinowitsch emigrated to Palestine and some friction began to show in what till then had been a cordial relationship between all concerned. Bachlinski wrote:
I write to inform you that on June 23 I was released from my teaching at school and was waiting for the money you promised to send me from Eretz Yisrael…
I travelled to Stolin on the 30th of the same month…Reb Asher actually treated me very nicely, but much less so the other people at the court and particularly the son-in-law of the late Rebbe, R. Yisrael -R. Avraham Yaakov Friedman (from the Sadigura dynasty). I was not permitted to do what I wished, and I was not even allowed to read many of the writings, which were said to be family letters, and not intended for the eye of foreigners. However, I was able to copy…several items.
Then Bachlinski identifies himself as the discoverer of the elusive text of Sefer haTzoref:
Finally and most valuable: a manuscript of Sefer Ha-zoref which has never been printed. This is a large book of Kabbalah with 700 sheets (1400 pages) that was in the house of the Ba'al Shem Tov and had a major influence on the founder of Hasidism. It was written by Yehosua Heschel Zoref of Krakau (born 1633) of whom the Ba'al Shem Tov said, "the messiah's soul had sparkled in him…"
I have copied some parts of the book since it is impossible to copy such a huge book in a short time…
R. Asher asked me to find a publisher for the book…
I will send you the material soon, which you should probably bring to that person fond of Hasidism and Kabbalah. I will provide all required details in a letter.
I wished to photocopy the "Pledge of Allegiance" but I was not granted permission, though I offered payment. I just copied with pencil a few signatures.
If I succeed in my negotiation regarding the printing of Sefer Ha-zoref, I will be allowed to photocopy this document as well.
Melamed then informs us that the reference in this last letter to "that man fond of Hasidism and Kabbalah" was none other than Gershom Scholem.
Three years later, Scholem published an article on Bachlinski's discovery of the "Pledge of allegiance of the disciples of the Ari (Rabbi Isaac Luria)."
Scholem wrote:
I have no facsimile of the script itself, but the copier in Stolin copied the signature on a transparent paper following my request from Dr. Rabinowitsch.
Interestingly, Melamed points out that another character in this story was the publisher and philanthropist Shlomo Zalman Schocken (from Schocken Books), who supported the research of both Scholem and Rabinowitsch.
Bachlinski then wrote:
…At the beginning [of my visit to Stolin] I did not find R. Asher at his home, but before the Sabbath I came in and spoke with him about "the holy writings." He received me nicely, saying that he appreciates me since I am a "man of scholarship," and my aim is pure science.
He did not let me into the cellar that day, but only on Sunday. In the meantime, the situation deteriorated slightly since his mother and her son-in-law, R. Avrum Yakli, listened to the slander of the Hasidim who complained 'why should we allow a foreigner to see the holy writings?'
But R. Asher stood on my side this time, especially once he heard from me about the finding of the manuscript of Sefer Ha-zoref…
From a purely historical perspective the book is of little value since it does not at all mention the movement of Shabbtai Zevi though the author lived at this very period.[14] (The book may contain some hints that could be deciphered only by insiders.)…
On the other hand, the book is an unfailing source for both theoretical and practical Kabbalah…
I am confident that in Eretz Yirsael, the ancient cradle of the Kabbalah, you will surely find someone who would wish to uncover these occult writings...
At the cellar [of the Stoliner Rebbe] I also found the Ba'al Shem Tov's personal copy of the Zohar (but there are no emendations or notes in the book) and the Alfas that was printed in Venice in 1522 at the printing house of Daniel Bomberg, with handwritten notes by R. Moshe Isserles. The script is very blurred. What should we do with these rare finds?...
Please let me know your view about all these issues.
As to the money, I have already written to you in the postcard and I am waiting for your order and for good news from our Land in general, and from you in particular. Please send my regards to your housemates and your wife.
Your staunch friend,
Bachlinski
On the right margin of the letter's first page Bachlinski added:
Please contact that Maecenas[15] [Schocken], who might perhaps agree to buy the manuscript of Sefer Ha-zoref from "the court" in order to print it. Obviously, this most honorable man is likely to appreciate this work. I am confident that once you read the introduction [foreword][16], which I have copied, you will surely wish to be among those who enjoy and help the public enjoy its merits.
SENSITIVITIES AND AGENDAS IN RECORDING EARLY CHASSIDIC HISTORY:
Melamed does not deny that R. Heshel Tzoref influenced early Chassidism. He only questions the degree to which he did. However, he writes that Bachlinski, Rabinowitsch and Scholem, as typical of all other secular historians, may have had some agenda.
Melamed writes:
Although the lost archive is of extraordinary historical value regardless of the actual nature of how much Heshel Zoref's book influenced the early Hasidic movement, the story of how Scholem came to make his announcement is a window into the tense, fascinating, and not altogether edifying relationship between Hasidim and secular historians in interwar Poland.
Melamed then makes an interesting point:
In the context of his other discoveries, Bachlinski's fixation with Sefer Ha-zoref is odd. He has, after all, just announced that he has located not only the founder of Hasidism's personal copy of the Zohar, the canonical work of Jewish mysticism, but the annotated copy of one of the great Talmudic works by the preeminent halakhic authority of the 16th century, Rabbi Moses Isserles, author of the Ashkenazic glosses to the Shulkhan Arukh, as well as several extraordinary letters. These are invaluable documents of Jewish literary and intellectual history that would be treasures in any great library.
Heshel Zoref's unpublished kabbalistic treatise pales in comparison.
Melamed believes that Bachlinski was drawn specifically to Sefer haTzoref because, like other secular historians of Chassidic history, he sought to undermine its position in the Jewish world.
Indeed, his coyness in describing Scholem as "that man fond of Hasidism and Kabbalah" may have derived from the sense that he was betraying those, like Reb Asher, the musicologist brother of the Stoliner Rebbe, who had opened the archive to him, and suggested the printing of Sefer Ha-zoref in the interests of "pure science."
Melamed then describes how Rabinowitsch "followed up with an obsequious letter" addressed to the brother of the Stoliner Rebbe requesting access to the manuscript of Sefer Ha-zoref:
To the Righteous Rabbi, R. Asher the son of the Righteous Rabbi R. Yisroel, may his memory shelter us, from the descendants of the Tzadikim of Karlin in the Holy Community of Stolin. Peace and all the best!
I hope that His Honor still remembers my visit at his house in Stolin about ten years ago as well as my conversation with His Honor regarding the history of Hasidism in our area, and especially regarding Karlin-Stolin Hasidism.
I have learned from Mr. Bachlinski that in his house there is a manuscript of Sefer Ha-zoref, by the sage and thinker R. Yeshoshua Heshel Zoref, may his memory shelter us, and that His Honor would like to bring the book to daylight and publish it. For why should it be lost in darkness and be, heaven forbid, "like those who have been long dead" [Ps. 143:3]?
I hope to find a publisher here, in Eretz Yisrael, a place of Torah and wisdom. Though I heard…that Sefer Ha-zoref is voluminous and the printing expenses are high, nevertheless I hope to find a way, with God's help, to teach and propagate the teaching of the aforementioned sage by the printing of the book…
With the blessing of the Holy Land,
Dr. Zeev Rabinowitsch, who cherishes His High Honor.
Melamed shows that less than three years later, Rabinowitsch's affable encouragement
and description of the reasons why Sefer haTzoref should be published, seem to have changed drastically from the over-respectful tone of the previous letter, to publishing the following:
Now in the court of the Tzadik in Stolin, there is a long manuscript of a Sabbatean prophet among the holy writings of the Hasidic tzadikim! And the copiers of the book pray that the merit of the Sabbatian author shall shelter them.
Gone are the niceties and the words of the earlier letter where he referred to "the sage and thinker R. Yeshoshua Heshel Zoref, may his memory shelter us."
Melamed adds that these words of Rabinowitsch were similar in tenor to the words Scholem would later use in his Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism where he describes R. Heschel Tzoref as a "leading crypto-Sabbatean".
Rabinowitsch did not receive a reply to his letter from Stoliner Rebbe nor from his brother R. Asher.
Perhaps he noted the oddness of singling out this particular manuscript out of all of the treasures within his Geniza. At any rate, he did not send Sefer Ha-zoref or any of his other treasures to Palestine.
POSTLUDE:
David Bachlinski seems to have perished during the Holocaust. Stolin was invaded by the Soviet army in 1939. With the German conquest in 1941, according to one witness, a Nazi unit confiscated the Stolin Geniza and loaded it onto a wagon. The Stoliner Rebbe, his family, and community were murdered on the eve of Rosh Hashanah in 1942.
After the war, when Rabinowitsch revised his book, his last sentence read:
Thus were lost important original documents which could have provided valuable source-material for the study of Jewish history.
Amazingly, today the Karlin-Stolin community is flourishing and Melamed leaves us with a positive note:
There is good reason to believe, moreover, that the collection of literary treasures, which they so carefully preserved for more than a century, still exists somewhere, dispersed or even partially intact.
I found Professor Melamed's meticulous research and particular attention to detail most enlightening and absolutely fascinating. There is, however, one point that I respectfully have to make. While he may be correct about the attitude and agenda of both David Bachlinski, Wolf Zeev Rabinowitsch and even Gershom Scholem[17] – I believe that there still should be a space for those who choose to explore the origins of the Chassidic movement and who encounter, as they will, many such indications of Sabbatian influence on the early movement.
Jacob Schacter, for example, takes a different position and speaks to the objectivity of Scholem in dealing with Sabbatianism:
One of the most significant and lasting contributions of Gershom Scholem to Jewish scholarship is his serious and objective treatment of the Sabbatian movement in all its phases and complexity.[18]
Whatever view one chooses to take on Scholem, it is clear that not all pursuits into the nature and influence of Sabbatianism are governed by nefarious motivation or negative intentions. Where these Sabbatian influences are identified, if they have merit, they should be studied further by those interested in so doing.
Schacter also observes very poignantly that just as it is impossible to speak of a unidimensional and monolithic Sabbatian ideology because of the multiple Sabbatian ideologues involved, so too we cannot speak of a single anti-Sabbatian camp:
And what is true of the [Sabbatian][19] "believers" is also true of their opponents.
A multiplicity of motives and orientations characterizes the anti-Sabbatian camp as well.[20]
I would add that the discovery of a Zohar belonging to the Baal Shem Tov, and the handwritten notes of R. Moshe Isserles are certainly real treasures – but the discovery of Sefer haTzoref and all it symbolises, especially the one belonging to the Baal Shem Tov, is more astounding! This, coupled with a Chassidic tradition that Adam Baal Shem and R. Heshel Tzoref may have been the same person; and that R. Heschel Tzoref is identified as a leading Sabbatian; and that we may have discovered parts of the elusive "secret writings" of the Baal Shem Tov.
R. Aryeh Kaplan writes about these elusive "secret writings" which the Baal Shem Tov had access to:
There has been considerable speculation as to the nature of these writings, but at least in part, it is almost certain they consisted of Sefer HaTzoref…which had been written by Rabbi Heshel Tzoref…[21]
Emphasizing the discovery of Sefer haTzoref might have been to the advantage of Bachlinski and Rabinowitsch and even abused by them - I cannot speak for them - but many religious seekers of historical reality would be absolutely drawn to that discovery too.
Sefer haTzoref may still exist somewhere or it may have been destroyed.
According to R. Kaplan:
Sefer HaTzoref still exists in manuscript, in the hands of the Karliner Hasidim.[22]
If it does still exist, why has it not been published especially in an age where everything about the Baal Shem Tov is published and open?
Only its full[23] discovery (or recovery) will put paid to the question of the exact nature of the work, and only then will we have the answer to our question.
[1] Yitzhak Y. Melamed, The Lost Textual Treasures of a Hasidic Community. Jewish Review of Books, Spring 2012. Some of the content of this article was additionally taken from a previous article Sefer haTzoref – Were These The 'Secret Writings' Which Had to Be Hidden? as well as from subsequent independent research.
[2] My edition reads: "Apparently we have here the factual basis of the legend of Rabbi Adam Baal Shem."
[3] Gershom Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, Schocken Books Inc. 1973, p. 332. Melamed points out that Scholem (in what the former describes as his "enthusiasm" at the discovery) made two mistakes in this extract from his book. Firstly, the rebbes of Karlin-Stolin descended from R. Aharon and not R. Solomon of Karlin. And secondly, their well curated stockpile of books was assembled in the 19th not the 18th century.
It must be mentioned, though, that while these two observations may be correct, these details would not change Scholem's basic premise: Sefer haTzoref was found in the Stolin Geniza and it was connected to the Baal Shem Tov.
[4] R. Yehudah Chassid was known as the Maggid of Sziedlow (1660-1700). He promoted an early aliya to the Land of Israel, and travelled around Europe promoting asceticism and teshuva, gathering a group of about 1 500 people. His followers were known as Chassidim (probably a play on his name Yehuda Chasid). A third of them died of hardships on the journey and between 500 and 1000 Ashkenazim eventually arrived in Jerusalem on October 14, 1700, creating a crisis in the city which already had 200 Ashkenazim and 1000 Sefaradim and could barely sustain itself.
The Jewish community of Jerusalem lived off charities collected from Europe and the community couldn't cope with this large influx of immigrants. Besides this, the group was suspected of being Ma'aminim (Believers) as the Sabbatians were then called. The opponents were called Kofrim (Deniers), giving some idea of how popular the Sabbatian movement was in its day. The new arrivals built their own synagogue but the community could not sustain itself, and as a result, all Ashkenazim were banned from Jerusalem. The synagogue became known as the famous Churvat Yehuda Chassid, or destroyed synagogue, after the Ottoman authorities demolished it in 1721 when the Jews did not pay their taxes. This synagogue was rebuilt in 1864 by the Perushim (the students of the Vilna Gaon) only to be destroyed in 1948 by the Arab Legion. It was eventually restored in 2010 by the Israeli authorities.
[5] Gershom Scholem. Kabbalah, 1987 Dorset Press. p. 452.
[6] Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah. 1987 Dorset Press, p. 452.
[8] This would be a reference to the followers of R. Yehuda Chasid whose followers were known as 'Chasssidim'. Scholem goes on to refer to the early and later Chassidim.
[9] Gershom Scholem. Kabbalah, 1987 Dorset Press. p. 453. Although in his Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (p.333), Scholem writes: "It seem to me to be a fact of great importance that, between the new Hasidim and the old to whom Rabbi Heschel Zoref belonged, there was a link, if only an unconscious one…"
[10] Handwritten Document about "Sefer HaZoref" and Rabbi Ephraim Margolioth – Document from the Archives of Joseph Perl. (Kedem Auction House, Auction 52, Jewish and Israeli History and Culture, Lot no. 132.)
[11] The Lost Textual Treasure of a Hasidic Community by Yitzchak Y. Melamed.
[12] Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah. 1987 Dorset Press, p. 453.
[13] R. Asher's brother-in-law.
[14] Some background: After R. Heschel Tzoref died, parts of his copious manuscripts were scattered and perhaps lost. Some sections found their way to the Kabbalist R. Natan ben Levi, a member of the Klaus of Brody who subsequently hid them. This may be the origins of the apparent "hidden writings" which formed the basis of the later story of the emergence of Chassidism. Other sections of the work, the writings from his later years, found their way to the Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov wanted to make a copy of the Sefer haTzoref but his wish was only fulfilled in around 1780, twenty years after his passing. So, the copy the Baal Shem Tov had may only have been a partial section (1400 pages) of the original 5000-page work. Perhaps that section contained no overt Sabbatian references.
[15] A generous patron.
[16] Parenthesis mine.
[17] Actually, Scholem in both his Kabbalah (p.453) and Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (p. 333) is hesitant to overtly connect the Baal Shem Tov to R. Tzoref's Sabbatian enterprises.
[18] Jacob J. Schacter 2001. Motivations for Radical Anti-Sabbatianism: The Case of Hakham Zevi Ashkenazi. Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Thought, 16-17. p. 1.
[20] Ibid. p. 2.
[21] Aryeh Kaplan, Meditation and Kabbalah, 1982, p. 270.
[22] Aryeh Kaplan, Meditation and Kabbalah, 1982, p. 271. It must be noted that R. Kaplan skirts around the issue of R. Heschel Tzoref's affiliations. He writes: "Along with many mystics of that time, Tzoref was accused of having associations with followers of Sabbatai Zvi, and correspondence was even forged to prove these allegations." But nowhere is he prepared to clearly confirm or deny that Tzoref was a Sabbatian.
[23] The Stolin Geniza only apparently housed 1400 of the original 5000 pages of Sefer haTzoref.
Posted by Kotzk Blog at 10:56
Labels: Baal Shem Tov, David Bachlinski, Gershom Scholem, Karlin-Stolin Geniza, R. Heschel Tzoref, Shabbatai Tzvi, Shlom Zalman Schocken, Simon Dubnow, Wolf Zeev Rabinowitsch, Yitzchak Melamed
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Semecarpus Anacardium INTRODUCTION: Much of our Torah literature remained in an oral form during the early parts of our history....
306) THE ZOHARIC EMPHASIS ON AVRAHAM AS DISSEMINATOR OF NON-JEWISH MYSTICISM:
Sefer haZohar Moreh Nevuchim INTRODUCTION: Almost every single version of the various narratives about Avraham contain the well-known mo...
305) THE EARLIEST VIEWS ON THE ORIGINS OF KABBALAH:
F irst edition of R. Menachem Recanati's commentary on the Torah (Venice, 1523) INTRODUCTION: We have previously looked at the origi...
The library stamp of R.Yisrael Perlow of Stolin INTRODUCTION: Some years ago, Professor Yitzhak Y. Melamed discov...
297) WHY BLACK HATS?
Guest post by Rabbi Boruch Clinton: Why Black Hats? This essay is part of the Finding Tradition in the Modern Torah World project . Ever...
309) WERE JEWS EVER MISSIONARIES?
1887 Schechter edition of Avot deRabi Natan. INTRODUCTION: It is a well-known fact that Jews do not proselytise or actively try to con...
102) DID ST. PETER COMPOSE THE 'NISHMAT' PRAYER?
INTRODUCTION: In this article we will look at the fascinating view that it was none other than St. Peter (!) who may have composed th...
308) THE TURKISH JEWS STILL WAVE:
A 17th-century manuscript of Me'orot Natan by R. Natan Nata Shapira in Italian script. (Bodleian Library) INTRODUCTION Turkish and ...
302) SHULCHAN HATAHOR - A 'REAL' CHASSIDIC SHULCHAN ARUCH:
Part of the copious writings of R. Yitzchak Safrin (1806–1874) of Zhidachov-Komarno referred to here as the " Great Eagle, the living A...
291) HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO PRAY?
The following very penetrating article is another guest post by Rabbi Boruch Clinton, a regular contributor to this site. [See here , he...
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text:
Free Thinking Festival 2014
New Generation Thinkers 2014
New Generation Thinkers 2014 - Tweetstorms
The Radio 3 New Generation Thinkers 2014 recently gave talks in front of the audience at Sage Gateshead at the 2014 Free Thinking Festival of ideas. This year's festival theme was 'the limits of knowledge' and each New Generation Thinker chose very different topics and specific areas of their own research to base their talk around.
Radio 3 broadcast the talks as a series called 'The Free Thinking Essay'. To coincide with these broadcasts, we fired out a tweetstorm from the @BBCRadio3 twitter account every evening based on the theme of that night's talk. A tweetstorm is a string of tweets, all based on the same topic, debate or argument, rapidly sent out in quick succession to create a concise flow of ideas, aiming to inspire further thoughts and discussion from the reader.
Links to each programme are included below so that you can listen to all of the talks.
Tiffany Watt-Smith - 'The Human Copying Machine'
Tiffany Watt-Smith
Click here to listen to: 'The Human Copying Machine'.
1/12 Do you yawn when someone else does? Or inadvertently mimic other people's accents?
Do you yawn when someone else does? Or inadvertently mimic other people's accents? Today's neuroscientists say 'mirror neurons' are to blame. But long before MRI scanners, Victorian psychologists also believed we were hard-wired to imitate.
2/12 Today's neuroscientists say 'mirror neurons' are to blame. But long before fMRI scanners, Victorian psychologists also believed...
3/12 we were hard-wired to imitate. They started off thinking it was a peculiarity - seen only among the 'lower races' and women in asylums.
4/12 In the 1880s, a new generation of scientific psychologists started to realise they imitated one another too.
5/12 Mimicry became so important that the American psychologist described the brain as a 'repeating organ'...
6/12 and the body as a 'copying machine'.
7/12 But what is most intriguing about this history is how these scientists turned to the world of Victorian theatre to create knowledge..
8/12 of the human mind and body. They visited music halls and experimented with actors - sometimes performing themselves.
9/12 In our culture there are hierarchies of knowledge: the sciences at the top, and drama somewhere near the bottom.
10/12 The history of mirror neurons shows us that scientific knowledge is not created in a vacuum.
11/12 In the nineteenth century, theatre was a vital part of laboratory life.
12/12 And if you look close enough, you might find that it still is.
Tom Charlton - 'Scold the Front Page'
Tom Charlton
Click here to listen to: 'Scold the Front Page'.
1/9 Who censors what? Why? How? Debates over media regulation continue to rage today.
Who censors what, how, and why? Is this a job for the government, or for journalists themselves?
2/9 Advocates of press freedom _and_ those who favour tighter controls both misunderstand and misrepresent the history of press regulation.
3/9 Modern commentary on the seventeenth century is dominated by the Licensing Act of 1662.
4/9 This established by statute a system of prepublication vetting of printed material.
5/9 But the execution of the printer John Twyn, in 1664, can tell us much more about the way seventeenth-century censorship worked...
6/9 ..and how censorship continues to work. Twyn was executed, not under the licensing act, but for treason.
7/9 Attempts to regulate the press, from the Licensing Act to today's Royal Charter, must be understood in the context of other measures.
8/9 ..Such as libel laws, antiterrorism legislation, or the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
9/9 Such a range of measures control both what we read, and how we read it.
Sophie Coulombeau - 'Is Marriage an Identity Crisis?'
Sophie Coulombeau
Click here to listen to: 'Is Marriage an Identity Crisis?'.
1/10 Women are often urged to consider 'tradition' when deciding whether to take their husband's name, but how did this very English custom
Women are often urged to consider 'tradition' when deciding whether to take their husband's name, but where did that idea begin?
2/10 begin? It originated in the medieval period, probably as the linguistic symbol of coverture, a principle that meant on marriage a woman
3/10 ceased legally to exist. But there have always been women who defied criticism to buck the trend and keep their maiden names.
4/10 During the Georgian period, wealthy and powerful British women petitioned for Royal Licences or Acts of Parliament to compel men to
5/10 take *their* names, a controversial fashion that ignited debate around literary London.
6/10 Over the nineteenth century, the restrictions of coverture were abolished in Britain, but its symbol lived on and had spread to many
7/10 other countries too. In the USA, the early twentieth-century feminist society the 'Lucy Stoners' challenged government edicts that
8/10 denied a woman the right to use the name she chose. This right was conclusively acknowledged only in the 1970s. The debate rages on.
9/10 Every woman in Britain and the USA can now make this choice for herself.
10/10 Let's remember the women throughout history who made that possible.
Daisy Hay - 'Disraeli the Romantic'
Daisy Hay
Click here to listen to: 'Disraeli the Romantic'.
1/10 Politicians talking about their private lives are a commonplace of our age.
Daisy Hay explores the way in which Disraeli invented the modern politician as a man - or woman - of feeling, and asks whether the image he projected as an emotionally in-touch everyman stemmed from fact or fiction?
2/10 However, long before it became obligatory for aspiring statesmen and women to be photographed unloading dishwashers
3/10 and eating sandwiches, Benjamin Disraeli spun a public fantasy about his private life in order to win votes.
4/10 Daisy Hay from Exeter University explores the way in which Disraeli invented the modern politician as a man – or woman – of feeling,
5/10 and asks whether the image he projected as an emotionally in-touch everyman stemmed from fact or fiction?
6/10 She also tells the story of the Disraelis' marriage, in which Disraeli and his wife Mary Anne cast themselves as hero and heroine of
7/10 a grand romance. They did so initially in order to paper over the cracks of an inauthentic, contingent relationship,
8/10 and eventually because, in spite of everything, they made their strange romance come true.
9/10 Disraeli the Romantic traces a marital journey from coldness to autumnal sunshine,
10/10 illuminating the shift that journey produced in British politics along the way.
Alun Withey - 'Beards and Whiskers'
Alun Withey
Click here to listen to: 'Beards and Whiskers'.
1/12 We tend to think of beards and facial hair as something quirky and mundane. How can they possibly tell us anything about the past?
Jeremy Paxman made headlines when he grew a beard, taking his place alongside actors Jake Gyllenhaal and George Clooney, Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst, folk-rocker Marcus Mumford and hipster model Johnny Harrington. Pogonotomy - or the art of shaving - is about more than fashion.
2/12 But beards are actually central to a wide range of themes across history.
3/12 Beard styles tell us a lot about how men view themselves, but also what any given society regards as an 'ideal' man.
4/12 Emulation of bearded heroes, for example, has been one reason for the popularity of facial hair through the centuries.
5/12 Shaving technologies reveal the story of personal grooming and the development of razors.
6/12 The current trend for beards has cost the razor industry over 72 million pounds.
7/12 In the 1770s though, new steel razors were the 'must have' accessory of the day!
8/12 Over the past 500 years or so, every age has its own recognisable style of facial hair.
9/12 Georgians were clean shaven, while Victorian men sported mighty examples of facial topiary.
10/12 Soldiers in the British Army were required by regulation to wear a moustache until 1916.
11/12 So, far from being a historical irrelevance, beards are actually linked to everything from technology
12/12 to culture, gender and sexuality. Our faces tell a story though time.
Alasdair Cochrane - 'Beastly Politics'
Alasdair Cochrane
Click here to listen to: 'Beastly Politics'.
1/10 We are beginning to see a new way of thinking about our relations with animals.
Is man the only political beast? Can other animals be regarded as members of our democratic communities, with rights to political consideration, representation or even participation?
2/10 This way of thinking goes beyond viewing animals as objects that we can use and dispose of as we see fit.
3/10 It also goes beyond seeing animals as simply of moral concern: creatures that good people ought to be kind to.
4/10 Instead it sees animals as members of our political communities; as individuals entitled to recognition
5/10 and representation within our political institutions.
6/10 Germany, Switzerland, India and Brazil have all provided constitutional protection to animals.
7/10 The Swiss canton of Zurich has provided animals with their own legal advocate.
8/10 Some UK police constabularies are even providing state pensions for their retired dogs.
9/10 I argue that these are the first initial steps of a new more 'beastly' form of politics which should be welcomed,
10/10 strengthened and extended.
Will Abberley - 'Speech Before Words'
Will Abberley
Click here to listen to: 'Speech Before Words'.
Where did language come from? It's often been described as the fundamental barrier between humans and animals. However, many scientists now believe speech evolved gradually from animal communication.
9/10 I argue that these are the first initial steps of a new more 'beastly' form of politics which should be welcomed,
Naomi Paxton - 'A Theatre of Their Own'
Naomi Paxton
Click here to listen to: 'A Theatre of Their Own'.
1/12 The Actresses' Franchise League had been producing suffrage plays since 1908 as part of their work for votes for women.
Women's Theatre Week in London in December 1913 marked the beginning of a project that the Actresses' Franchise League hoped would change their industry for the better.
2/12 Audiences didn't have to go to a theatre to see a suffrage play, they were performed in a variety of spaces–including skating rinks...
3/12 ...restaurants and town halls. This new political theatre had success and potential.
4/12 It responded directly to and was inspired by the lives of working people.
5/12 It gave Edwardian actresses a glimpse into a different kind of theatre, one in which they could fully take part.
6/12 In 1913 they started a new project, the Woman's Theatre. They dreamed of an industry in which women could...
7/12 have as much chance to act, write, produce and manage as their male counterparts.
8/12 Similar ideas were springing up in Europe and America, and they reimagined the theatre building.
9/12 The first season of the Woman's Theatre went well, but the next was delayed because of WW1.
10/12 There is still not equality of opportunity for women in theatre. Why?
11/12 How might the Woman's Theatre have changed our interactions with theatre today?
12/12 The Woman's Theatre didn't want to exclude men, but to include women by design. It's still an inspirational idea.
Preti Taneja - 'Shakespeare and India'
Preti Taneja
Click here to listen to: 'Shakespeare and India'.
1/10 In India Narenda Modi's new government is championing the use of Hindi over English and other Indian languages in public life...
India's new prime minister, Narendra Modi, makes public speeches in Hindi, continuing his party's long campaign to reduce the cultural significance of English. Opponents argue that Hindi is the language of the Hindu religion, while English, whatever its colonial associations, has crossed the nation's often violent religious and cultural divides.
2/10 ...reopening age-old debates and causing reactions across the country.
3/10 Some think he is decolonising minds more used to seeing English as a language of civilisation and aspiration:...
4/10 ...others that he is promoting an ideology of Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan.
5/10 But there is a language that challenges both sides of the argument: gibberish.
6/10 Shakespeare's works came to India as part of the Empire's colonising mission...
7/10 ...but the plays use gibberish to subvert state power and speak a more profound truth.
8/10 Let's explore this resonant nonsense in Shakespeare, in translations of his works on the Indian stage...
9/10 ...and in literature including by the seminal Urdu writer Sadaat Hasan Manto.
10/10 Perhaps gibberish is one of the most significant instruments for political and spiritual resistance that a person can use.
Joanna Cohen - 'The Spin Doctors of 19th-Century America'
Joanna Cohen
Click here to listen to: 'The Spin Doctors of 19th-Century America'.
1/11 A modern day truism for politicians seems to be: let the public into your private life and they will connect with you.
In the age of spin, few people believe that they can actually know, let alone trust, a politician. But such public cynicism was not always our default attitude. Embracing the emerging sciences of the age, 19th-century Americans thought they might be able to combine physiognomy (the science of reading faces) and the techniques of photography to uncover the true characters of leaders and statesmen.
2/11 You'll win public trust and support. Surprisingly this is not just a doctrine of the age of spin...
3/11 In the 19th-Century Americans tried to uncover the inner lives of their leaders by scrutinizing their faces.
4/11 Using photography and the science of physiognomy...
5/11 American voters thought they could truly understand their politicians' characters and discern their worth.
6/11 Ambitious politicians cashed in on the public's fascination with personal character.
7/11 President Lincoln distributed cartes-de-visites of his face to potential supporters, hoping to win their approval.
8/11 He worked to make widespread connections with his voters through these new technologies.
9/11 But if technology produces a kind of political intimacy, then what has this trend done to modern day politics?
10/11 What do Facebook and Twitter really show us?...
11/11 ...And is what we know about our politicians today really useful?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


An all-round show by Sophie Devine helped New Zealand defeat India by two runs to sweep the three match women's Twenty20 International series here on Sunday.
India required 16 runs off the final over and Mithali Raj needed to hit a four off the final ball but Leigh Kasperek held her nerve to concede just one run, according to the ICC's website.
It was Mandhana's second fifty of the series as well, and her fourth fifty-plus score in the last six matches across formats. Her second wicket partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues set the tone.
The experienced Mithali, recalled to the side to provide some stability in the middle order, did exactly that after the wickets of Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur, adding 24 not out off 20. Deepti Sharma did her bit with 21 not out off 16, including a six, but they couldn't take their side over the line.
Earlier, opting to bat, New Zealand scored 161/7.


text:
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
/*!
 * \file MCLS_EpetraILUTPreconditioner.cpp
 * \author Stuart R. Slattery
 * \brief ILUT preconditioning for Epetra.
 */
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//

#include "MCLS_EpetraILUTPreconditioner.hpp"
#include <MCLS_DBC.hpp>

#include <Teuchos_Array.hpp>
#include <Teuchos_TimeMonitor.hpp>
#include <Teuchos_Time.hpp>

#include <Epetra_Vector.h>

#include <Ifpack_ILUT.h>

namespace MCLS
{

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
/*!
 * \brief Constructor.
 */
EpetraILUTPreconditioner::EpetraILUTPreconditioner(
    const Teuchos::RCP<Teuchos::ParameterList>& params )
    : d_plist( params )
{
    MCLS_REQUIRE( Teuchos::nonnull(d_plist) );
}

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
/*!
 * \brief Get the valid parameters for this preconditioner.
 */
Teuchos::RCP<const Teuchos::ParameterList>
EpetraILUTPreconditioner::getValidParameters() const
{
    Teuchos::RCP<Teuchos::ParameterList> plist = Teuchos::parameterList();
    plist->set<double>("fact: ilut level-of-fill", 1.0);
    plist->set<double>("fact: drop tolerance", 1.0e-2);
    plist->set<double>("fact: absolute threshold", 1.0 );
    plist->set<double>("fact: relative threshold", 1.0 );
    plist->set<double>("fact: relax value", 1.0 );
    return plist;
}

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
/*!
 * \brief Get the current parameters being used for this preconditioner.
 */
Teuchos::RCP<const Teuchos::ParameterList>
EpetraILUTPreconditioner::getCurrentParameters() const
{
    return d_plist;
}

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
/*!
 * \brief Set the parameters for the preconditioner. The preconditioner will
 * modify this list with default parameters that are not defined.
 */
void EpetraILUTPreconditioner::setParameters(
    const Teuchos::RCP<Teuchos::ParameterList>& params )
{
    MCLS_REQUIRE( Teuchos::nonnull(params) );
    d_plist = params;
}

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
/*!
 * \brief Set the operator with the preconditioner.
 */
void EpetraILUTPreconditioner::setOperator(
    const Teuchos::RCP<const matrix_type>& A )
{
    MCLS_REQUIRE( Teuchos::nonnull(A) );
    d_A = A;
}

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
/*!
 * \brief Build the preconditioner.
 */
void EpetraILUTPreconditioner::buildPreconditioner()
{
    MCLS_REQUIRE( Teuchos::nonnull(d_A) );
    MCLS_REQUIRE( d_A->Filled() );

    std::cout << "MCLS ILUT: Generating ILUT Factorization" << std::endl;
    Teuchos::Time timer("");
    timer.start(true);

    // Build the Ifpack ILUT preconditioner.
    Ifpack_ILUT ifpack( d_A.getRawPtr() );
    MCLS_CHECK_ERROR_CODE(
	ifpack.SetParameters( *d_plist )
	);
    MCLS_CHECK_ERROR_CODE(
	ifpack.Initialize()
	);
    MCLS_CHECK_ERROR_CODE(
	ifpack.IsInitialized()
	);
    MCLS_CHECK_ERROR_CODE(
	ifpack.Compute()
	);
    MCLS_CHECK_ERROR_CODE(
	ifpack.IsComputed()
	);

    // Invert L and U.
    std::cout << "MCLS ILUT: Inverting ILUT Factorization" << std::endl;
    d_l_inv = computeTriInverse( ifpack.L(), d_A->RowMatrixRowMap(), false );
    d_u_inv = computeTriInverse( ifpack.U(), d_A->RowMatrixRowMap(), true );

    timer.stop();
    std::cout << "MCLS ILUT: Complete in " << timer.totalElapsedTime()
              << " seconds." << std::endl;

    MCLS_ENSURE( Teuchos::nonnull(d_l_inv) );
    MCLS_ENSURE( Teuchos::nonnull(d_u_inv) );
}

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
/*!
 * \brief Compute the inverse of a triangular matrix from Ifpack.
 */
Teuchos::RCP<Epetra_CrsMatrix>
EpetraILUTPreconditioner::computeTriInverse( const Epetra_CrsMatrix& A,
                                             const Epetra_Map& prec_map,
                                             bool is_upper )
{
    Teuchos::RCP<Epetra_CrsMatrix> inverse = Teuchos::rcp(
        new Epetra_CrsMatrix(Copy, prec_map, 0) );

    int num_rows = A.NumMyRows();
    Epetra_Vector basis( prec_map );
    Epetra_Vector inverse_row( prec_map );
    Teuchos::Array<double> values;
    Teuchos::Array<int> indices;
    double drop_tol = 0.0;
    if ( d_plist->isParameter("fact: drop tolerance") )
    {
        drop_tol = d_plist->get<double>("fact: drop tolerance");
    }

    // Invert the matrix row-by-row.
    for ( int i = 0; i < num_rows; ++i )
    {
        // Set the basis for this row.
        basis.PutScalar(0.0);
        basis[i] = 1.0;

        // Get the row for the inverse.
        MCLS_CHECK_ERROR_CODE(
	    A.Solve( is_upper, true, false, basis, inverse_row )
	    );

        // Get the non-zero elements of the row larger than the drop
        // tolerance.
        for ( int j = 0; j < num_rows; ++j )
        {
            if ( std::abs(inverse_row[j]) > drop_tol )
            {
                values.push_back( inverse_row[j] );
                indices.push_back( prec_map.GID(j) );
            }
        }

        // Populate the row in the inverse matrix.
        MCLS_CHECK_ERROR_CODE(
	    inverse->InsertGlobalValues( prec_map.GID(i),
					 values.size(),
					 values.getRawPtr(),
					 indices.getRawPtr() )
	    );

        values.clear();
        indices.clear();
    }

    MCLS_CHECK_ERROR_CODE(
	inverse->FillComplete()
	);

    return inverse;
}

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//

} // end namespace MCLS

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
// end MCLS_EpetraILUTPreconditioner.cpp
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Can a formula that has free variables be logically equivalent with a sentence? Let $\phi$ be a formula in F.O.L. that has free variables.
I wondered at first hand:
Can we always find a structure $\mathfrak C$ together with assignments $\alpha,\beta$ such that: $\mathfrak C\vDash\phi[\alpha]$ and $\mathfrak C\nvDash\phi[\beta]$?
I found counterexamples for that in formulas like $x=x$ and $\neg x=x$.
But the fact that in those cases we are dealing with a tautology and a contradiction respectively made me wonder: what if counterexamples of that sort are not allowed?
So I pose the question again, but under the extra condition that structures $\mathfrak A, \mathfrak B$ exists together with assignments $\alpha$ and $\beta$ satisfying $\mathfrak A\vDash\phi[\alpha]$ and $\mathfrak B\nvDash\phi[\beta]$.
If the answer is in that case a "no" then I can draw the conclusion that formulas that are not sentences but are logically equivalent with sentences must be tautologies or contradictions.
I do not know whether that is true (actually I hope so) or not (I do have my doubts), and am quite curious.
Thank you in advance.

Edit:
Let me for compleness make clear what definition  I practicize for logical equivalence of formulas.
Two formulas $\phi$ and $\psi$ are logically equivalent if for every structure $\mathfrak A$ and every $\mathfrak A$-assignment $\alpha$:
$$\mathfrak A\vDash\phi\leftrightarrow\psi[\alpha]$$
or equivalently:$$\mathfrak A\vDash\phi[\alpha]\iff\mathfrak A\vDash\psi[\alpha]$$

A: Let's fix some theory $T$ in some language $\mathcal{L}$. If you wish to just consider structures you can take $T$ to be the empty theory (i.e. no axioms). We define two formulas $\phi(x)$ and $\psi(x)$ to be logically equivalent (modulo $T$) if
$$
T \models \forall x(\phi(x) \leftrightarrow \psi(x)).
$$
This is indeed equivalent to the definition you mention for the empty theory, and for non-empty theories it just restricts us to the models of $T$. Note that in the above definition $\phi$ and $\psi$ do not need to actually mention the variables $x$.
Your main question then was the following:

Can a formula that has free variables be logically equivalent with a sentence that is not a tautology or a contradiction?

The answer is yes. Take any sentence $\psi$ that is not a tautology or contradiction. Then $\psi \wedge x = x$ is logically equivalent and has free variable $x$.
One example would be to take $\psi$ to be the sentence "there are at least 10 elements" and $T$ to be the empty theory. Then there will be structures (models of $T$) where $\psi$ is true and there will also be structures where $\psi$ is false, so $\psi$ is neither a tautology nor contradiction.
If every sentence is a tautology or contradiction (modulo $T$), so if $T$ is complete, then this can obviously not happen. Simply because there are no sentences that are not a tautology or contradiction.
Your original motivation was the following question:

Given $\phi(x)$, can we find a structure $C$ and $a,b \in C$ such that $C \models \phi(a)$ and $C \not \models \phi(b)$?

You mentioned that if $\phi(x)$ is a tautology or contradiction then this cannot happen. Something more general is actually true: if $\phi(x)$ is logically equivalent to a sentence then this cannot happen. Because in such a case we have $C \models \phi(a)$ if and only if $C \models \psi$ if and only if $C \models \phi(b)$, making use of the fact that $C \models \psi$ does not depend on $a$ or $b$. This does not depend on the fact whether or not $\psi$ is a tautology or contradiction.
Finding structures $A$ and $B$ with elements $a \in A$ and $b \in B$ such that $A \models \phi(a)$ and $B \not \models \phi(b)$ heavily depends on the theory $T$ and $\phi(x)$ (also when $A = B$).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Are you after a suitable alternative to tents or swags? Maybe you've got a wagon or mid-sized SUV. Perhaps you're simply sick of massive camper trailers that seem to have everything AND the kitchen sink jammed into them.
Whatever your reason for looking at purchasing a smaller, more lightweight and compact camper trailer, it's safe to say there's truly never been a better time to buy.
Not only are many smaller rigs ideal as entry level campers - perfect for testing out whether the great outdoor lifestyle is for you - they often come with a much more attractive price point.
And the popular belief that smaller campers are somehow lacking in features and extras that are often commonplace in bigger campers? Not true. You'll be surprised to discover the innovative and space-saving ways modern smaller rigs are set up to ensure that they have all the up-to-date comforts of any other camper.
When it comes to the following campers, it's obvious bigger doesn't always mean best. These are the type of campers that are easy to tow, durable, innovative and will pretty much follow you along any track you're game enough to go down.
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With its innovative modular design, this little Tail Feather Campers camper trailer is set to shake the lightweight market.
The Kelly Campers Glenrowan II is a compact hybrid camper, with a bunch of luxuries and all the basics needed to make it a mobile home anywhere in the bush.
The X2 meets the brief for a value-packed expertly engineered, well finished and lightweight offroad camper trailer.


text:
"""Negative compilation test for Google Test."""

__author__ = 'wan@google.com (Zhanyong Wan)'

import os
import sys
import unittest

IS_LINUX = os.name == 'posix' and os.uname()[0] == 'Linux'
if not IS_LINUX:
  sys.exit(0)  # Negative compilation tests are not supported on Windows & Mac.

class GTestNCTest(unittest.TestCase):
  """Negative compilation test for Google Test."""

  def testCompilerError(self):
    """Verifies that erroneous code leads to expected compiler
    messages."""

    # Defines a list of test specs, where each element is a tuple
    # (test name, list of regexes for matching the compiler errors).
    test_specs = [
      ('CANNOT_IGNORE_RUN_ALL_TESTS_RESULT',
       [r'ignoring return value']),

      ('USER_CANNOT_INCLUDE_GTEST_INTERNAL_INL_H',
       [r'must not be included except by Google Test itself']),

      ('CATCHES_DECLARING_SETUP_IN_TEST_FIXTURE_WITH_TYPO',
       [r'Setup_should_be_spelled_SetUp']),

      ('CATCHES_CALLING_SETUP_IN_TEST_WITH_TYPO',
       [r'Setup_should_be_spelled_SetUp']),

      ('CATCHES_DECLARING_SETUP_IN_ENVIRONMENT_WITH_TYPO',
       [r'Setup_should_be_spelled_SetUp']),

      ('CATCHES_CALLING_SETUP_IN_ENVIRONMENT_WITH_TYPO',
       [r'Setup_should_be_spelled_SetUp']),

      ('CATCHES_WRONG_CASE_IN_TYPED_TEST_P',
       [r'BarTest.*was not declared',        # GCC
        r'undeclared identifier .*BarTest',  # Clang
        ]),

      ('CATCHES_WRONG_CASE_IN_REGISTER_TYPED_TEST_CASE_P',
       [r'BarTest.*was not declared',        # GCC
        r'undeclared identifier .*BarTest',  # Clang
        ]),

      ('CATCHES_WRONG_CASE_IN_INSTANTIATE_TYPED_TEST_CASE_P',
       [r'BarTest.*not declared',            # GCC
        r'undeclared identifier .*BarTest',  # Clang
        ]),

      ('CATCHES_INSTANTIATE_TYPED_TESET_CASE_P_WITH_SAME_NAME_PREFIX',
       [r'redefinition of.*My.*FooTest']),

      ('STATIC_ASSERT_TYPE_EQ_IS_NOT_A_TYPE',
       [r'StaticAssertTypeEq.* does not name a type',  # GCC
        r'requires a type.*\n.*StaticAssertTypeEq',    # Clang
        ]),

      ('STATIC_ASSERT_TYPE_EQ_WORKS_IN_NAMESPACE',
       [r'StaticAssertTypeEq.*int.*const int']),

      ('STATIC_ASSERT_TYPE_EQ_WORKS_IN_CLASS',
       [r'StaticAssertTypeEq.*int.*bool']),

      ('STATIC_ASSERT_TYPE_EQ_WORKS_IN_FUNCTION',
       [r'StaticAssertTypeEq.*const int.*int']),

      ('SANITY',
       None)
      ]

    # TODO(wan@google.com): verify that the test specs are satisfied.

if __name__ == '__main__':
  unittest.main()


NEIL LENNON SAYS he's flattered by links to the vacant Republic of Ireland manager's job.
However, the former Northern Ireland midfielder insists that his sole focus is on his current role as manager of Scottish Premiership club Hibernian.
Lennon took over at Easter Road in 2016 and guided the Edinburgh outfit back to the Scottish top flight in his first season in charge. Following a run of four consecutive defeats, his side recently slipped to eighth place in the table.
"I'm in a very good job here and I'm just concentrating on that at the minute," Lennon told reporters at a press conference this afternoon ahead of Hibernian's clash with Dundee, when asked about potentially being in the running for the Ireland job.
Martin O'Neill, who Lennon played under at Leicester City and Celtic, saw his tenure as Ireland manager come to an end this week after a series of poor results and performances.
Meanwhile, Paul Cook has ruled himself out of the running to succeed O'Neill, the former Sligo Rovers manager reaffirming his commitment to his current role at Wigan Athletic.
Mick McCarthy is the bookmakers' hot favourite to be Ireland's new manager, with Cook and Dundalk boss Stephen Kenny next in line in the betting (Paddy Power).
As well as leading Wigan back to the English Championship last season, Cook oversaw FA Cup victories over Manchester City, West Ham United and Bournemouth.
Earlier in his management career, the Liverpudlian spent five seasons at the helm of Sligo Rovers, with whom he won two FAI Cups and one League Cup.
Cook told Wigan Today: "I have absolutely no aspirations of leaving this club in any way, shape or form. We have new owners here who've come in and are very clear in their plan, and I very much want to be part of that.
Email "Lennon 'flattered' by Ireland links while Cook rules himself out".
Feedback on "Lennon 'flattered' by Ireland links while Cook rules himself out".


-Ben- closed T3180: Chernarus. Balota airport - military tower in the air as Resolved.
-Ben- changed the status of T3101: Zaragabad roads placement from Needs Review to In Progress.
-Ben- closed T2898: Broken road in Nagara(Takistan) as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- closed T2898: Broken road in Nagara(Takistan), a subtask of T2914: Takistan roads masterticket, as Resolved.
-Ben- closed T1991: Chernarus coast road texture bug as Resolved.
-Ben- closed T2868: Southern Sahrani Grass problem as Resolved.
-Ben- changed the status of T2898: Broken road in Nagara(Takistan) from Needs Review to Acknowledged.
-Ben- changed the status of T2898: Broken road in Nagara(Takistan), a subtask of T2914: Takistan roads masterticket, from Needs Review to Acknowledged.
-Ben- closed T2887: Distorted road on Takistan as Resolved.
-Ben- closed T2887: Distorted road on Takistan, a subtask of T2914: Takistan roads masterticket, as Resolved.
-Ben- closed T1320: Replace trees with red leaves on Summer Chernarus as Resolved.
-Ben- moved T2868: Southern Sahrani Grass problem from Backlog to Bugs on the Terrains board.
-Ben- added a project to T2868: Southern Sahrani Grass problem: Terrains.
-Ben- changed the status of T2868: Southern Sahrani Grass problem from Needs Review to Acknowledged.
-Ben- closed T2851: CUP Terrains - Chernarus Winter - Tree LOD Issue as Resolved.
-Ben- added a comment to T2851: CUP Terrains - Chernarus Winter - Tree LOD Issue.
Already sorted in a hotfix coming soon.
-Ben- created T2841: Vert weighting on Russian vest..
-Ben- closed T2824: Land_BarGate2 causes popup-error as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- changed the status of T2818: CUP Terrains Core error from Needs Review to Acknowledged.
-Ben- added a comment to T2818: CUP Terrains Core error.
Delete the PBO, will fix this for now without you having to run Winter Chernarus if you don't want that map.
-Ben- closed T1298: Water level on Sarahni is to low as Wontfix.
-Ben- moved T2524: house bug from Backlog to Bugs on the Terrains board.
-Ben- added a comment to T2524: house bug.
-Ben- closed T1953: Sea Level to low as Wontfix.
-Ben- moved T2629: Building Glass issue from Backlog to Bugs on the Terrains board.
-Ben- changed the status of T2629: Building Glass issue from Needs Review to Acknowledged.
-Ben- closed T2663: Chernarus Summer Missing Grass as Resolved.
-Ben- closed T1311: Northings on Chernarus (Summer) as Resolved.
-Ben- closed T1593: map "chernarus summer" has many automn trees and autom earth textures as Resolved.
-Ben- closed T2529: Roads not working with polylines as Invalid.
-Ben- updated subscribers of T2530: Buldozer Crash when placing Bridge_stone_asf2_25.
@Pennyworth Is it worth just removing the RTM's from the models?
-Ben- closed T2729: (DEV) United Sahrani: Camo nets floating as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- closed T1892: Crane stuck in the ground on Zargabad construction site as Resolved.
-Ben- changed Affected classnames from Bridge_stone_asf2_25 to Bridge_stone_asf2_25 Kamennymost_30 on T2530: Buldozer Crash when placing Bridge_stone_asf2_25.
-Ben- closed T2731: Doors don't work as Resolved.
-Ben- closed T2695: Desert map lacks ground as Resolved.
-Ben- closed T2739: Missing far LOD for t_poplar2f_dead_pmc as Resolved.
-Ben- updated subscribers of T2739: Missing far LOD for t_poplar2f_dead_pmc.
@Taro Is this a result of the initial vegetation shader tweaks do you think?
-Ben- created T2739: Missing far LOD for t_poplar2f_dead_pmc.
-Ben- closed T2697: Shapur is getting ready for winter (Ground floor is white) as Resolved.
-Ben- moved T2731: Doors don't work from Backlog to Bugs on the Terrains board.
-Ben- changed the status of T2729: (DEV) United Sahrani: Camo nets floating from Needs Review to In Progress.
-Ben- moved T2729: (DEV) United Sahrani: Camo nets floating from Backlog to Bugs on the Terrains board.
-Ben- closed T2650: United Sahrani's Grass as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- closed T1714: Map grids incorrect / multiple sheets per terrain as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- changed the status of T2697: Shapur is getting ready for winter (Ground floor is white) from Needs Review to Assigned.
-Ben- claimed T2695: Desert map lacks ground.
-Ben- changed the status of T2650: United Sahrani's Grass from Assigned to In Progress.
-Ben- closed T2655: Shapur and Desert Bush Grid as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- changed the status of T2655: Shapur and Desert Bush Grid from Needs Review to Assigned.
-Ben- moved T2650: United Sahrani's Grass from Backlog to Bugs on the Terrains board.
-Ben- changed the status of T2650: United Sahrani's Grass from Needs Review to Assigned.
-Ben- closed T2633: United Sahrani roads are missing as Resolved.
-Ben- closed T2638: Shapur map as Resolved.
-Ben- claimed T2638: Shapur map.
-Ben- added a comment to T2530: Buldozer Crash when placing Bridge_stone_asf2_25.
Buldozer will load an unbinarized version of the object fine.
-Ben- moved T2530: Buldozer Crash when placing Bridge_stone_asf2_25 from Backlog to Data on the Terrains board.
-Ben- changed the status of T2530: Buldozer Crash when placing Bridge_stone_asf2_25 from Needs Review to Acknowledged.
-Ben- closed T1693: Sahrani - misaligned scaffolding (at Ortego) as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- closed T1934: Floating Sign in Eponia as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- closed T1694: Sahrani - floating fountain (at Ortego) as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- closed T2384: Placement Bug №1 as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- closed T2385: Placement Bug №2 as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- closed T2435: Bug Power Line Corazol as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- closed T2611: Sahrani Bar Gate Placement as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.
-Ben- closed T2612: Sahrani power line placement. as Resolved by committing Restricted Diffusion Commit.


NASHVILLE – After taking a big, hard-throwing Canadian pitcher in first round of the amateur draft in June, the Braves took another one in the Rule 5 draft Thursday.
The Braves took left-handed reliever Evan Rutckyj from the Yankees with the third overall pick of the draft, and must either keep him on their 25-man major league roster for the entire 2016 season or offer him back to the Yankees for half of the original $50,000 claiming price.
Rutckyj, 23, posted a 2.63 ERA in 36 appearances for Yankees high Single-A and Double-A affiliates in 2015, with an impressive 82 strikeouts and 21 walks in 61 2/3 innings. He allowed 57 hits and four homers.
In the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, the Braves took right-hander Enderson Franco from the Marlins' Double-A roster and lost 25-year-old lefty reliever Mitch Lambson to the Brewers. The Braves got Lambson in a midseason trade from the Astros, and he wouldn't have been a candidate for a bullpen spot with Atlanta's big-league club.
Rutckyj will be, and not just because he's a Rule 5 pick.
The Braves, who took 17-year-old Canadian pitcher Mike Soroka with the 28th pick in the June draft, liked a lot of the same things in Rutckyj. He's come a long way since posting a 4.76 ERA in rookie ball in 2011 and finishing with a 5.03 ERA, 60 walks and 10 homers allowed in 118 innings in his first full season in Single-A in 2013.
He was switched to a full-time bullpen role in 2014, and in 2016 Rutckyj will have a good opportunity to nail down a spot in the Braves' major league bullpen. Unless the Braves add another lefty before spring training, Rutckyj's competition for one or two lefty spots in the bullpen will come from Ian Krol, who came from the Tigers in last month's trade for Cameron Maybin, and Matt Marksberry and Andrew McKirahan, who made their major league debuts with the Braves last season.
Paco Rodriguez, a quality lefty acquired from the Dodgers as part of the Hector Olivera trade in July, had Tommy John elbow surgery and will miss the 2016 season.
McKirahan was a Rule 5 pick by the Marlins last December, so the Braves had to keep him on their roster all season after claiming him off waivers late in spring training. He missed 80 games serving a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs and posted a 5.93 ERA in 27 appearances.
It's the second consecutive year the Braves took a reliever in the Rule 5 draft. A year ago they selected right-hander Dan Winkler, who missed most of the 2015 season recovering from TJ surgery and thus must be kept on the 25-man roster for the first couple of months in the 2016 season, or be offered back to the Rockies for $25,000.