Over many years Rabbi Dunner has collected innumerable oddities and rarities spanning every era of Jewish history and literary activity.
In the fourth episode of his series “Treasures from the Rabbi’s Library”, Rabbi Dunner continues to reveal some of the forgotten pieces hidden away in storage for many years, revealing the stories behind them, and the reasons for his interest in them.
In this episode, Rabbi Dunner delves into the literary works of Rabbi Yaakov Dovid ben Zev Willowsky, better known by his acronymic name “Ridvaz“, whose mercurial career took him from Slutzk to Chicago to Tzfat, as he wrote innovatively and battled endlessly.
Peppered with anecdotes and vignettes, this episode opens another fascinating window into the margins of Jewish history as seen through obscure books and publications.