העורך Editor

If you answered “Chapters of the Fathers” go to the end of the class. If you offered “Ethics of the Fathers” go even farther. Yet this is what we are told in countless English and Hebrew works on Avos.

Actually, “Pirkei Avos” means “Fundamental (or Principal) Lessons”, which is also how David Baraco translates it in the introduction to his Me’am Lo’ez on Avos.

“Pirkei” as in שונה לו פרקו.

“Avos” as in Shabbos, etc.

Isn’t this supposed to be their forte? If the Mussar ignoramuses don’t know even this much, why are they trusted on anything else?

He’s a Torah scholar… כדתניא וטמא טמא יקרא צריך להודיע צערו לרבים ורבים יבקשו עליו רחמים.

He may have “That Disease”, although we’re waiting for final confirmation.

Many non-paying Torah journals have a Cloven-Hooves-but-Doesn’t-Chew-Its-Cud (read: greedy) policy toward the contents. But what if you want to retain your future rights, because you imagine writing Torah insights can make you wealthy?

I say, just ignore their pronouncements; copyright is nearly dead. Type “First Rights Only” in Disclaimer-size font on the top of any submissions you send them. Don’t explain further.

Chances are, they will ignore the clause (because they don’t know what it means). Unless they are paying you for your material, this should stand.

(With me, you need not even do this much.)

OK, so maybe you really ought to ask an Israeli lawyer (or muddle through reading the law here)…

Does anyone have practical experience dealing with this?

And the same goes for certain attitudes.

Update: Start here.