Rabbi Sivitz was considered one of the leading Russian rabbanim in America
Lovers of the Talmud can now have a rare treat in the valuable commentary on the Talmud Yerushalmi of Rabbi M. S. Sivitz, of Pittsburgh, Pa., which he has called “Mashbiach.” Although the title was chosen by the author to link the initials of his father’s name with his, he could not have named it more appropriately, as “Mashbiach” means “that which improves,” and it is many years since we have seen any work that improves the study of the Yerushalmi as does the “Mashbiach.”
The Talmud of Jerusalem is well known to possess many passages whose meaning is very obscure, but these very mysterious allusions are replete with gems of the most brilliant luster, and it has remained for the erudite Rabbi Sivitz to cast the searchlight of his great rabbinical knowledge and keen wit upon them and uncover them for the delight of those who love our ancient sages and their sayings.
For thirty years, Rabbi Sivitz has not alone filled the illustrious position of rabbi in Pittsburgh, preaching ancient wisdom in modern and popular language that appeals to the masses as well as the classes, but he has been at the head of every movement for the up-lift of Pittsburgh Jewry. And yet this remarkable man has found time to write many volumes of homiletics on the written and oral law, any one of which would be sufficient to preserve his name and fame for generations to come, but his latest work, “Mashbiach,” is certainly his chef d’oeuvre. It is a veritable masterpiece in modern rabbinic literature.
To those of our co-religionists who pride themselves on the possession of a fine library of Hebraica, to those who believe that from Zion will come forth the Torah and the word of the L-rd from Jerusalem, we cannot too strongly recommend the acquisition of this latest treasure in Talmudic lore. “Mashbiach” brings back to us the beloved sages of our Holy City, Jerusalem; it makes us understand their language and appreciate their wisdom. By the light of this wonderful commentary we again exclaim, “There is no wisdom like the wisdom of the sages of Jerusalem.”
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