LEYNING HAFTAROS FROM QELOF

The following is on behalf of MarGavriel
(link: http://margavriel.blogspot.com/ )

It was copied verbatim from DovBear
(link: http://dovbear.blogspot.com/ )


Mar Gavriel writes:

A few weeks ago, the president of the Old Broadway Synagogue told me that if I could somehow procure sifrei nevi'im on qelof for the schul, he would let me leyn haftorôth out of them. Mind you, though, the Old Broadway Synagogue is an ailing old schul, just barely holding on to itself, and it certainly does not have enough money to buy sifrei nevi'im.... Please tell me of any institutions in New York that own qelofin of sifrei nevi'im. I recognize that my dream of owning sifrei nevi'im (and kethuvim, and Torah) will not be fulfilled in the near future-- though it will אי"ה be fulfilled eventually, for I will write them myself. However, with a little help from you internet personalities, I hope very soon to fulfill my dream of regularly leyning haftorôth (and, when relevant, meghillôth) from full qelofin.

If you have any idea what he is talking about, and would like to help please respond directly to the Mar, himself, at margavriel@yahoo.com.


Note: It appears Mar Gavriel wishes to read the haftarot from a klaf in shul, and would like to either do it in your shul, or in his shul using klafin which he is hoping you can supply. But you'll have to ask him to be sure.

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This is MarGavriel's own post, lifted directly from his blog:

Sifrei Nevi'im (more)
On a certain Shabbos a few weeks ago, the president of the Old Broadway Synagogue told me that if I could somehow procure sifrei nevi'im on qelof for the schul, he would let me leyn haftorôth out of them. Mind you, though, the Old Broadway Synagogue is an ailing old schul, just barely holding on to itself, and it certainly does not have enough money to buy sifrei nevi'im.

Now, I have found out that there are apparently various institutions around New York City that own sifrei nevi'im, but do not use them. I know that Park East Synagogue owns a set of sifrei nevi'im, but uses it only for occasional "bar mitzvah" readings. I have heard rumors that other synagogues own sets, but do not use them. And I have recently discovered that the library of JTS owns a few sets, and they certainly do not use them for anything.Now, I would like to write to one of these institutions, and see whether any of them would be willing to lend their qelofin to the Old Broadway Synagogue for use on Shabbothôth. However, I don't have any official connection to the Old Broadway Synagogue, so I would be signing the letter just as "Mar Gavriel". (Well, actually, I would use my real name, and not my blogname "Mar Gavriel", but ye know what I mean.) That would sound pretty pathetic and unprofessional. Perhaps I should speak to the President of the Old Broadway Synagogue, and draft the letter together with him, and print it on the letterhead of the Old Broadway Synagogue, and have the president sign it? But I'm too scared to do that-- he might say: "Sure, if you precured the qelofin, we would let you leyn out of them, but leave me out of it." If he said that, I would feel hurt and rejected.I have spoken to an important employee of the JTS library, and he has told me that I could send an e-mail to Dr. David Kraemer, chief librarian of JTS, but that there was not much chance that Dr. Kraemer would take my request seriously. After all, a library is a library, and libraries are not in the habit of lending scrolls to synagogues for liturgical use. As the library employee told me: "There's always got to be a ספר שבעֲזָרָה, and those are they." I said: "But there are three sets! And nothing is being done with them!" I suppose that I shall write an e-mail to Dr. Kraemer, even though its prospects of success will be low.


Dear readers of this blog, please help! Please tell me of any institutions in New York that own qelofin of sifrei nevi'im. I recognize that my dream of owning sifrei nevi'im (and kethuvim, and Torah) will not be fulfilled in the near future-- though it will אי"ה be fulfilled eventually, for I will write them myself. However, with a little help from you internet personalities, I hope very soon to fulfill my dream of regularly leyning haftorôth (and, when relevant, meghillôth) from full qelofin.

I have good reason for hope. After all, I used this blog to publicize my interest in gather a minyon to recite the qerôvo אעדיף כל שמונה on the First Day of Hanukko, and I succeeded in gathering that minyon. And my current quest is much more "conventional" (or "established") than the other one-- after all, the practice of reciting that qerôvo was restored to the liturgy only by yours truly, whereas the practice of reading haftorôs out of full sifrei nevi'im was restored to the liturgy by none other than the GR"O!

So please, please-- I beg you all! Please tell me of schuls that own sifrei nevi'im, which either
use those qelofin in their regular liturgical practice, and are looking for ba`alei qeri'o;or
do not use those qelofin in their regular liturgical practice, but would be willing to lend them to the Old Broadway Synagogue, or at least allow me to set up a second minyon in the home-schul of the qelofin, and let me leyn from them in that minyon.Please-- I really want this, and the internet should help me fulfill my dream. And if you don't know of any relevant sources of qelofin, don't just give up: ask your friends! And ask your friends to ask their friends! I really want this!I am going to post about this every day now. Every day, there will be a new obsessive post about qelofin, just to keep you reminded.I beg you!