Description
Title: Sefer Shir Chadash (ספר שיר חדש) – A deep, comprehensive commentary on Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs).
Author: Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Hirsch Broda (רבי חיים צבי הירש ברוידא; d. 1886), the celebrated scholar and longtime Av Beit Din (Head of Rabbinical Court) of Old Zagare (Zhagar), Lithuania. He is widely known for his authoritative rabbinic work She’erit Chaim (שארית חיים).
Publication Details: This rare, posthumous first edition was brought to press by the author’s nephew, the prominent American rabbi and author Rabbi Gedalia Silverstone of Washington, D.C. (410 K Street N.W.). It was beautifully printed in St. Louis, Missouri by the Moinester Printing Co. in 5682 (1922).
Notable Connection: Rabbi Broda was the father-in-law of the illustrious Lithuanian Gaon, Rabbi Zelig Reuven Bengis (1864–1953). Rabbi Bengis later migrated to Jerusalem, where he served as the revered Chief Rabbi of the Edah HaChareidit. In the publisher’s introduction, Rabbi Silverstone describes the holy character of his uncle and notes the family’s migration and lineage.
Historical Rarity: Early 20th-century Orthodox Torah publications printed in the American Midwest—specifically St. Louis—are highly sought after by historians of American Judaism. They capture a unique window when localized printing houses catered directly to the waves of European rabbinic families establishing infrastructure across the United States.
Condition report:
Status: Good to Fair Antique Condition.
Binding: Housed in a solid, library-style stiff black buckram cloth binding. The binding is secure and functional.
Interior: The book is internally complete. The inner gutters of the flyleaves and title pages have been reinforced with neat, historic masking tape to stabilize the joints. The paper displays a clean, soft cream tone with very light handling spots. The clear, large typeface text block is fully functional and completely legible throughout.
