Citations
Keter Shem Tob quotes a vast array of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources in exploring the origins and development of thousands of halakhot and minhagim. The type of sources on which Rabbi Gaguine most frequently relied were determined to a marked degree by his focus on rituals and customs:
Scripture: many books of Tanakh are used, with the natural emphasis on Humash and verses that arise in the Talmudim and Midreshei Halakha.
The literature of Hazal: as the earliest available body of rabbinic texts, this category is extensively quoted. It includes the Mishna and Tosefta, the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmudim, the Midreshei Halakha, and some Midreshei Aggada as well.
Geonim: especially the siddurim of Rab Ngamram Gaon and Rab Sangadia Gaon, along with halakhic compendia such as the Sheiltot of Rab Aha Gaon and Halakhot Gedolot. Rabbi Gaguine also quotes the Minor Tractates, the latest of which are of Geonic origin.
Rishonim: a broad range of genres incorporating…
Aharonim: a similarly far-reaching array, including…
Other sources:
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Scripture: many books of Tanakh are used, with the natural emphasis on Humash and verses that arise in the Talmudim and Midreshei Halakha.
The literature of Hazal: as the earliest available body of rabbinic texts, this category is extensively quoted. It includes the Mishna and Tosefta, the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmudim, the Midreshei Halakha, and some Midreshei Aggada as well.
Geonim: especially the siddurim of Rab Ngamram Gaon and Rab Sangadia Gaon, along with halakhic compendia such as the Sheiltot of Rab Aha Gaon and Halakhot Gedolot. Rabbi Gaguine also quotes the Minor Tractates, the latest of which are of Geonic origin.
Rishonim: a broad range of genres incorporating…
- Numerous direct and indirect commentaries on the Talmudim
- The mitsva enumeration literature, such as the Sefer Hamitsvot of Rambam, Semag, and Semak
- Non-universal codes, including Ha'eshkol and Sefer Hangitur
- More widespread codes like the Mishne Torah and Arbanga Turim
- Selections from the responsa literature
- Siddurium, haggadot, and other halakhic-liturgical anthologies of individual Rishonim. Among them are Sefer Abudarham, Sefer Hamanhig, Mahzor Vitry, Shibole Haleket, and the Kol-Bo
Aharonim: a similarly far-reaching array, including…
- Commentaries and novellae on the literature of Hazal
- The Shulhan Ngarukh and later commentaries, both to it and to the Mishne Torah and Arbanga Turim
- Stand-alone treatises on specific areas of halakhah or minhag
- Selections from the responsa literature
- Siddurim from a wide range of traditions and communities
Other sources:
- Kabbalistic literature, particularly works that influenced ritual practices, such as the Zohar and the Kavanot of Rabbi Isaac Luria
- Unpublished manuscripts from archives including the Montefiore Seminary, the John Rylands library, etc.
- Academic historians of Jewish liturgy, such as Leopold Zunz and Ismar Elbogen
- Oral history interviews with lay and clerical leadership of the communities that Rabbi Gaguine visited over decades of world travel, as well as his own personal anecdotes.
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