New York – A network of Brooklyn volunteers has spent over a decade scanning thousands of seforim into an online library in an effort to both preserve volumes that are not readily available and to give anyone with an internet connection the ability to learn, no matter where they may be located.
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Hebrewbooks.org was founded twelve years ago by people who like to remain anonymous, and currently has a catalog of 48,500 free seforim.
Three recently installed billboards in the Catskills, located on the east and westbound sides of Route 17 and in Monticello, advertise the site to the many travelers who frequent these areas during the busy summer months.
“We want to remind people going up to the mountains that they can learn upstate as well as at home,” explained a HebrewBooks spokesman. “The most important thing is that people around the world are learning 24/7 for free. The internet which certainly has the potential for bad can be turned around and made into a kli kodesh for learning Torah. That is a truly incredible thing.”
HebrewBooks.org was founded with the purpose of preserving old American seforim that were either out of print or out of circulation. While the site has commonly used seforim such as Chumashim and Gemaras, there are many unusual volumes as well, including books published as early as 1490. Seforim dedicated to shaylos and teshuvos provide a glimpse into contemporary events during different times in American history including a 1930’s sefer containing a shayla from a woman whose husband was presumed drowned on the Titanic and a sefer from the late 1960’s addressing issues of keeping Shabbos on the moon.
According to HebrewBooks.org owner, “Most of the volumes on the site are in the public domain and the remainder have been provided by their authors who are happy to make their works available to the public”. All seforim on the site can be viewed and printed at no charge, for private or educational use only.”
I don’t get it. It looks like you can only see the shaar blatt. You can’t actually see the sefer. Am I missing something?
This is an amazing resource that I have utilized on several occasions. I can’t even imagine the zechus of those people who are behind this website.
What?! 50,000 seforim, but only 48,500 are available? I demand a refund!
THANKS!!! This is GREAT!!!
I’ve done work for them a few years ago. I must say, they are stellar folks. Always a pleasure to deal with. May this Zchus stand them in good stead now, and always! Much continued Hatzlacha!
what about copyright laws?
How do they make money to pay for these billboard ads?
24/7 i hope not if someone is going online on shabbos i dont think the whole site is worth i think they should block it shabbos like b&h does
Many of these seforim were written before the invention of the internet so they might not incorporate the most recent knowledge on issues of halacha and hashkafah. However, most aspects of yiddishkeit and daas torah are not dependent on modern research and technology.
I must say that the zechusim of these people must be tremendous!!
I use this site ALL the time!!
I use it for reference. I could look up seforim I never had access to before.
And before I start a new limud, I go to this site and download all the seforim I might need. I print them out and use them as I need them.
I save thousands of dollars and hours searching for these seforim! And I could highlight and underline without permanently doing so in a hard copy.
When I teach and need copies of Mishnayos and Gemaros, I go there. They have the newest, most beautiful print Mishnayos and Shas! It makes it so much easier for my talmidim.
I must have dozens of seforim downloaded from them. This is besides the once in a while look up. I actually used about seven of these seforim today alone!!
I don’t know who these guys are, but they are doing an amazing service!! The search device could get better. But the amount of seforim which are constantly being added amazes me. And they have all types of seforim. Chasidish, litvish, old and new, from Chabad to Ponovicth!!
Keep up the amazing work!!
unlike the paid versions, they only have available old versions of seforim not the new prints and modern versions
I have used it. It is wonderful. There was a sefer from the early 20th century unavailable anywhere which I couldn’t even get from rare books dealers which I managed to download and print. My father in law was looking for some teshuvos (late 19th century) and couldn’t get them anywhere: I downloaded them and my brother in law got them bound … my father in law just couldn’t believe it – he was so pleased!
In response to #7 : The books are either old so no copyright any more, or donated to the project by the copyright holders. The whole thing is 100% legit.
The only frustrating aspect of that site is that there are amazing sefarim and tremendous chidushim that I used to have a monopoly on, because nobody else around here had the rare sefarim- like the sefer written by Reb Chaim Ozer’s cousin, who lived in Omaha, Nebraska, or the sefer written by the Chofetz Chaim’s grandson, who lived in Chicago. Now everyone can find them, and my monopoly is busted!
Amazing!
One wonders, however, if this will have a negative financial impact on publishers and book stores.
I very much enjoy using their website. I have downloaded many seforim and enjoyed learning them. One plus side is that since they are small PDFs, I keep them on my laptop so that while I am traveling I do not need to bring along a suitcase of books. I can also add there are many instances where I have enjoyed the free file and then have gone out and bought the sefer as well.
I’ve been using this site for some time now.
The only problem I have with it is the last paragraph.
I needed to see something in the Me’iri on Chulin and it’s not there.
It’s greatness and it’s limitation is a result of its honesty.
What a zchus for them!
Wonderful resource!
Great source for rare seforim.
This website is amazing. I found a Pirke Avot commentary by a 16th century Sephardic Scholar/Family member. I have been looking for the hard copy for over 10 years. I was overjoyed to finally find it. Thank G-d for this website and its widespread dissemination of Torah! Bet Lechem by R. Yehuda Lerma for those interested….
I guess there were two Tzvi Hirsch Grodzinskies in Omaha….
Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Grodzinsky (1857, Minsk, Belarus – ?, Omaha, Nebraska, United States) was an American, Jewish, Orthodox Rabbi and author.
Zvi Hirsch studied under his famous second cousin Rabbi Hayyim Ozer Grodzinsky. In 1891, he accepted the rabbinate of the two Orthodox synagogues in Omaha. Zvi Hirsch was on par with the elite Jewish Law scholars of his day. He chose, however, to serve as rabbi in a religiously underdeveloped city so that he can pursue his scholarly endeavors.
SEFER MIKVEH YISRAEL: HILKHOT MIKVAOT
by (JT) Grodzinsky, Henry [Tzvi Hirsch Grodzinsky]
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Chicago: Ginzburg. 1898.. Paper wrappers. 4to. 110 pages. In Hebrew. First edition. Early work of Halacha, dealing with the laws of Mikveh and feminine purity, published in the United States. The author, who was Rabbi of Omaha, Nebraska for almost sixty years (1892 to 1949) , was a cousin of R. Chaim Ozer Grodzenski of Vilna. SUBJECT(S) : Mikveh. OCLC lists 1 copies worldwide (Jewish Theological Seminary of America) . Bound in modern paper cover. Pages lightly tanned. Good condition. (HEB-19-20) .
how does this program compare with the oitzer hachomah program?
I use this site each and every day, it’s fascinating. Good, easy, simple and free
All the good things said about the site are true. I use it all the time and am continually amazed by all the “finds” I come across when looking for other things. Someone asked who pays for all of this (including the billboards). I know that I do by making regular donations to the service (it is an IRS tax deductible charity) and I hope that all those who use it and derive benefit from will do so too. Just to make it clear, I am in no way connected with the site.
What kind of news story is this? The site has been around for years. So what’s the chiddush–the billboards?