Raphaelwilmowsky: Created page with "Title page of the book ''Maah She'arim'' The book '''''Maah She'arim''''' ("A Hundred Gates") is a collection of fifty discourses and fifty letters drawn from the writings of the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, and the Tzemach Tzedek. == About the Book == The book was first printed as a supplement to the prayer book (''siddur'') also titled ''Maah She'arim'', published by the rabbis Chaim Eliezer Bichovsk..."

2026-06-23T19:48:10Z

Created page with "250px|thumb|Title page of the book ''Maah She'arim'' The book '''''Maah She'arim''''' ("A Hundred Gates") is a collection of fifty discourses and fifty letters drawn from the writings of the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, and the Tzemach Tzedek. == About the Book == The book was first printed as a supplement to the prayer book (''siddur'') also titled ''Maah She'arim'', published by the rabbis Chaim Eliezer Bichovsk..."

New page

[[File:שער מאה שערים.png|250px|thumb|Title page of the book ''Maah She'arim'']]
The book '''''Maah She'arim''''' ("A Hundred Gates") is a collection of fifty discourses and fifty letters drawn from the writings of the [[Alter Rebbe]], the [[Mitteler Rebbe]], and the [[Tzemach Tzedek]].

== About the Book ==

The book was first printed as a supplement to the prayer book (''siddur'') also titled ''Maah She'arim'', published by the rabbis [[Chaim Eliezer Bichovsky]] and [[Chaim Meir Hillman]] in the city of [[Berdichev]] in 1913, marking one hundred years since the passing (''histalkus'') of the Alter Rebbe.<ref name="bichovsky">Regarding its first printing, see also the writings of R' Chaim Eliezer Bichovsky, p. 12.</ref>

The book contains exactly one hundred pages, not counting the table of abbreviations.

In keeping with the publishing conventions of that era — whereby books were divided into separate pamphlets (''kuntreisim'') that could be purchased either bound together or individually — this book was not necessarily bound together with the siddur and could be acquired on its own.

A significant portion of the discourses and letters printed in the book are found in the manuscript collection of the [[Rebbe]]'s library, most of them with textual variants.<ref name="variants">The variants were not noted in the book.</ref> The editors of the first edition (1913) did not cite the sources for the discourses and letters; it is likely that they were copied from manuscripts by a copyist.<ref name="preface">Based on the preface to the 1967 edition.</ref>

Several of the selections in the book were also printed in other collections of sacred letters (''igros kodesh'') by the Chabad Rebbes.<ref name="other-collections">Including ''Ginzei Nistaros'' (Jerusalem, 1924); ''Mishnas Yoel'' (Jerusalem, 1941); and others. See also the annotations of the Rebbe printed at the end of ''Maah She'arim''.</ref>

The book is printed in [[Rashi script]].

== Editions ==

In 1967, the book was reprinted by [[Kehot Publication Society]] as a photographic reproduction of the 1913 edition, with additions.<ref name="kehot-1967">Since the production of the edition concluded close to [[Chanukah]], a letter from the Rebbe dated Zos Chanukah 1967 was printed at the end of the book.</ref> On the occasion of this reprint, the Rebbe took the time to write annotations on the discourses and letters, which were printed at the end of the volume.<ref name="rebbe-notes">Spanning five pages. It should be noted that when the discourses and letters were subsequently reprinted in more widely distributed works — such as the ''Igros Kodesh'' collections — the Rebbe's annotations on those passages were omitted. It is hoped this will be corrected.</ref> The annotations are primarily bibliographic in nature, indicating additional locations where a given letter or discourse had been printed, as well as textual variants between editions.<ref name="annotation-content">Of note is the Rebbe's observation regarding an error that remains uncorrected: two letters of the Alter Rebbe printed at the end of the ''Siddur Tehillas Hashem'' were also printed in ''Maah She'arim''. At the end of the second letter, the signatory appears as "Shneur Zalman, son of his father Boruch of blessed memory," with a marginal note indicating that in ''Maah She'arim'' it reads "Boruch, may he live." The Rebbe notes that in fact ''Maah She'arim'' reads the same as the Siddur, and the text should be corrected to match ''Ginzei Nistaros''. It is hoped that the publishers of the ''Siddur Tehillas Hashem'' will correct this error.</ref>

The book was reprinted again that same year and in 1974 by the [[Kfar Chabad]] branch of Kehot, and in 1976 by Kehot in Brooklyn with corrections and additions.

In 2005, a new edition was published in square script, in accordance with the Rebbe's directive,<ref name="square-script">''Sichas Shabbos Parshas Kedoshim'' 1989 (''Sefer HaSichos'' 5749, vol. 2, p. 431). See also ''Sichas Shabbos Parshas Vaeira'' 1991 (''Sefer HaSichos'' 5751, vol. 1, p. 270).</ref> with a comprehensive index at the end listing the locations in the [[Igros Kodesh (Alter Rebbe, Mitteler Rebbe, Tzemach Tzedek)|Igros Kodesh]], [[Maamarei Admur HaZaken|Maamarei Admur HaZakein]], [[Maamarei Admur HaEmtzai|Maamarei Admur HaEmtzayi]], and [[Or HaTorah]] where these discourses and letters were subsequently reprinted. This edition has been reprinted several times.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Works of the Alter Rebbe]]
[[Category:Works of the Mitteler Rebbe]]
[[Category:Works of the Tzemach Tzedek]]

[[he:מאה שערים (ספר)]]

Maah She'arim (Book) - Revision history