Messages from the Mishnah
By Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D.
Publisheb by Shaar Press Mesorah Publications
The prolific Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., has provided us all with a fascinating new volume for our enjoyment: Messages from the Mishnah. Rabbi Twerski is a renowned psychiatrist and addictions specialist, a popular globetrotting speaker and a best-selling author. In Messages from the Mishnah he brings his focus to bear on mussar messages that can be culled from the six sedarim of the Mishnah, not only, as is often assumed, from the traditional Pirkei Avos.
The sage Hillel summarized the entire Torah by saying, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn it.” Rabbi Twerski expands on this concept, elucidating selected mishnayos to showcase their messages of how to achieve feelings of respect for one’s fellowman, and how to act ethically toward others.
Throughout the words of the Mishnah, Rabbi Twerski derives many ways of increasing one’s awe and fear of Heaven, as he teaches the timely relevance of the timeless principles stated in the Mishnah. He stresses the importance of absorbing the guidelines presented through the incidents and laws discussed in the mishnayos and putting those lessons into practice when interacting with one’s friends, family, peers, and neighbors, Jew and non-Jew alike. Rabbi Dr. Twerski is a gifted storyteller, and numerous stories and vignettes are interwoven into the volume to bring his insights on the Mishnah to life.
Messages from the Mishnah is presented in large-size coffee-table format, a companion volume to his earlier book, Twerski on Chumash, making it an excellent and welcome gift item.
Highly personal, readable, and accessible to all readers, this book – his fortieth book published with Mesorah Publications – will appeal to long-time Twerski fans and new readers alike.