Books

With a conversational, upbeat and humorous style that is both down to earth and sophisticated, Rabbi Viders in this, his second book, connects snippets of history and everyday life with the eternity of the Torah’s truth and values.

I've long been in the camp of people who believe that food is either good (think Haagen Dasz) or good for you (think brussels sprouts) but rarely, if ever, both.

I was intrigued by how the writer looked to find Hashem’s message in frustrating, mundane stories.

Can the current rise in antisemitism as anti-Zionism pressuring American Jews to criticize Israel actually have a positive dimension?

Failure to acknowledge the hierarchy of values causes us to risk losing sight of the forest for the trees.

Why unpack that can of worms when it seems like the repository of our experiential faith has never been deeper and more sound?

Rabbi Halberstadt says at the start that he doesn’t think that the big question of this generation is Is the Torah true or not? Therefore, he doesn’t address this point.

Rupture was intended as a description of the development of Ashkenazic, mitnagdic post-migration Orthodoxy. It was never actually about 1990s American Modern Orthodoxy and its anxieties, or about how to resolve them.

If you’re a frum person seeking traditional answers to modern questions, this is a resource you’ll want to have on your shelf.

The book covers an array of topics, one for each letter of the alphabet – including the age of the earth and universe, climate change, evolution, the sun and stars, and vision.

The sefer provides practical advice about how to daven, inspirational stories about davening, and even various kavanos to consider when praying.

Even though his wife says that it is his story, and she is the author, it is also her story. It is the recounting of her journey of emunah and dealing with such an upheaval in their lives. She writes an open book.

These weekly meetings with Yonatan help Rachel begin the process of unraveling what her gifts are.

Several of the works in the second half of the book explore the finer details within the debate between Moshe and Pharaoh, providing meaning and background to the seemingly superfluous details noted alongside the biblical description of the plagues.

The book’s pictures are warm and the story is both friendly and accessible.  In short, it hits the nail on the head.

In interpersonal relationships, Reb Chaim was reported to shock people upon their initial meetings. He would be able to identify a person based on a Dvar Torah he had read years earlier from that individual.

Horn speaks incisively to the threat of the misuse of the Jewish past posed by those who are least interested in preserving and honoring the Jewish present.

As a renowned doctor, Tuviya served as the personal physician to five successive sultans. It was during this time that in the year 1708 Tuviya published Ma’ase Tuviya (first printed in Venice).

Baruch Hashem, we live in a world where many people desire to be exposed to the depths of the Torah. But there is a difficulty to surmount. How do you teach deep concepts to a student who does not yet have the background as a foundation to understand them?

The book follows the structure of the Haggadah, and is designed to be used alongside a traditional Haggadah as one goes through the Seder.

Obviously, the purpose of this excellent book was to highlight the cases in which Ashkenazi and Sefardi psak differ, and help Jews understand the practices of different communities.

It is clear from the start that this is not your bubbe's Haggadah.

The older I get, the more I realize that when I was younger I had opportunities to learn from people who had much Torah to share, and I did not take full advantage of those opportunities.

Written in a question-and-answer format to pique the interest of “teens and adults,” the questions can seem to come from left field.

Cade and Logan’s courage in the face of resistance from some in their school and community is a model for all people who seek to speak up for others and what they know is right.

Something I took away from this book is the need to be present and mindful, and Pachter explains why and how to do this in a practical way.

I particularly liked how Ciment addresses hardships. He explains that setbacks are actually set ups for something way better.

Quirks of Hebrew language, prayer and the festivals are opened up to reveal much more to us than we might have originally thought.

One can only be a strong and effective team player to the extent that one has worked on oneself.

How much privacy is warranted once the information becomes public? What can everyone do when all the girls are talking about it among themselves?