Book Reviews

Of course it is disingenuous to tell a person from a non-rabbinic, non-rosh yeshiva home to make an effort.

As to the lack of written work by Rav Soloveitchik, Rabbi Shatz notes that this was a common lament during the Rav’s lifetime.

In the introduction to the first volume, R. Katz discusses the Torah ideal, arguing that the Torah’s laws are intended to craft the perfect man and are not to be regarded as ends unto themselves.

Readers and nervous newshounds wondering how to become more spiritual in a hurry can take steps toward meeting that goal by studying The Light of Thirty-Six: Accessing the Hidden Light of Creation on a Daily Basis. Read and re-read the book. Invest time, effort and thought into your spirituality-seeking process so you can act on the book's lessons seriously, not superficially.

Everyone involved had to be physically present in one office to get a book published.

Breathe deeply. You’ll need maximum physical and spiritual power to absorb the uplifting lessons in this book. Page 249 explains why some Jews are praised as “fish on dry land,” a phrase that describes Moshe Rabeinu. Am Yisrael began to appreciate his depth of character at kriat Yam Suf, realizing that “he lived in the revealed world as though he were in the concealed world.”

The memoir follows a year and a half of the travels and travails of Rabbi Hirschprung from the beginning of World War II until his arrival in Japan.

He combined intellectual achievement with deep spirituality and religious devotion.

.

The single devastating element that unified his patient clientele was that they had all been diagnosed with some form of pediatric cancer.

Each entry asks a specific question and provides strategies to answer those questions, mostly based on traditional Rishonim.

Expressing gratitude to Hashem for all the bounty He provides us is a Biblical mitzvah that is incumbent upon men and women when they finish a meal. We call this "bentching," most commonly known as "Grace after Meals." Unfortunately, for many of us it has turned into the "Race after Meals."

Abraham Livni’s book is a masterpiece of historical insight which encompasses the entire history of mankind, from the time of creation until today. It is based on the philosophy of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook as taught by his son Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda. The thesis of this book is that the redemption of the Jews as it is manifested in the creation of the modern State of Israel is the culmination of meta-historical processes, which will lead to the healing of the moral state of the world. The completion of this process is the ultimate goal of creation.

Receiving a difficult medical diagnosis can easily spell trauma, anguish, and hopelessness for a patient and his loved ones. Yet even amidst the dark skies of such a situation, Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein affectionately known simply as YY assures us that there is still hope.

ne Shot, authored by M. Wiseman, is an emotional drama that focuses on issues faced by some teens nowadays. In Suburbia, U.S.A., lived three extraordinary young men, Baruch, Nadav and Rafi. Nadav and Rafi have been friends forever, and Baruch joins the crew in his later teens. Pain is the bond that brings the threesome together. Baruch and Nadav have emotional pain and Rafi suffers from a physical pain; he discovered that he had advanced-stage cancer. The cancer was serious – too serious for the doctors, so they eventually stopped treating him.

The book has wonderful colorful illustrations with wording that small children can easily follow.

Jews around the world are reflecting on the Jewish New Year season that recently passed. It seems that everybody is struggling with their resolutions to be better and to do better. All of us are worrying about the daunting lead-up to life's next chapter: Thanksgiving season. Xmas parties. Awkward situations, she'elot that make you blush to ask them. Bills. More bills. Tempers. Fourth quarter reports. Bosses cut losses by firing staff. Fear. Panic. You wonder what was gained by going through the Yamim Noraim. I have good news for you: The Spirit of the Seasons by Rabbi Jonathan Shooter can show you insights into the Yamim Tovim to soothe your soul and psyche.

As someone who for the past fifteen years has been writing a column that largely focuses on the news media, I’ve read what is no doubt an altogether unhealthy number of books on the subject. Most of them were instantly forgettable while some created a brief buzz but failed to pass the test of time. And then there were those select few that merited a permanent spot on the bookshelf.

Kosher cookbooks have come a long way to being what women need. Flimsy paperbacks and poorly bound hard covers with yellowed, deteriorating pages that kept falling out have become beautiful, helpful and long-lasting. With Kosher Elegance, author Efrat Libfroind brings classic culinary skills to the table with clear directions and illustrative photos that portray aroma and taste. You'll want to eat the pictures!

“When creating a work of music, I’ve experienced epiphanies – where a song in its entirety took literally minutes to write – as well as drawn out, lengthy endeavors that took years to complete.

Written entirely through Frayda’s eyes, the reader is drawn by her unassuming personality.

How many people know the lineage of King Antiochus, known formally as Antiochus IV Epiphanes?

The Talmud teaches that all Israel are responsible for one another. Risa writes that the terrorists attacked Chaim with a knife to his head because he was a Jew -- therefore the Jewish people had to take special care of him.

While Rabbi Dalfin is himself a Lubavitcher, he admirably attempts to be evenhanded and to allow the facts to speak for themselves.

This excellent, delightful and lucid collection represents some of the best in academic research. Philological, lexicographical, linguistic, epigraphical, cultural, mythological, ritualistic, and historical knowledge are informed by virtuosity in comparative ancient Semitic languages. These erudite studies by the high-powered academic scholarship of Hayim Tawil – a professor of Hebrew languages and literature at Yeshiva University – shed light on Biblical Hebrew, the whole field of Ancient Near Eastern studies, medieval exegetical traditions, and the reception history of the Biblical text from antiquity to the present day.