Book Reviews

Those who know Shadal’s commentary on the Torah know that Dan Klein is uniquely fit for the job.

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

This is a remarkable book to assist those of us – and that means everyone – who are trying to find our way in life, with all its setbacks and pain, as well as for people who want to help people.

God's Favorite Prayers, by Tzvee Zahavy, makes for fascinating reading. It is an intelligent, sometimes amusing, and always highly readable essay addressed first and foremost to those who know "everything" - those so familiar with the prayers that they don't really need a siddur to follow the service.

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.

Goldman states that not only have we failed to make progress in Rav Soloveitchik’s program, but in some ways, we have lost ground.

Leon experienced the War of Independence from a soldier’s perspective, while remaining true to his Jewish ideals and beliefs.

While halacha is often determined by rabbinic consensus, spirituality is personal.

Conceived as a project to help his scattered constituents prepare for Rosh Hashanah 5781, Rabbi Wildes sent out WhatsApp messages with thoughts and questions to consider each day.

Setting a Table for Two is a lively, no-holds-barred guide to marriage based entirely on a profound understanding of Torah as the ultimate guide to life.

And suddenly, it was all gone. Idolatry and the temptation for it abruptly exits.

Rabbi Paysach Krohn, the noted speaker, mohel, and author who has delighted hundreds of thousands of people as “The American Maggid,” has produced The Maggid at the Podium, a collection of speeches originally delivered to live audiences and subsequently published in Zman Magazine. Covering a wide spectrum of topics, the articles touch on such subjects as the proper ways to do bikur cholim, nichum aveilim, and kiruv, to name just a few. Rabbi Krohn also discusses human relationships as well as timely topics connected to the Jewish calendar.

Coming a number of years after the previous volume, Lau’s series humanizes the Sages, giving information about the time period and place they lived in, character attributes gleaned from Mishna and both the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds.

Kids will relate to Yitzy’s struggles to do something grown-up and important while they are physically too small to accomplish it.

Feldheim's motto, "Torah Literature of Quality," is well-suited to Purim and the Persian Empire: A Historical, Archaeological & Geographical Perspective. Written by Yeshivat Itri graduate Rabbi Yehuda Landy, this magnum opus is wonderfully prepared, informative and valuable to a wide range of readers. Landy teaches at Yeshivat Ohr Yerushalayim and is a certified tour guide in Israel. His credentials served his research efforts well.

Who hasn’t experienced how hard it can be to fit in?

The Rebbe’s approach is elegant in its simplicity. It is a steadfast focus on moving forward and upward, imbuing every moment with meaning and consistent growth.

Another remarkable fact concerning the Or Hachaim is that he is the only Sephardi commentator in most editions of the Mikra’ot Gedolot, a point that is little recognized today.

In 1995, it was uncommon for Orthodox Jews to desire to donate organs. I think the decision to donate organs made a tremendous impact on the Jewish community to consider donating in the future, Wolf said.

It is appropriate that Rabbi Kelemer, who seemed bigger than life in his piety, modesty, and sensitivity, should be commemorated by someone who writes such that alliteration, personification, onomatopoeia, and metaphor are all present in one sentence.

Title: When General Grant Expelled the Jews Author: Jonathan Sarna Publisher: Schocken

Many conservative pundits write and lecture on the threat of radical Islam. Almost none, however, possess political power. Geert Wilders is an exception. Head of the Netherlands’ third largest political party – the Party for Freedom – Wilders is on a mission to halt Islam’s advance in the West.

Avraham would never have been told by Hashem, ‘Lech Lecha,’ had Avraham not first passed through the obliterating crucible of Nimrod’s furnace.

Israel doesn’t have a right to defend itself. It has an obligation to defend itself. The primary obligation of any government is to defend its citizens.

Blow your mind bigger and better as you improve upon preconceived ideas about the High Holidays. This slim paperback holds 87 pages full of wisdom, insight, and keys to personal improvement!

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

For those ignorant or confused with the Lubavitcher movement’s beginnings and dynasty, Rebbe weaves its history into a beautiful and comprehensive tapestry.

The writer is a bit snarkier than either of his main characters. Sometimes he writes from the vantage point of the man, and sometimes from the woman.

There are so many this year that it would take months to go through all of them. For 2019, I found the following 5 haggadahs to be noteworthy.

This time of year, there is little pleasure greater than cozying up with a good book. The problem is, of course, that there is a lot to do.