Torah Book Reviews

Moadei Harav Public Lectures on the Festivals by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Urim Publications / 275 pp Rabbi Shlomo Pick’s "Moadei Harav" is a welcome and refreshing window into the thought, style, and rulings of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik. This may very well be the clearest and most readable book on the Rav that offers readers of all levels a glimpse into the world of Rav Soloveitchik's halachic teachings. Most other books on Rav Soloveitchik empathize his philosophy, and they are not always the most reader-friendly volumes. I found almost all the essays to be practical and of great interest. Except for the entry on the status of Eretz Yisrael ("shem eretz yisrael" vs. "kedushat eretz yisrael") all essays revolve around the holidays (hence the name of the book). Some of the essays I enjoyed most are the status of Kriat Shema on Yom Kippur (a davar shebekedusha?), Pirsumei Nissa of Chanuka (the difference between “revealing” and “demons...

The Poetry of Rav Yosef Tzvi Rimon A Myrtle in the Desert (Translated by Daniel Farb) Gefen Publishing / 102 pages Although my interest in poetry hovers somewhere between minimal and non-existent, one cannot help from being taken aback by the poetry of Rav Yosef Tzvi Rimon.  Originally written in Hebrew, the volume “A Myrtle in the Desert” has been translated into English by Daniel Farb. (Rav Rimon wrote several other books of poetry, as well. Perhaps they too might be translated someday.) The primary themes of the poems in a “Myrtle in the Desert” are God, prayer, and the Land of Israel. The mystical world features prominently in these poems. Born in Poland in 1889, Rav Rimon learned in the yeshiva of Rav Reines before making Aliyah at 20 years old. Rav Rimon wrote a style of poetry that although religious in nature --spiritual actually-- its words touched the religious and secular alike. From Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook to Bialik, everyone found meaning in his words, ...