Torah Book Reviews

Hayom Harat Olam Rabbi Mordechai Fachler z”l Renana Publishers / 274 pages Just in time for Yom Tov! Hayom Harat Olam is a very beautiful collection of the late [1] Rabbi Mordechai Fachler’s sermons, complied primarily by his son, David Fachler. It contains dozens of easy to read essays covering all the holidays of Tishrei. The book is divided into eight different themes such as, “The Rainbow Covenant”, “Love and Fear”, “Beauty”, “Consolidation, Preservation & Growth”, and more. The entries are short (as a sermon compilation should be!), generally two to four pages long. The material is personable, inspiring, and to the point. It may very well be the clearest sermon compilation I have ever seen. Plenty of divrei Torah and vertlach that you can say over at the table. Here’s a sample: First Night Sukkot Ahavah – Abraham As the month of Tishrei moves from the serious first ten days into the pure joy of the Festival of Sukkot, so too does the theme of ahavah...

Making of a Gadol Rabbi Nathan Kamenetsky I'm excited to announce that I finally got my own signed copy of the Making of a Gadol ("Improved Edition"). For those in Israel who do not yet have their own copy -- a visit to Rav Nathan Kamenetsky in Jerusalem to personally pick up a copy at a reduced price is certainly worth the trip! In the unlikely event that you are unfamiliar with this eternal piece of history, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Making_of_a_Godol Rav Nathan's email address is available upon request.

Journey Through Nach Rabbi Daniel Fine / Chaim Golker Adir Press Let’s face it. We graduates of Chareidi yeshivot have little command of Nach, to say the least. And for various reasons, even fewer of us make the effort to really learn Nach like we make the effort to learn a daf . We give ourselves all kinds of excuses and justifications why we don’t know Nach nearly as well as we should. Well, those days are over. Rabbi Daniel Fine and Chaim Golker have done us all a tremendous service with the publication of their Journey Through Nach. Journey Through Nach is a two-volume work that provides a chapter by chapter summary of every book of Nach. Each of these summaries are written in a way that includes and weaves together the interpretations of all the major commentators. There are also all kinds of divrei Torah and mussar that make an appearance every few chapters, and are featured in a distinct grey box. There are maps, charts, and other study aids, as well. Included...

A Bit of Wit, A World of Wisdom (Volume 2) Rabbi Yehushua Kurland Gefen Publishing / 159 pages Our sages teach us that a shiur should begin with a joke. Doing so will get the students into a good mood, and the message will be better received. And so it is with A Bit of Wit, A World of Wisdom (Volume 2).  The book is a delightful compilation of mussar and self-help messages that all begin with a joke or funny story. Most of the jokes will make you chuckle, though some are so corny that one might be required to make a “ borei pri ha’adama ” before reading them. (Sorry, couldn’t resist!) The book focuses on about twelve different themes including: Man and God, Man and His Fellow Man, Internal Struggles, Change, Education, Prayer, and my favorite unit, Marriage, among others. Every entry is 2-3 pages and often contains an additional joke or story. Here’s an excerpt: Nostalgia Sam walked into a bar in New York City, ordered three drinks in three separate glasses...

A Book About You Rabbi David Green Mosaica Press / 224 Pages I was really excited to see the release of my friend David Green’s new “A Book  About You”.  Rabbi David Green, a laid back veteran kiruv worker with a spiritual twist and a cool life story, has taken his success in helping people discover who they are by now making "the journey" available to all. A bit about David's beginnings: When I started to become my true Jewish self, one of the things that really bothered me was what seemed to be the lack of personality and individuality in the religious world. So many people dressed the same and talked and walked to the same boring melody. I was not ready to abandon my true inner uniqueness for the sake of becoming a Jewish soldier dressed in uniform. As I started learning some of the deeper Torah sources, I saw how being a robot in my observance was the last thing God wanted of me. My unique qualities were supposed to blossom within the framework of a life of...

The Secret of Chabad Rabbi David Eliezrie Toby (Maggid) / 432 pages The Secret of Chabad is the riveting story of the world wide Lubavitch movement, and more specifically, the shluchim of Chabad who have set up oasis's of Judaism in every part of the world. Let me cut to the chase: The book is absolutely riveting. The book both opens and concludes with the story of Rabbi Gabi and Rivki Holtzberg. From the very first chapter to the end, you will be captivated and mesmerized by the stories of the shluchim around the world. The book is inundated with details on important people, places, and events. Sadly there is no index, which is a tremendous loss for the continued use of the book. Sources tell me, however, that the second edition, due out soon, will have one. Every chapter is essentially an independent account of the life and experiences of shluchim all over the world. The first chapter, the life story and murder of Gabi and Rivki, is absolutely jaw dropping an...

Unlocking the Torah Text (Devarim) Rabbi Shmuel Goldin OU Press/ Gefen Publishing 311 Pages Unlocking the Torah Text is a five volume series on the weekly parsha, and I recently received the “Devarim” volume. Although I don’t know the author, Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, personally, I always admired his leadership of the RCA during his tenure as president, especially how no issue was never too big or too small for him to involve himself with. He comes across as a humble and competent leader with the added benefit of advanced scholarship. I jumped at the opportunity to review his work. Let me begin by specifically mentioning that Unlocking the Torah Text  contains three or four different divrei Torah on every parsha . As one who is in the business of reviewing, critiquing, and advising on the publication of Torah sefarim , I can tell you that this is very significant and important. As I tell all aspiring "parsha book" authors who seek my advice: Always include more than one ...