Philosophy

An indispensable resource to those families considering or affected by adoption, this book takes an informed look at adoption from a Jewish perspective and will prepare readers for the many unforeseen challenges that may arise. Dr. Shelley Kapnek Rosenberg is the author of Raising a Mensch and Adoption and the Jewish Family: Contemporary Perspectives.

A jewel in the crown of the Feldheim Torah Classics Library! This awe-inspiring work written in Judaeo-Arabic and completed around the year 1230 by the illustrious son of Maimonides, Rabbeinu Avraham, is now available for the first time in English translation with a facing Hebrew version of the original text. Famed for his appointment as Rais al-Yahud, leader of the Jews, at the age of eighteen, Rabbeinu Avraham was the undisputed leader of the Jewish people of his time. In this masterpiece, he directs the reader in how to attain the level of chasid, a person who strives to go beyond the minimal requirements of the law to experience a strong sense of closeness and intimacy with God. Crafting this clear and brilliant English translation was a formidable challenge, and one that the translator devoted many years to undertake successfully. This treasure has remained hidden until now, but we are privileged to receive it in our own times glittering with wisdom and purity, authored by a saintly scholar whose powerful words can help us change and refine the course of our own lives. With a fascinating biography of Rabbeinu Avraham, extensive footnotes, a citation index of the text, as well as an index of references the author makes to the works of his father, the Rambam.

Thought, Kabbalah and Hashkafa from Gur Aryeh, the Maharal of Prague: Genesis

"The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidism Past and Present is the fascinating story of the incredible expansion of the Habad--Lubavitch school of "hasidic Judaism under the leadership of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Schneerson was the last in a dynasty of "hasidic leaders who came to New York after the Holocaust. From a small band of refugees, he built a large, powerful international community of rabbis, emissaries and fervent disciples who committed their lives to his teachings and armed with his instructions lay the foundations of Habad's messianic agenda. Primarily focused on outreach amongst Jews as the necessary condition for the "redemption," Habad earned a reputation as the closest movement that Judaism has to evangelical Christianity. It succeeded in becoming the most influential religious group in the last fifty years of modern Judaism, affecting many layers of the Jewish experience ranging from the personal and spiritual influence of its philosophy on secular Jews, to the effect Habad rabbis have on thousands of communities they established around the world, to the movement's impact on Israeli politics. The author discusses the personality of Rabbi Schneerson, how he rose to eminence and how the messianic expectation around his personality developed. Many Lubavitch Hasidim viewed Rabbi Schneerson as the messiah and because of this, his death brought about a crisis of faith and leadership within the movement which the author analyzes. The change in the movement, the factions and splinter groups developing variant theologies to explain the death of their messiah are subjects explored by Ehrlich together with the socio-religious undercurrents composing themovement's identity.