Books

Apisdorf has done it again. The long-awaited sequel to the Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Survival Kit is here. Whether this is your third Rosh Hashanah or your thirtieth, Beyond Survival will take you on a journey to new views of insight and inspiration. This book does more than just explain concepts, it guides you along a path of personal discovery and spiritual growth. In addition to eye-opening essays, Beyond Survival is also a companion to the prayer book. It contains a complete English-Hebrew text of the Amidah (not including Mussaf) along with insights, reflections, and explanations that unlock the rich, inner world of the prayers. Shimon Apisdorf has helped thousands survive the holidays - now it's time to fly!

A deeply reported biography of the scandal-plagued Israeli Prime Minister, showing that we cannot understand Israel -- its history, present, and future -- without first understanding the life and worldview of the man who leads it

Benjamin Netanyahu is embroiled in numerous scandals, all of his own making, and may soon be ousted from the office he has held longer than any prior Israeli Prime Minister outside of David Ben Gurion. But Bibi, as he is known by friend and foe alike, is no stranger to controversy. For many in Israel and elsewhere, he is an embarrassment, a threat to democracy, even a precursor to Donald Trump. He nevertheless continues to dominate Israeli public life -- and he may yet survive his current crises, the most challenging of his career. How can we explain Netanyahu's rise, his hold on Israeli politics, and his outsized role on the world's stage?

In Bibi, the Haaretz journalist Anshel Pfeffer argues that we must view Netanyahu as representing the triumph of the underdogs in the Zionist enterprise. Born in 1949, one year after the state of Israel itself, Netanyahu came of age in a nation dominated by liberal, secular Zionists. Yet Netanyahu's grandfather and father bequeathed to him a brand of Zionism integrating Jewish nationalism and religious traditionalism, and he identified with the groups at the margins of Israeli society: right-wing Revisionists, orthodox, Mizrahi Jews, and small-time professionals living in the new towns and cities dotting the Israeli landscape. Netanyahu cultivated each faction individually and then fused them into a coalition that has frequently proven unstoppable in Israeli politics.

Netanyahu is also a child of America, where he spent many years as a young man, and where he learned the techniques of modern political campaigns as well as the necessity of controlling the media cycle. The product of the affluent East Coast Jewish community and the Reagan era, Netanyahu's politics and worldview were formed as much by American Cold War conservatism as by his family's hardline right-wing Zionism.

As Pfeffer demonstrates in this penetrating biography, Netanyahu's influence will endure even if his career soon comes to an end. The Israel he has helped make is a hybrid of ancient phobia and high-tech hope, tribalism and globalism -- just like the man himself.

 

 

Commentary on the weekly Parsha by the author of Bivavi Mishkan Evneh Bilvavi On The Parsha is an English adaptation of the Motzei Shabbos drashot on the weekly parshah given by the author of the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh and Da Et Atzmecha series. Those who are seeking greater closeness to Hashem, Torah study, and character improvement, will find in it a treasury of Torah wisdom full of depth, as well as practice advice, in all areas of spiritual improvement. The Rav has delivered thousands of drashot on a countless array of topics pertaining to spiritual improvement and avodat Hashem. In these drashot, you will analyze the weekly parshah as never before. Each parshah has a timely lesson with subtle applications to our own soul. You will gain knowledge of important, fundamental concepts in a Torah Jew's life, in a way that is both deep and simple.

Notable is the strong impact of Yemenite cuisine on today's Israeli food scene. A chapter on the indispensable Yemenite larder is followed by three sections devoted to everyday recipes and recipes for foods that traditionally accompany life-cycle events and holidays. These are prefaced by descriptions of the many colorful customs central to the celebrations, Yemenite cooks' personal stories, tips and above all, their deep desire to preserve their beloved food heritage. The book concludes with informative appendices and an extensive bibliography.

Over a hundred traditional recipes for everyday, the life cycle and holidays

Richly illustrated with photographs both modern and archival

Anecdotes and interesting facts

Historical and ethnographic information on the Yemenite Jewish culture

Appendices including kitchen information, chronological guide, maps, shopping guide (where and how to purchase products), recipe index and an extensive bibliography

The Gutnick Chumash has gained wide acclaim as one of the favorite Chumashim available today. It incorporates a flowing English translation of the Torah which is loyal to Rashi. The 'Classic questions' are drawn from a range of commentators, Midrash and Talmud, which are then ingeniously brought together in the Toras Menachem commentary. It is the first Chumash to include a commentary anthologized from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Chumash also boasts a large sampling of inspirational Chasidic thoughts and insights into the Parsha, as well as practical lessons for our daily lives. The diagrams, charts, and illustrations all add to make this the perfect Chumash for layman or scholar. Beautifully bound in a hand-tooled leather style cover, both inside and outside are sure to impress. This elegantly slip-cased Book of Haftaros is the ultimate companion to the Gutnick series, with a new translation accordind to the metzudos as well historical information and Chasidic insights.

In this stunning new work that is at once a coffee-table book to browse and a complete cookbook, Janna Gur brings us the sumptuous color, variety, and history of today's Israeli cuisine, beautifully illustrated by Eilon Paz, a photographer who is intimate with the local scene.

In Gur's captivating introduction, she describes Israeli food as a product of diverse cultures: the Jews of the Diaspora, settling in a homeland that was new to them, brought their far-flung cuisines to the table even as they looked to their Arab neighbors for additional ingredients and ideas. The delicious, easy-to-follow recipes represent all of these influences, and include some creative interpretations of classics by celebrated Israeli chefs: Beetroot and Pomegranate Salad, Fish Falafel in Spicy Harissa Mayonnaise, Homemade Shawarma, Chreime-North African Hot Fish Stew, Roasted Chicken Drumsticks in Carob Syrup. With favorite recipes for the Sabbath (Sweet Challah Traditional Chopped Liver, Chocolate and Halva Coffeecake) and for holidays (Balkan Potato and Leek Pancakes, Flourless Chocolate and Pistachio Cake), this book offers a unique culinary experience for every occasion. All of this is enriched by Paz's gorgeous and vibrantly colored photographs and by short narratives about significant aspects of Israel's diverse cuisine, such as the generous and unique Israeli breakfast (which grew out of the needs of Kibbutz life), locally produced cheeses that now rival those of Europe, and a dramatic renaissance of wine culture in this ancient land.

"In less than thirty years," Janna Gur writes, "Israeli society has graduated... to a true gastronomic haven." Here she gives us a book that does full, delectable justice to the significance of Israeli food today-Mediterranean at its heart, richly spiced, and imbued with cross-cultural flavors.

This beloved classic, completely revised and annotated for the contemporary reader, explores the holidays, Festivals and fast days of the Jewish calendar and explains their laws and customs. Midrashic commentaries and insights of great Jewish thinkers and spiritual leaders enhance the heartwarming, inspiring text. Now available in Pocket size, the Book of Our Heritage, three-volume gift-boxed set is the perfect companion to take with you anywhere you go.

This bible also includes an interlinear translation.

Since early childhood, from Seder to Seder, we have studied our story of Yetzias Mitzrayim. How is this book different from all other books?

In these pages, the timeless pillars of family, faith, and freedom form the framework of our new understanding of the Exodus.

Family — how to view marital harmony and childrearing

Faith — how to find a loving God in the challenges of life

Freedom — how to understand its synergistic relationship to responsibility

With this new, panoramic methodology — linking clues from extensive Torah sources — we connect the dots of the “known” in the Yetzias Mitzrayim story to reveal the “unknown” astounding patterns that were lying right in front of us waiting to be discovered. This creative meta view opens up new possibilities for the reader to gain richer meaning in all areas of Torah and life.

“A masterful and sweeping work.”

Rav Aharon Feldman

“I was astounded by the magnificent tapestry Rabbi Sklare weaves, with brilliance and depth, from so many different sources. In a soundbite generation, it is amazing to see the patience and effort that went into developing these essays.”

Rav Ahron Lopiansky

Rabbi Yonah Sklare is a rosh kollel in Baltimore, MD, as well as a maggid shiur at Congregation Shomrei Emunah. His refreshingly creative approach to learning as well as his captivating presentation style have attracted a diverse and beloved following. He lectures at numerous local institutions, including Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary, as well as out of town and online. Rabbi Sklare received semichah and his PhD in Talmudic Law from Ner Israel Rabbinical College. He can be reached at rabbisklare@gmail.com.

Ruth Calderon has recently electrified the Jewish world with her teachings of talmudic texts. In this volume, her first to appear in English, she offers a fascinating window into some of the liveliest and most colorful stories in the Talmud. Calderon rewrites talmudic tales as richly imagined fictions, drawing us into the lives of such characters as the woman who risks her life for a sister suspected of adultery; a humble schoolteacher who rescues his village from drought; and a wife who dresses as a prostitute to seduce her pious husband in their garden. Breathing new life into an ancient text, A Bride for One Night offers a surprising and provocative read, both for anyone already intimate with the Talmud and for anyone interested in one of the most influential works of Jewish literature. Ruth Calderon has a doctorate in Talmud from Hebrew University and was elected to the Israeli Knesset in January 2013. She became a national celebrity when she taught a page of Talmud in the Israeli parliament, arguing that the text was the heritage of the entire Jewish people. She is founder and former director of Elul Beit Midrash in Jerusalem and founder and chair of Alma: Home for Hebrew Culture in Tel Aviv. Ilana Kurshan is the books editor of Lilith magazine. She is the author of Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights? as well as several articles about Talmud, literature, and Jewish life.

A quick reference guide to the fore-blessings and after-blessings of over 700 foods! Never be caught not knowing what bracha to say on a food item again! This handy volume, taken from The Halachos of Brochos, contains concise explanations of the proper blessings on foods whose bracha might be in question.