The Blog @ ArtScroll.com

For centuries our wisest men have turned their discerning eyes to the eternal words of the Torah, and each of their commentaries have revealed some aspect of its truths to us. As we begin a new cycle of the Torah readings, ArtScroll has more than forty commentaries on the parashah. The full selection can be found at Artscroll.com, but here is a small sampling:

The Sapirstein Rashi:. The depth and clarity of Rashi’s commentary has engaged the minds of the Jewish People for over 800 years. In this masterful treatment, with its flowing translation, notes, and elucidation within the text, we learn just what is bothering Rashi, why he chooses to cite certain Midrashim, and why he explains the p’shat, the simple meaning, of a verse in a specific way. You can’t understand the Chumash without Rashi, and this exceptional work ensures that you can, indeed, comprehend Rashi in all its many facets.

Ramban on the Torah: An international team of exceptional scholars, writers, and editors have opened Ramban’s (Rabbi Moshe Ben Nachman) commentary to the English-speaking world. In this brilliant work, Ramban is presented in the manner of the Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud, with each original Hebrew phrase followed by a literal English translation, followed by an “elucidation” that explains Ramban’s words  in greater detail. Introductions to each section make even the Ramban’s most complex insights understandable.

The Davis Edition Ba’al HaTurim: In addition to his masterwork, Arba Turim, which formed the basis for the Shulchan Aruch, the Baal HaTurim examined the Torah’s words through the lens of gematria (number patterns), acrostics, formations of letters, and Scriptural word patterns. Though it appeared in virtually every Chumash, the terse style made it very difficult for even scholars to understand. This work, with flowing translation, notes and annotations, opens the author’s unique understanding of Chumash to all of us.

 Sforno on Torah: Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno was a 16th-century Italian commentator whose insights are as relevant today as they were then. This volume includes the entire Chumash text and translation as well as the most accurate version of Sforno, complete in one volume.

Bereishis/Genesis: This classic work features a flowing translation, overviews, and a commentary anthologized from 2,000 years of Talmudic and Rabbinic sources.
Whether you want to better understand a classic commentary, need a comprehensive digest of major commentators, or are looking for a contemporary classic – such as ArtScroll’s new instant bestseller, Aleinu L’Shabei’ach — there is an ArtScroll Chumash commentary for you.

Parashas hashavuah, the weekly Torah portion, sets our agenda:  for the Torah reading, for the Shabbos table, and, hopefully, for our lives. As another cycle of the Torah reading begins, ArtScroll offers three new and important books to enrich our understanding of the weekly parashah:

The Essential Malbim: Flashes of Insight on Bereishis: Since its publication almost 150 years ago, the Torah commentary of Malbim has made a major contribution to our understanding of Torah thought. In order to open this treasure of Jewish thought to the general public, Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Ohr Somayach, and Rabbi Reuven Subar, have written a series of essays based on the essentials of Malbim’s commentary on Sefer Bereishis. These brilliant essays deepen our awe for the Torah’s infinite wisdom; give us a new understanding of the connection between the Oral and Written law; and introduce us to a masterful Torah giant.

Aleinu L’Shabei’ach – Bereishis: Wisdom, stories, and inspiration: A huge bestseller in Hebrew, tens of thousands of copies of Aleinu L’Shabei’ach have been read and re-read by a vast and varied group: Torah scholars and laymen, students and teachers, men and women. Based on the private writings, shiurim, and conversations with Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, a son-in-law of Rav Elyashiv shlita, and a noted rav and posek in his own right, Aleinu L’Shabei’ach is a remarkable compendium of Torah wisdom, stories of great men, anecdotes, mussar, and insight into our daily lives and challenges. Far more than a storybook, every tale, every moral teaching, is infused with emunah and bitachon.

Torah for Your Table: Compiled by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, bestselling author, renowned speaker, and founder of the pioneering outreach organization Hineni, this is a beautifully crafted collection of essays on the parashah, written by her sons, Rabbis Yisroel and Osher Anshel Jungreis. The authors draw deeply upon the wisdom of Chazal to help us better understand the parashah — and our own lives. With this new book, the Jungreis family continues their holy mission to bring Torah to Jews; wherever they are and whatever their level of observance.  Whether you are a newcomer to Torah thought or have dedicated many years to its study, this is a book that will enhance your Shabbos table, and your life.

In a spellbinding address to more than 100,000 participants in the 11th Siyum HaShas of Daf Yomi, Rabbi Yissocher Frand beautifully encapsulated the Jews’ obligation to study Torah: “It’s never too little; it’s never too late; it’s never enough.” Those electrifying words also serve as the title to his just-released and eagerly awaited new book: It’s Never Too Little; It’s Never Too Late; It’s Never Enough — and other timeless insights for challenging times.
Like his other hugely popular books, including Frand in Print, An Offer You Can’t Refuse, and Listen to Your Messages, this new book is “pure Frand” — containing insights based on profound Torah scholarship, illustrated by unusual stories of great people, both famed Torah personalities and the neighbor next door. These are ideas firmly rooted in Torah’s eternity, but speaking clearly to our 21st-century concerns and challenges.
It’s never too late, proclaims Rabbi Frand — never too late to do teshuvah. Rabbi Frand helps us with our own process of teshuvah by showing us how to create our very own “mission statement” through examining the esoteric concept of gilgulim, reincarnation. That’s pure Frand. At first glance it’s hard to find the connection between the evil King Menashe’s incredible act of repentance and the very last cheeseburger eaten by a college football fan in Omaha, Nebraska, but it turns out that we can learn from them both one of the most effective means of doing teshuvah. Pure Frand.
What does the collapse of the Wall Street firm Bear Stearns have to do with the sa’ir hamishtalei’ach, the scapegoat thrown over a cliff during the Yom Kippur avodah — and what do they both have to do with our lives and our teshuvah? With brilliance, empathy, understanding, and humor, Rabbi Frand pulls together varying threads and weaves them into an essay that transforms lives.
When reading Rabbi Frand’s unforgettable new work, we realize that, indeed, it’s never too little — even one essay can change the way we look at the world; it’s never too late — if you are one of the few readers whose life hasn’t yet been touched by Rabbi Frand’s books, you can start right now!; and, yes, it’s never enough — every essay is a gem, every insight is a treasure, and when we’ve finished Rabbi Frand’s book we’re waiting, eagerly waiting, for the next one!

Rosh HaShanah. Mid-morning. Stillness descends upon the congregation, broken only by the powerful yet trembling voice of the chazzan as he begins the sacred words of the timeless prayer, “Unesaneh Tokef.”
And then little Dovi crunches on his pretzels.

It’s not easy, being a youngster in shul. You don’t know what the words mean. You don’t understand why all the big people look so sad (though, after being told for the third time to sit still, you’re feeling pretty sad yourself…) You finished the snacks that were supposed to last you through lunchtime in the first fifteen minutes, and now you’re bored, bored, BORED!
Unless your parents were wise enough to give you The Elefant Edition ArtScroll Children’s Machzor for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur by popular children’s author, Shmuel Blitz.

Shmuel Blitz began his career as an author by putting kids to sleep. His Bedtime Stories for Children series, which debuted 13 years ago, was hailed by tens of thousands of parents and their children, and “Blitz-at-bedtime’’ became a recognized phenomena in Jewish homes throughout the world.
But if the carefully chosen stories, short format (beautifully suited to a tired child’s attention span), and entertaining illustrations of the Bedtime Stories was the perfect way to put a child to sleep, what could keep that same youngster awake, alert, and engaged during the hours he or she would spend in shul? How could the beauty of Jewish prayer be conveyed in a way that a young child would most appreciate?
Using his popular, kid-friendly format, that had been so successful, Shmuel Blitz created the ArtScroll Children’s Siddur. For the first time, youngsters had a siddur designed especially for them. It contained eye-catching illustrations, translations that they could understand, and fun facts and “did-you-know’s” that entertained as they educated. The Children’s Siddur – and the Children’s Hagaddah, Megillahs, and Tehillim — became a beloved part of school, home, and, particularly, the shul experience.
And now, finally, youngsters can enrich their Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur davening as well, with the newly-released Elefant Editon ArtScroll Children’s Machzor. The machzor has all the features children have learned to love: wonderful pictures, age-appropriate translations, and fascinating facts. Children will learn why we blow shofar, what the simanim stand for, and what Yom Kippur really means. They will follow along the major prayers. Most important of all, children – yes, even “little Dovi’’ –  will develop warm and positive feelings for the tefillos and for shul, feelings that will stay with them long after they’ve grown up.