A monumental and magnificent new Torah project: The Kleinman Edition Midrash Rabbah

Posted on October 17, 2010 by goldys

Excitement in the ArtScroll office is running high with the publication of the inaugural volume of a major new Torah project: the translation and elucidation of Midrash Rabbah.
The Kleinman Edition Midrash Rabbah  is a 16-volume project covering all of Midrash Rabbah, on the entire Chumash and the Five Megillos. The inaugural volume (volume 2 of the entire series) covers Sefer Bereishis/Genesis, from Parashas Lech Lecha through Parashas Toldos.

Midrash Rabbah is the best known and most widely studied of all the Midrashic works. Rabbi Nosson Scherman, General Editor of ArtScroll/Mesorah, explains in his introduction: “Midrash Rabbah is our richest lode of Aggadic comment and exposition on the Torah and the Five Megillos. The Talmud and the Midrash are both parts of the Oral Law. The primary emphasis of the Talmud is to expound upon and define the legal parameters of the Torah and the mitzvos. The Midrash delves into the spiritual essence of the revealed Torah, adds detail and information to the Torah’s narrative, and provides the ethical tradition that was passed down orally from generation to generation until it was committed to writing. Midrash Rabbah is one of the primary sources of ethical discourse, Chassidic and mussar teaching, and homiletic literature.”

The Kleinman Edition Midrash Rabbah features the Hebrew text, newly typeset, on pages facing the English translation and commentary. It includes many classic Hebrew commentaries, including Rashi, Matnos Kehunah, Eitz Yosef, and Maharzu, plus the out-of-print classic Eshed HaNechalim.
The English translation and commentary, created by an international team of Torah scholars, follows ArtScroll/Mesorah’s acclaimed phrase-by-phrase translation and elucidation of the Midrash text, for optimum understanding of the Midrash. Explanatory footnotes help clarify difficult concepts and passages.

          A special feature is the “Insights” section, which complements and broadens the words of Midrash. As a primary source of Jewish ethical and spiritual teachings since Talmudic times, the Midrash has been mined for its treasures particularly by the masters of Mussar and Chassidic thought. In “Insights” we see the Midrash through the eyes of major medieval and contemporary giants of Torah thought, from Ramban and Rabbeinu Bachya to Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Sefas Emes, and Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, and scores of others.
          The Kleinman Edition Medrash Rabbah is certain to take its proud place on every Jewish bookshelf, as it brings new clarity to the words of the Midrash to Jewish hearts and minds.

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Free shipping when you preorder Teens and 20-Somethings

Posted on October 8, 2010 by goldys

“Kosher By Design: Teens and 20-Somethings” is coming on Oct. 27! We’re offering our blog readers a special deal – preorder today and receive free shipping (continental U.S.) on your entire order from ArtScroll.com. Just enter the code “KBDBLOG” at checkout.

Since her first cookbook bearing the Kosher by Design moniker appeared in 2003, self-taught chef Susie Fishbein has become the culinary liberator of borscht-bored kosher cooks throughout North America. So influential is the home-based wife and mother of four that in May 2010 Fishbein was invited to the White House in recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month.

Popularly known as the Kosher Diva, Fishbein is releasing her seventh cookbook, Kosher by Design Teens & 20-Somethings: cooking for the next generation, aimed at the young and digital-savvy fast food generation and those who cook for them. Commenting on how her family life has influenced her career as a cookbook author, Fishbein notes, “When my kids were younger, I published Kosher by Design Kids in the Kitchen. They learned to cook amazing recipes with me. I have a couple of teens now and their appetites have changed. And they are my proof-positive! This new cookbook equips young adults with knowledge and skills to create their own amazing foods, from a quick and delicious snack to a whole party.”kosherbydesign-teens-20somethings-susie-fishbein-kosher-cookbook

While unapologetically a Jewish mother, Fishbein’s recipes are light–years beyond traditional chicken soup, gefilte fish, and kasha varnishkes. In fact, among the 100 new recipes, little is discernibly Jewish (OK — the Hot Pretzel Challah, perhaps — and there is a good recipe for Chicken Soup). Teens & 20-Somethings serves up tantalizing American-style dishes such as Turkey Sliders, Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast, Tater Tot Casserole, and Tie-Dye Cookies.

But the international influences are abundant. Imagine coming home to a dinner made by your college student, featuring Mexican Pizza Empanadas, Creamy Gnocchi Pesto Salad, Thai Chicken Burgers, Hoisin Vegetables, and finishing with a Chocolate Tart in Pretzel Crust. There are dozens of suggestions here to “eat your way around the world.”

Award-winning food photographer John Uher, whose client list includes Godiva Chocolates and Bacardi Rum, has worked with Susie since the original Kosher by Design was released in 2003. Uher’s 100+ images in Teens & 20-Somethings are vivid and motivating.

Fishbein provides clear and simple guidance throughout the cookbook to help young cooks develop confidence in preparing dishes that appeal equally to the eye and palette. She offers important tips for healthy eating, safety in the kitchen, essential utensils, and menu planning.

Anyone with food sensitivities will appreciate the convenient sidebar symbols that indicate gluten-free, fat-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian recipes. In accordance with kosher cooking requirements, each recipe is clearly marked as meat, dairy, or parve (neither meat nor dairy).

She also encourages her culinary protégés to go beyond personal or family cooking; she offers four lively party templates, including a baseball theme and a board game night.

Susie’s sold-out coast-to-coast cooking demos, along with her appearances on national television and radio, have elevated kosher cuisine to a more sophisticated level in public perception. Book critic Benyamin Cohen, former editor of youth-oriented Jewsweek.com and American Jewish Life, says of Susie Fishbein, “She’s a phenom — singlehandedly redefining kosher cooking.”

But bottom line: What can the average digital-centric teen or 20-something expect to find in this curiously different cookbook? Susie quips, “Delicious fun — LOL!”

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Standing Before the Judge: The ArtScroll Rosh Hashanah Machzors

Posted on September 5, 2010 by goldys

When defendants stand before a jury, they want the best possible legal representation. And when they stand before the judge for sentencing, they pray for mercy.
On Rosh Hashanah we all stand before the true Judge. As the poignant words of Unesaneh Tokef remind us: “You alone are the One Who judges… who will live and who will die…”  We are awed – but we are not paralyzed. We know there are things we can do to turn the judgment in our favor. “Repentance, prayer and charity remove the evil of the decree!”
We’ve been examining our lives and deeds, seeking teshuvah, repentance. We’ve been giving more charity than ever. And, like hundreds of thousands of Jews the world over, on Rosh Hashanah we will use an ArtScroll machzor to help us make our tefillos, our prayers, focused, sincere and heartfelt.
As we await the positive verdict we know we are using the ArtScroll machzor that will help us most effectively daven for a favorable judgment – and a sweet year.

The Classic ArtScroll Machzor: With its lyrical and yet readable translation by Rabbi Nosson Scherman, beautiful graphics, comprehensive directions, and engrossing commentary, this is the machzor that started “the ArtScroll Revolution.” Available in Nusach Ashkenaz and Sefard, in hardcover and paperback, in full and pocket size, and in elegant leather binding.

 

The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Machzor: The interlinear format is perfect for those who want to follow the Hebrew text but quickly access the English translation. The translation appears directly beneath the Hebrew, with ArtScroll’s patented icon gently leading the eyes in the proper direction. Includes full commentary. Available in Nusach Ashkenaz and Sefard, in full and pocket size.

The Seif Edition Transliterated Machzor: The ideal choice for those less familiar with Hebrew, this machzor includes the Hebrew text, with phrase-by-phrase transliteration and translation, and a full commentary.

The ArtScroll Hebrew Machzor: For those familiar with the Hebrew text of the prayers, this beautifully typeset machzor is clear and easy to follow. Includes a full Hebrew commentary and a choice of instructions in either Hebrew or English.

The Large Type Machzor: If you’re constantly taking on and removing those reading glasses, this is the machzor for you! With extra-large, clear type, uncluttered pages, and a comfortable, manageable page size.

ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications Ltd. wishes all of our readers, and all of Klal Yisrael, a kesivah v’chasimah tovah, and a happy and healthy New Year.

Filed under: ArtScroll In the News, ArtScroll News You Can Use, Book Reviews, Holiday Related, Holidays | Leave a Comment »

Pride in the Past, Looking towards the Future: The New Wasserman Edition Expanded ArtScroll Siddur

Posted on August 25, 2010 by goldys

In the ArtScroll office the emotion is almost palpable; you can practically touch the excitement. Actually, you can touch the excitement: just run your hands over the beautiful, dignified, gold-stamped cover of the new Wasserman Edition Expanded ArtScroll Siddur. That’s excitement for you. And pride in the past. And looking towards the future.

Rabbi Nosson Scherman, whose name has become synonymous with the ArtScroll Siddur, remembers: “More than 25 years ago, the original ArtScroll Siddur revolutionized Jewish awareness of prayer, and in just a few years it became the most popular Siddur in the world.”  People had never seen anything like it: crisp, modern typography and page layouts that made the prayers readable and clear; a luminous translation that captured the beauty and depth of the original; easy-to-follow, comprehensive instructions; a commentary that inspired and lent a new dimension to the prayer experience. “The ArtScroll Siddur was a historic work,” says Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, General Editor of ArtScroll and Co-Editor of the Siddur. “Never before had a Siddur enriched the tefillah of so many Jews across the Jewish spectrum worldwide.”  With more than a million copies in print, “The ArtScroll,” as it came to be known, became the Siddur of choice for a generation.
And now, for the first time in more than two decades, comes an expanded edition of the ArtScroll Siddur.
The first thing the reader sees when glancing through the Wasserman Edition is the superb, crystal clear typography. “The design was particularly challenging, since we did not want to change the page numbers from the original ArtScroll Siddur,” says Rabbi Sheah Brander, who designed both the original and the expanded Wasserman Siddur. “The world of typography has changed a lot over the years, and using state-of-the-art techniques we were able to pull off a miracle: clearer, larger type with the same page numbering!”
The Expanded Wasserman Siddur includes more than 100 pages of additional material, including a new Overview; Yom Kippur Kattan; Megillas Esther, Ruth and Koheles; Perek Shirah; the Six Constant Mitzvahs; Iggeres HaRamban; Prayer of the Sh’lah; Prayer at the Holy places in Israel, and a special section: The Laws, Customs, and Prayers in the Land of Israel.
Says Rabbi Zlotowitz: “I am especially proud of the historic association on this project with the princely Wasserman family. The new Wasserman Edition Siddur brings a user-friendly, expanded ArtScroll Siddur, in all its magnificence, to a new generation.”

Filed under: Books, Book Reviews, ArtScroll In the News, Media, In the News, Inside ArtScroll Weekly | Leave a Comment »

The Story behind the Story: A Talk with Yair Weinstock

Posted on July 22, 2010 by goldys

 As the author of many bestselling novels, including  Gordian Knot and Blackout, Yair Weinstock knows how to use the power of words to tell a gripping, unforgettable story. And as a collector of true tales, author of the popular Tales of the Soul and Once Upon a Story series, he knows how transformative (and entertaining!) a true story can be.
With the release of his newest book, Once Upon a Story 2, I asked Rabbi Weinstock to tell me a little about his stories.
And he told me a true story…

“I once wrote a story about a certain Chassidic rebbe who had a son who went off the derech, despite all his father’s efforts. After the rebbe died, he came to his son in a dream, telling him that if he didn’t do teshuvah he would be punished.
“The rebellious son laughed at the dream, even though it was repeated a few times. Finally, he had another dream. His father, the rebbe, told him he had no choice but to punish him, and he threw a heavy branch on his son’s legs. ‘You didn’t do teshuvah,’ the rebbe told his son, ‘and for seven generations your sons will limp.’
“And, indeed, the rebellious son awoke, and from that day forward he, and his children, walked with a limp.
“Not long after the story appeared, I got a call from a stranger in Petach Tikvah. ‘My father, and my grandfather, limp,’ the man told me, ‘and I do not. And do you know what: I am the eighth generation descendant of that famed rebbe. Rabbi Weinstock,’ the man continued, ‘I am a completely secular Jew, but after I read that story, I put on tefillin for the first time.’”

Stories, wonderful Jewish stories, are in Yair Weinstock’s blood. “My father was always full of stories,” he remembers. “Even when I was small, I would listen as he told them over to the older children. And then I would hear stories told over by the Chassidim of Lelov, at melaveh malkahs, rosh chodesh gatherings, and just general ‘after-davening’ talk.”
Now, he adds, after so many hundreds of his true stories have delighted tens of thousands of readers, the stories find him. “Readers call me, send letters,” Rabbi Weinstock says. “I see tremendous siyata d’Shmaya: just when I need a story, someone tells me one!”

And that is the story behind the story.

Filed under: ArtScroll In the News, Authors, Book Reviews, Books, Inside ArtScroll Weekly, New Releases, Non-Fiction | Leave a Comment »

On Fire to Help Klal Yisrael:

Posted on July 16, 2010 by goldys

A Talk with Rabbi Heshy Kleinman
Author of Praying With Fire and Yearning With Fire
 
As I speak with Rabbi Heshy Kleinman, bestselling author of Praying with Fire and Praying with Fire 2 and the newly-released Yearning with Fire, I can tell that he is, indeed, a man on fire himself – blazing with passion for every single Jew, on fire to help Klal Yisrael. Here, he articulates his vision for helping bring the geulah closer.
 
ArtScroll: Praying With Fire changed the way tens of thousands of Jews daven. What are your goals for your new book, Yearning with Fire?
 
Rabbi Kleinman:  Especially in our challenging, tenuos world the goal is to hasten the geulah. I began to think about it after the Merkaz HaRav massacre in March 2008. Everyone said, “Moshiach has to come.” Then came the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008. Again: “Moshiach has to come.” So what do we do, and how do we do it? What is going to galvanize us? B”H, we had so much success with tefillah; why can’t we accomplish it with the geulah? There are many things that each and every person can do to hasten geulah in a very practical way.
 
AS: Such as?
RK: Chazal tell us very clearly what we can do, how to hasten the redemption. In the book we explain the connection certain mitzvahs have to geulah, and give very specific, practical strategies to actualize them.
 
AS: All this, in five minutes a day?
RK: Yes, even while sitting at your dinner table–your soup won’t even get cold! Think about Praying with Fire, also a five-minute-a-day program. Over 130 shuls have taken part in the “Shul Tefillah Initiative” in twenty-seven different cities like Philadelphia, St. Louis, Phoenix, Toronto and, of course, Brooklyn and Lakewood. Five minutes a day! A world of difference!
 
AS: Your book talks about strengthening achdus in Klal Yisrael as one of the strategies to hasten geulah. Is that a reachable goal, given all the unfortunate strife among us?
RK: Absolutely! Of course! I’ll tell you how: ruchniyus has the power to do this. Torah is called a “shirah,” a song. A song is enhanced with harmony, many different notes melding together. There were different berachos given to the twelve shevatim,  – that’s the mark of Klal Yisrael. We have to focus on our spiritual source; then we can achieve true unity.  And we can do it!

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Opening Hearts: A Conversation with Rabbi Binyomin Pruzansky

Posted on May 13, 2010 by goldys

Did you hear the story about the rebbe who became an open-heart surgeon without ever going to med school?

Okay, not quite. The rebbe is Rabbi Binyomin Pruzansky. And while he’s not actually putting in stents and pacemakers, he has been opening the hearts (not to mention touching the emotions and elevating the spirits) of the tens of thousands of readers of his Stories for the Jewish Heart series.

We caught up with Rabbi Pruzansky and spoke to him about his newest collection, Stories that Warm the Heart.

How did you become a storyteller?

I have always wanted to help people realize their potential. As a rebbe I realized that the way to a person’s heart is through a great story. A story is a powerful tool. When you hear about a person who overcame a challenge or did something remarkable you begin to realize that you too can overcome anything, you too can reach for the stars. It’s relevant, it’s real, and it’s inspiring.

How do you find those marvelous, one-of-a-kind stories that readers love?

The kind of story I like is one that is different, unpredictable and, of course, heartwarming. As I developed into a published writer and public speaker I found that people opened up to me more. People have so much hashgachah pratis in their lives but sometimes they fail to see it. I encourage people to dig a bit deeper into their lives and see the “Hand” of Hashem.
 Can stories change people’s lives?

Absolutely! Many of the stories in this book are personal accounts of people who had a life changing experience. They share how they grew spiritually or realized the power of one person to make a difference, and it imbued them with hope in Hashem and in themselves. When you read this kind of account it inspires you to be a better person, a better Jew. It gives you the power to believe in the incredible heart of Am Yisrael.
Tell us about your newest collection, Stories that Warm the Heart.

The stories are very diverse and speak to the hearts of men, women and teenagers alike. There’s a story about Holocaust-era menorah that leads a person back to Yiddishkeit and another about the miraculous answer to an autistic child’s prayer. There are stories of at-risk teenagers and stories about gedolim. Am Yisrael is so diverse and so remarkable, and these stories reflect that.

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The Story Behind the Stories: Two exciting new collections of stories from ArtScroll

Posted on March 2, 2010 by goldys

There’s something so special about a true story. The best true stories touch us and teach us; the very best will change the way we look at the world.
Two new books from ArtScroll are very different from each other, but they share one very important quality: as we read them we are entertained, we are inspired and, yes, we are changed.

 It Could Have Been You, by master storyteller Nachman Seltzer, takes us on a breathtaking journey to many different worlds. These never before published true stories are set in places as varied as Holocaust-era France and modern-day Jerusalem. They take place in a luxurious Swiss villa, an abandoned Ukrainian factory, a department store in Long Island. Wherever they are, they are unforgettable.
“When I started writing, I wrote the kind of stories that I felt I’d like to read,” Rabbi Seltzer says. “I saw that people really connected with them so I looked for more, and before I knew it there was a genre called ‘the Nachman Seltzer story’.”
So what makes a “Nachman Seltzer story” so good, so unusual, so memorable  — and so beloved by thousands of readers? It’s a mixture of Rabbi Seltzer’s fresh, vibrant writing – and stories with endings that surprise and astonish us. “Every single person has at least one amazing story that happened to them,” Rabbi Seltzer says. “The trick is being able to listen.”
Hidden Gems: Our Special Children by Ruchi Eisenbach is a collection of true stories about raising special children. We hear the voices of parents,
siblings, grandparents, and teachers, sharing the triumphs and the disappointments, the day-to-day challenges and the lifelong lessons. The word “inspiration” has become a cliché, but in this book the inspiration is truly there: in the story of the family that adopted five (!) children with Down’s syndrome; in the honest words of the mother who speaks about the difficult choice of putting her daughter into an institution. A blind woman tells how one woman’s kindness changed her life, and a disabled student walks a few steps and teaches his class an unforgettable lesson.
The author, herself the mother of a special needs child, remembers: “I started writing about three years ago. B’chasdei Hashem I found that when I wrote from my heart, the words just came. I thought it would strengthen others… but it truly strengthened me.”

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A Vital New Book by Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski M.D. and leah Shifrin Averick, LCSW: In-Laws: It’s All Relative

Posted on February 1, 2010 by goldys

Mazel tov! The happy chosson beams, the kallah glows – a new Jewish home is being created.
Also being created are: a new son-in-law, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law and two sets of mechatunim.
Wow. New home. New relationships. And a whole set of new challenges.

Leah Shifrin Averick knows all about those challenges. The Chicago-based social worker remembers, “When I became a mother-in-law I got interested in the dynamics of in-law relationships. I researched the topic by interviewing more than two hundred people from various backgrounds.” The research eventually turned into a successful book on in-law relations.

Mrs. Averick approached Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, the famed psychiatrist and author, for a blurb for that book, which he gave. Some years later, they decided to collaborate on a book on in-law relationships for the Jewish world. The result: the acclaimed new book, In-Laws: It’s All Relative.

Rabbi Dr. Twerski explains the importance of such a book. “I have seen many cases of marriages that were seriously affected by in-law problems,” he says. “I came up with the RESPECT formula. If we exercise Restraint, Effort, Sensitivity, Patience, Empathy, Consideration and Tolerance, many in-law problems can be prevented or resolved.”

In-Laws: It’s All Relative is a fascinating compendium of Rabbi Dr. Twerski’s trademark combination of psychiatric insight and Torah wisdom, together with Mrs. Averick’s clinical experience and understanding of the many issues that in-laws – both married children and their parents – must deal with. We learn how unconscious processes might be affecting our in-law relationships and how following the wisdom of Torah teachings can smooth out the rocky paths in front of us. We get practical guidelines in the day-to-day interactions that mark the in-law relationship, and answers to many common questions: What should I call my new mother-in-law? How often should I visit my newly-married son and his wife? How do I deal with mechatunim who have very different ideas of how lavish a wedding our children should have? And, of course, we enjoy the many stories of in-law interactions, both failed and successful, that two top therapists have encountered in their decades of experience.

Excellent in-law relationships, maintain the authors, are possible, and vital. “King David is the great-great grandson of Ruth, the woman who was good to her mother-in-law,” Mrs. Averick reminds us. “From this woman shall come Mashiach ben David. Out of that seed of kindness and understanding shall come forth peace.”

Filed under: ArtScroll In the News, Media, In the News, Inside ArtScroll Weekly | Leave a Comment »

Nachum Segal and Rabbi Moshe Bamberger Have a Fascinating Discussion About Great Jewish Letters

Posted on January 25, 2010 by goldys


Nachum presented a great discussion with Rabbi Moshe Bamberger about his fascinating new book, Great Jewish Letters. In this unique collection, Rabbi Moshe Bamberger, a respected scholar and educator, shares with us 120 great Jewish letters, translated into flowing English from their original Hebrew. Spanning the centuries from the Gaonic period to today, these letters contain fascinating historical insights and profound ethical truths. Some of the letters are classics, others not well-known, but all share a sense of both intimacy and eternity, a message from a father to a son, from a teacher to a student, from a leader to his people. Nachum opened the phone lines for listener questions and had a great time with Rabbi Moshe Bamberger on The Nachum Segal Show’s Thursday Night Extravaganza. Click here to listen to the complete interview.

Filed under: ArtScroll In the News, Audio, Audio Interviews, Author Appearances, Radio | Leave a Comment »

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