“When I first became religious,” the young man told me, “the English Kitzur that I received for my bar mitzvah taught me everything. It became my ‘rav.’”No sefer can ever really replace a flesh and blood rabbi, of course, but if there is one halachah work that can give every Jew, scholar and layman alike, [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
We were all at Sinai together — and now some of us cannot even read the alef-beis. Think about it. More than 80% of American Jews, it is estimated, cannot read Hebrew. If Torah is what defines us, what sets us apart, how can we expect someone who has never heard of Avraham Avinu to [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
It’s an emotional moment as ArtScroll gears up to mark its “Siyum Mishnayos.” There are many feeling being shared in the office at the completion of this monumental 31-year project: feelings of satisfaction and pride, feelings of great joy and gratitude – to the dedicators who made this monumental project possible, to the writers and [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Chanukah is coming to an end. The sufganiyot and latkes and elegant cheese dishes will soon be just a memory (and maybe a few added inches around the waist…). The dancing glow of the menorah’s lights reflected in children’s eyes, the parties and get-togethers and games of dreidel, the holiday’s eternal message of faith and [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
“Have you got the canvas unrolled?” “Sure.” “Did you find the hammer and the screws?” “Yup.” “Are the lanterns and posters ready to be hung up?” “Absolutely.” “Did you get the esrog you were hoping for?” “Baruch Hashem.” “Have you thought at all about the meaning of Succos?” “Uhh…” Yes, it’s the busiest time of [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
For me, Chodesh Elul came early this year. It was in the steaming month of Tammuz, and my assignment for the day was to write cover copy for A Touch of Purity, Rabbi Yechiel Spero’s new book on teshuvah, repentance. In the first chapter I read how the great men of previous generations reacted to [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
The Book Everyone is Talking About: Women Talk “I picked it up, and couldn’t put it down. I read it cover to cover, like a novel.” That’s what one woman told me when we discussed the new book that so many women are talking about: Women Talk by Debbie Shapiro. Readers are talking about Women [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Here at ArtScroll’s acquisition desk, we’re used to getting large numbers of submissions. Lately, though, we’ve seen mail coming in that looks different from the usual manuscripts. These submissions are written on lined paper with crisply sharpened pencils or carefully drawn in crayons or colored markers. They are short, they are fun – and they [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Here at ArtScroll’s acquisition desk, we’re used to getting large numbers of submissions. Lately, though, we’ve seen mail coming in that looks different from the usual manuscripts. These submissions are written on lined paper with crisply sharpened pencils or carefully drawn in crayons or colored markers. They are short, they are fun – and they [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
