The Blog @ ArtScroll.com

Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski talks about the financial meltdown, and how to deal with today’s new financial reality — and come up smiling! To listen to this fascinating and timely interview on The Nachum Segal Show, click here.

Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, Ramban (Nachmanides), wrote what is considered the most important commentary on the Chumash after that of Rashi. But as brilliant as it is, as important as it was in the development of Jewish thought, for many English speakers it remained, quite literally, a closed book –  inaccessible because of the author’s concise style, his frequent and sometimes obscure allusions, and his classical Hebrew, which was difficult even for those well-versed in the language. Those who courageously delved into the Ramban tended to focus on certain well known pieces, but the commentary in its entirety was rarely studied, even by the Torah-observant public. 

With the publication of the first volume of ArtScroll’s Ramban on the Torah five years ago, the closed book began to open wide for the English-speaking public, and tens of thousands of readers discovered the magnificence of Ramban’s thought. To convey Ramban’s commentary required an international team of Torah scholars: translators, editors, and readers who ensured that the final product was both faithful and clear. The translation followed the innovative and enormously successful style of the Schottenstein Talmud and the Sapirstein Rashi: an original Hebrew phrase, followed by a literal English translation in bold-face type, followed by an “elucidation” that explained in greater detail just what the words were meant to convey. In addition, most paragraphs are preceded by an “introductory comment,” that introduces the reader to what Ramban is trying to tell us.

In the past five years, six volumes of this extraordinary work have been issued: two on Sefer Bereishis, two on Sefer Shemos, one on the entire Sefer Devarim and, the most recent, one on the entire Sefer Bamidbar. (The final volume, on Sefer Vayikra, is in preparation, and will be available next year.)

In the weeks to come, as the Torah portions of Sefer Bamidbar and Sefer Devarim are read, thousands will gain new insight into the words of the Chumash, as they learn – and, yes, understand – the immortal words of Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, through the pages of the ArtScroll Ramban on the Torah.

Rabbi Paysach Krohn, bestselling author and internationally acclaimed speaker, talks to Nachum Segal. To hear this unforgettable interview, click here.

To hear Rabbi Yechiel Spero discuss Tisha B’Av, Kinnos, and his powerful new book, Touched by their Tears: A Kinnos Companion,  click Here.

For many of us, summer’s arrival means the annual trek to “the country.”  The hot New York sidewalks grow deserted, and traffic on Route 17 starts backing up.
As we tie the Big Wheels to the top of the minivan and throw in still another carton of Gushers for the kids, our thoughts are on pleasant things: swimming pools, barbeques, inspiring shiurim on long Shabbos afternoons. But for the Torah-observant Jew, summer also brings with it a somber time: the Three Weeks, beginning with the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz and culminating with Tishah B’Av.
Those who mourn the Destruction of the Temple, our Sages tell us, will merit to rejoice in its rebuilding. A beautiful thought, but in practical terms, how are we supposed to mourn something we’ve never seen? And how, especially in the carefree summer months, are we supposed to feel true sadness for our loss?
ArtScroll offer two new books to ensure that the Three Weeks are meaningful to us.
In The Laws of Daily Living: The Three Weeks, Tisha B’Av, and Other Fasts renowned author and posek Rabbi Simcha Bunim Cohen examines the laws of fast days (except Yom Kippur), the restrictions of the Three Weeks and Nine Days, and the climactic mourning of the Tishah B’Av fast. The book is enriched by a discussion of the Temple’s role in our lives and the events that led to its destruction, based on the teachings of the author’s grandfather, Rabbi Avigdor Miller zt’l.
In Touched by Their Tears: A Kinnos Companion, bestselling author Rabbi Yechiel Spero explains carefully selected Kinnos and illustrates their message with powerful true stories that bring them to life. We read of the soldier left for dead in a forgotten corner of Vietnam, the Ponovezher Rav’s message to the only surviving child of the Kovno Ghetto, and the boy who left everything behind in Iran to learn in Eretz Yisrael. We practically hear the song of 400 children as they prepare to die to sanctify G-d’s Name. In these gripping stories we learn how to mourn – and we learn how to hope.
As we prepare for our summer’s fun, we also prepare for the remembrance and mourning that will one day lead to the fullest joy – the joy of rebuilding the Temple.

In ArtScroll on the Air,  radio personality Nachum Segal speaks with Mr. Zvi Ryzman, author of The Wisdom in the Hebrew Months. To learn more about the deep and fascinating connection between the Jewish People and the months, click Here.

1.   ArtScroll’s 20% off sale.

2.   You heard right, 20% off every ArtScroll book.

 3.   Savings everywhere: On our website. In the stores. And in our catalog.

 4.   There’s a recession on. And money counts.

 5.   Books aren’t luxuries. They’re essentials.

6.    Essentials for Torah learning. For inspiration. And for recreation.

 7.   Order more than $30 worth of books on the ArtScroll website and get free shipping, in addition to the 20% savings.

8.    You can buy the entire full size Schottenstein Talmud, a dream come true, and save $600!

9.    Save 20% on the Kosher by Design series, and give your savings to a soup kitchen, so someone else can eat a good dinner.

 10.  Fight your yetzer hara, for a bargain price: 20% off Battle Plans by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller and Sara Rigler.

11.  For the major new book, The Kosher Kitchen by Rabbi Binyomin Forst, get “kosher savings” of 20% off.

 12.  Read a gripping novel instead of slaving over a hot stove – and take the family out for pizza with the money you saved.

13.  June is graduation time. Books make a great gift, and 20% off makes a great price.

14.  June is also wedding season. So many wonderful books for the new couple.

15.  Summer’s here: for colonies, camps, cruises, or your own backyard, there’s nothing like a good read.

 16.  Daf Yomi learners, think ahead. Stock up on the upcoming volumes of The Schottenstein Talmud at (you guessed it) 20% off.

17.  Rashi and Ramban on the Torah. So much wisdom, at such a great price.

18.  No more last minute rush to buy bar and bat mitzvah gifts. Stock up now for the coming year’s simchahs, and enjoy the simchah of 20% off.

19.  You get 20% more Shabbos nap when the kids have great books to read — at 20% off.

20.Torah inspiration. ArtScroll quality. And a once-a-year price.