This week, we’ll look at two new ArtScroll sefarim that seem so very different from each other. The first, the newest volume in The Schottenstein Edition Ein Yaakov, is ArtScroll’s elucidation of the centuries-old Torah classic that delves into the beauty and mysteries of the Aggadah portions of the Talmud. The second, Rabbi Tzvi Ryzman’s Exploring Modern Halachic Dilemmas Volume 2,looks at the fascinating halachic ramifications of today’s cutting-edge technology and contemporary life.

Two very different sefarim but … also the same. The same in their search for the emes l’amita of Torah. And the same in the quality and clarity that we’ve come to expect from all ArtScroll sefarim.

Like the others in this popular, ongoing series, The Schottenstein Edition Ein Yaakov on Moed Katan and Chagigah is designed to enhance our understanding of Aggadata. The work combines accuracy, depth, and readability. There is a wealth of information in the notes, based on the primary commentaries on Ein Yaakov and other sources. The “Insights” section illuminates various points in the Aggadata, and it brings out many lessons and principles that are relevant in our daily lives. These Insights are drawn from a vast selection of commentaries and Torah works, ranging from the Rishonim to the masters of Chassidus and Mussar.

Rabbi Tzvi Ryzman brings us the eagerly awaited second volume in the Exploring Modern Halachic Dilemmas series. He refers to himself as “a businessman,” which he is, but he is also a scholar, teacher, lecturer, author, and philanthropist. He is a winner of the Jerusalem Prize for his many Hebrew volumes of Ratz KaTzvi, and his halachah shiurim in Israel and America are attended and acclaimed by renowned rabbinic leaders.

May a Jew daven in an “interfaith room” in a hospital or airport? What are the Shabbos issues in a “smart home”? Is a tattooed Kohen allowed to duchen? May someone ride in a self-driving car on Shabbos? What are some of the halachic implications of organ transplants? Rabbi Ryzman explores these and other halachic questions, guiding us with remarkable clarity through the issues and the piskei halachah of the greatest poskim of our time.

So there you have it. Two sefarim, one based on an ancient text, the other on current issues. Both fascinating, and both important to living our lives as Torah Jews.