Unwrapping Our Gifts: Days of Reflection, Days of Awe, by Rabbi Yaakov Feitman

It’s in the air, everywhere. The feelings of closeness to Hashem. The awe of the upcoming Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The excitement of Succos. The fear and the love, the teshuvah and the tefillah. The children singing songs of apples and honey; the daily sound of the shofar, awakening all of Klal Yisrael.

And, as Rabbi Yaakov Feitman tells us in his inspiring and important new book: It’s all a gift. The gift of Elul, the gift of the Yamim Noraim, the joyous gift of Succos. A gift that his new and important book, Days of Reflection, Days of Awe, will help us unwrap and enjoy.

For over twenty-five years, Rabbi Feitman, a leading talmid of Rav Hutner, has served as  Rav of  Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi in Cedarhurst, NY, a flourishing shul with a full-time kollel. He has been featured as a speaker and scholar-in-residence in cities all over the U.S., Israel, and Europe. As a writer, Rabbi Feitman makes profound ideas relatable and practical. He weaves together stories and insights from across the spectrum of our gedolim to give us a deeper appreciation of the holy days and the unique nature and power of each. Every essay is summarized in a practical takeaway that can help readers make the most of this meaningful time of year.

What is, according to some of our greatest Torah leaders, the most important middah of Elul? What does the British monarchy have to teach us about (l’havdil) crowning Hashem as our King? Where does the joy of Succos come from, and how did Jews manage to find that simchah even in the direst situations? Here is the wisdom of so many gedolim — Ramchal, R’ Yisrael Salanter, Rav Dessler, the Chazon Ish, and Rav Hutner, to name just a few — together with stories and insights that will enrich this wonderful time of year, and our lives as well.

ArtScroll Welcomes the Newest Edition of Selichos:

Let’s welcome the newest volume to our Selichos family — Selichos Siach Levaveinu: All-Hebrew Selichos with English instructions (Nusach Lita – Ashkenaz). Like all ArtScroll Selichos, it features easy-to-follow typography and explanatory notes. And, of course, the Thirteen Middos are written in full each time they appear, for ease of use.