Author: ArtScroll Staff

For centuries, the brilliant light of Rashi has illuminated the world of Torah. Behind his seemingly simple words lie treasures of knowledge and profound thought. The study of the Torah through the lens of Rashi has become a sacred tradition for generations, allowing us to “sit in Rashi’s beis medrash” and partake of his explanation of the Torah’s words and his exploration of its depths.

For decades, English speakers have relied on the Sapirstein Edition Rashi for a translation and basic explanation of the Torah’s foremost commentary. Baruch Hashem, the world of Torah has grown. There are more people studying Torah today than in many centuries, and they want more. They wish to dig deeper, understanding not just what Rashi says, but the underlying concepts, along with enlightening glimpses into Rashi’s thought process. What motivated this comment? What counterargument does the Ramban put forth, and how might Rashi respond? How do the Torah’s words prompt Rashi’s interpretation? Beneath the deceptively straightforward exterior of Rashi’s commentary lies a depth that has captivated talmidei chachamim for more than eight centuries.

Enter The Elucidated Rashi on Chumash.

The first volume in this groundbreaking 10-volume series, on Parashiyos Bereishis through Toldos, presents Rashi’s wisdom with unexcelled depth and clarity. Explanatory words ensure the seamless flow of his commentary, clarifying his points and connecting them with the text of the Chumash. Comprehensive notes offer additional insights into Rashi’s ideas and provide clarifications from other commentators.

“The Elucidated Rashi culls from literally hundreds of commentaries,” says Rabbi Eliezer Herzka, General Editor of the project, “distilling them into a clear, comprehensive approach to Rashi. The work is designed to give a broad and in-depth presentation of Rashi, clear enough for even the student to understand, yet thorough enough for even the talmid chacham to appreciate.”

“The Elucidated Rashi on Chumash is unlike anything published before in any language, Hebrew, English or otherwise,” says Rabbi Gedaliah Zlotowitz, president of the Mesorah Heritage Foundation. “Calling it ‘revolutionary’ is not an overstatement. No work on Rashi has ever been produced on this level.”

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It began, as so many good things do, with a story.

It was the story of a great talmid chacham who, lo aleinu, lost his only son. And how he took that personal tragedy and turned it into a gift for future generations, by writing a Torah commentary in memory of his son — and including in his Introduction a promise: “… [those who learn my Torah] will see children, and children’s children … wise and discerning, and homes filled with everything good, and wealth and honor ….”

We’re talking, of course, about Rav Shimshon Chaim Nachmani, the Zera Shimshon, whose sefarim and the segulah connected with them have become household words.

But the story — and the many stories of people who were helped through this segulah — was just the beginning. Because when word of the recently rediscovered commentary came out, thousands flocked to learn it. They realized that the commentary, written in 18th-century Italy, was a hidden treasure of Torah thought. A treasure indeed, but one difficult to access, since the commentary is complex, with countless allusions to concepts and texts from all over the vastness of the Written and Oral Torah.

Again and again, we at ArtScroll heard the request: Give us an elucidated translation so that we, too, can truly understand this beautiful but difficult commentary!

And so began the Haas Family Edition Sefer Zera Shimshon — an elucidation of the Zera Shimshon on Torah, which has just celebrated the release of the final edition in the 10- volume project. (An additional three volumes cover Zera Shimshon on Megillas Esther, Rus, and Eichah. Koheles and Shir HaShirim are in advanced stages of preparation.)

It wasn’t easy. The style of the commentary often included complex reasoning and esoteric ideas, difficult to make understandable. “The very excellent staff was notfamiliar with the sefer — we all learned on the job!” says Rabbi Shmuel Kirzner, General Editor of the project. But the huge effort was successful: One who learns Zera Shimshon is immediately catapulted to the realms of Derush and Remez, usually in the framework of an exquisite tapestry of interwoven ideas. The combination of breadth and depth make the sefer truly unique — and ArtScroll’s elucidation makes it very understandable.

The story of Zera Shimshon’s author does not end. It lives on, in the eternal words of his Torah.

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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.