Author: ArtScroll Staff

AS: You met with Reb Meilech before embarking on this sefer. What was it like, meeting this unique Torah personality?

YB: It wasn’t exactly like a meeting. It was more like joining him on his nightly route, as he moved quickly from a shivah house R’l, to a wedding, to the simchah of an orphan, and then on to the next simchah — while snatching conversations in between.

AS: Reb Meilech’s Torah — and stories! — speak to Jews of all types. Where does that power come from?

YB: I certainly can’t answer that, but every sort of Jew — gedolim and simple Jews whom I would never have pegged as “Reb Meilech people” — told me that Reb Meilech’s Torah carries them through the week.

AS: In Around the Year with Reb Meilech, you combine Reb Meilech’s Torah and stories with descriptions of how he transmits them — his body language, gestures, and songs. How does that enhance the reader’s experience?

YB: It’s an attempt to convey some of the magic and “chein” of his shiurim and gatherings, though of course there is a “baal peh” aspect that cannot be completely described.

AS: The sefer follows the Jewish calendar: a full year of inspiration. Since we’re at the beginning of Chodesh Elul, can you share a brief vort from Reb Meilech to take with us as we approach the Yamim Noraim?

YB: The pasuk in Tehillim (126:2-3) describes the reaction of the nations to Mashiach’s arrival: Az yomru ba’goyim, higdil Hashem laasos im eileh. They will say among the nations, the Lord has done great things with these.

When the great day will come, the Lelover Rebbe said, the nations will wonder, “Why them? What made the Jewish nation deserving?”

And our response will be: Higdil Hashem laasos imanu. Do you know why Hashem performed great deeds for us? Because hayinu se’meichim — we were happy.

We are not the only nation that is happy, but we are the only nation that toils to be happy, that makes simchah a goal, that has the courage and valor to work to be happy even when it not easy. And that zechus will give us the right to genuinely rejoice.

Teshuvah, too, should be done with simchah — joy because Hashem gives us the gift of becoming close to Him — and these days of awe should be approached with this simchah, for it is our eternal zechus.

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Who among us has never heard of — and marveled at and been inspired by — Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev? He was “the defender,” who found the good in every Jew, and whose passionate avodas Hashem was combined with an unparalleled love for His people. Known as an ilui from youth, Rav Levi Yitzchak was a close talmid of the Maggid of Mezeritch and one of the foundational figures of Chassidus.

But perhaps his greatest influence was not in the wondrous stories that grew around him — rather, it was in his classic work, Kedushas Levi. Profound, incisive, and stimulating, Rav Levi Yitzchak’s commentary has been treasured and studied even by scholars and gedolim for more than two centuries.

Finally, this classic commentary on Chumash is available in a groundbreaking translated and elucidated ArtScroll/Mesorah edition.

Reb Moyshe Silk has devoted more than a decade both working on and organizing a team of scholars  to translate and elucidate Kedushas Levi. He describes Kedushas Levi as “… one of the most profound Torah commentaries of our recent history …. Its messages and lessons are hopeful, heartening, and uplifting, and they seek to motivate the reader toward greater and more devoted service of Hashem.”

As important and beautiful as it is, Kedushas Levi is not a simple sefer to learn. It assumes the reader has a thorough knowledge of classic sources, and it is often written in a cryptic style. The new elucidation includes the original text, a flowing translation, and commentary and explanatory notes incorporated into the text. As an important service to the reader, there is an introductory chapter that explains basic concepts that appear throughout the sefer. The sefer also includes a biography of  Rav Levi Yitzchak, as well as fascinating sections on the Yamim Tovim. 

Kedushas Levi is available in three separate volumes (Bereishis, Shemos, and Vayikra-Devarim) or in one magnificent three-volume slipcased set.

You know all about the Berditchever’s unflinching faith and love for his people. You may even recite his beautiful tefillah, G-t Fun Avrohom, every Motza’ei Shabbos. But to really know Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev and to truly appreciate his greatness, you must study his masterpiece, Kedushas Levi.

And now you can.

Think there’s never enough time in your day for everything you want to accomplish? Think again! In The 25th Hour, an unusual blend of Torah hashkafah, chizuk, and practical ideas, Rabbi Dov Keilson, Mashigach Ruchani of Yeshiva Darchei Torah, shows us how to maximize our time.

And, busy as he is, he even found the time (!) to speak with us about his new book.

AS: It’s a fascinating topic: time. What made you decide to write a book about it?

RDK: Time is something that has been on my mind for years; it truly mesmerizes me with its mysteriousness and its power. And I felt the best way to really delve into it would be to write about it.

AS: The book is divided into daily readings. Why did you choose this format?

RDK: One reason was to make it easier to learn the techniques. And a second reason was to show the greatness of each day by revealing how much a person can accomplish in one day!

AS: Time is, indeed, a precious gift. Yet nowadays no one seems to have enough. Why is that — and what can we do about it?

RDK: I believe that the reason people don’t seem to have enough time is only because they are not maximizing the time they already have. When one truly maximizes and keeps in perspective clearly what he is supposed to do and when he is meant to do it, he will find time for everything.

AS: What are some benefits of understanding the value of every minute of life?

RDK: When a person appreciates a minute of life, it will open to him a world to whichthat he did not have a connection before. The lethargy and laziness in regard to doing mitzvos, and wasting and killing time both stem from not appreciating how much opportunity one has in one moment in this world. If a person would constantly maintain awareness of how short life is, and how much eternity he can acquire in each and every second of life, he would have a much more fulfilling existence.