Author: ArtScroll Staff

AS: How does this volume, on Sefer Yehoshua and Shoftim, enhance our understanding of the Navi?

RAB: This volume gives us “the rest of the story.” Neviim and Kesuvim are part of Torah SheBiksav, the Written Torah, which is explained and amplified by Torah Shebaal Peh, the Oral Torah. The teachings transcribed in the Talmud and Midrash give us both context and subtext — background on the personalities and incidents in Navi, as well as laws and lessons derived from the verses. By presenting, in readable English, the teachings in Bavli, Yerushalmi, and selected Midrashim that discuss the Navi text, we enable the reader to gain a greater understanding of what transpired and the implications of the Navi’s words.

AS: What kind of feedback have you received on the first volumes in the series, The Milstein Edition Chumash with the Teachings of the Talmud?

RAB: People love it! Talmudic language is often technical and the dialogue is frequently challenging to follow. The language in the Tannaic Midrashim included in this volume is often cryptic and the lessons are sometimes hard to understand. This series extracts the essence of these teachings, retelling “what they say” in English. We also include the Talmud and Midrash texts for those who would like to see the original.

We’ve heard from older children, teens, and parents who use Chumash with the Teachings of the Talmud to find interesting insights on the weekly parashah for the Shabbos table. Rabbeim teaching Chumash consult it and Gemara rabbeim use it to find a simple way to explain a complex topic. Morahs, who have never studied Talmud, have told us that this opens an entire new world and provides an invaluable resource.

AS: Was the research for the Navi similar to that of the Chumash?

RAB: As with the Chumash, the presentation of the Talmudic passages was generally adapted from how they are explained in the Schottenstein Editions of the Talmud. Another advantage we had is that now the entire Schottenstein Talmud Yerushalmi is complete. The Midrashic selections proved more challenging and required much more research and analysis, especially since many of those passages have few or no commentaries. At times, the few commentaries had divergent approaches in how to understand the passage, and the writers and editors had to use their judgment as to which commentary to follow.

AS: Over 20 years ago, you wrote From Central Park to Sinai, chronicling your incredible journey to Torah observance. How does it feel to carry the story forward to a new generation of readers, in Rabbi Nachman Seltzer’s From Sinai to Yerushalayim?

YN: We are so excited to be carrying our story forward. The biggest thrill is to meet an audience that seems so far from us, as my wife, Leah, and I have done in Russia, Baku, Tbilisi, Mexico, and so many other places. They don’t even speak our language, but words from the heart enter the heart!

AS: Of course, there are still many thousands who read your first book. What will they find that’s new in From Sinai to Yerushalayim?

YN: We never get tired of telling our story and people never get tired of hearing it! And each day adds to it, which is why Rabbi Seltzer wanted to take it to the next level.

Here’s an example: Our biggest turnaround happened on January 10, 1966. My wife and I were young married college students, and our marriage and whole life were falling apart. I awoke in the middle of the night, thinking life was literally all over, and then a “crazy” thought flew into my head: “Maybe there is a G-d!” Wow! That thought turned our life around.

I later found out that that day was the 18th of Teves in the Jewish calendar. Since then, many miraculous events have happened to us on that date. And last week, on the 18th of Teves 5783 — 57 YEARS LATER TO THE DAY! — From Sinai to Yerushalayim went on the presses at ArtScroll.

AS: You had such a wealthy, privileged childhood, yet it wasn’t enough — until you found Torah. Can you share a brief inspiration to those who grew up in the Torah world?

YN: We grew up living the “American Dream.” There was no material thing we lacked, and we had wonderful families. We traveled everywhere and saw the world of man and the world of nature. But we found out: Without Torah it is all empty … totally empty! Until the door opened to the world of Torah, we were not even alive. We tried to live that way, but it is a black hole. We can never thank Hashem enough for giving us true, meaningful life!

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One of the most influential sefarim of the modern era, Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan’s Sefer Chofetz Chaim was the foundation of the “shemiras halashon revolution.” Tens of thousands now follow the counsel of Rav Yehudah Zev Segal, the Manchester Rosh Yeshivah, to learn two halachos daily from the sefer, improving their lives and relationships immeasurably, and often seeing extraordinary yeshuos in many different aspects of their lives.

ArtScroll, in conjunction with the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation, now presents the second and final volume of the Elucidated Sefer Chofetz Chaim. This volume discusses the halachos of rechilus and, like Volume 1, provides a translation, elucidation, and notes in the classic ArtScroll style, enabling the reader to truly understand the nuances of these vital but sometimes complex halachos. Thousands of hours of research by a team of talmidei chachamim went into making the intricate laws of shemiras halashon understandable and accessible. Many of the halachos are accompanied by “Scenarios” that illustrate a real-life application of the halachah, helping the reader apply it to daily life. We read the Chofetz Chaim’s words, and then we see how they might play out in our contemporary world. And each “klal” (chapter) concludes with a summary to help readers organize, review, and remember the halachos they have learned.

This volume includes many other features, some of them unique, which make this the go-to resource for shemiras halashon issues. How often have we faced the question of what to say — and what not to say — in the ultra-sensitive topic of shidduchim? The Comprehensive Halachic Guide to Shidduch Information and The Shemiras HaLashon Handbook for Giving and Getting Shidduch Information offer more than 80 pages of halachos, insights, and realistic examples to help us determine what information can be shared, what information may not be shared — and what information must be shared.

At the end of his sefer, the Chofetz Chaim included several essential sources that he drew upon, and these primary source materials are also included in the sefer, together with a translation and elucidation.

As the Introduction to this volume states: While there are many shemiras halashon learning texts and tools available, the experience of immersing oneself in the words penned by the Chofetz Chaim himself is one of unparalleled impact and power. As Rav Pam said, the words themselves are holy; they convey holiness to those who learn them.

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First, there was the Schottenstein Edition Hebrew Talmud, affectionately known as the “Blue Gemara.” It was followed by the Ryzman Edition Hebrew Mishnah, the Zichron Asher Herzog Hebrew Sefer HaChinuch, and the Schottenstein Hebrew Edition of the Yerushalmi Talmud.

Different as they are from each other, these Hebrew-language sets have some things in common. They are all very successful, with tens of thousands of readers poring over their pages. Though loosely based on ArtScroll’s English-language texts, they all bring new features, a new style, and new insights. And they all prove that even in English-speaking communities, many prefer to learn the classic texts in Hebrew.

So here is exciting news for those readers who prefer Hebrew-language learning: The publication of the first volume in the Ryzman Edition Hebrew Midrash Rabbah!

This series is designed to be both comprehensive enough for scholars and “user- friendly” enough for those seeking to share the wisdom of the Midrash at their Shabbos tables or in divrei Torah. The elucidation of the Midrash text has been expanded, allowing readers to appreciate the teachings of the Midrash without the necessity of deeper study. For those who do want to learn the commentaries, the Etz Yosef, Maharzu, Matnos Kehunah, and Eshed HaNechalim have been carefully proofread and punctuated. And the original, classic Midrash commentary, Yefeh Toar, has been quoted extensively. Explanatory notes give more background information, but are not essential for those who simply want to taste the flavor and understand the p’shat of the Midrash.

Readers of the English-language Kleinman Edition Midrash Rabbah have hailed the “Insights” section, in which we see the Midrash through the eyes of major medieval and contemporary giants of Torah thought, from Ramban and Rabbeinu Bachya to Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Sfas Emes, Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, and scores of others. The Ryzman Edition Hebrew Midrash Rabbah includes an even more expanded “Insights” feature, sure to enhance the reader’s experience.

The first volume, Parashas Shemos – Beshalach, is now available, and the second and final volume of Sefer Shemos, Yisro – Pekudei, will be released in time for the Torah reading.

In Hebrew or in English, ArtScroll’s Midrash Rabbah opens to all of us the spiritual treasures that we find in the Midrash.