AS: You’ve written over twenty amazingly successful books for children, but this is the first where you focus on one specific person. Why did you choose Rebbetzin Henny Machlis?

SB: Although I had never met Henny, I had heard so much about her. She was always someone I wanted to know more about. Then Sara Rigler approached me and said she was writing a book about Henny’s life in conjunction with the Machlis family. I became very excited and knew that one day I wanted to write that book for young children.

AS:  How important are role models to our young children?

SB:  Baruch Hashem, today, our young children have many role models to be guided by. But anyone who reads about Henny will quickly see how different she is from all the others. And in answer to your question, role models are VERY important.

AS: The illustrations are so special. How do you and the artist ensure that children will love the pictures?

SB: I work very closely with each artist on every book that I write to make sure that they bring both humor and love to each picture. Lea Kron is a fantastic new find for me and you will be seeing more and more of her work appearing. She is an incredible talent. We are now working on another book together.

AS: Your book is based on Emunah with Love and Chicken Soup, the bestselling book. How did you choose your twenty-one stories out of the hundreds in the book?

SB: I worked on editing Emunah with Love and Chicken Soup while it was being written. Each time Sara Rigler would hand in a chapter, I would read it and give it to my wife. An hour later, she would say, “When is the next chapter coming?’’ I tried to find stories from the book that would be different from each other, that would speak to children, and that they would remember and hold onto their whole life. And, of course, I rewrote the stories in language children would enjoy.

AS: What’s your favorite “Henny story”?              

SB: Not a fair question! Which of your children is your favorite? For me now, the question is which of my grandchildren is my favorite. Those are questions I would never try to answer. The only good answer to that is — all of them!

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Week after week, Jewish men are “maavir sidrah,” reading the text of the weekly parashah twice, and the text of Targum Onkelos once. This obligation is so important that the Gemara tells us that one who does so merits to have his days and years lengthened.

Yet most men, even those with a thorough knowledge of Chumash, read through the Targum with very little understanding of the words.

And they are missing so much.

“Targum Onkelos is not just a translation, it’s a peirush,” says one of the editors of ArtScroll’s new and exciting project, the Zichron Meir Edition Onkelos.  “So many ideas and concepts that we take for granted originated in Targum Onkelos, and Rashi’s commentary to Chumash is largely based on Onkelos.”

And yet the riches of this commentary are generally hidden, even as we recite the words.

Until now.

With the publication of the Zichron Meir Edition Onkelos, Targum Onkelos has finally become accessible.

“We put in great effort to make this easy to use, to make being maavir sidrah a pleasurable experience, and to open up Targum Onkelos to anyone who wants to understand it,” the editor explains.

The Zichron Meir Edition Onkelos combines many features to make that happen.

• Each word of Targum appears directly below the corresponding Hebrew word in an interlinear format, so readers can immediately see the connection between the words of the Chumash and their Aramaic translation. When Onkelos deviates from the literal translation, the Aramaic word or phrase of the Targum appears in bold print.
• The elucidation of the Targum follows the familiar ArtScroll style, with a phrase-by-phrase translation and elucidation. SMALL CAPITALS indicate where Onkelos translates in a different way than Rashi.
• An English translation of the Chumash appears next to the elucidation. This translation is based on Rashi as well as on the literal meaning of the Hebrew words, and conveys how the Chumash is read without Targum Onkelos. By having the two translations side-by side, we can clearly see what Onkelos is adding to the literal meaning.
• Notes, based on dozens of commentaries that have been written on Onkelos as well as other classical sources, bring in more fascinating information.

If it sounds a little complicated – it’s not. Just open the page and see how everything is highlighted, and how learning (yes, learning, not merely reciting) Targum Onkelos every week will enrich your understanding of the precious words of Chumash.

Get your copy today at artscroll.com!

Targum Onkelos – the translation of the Chumash into Aramaic by Onkelos – is so important that the Sages included it in the obligation to read the weekly Chumash portion “shnayim mikra v’echad Targum” the Torah text twice andTargum Onkelos once. Now you will be able to gain a better understanding of the interpretation of Onkelos and enhance your understanding of Chumash.

ArtScroll proudly presents the Zichron Meir Edition of Targum Onkelos: The definitive Aramaic interpretive translation of the Torah, elucidated and annotated.

The Zichron Meir Edition of Targum Onkelos includes:

• Chumash, Rashi, and Targum Onkelos fully vowelized
• An elucidation of Targum Onkelos, following the style of the Sapirstein Edition of Rashi and other ArtScroll classics
• An interlinear design, with the words of Targum Onkelos placed directly under the Hebrew of the Chumash text
• A flowing translation of the Chumash, based on the Stone Chumash. This includes words marked in bold when the translation differs from that of Onkelos
• Text that is highlighted when Onkelos deviates from the literal translation into his own interpretation
• Notes that explain and clarify those places where Onkelos appears to add his own phrase or where he deviates from the simple meaning of the verse.
• Footnotes that include background information and insights of other commentators

See for yourself! Click HERE to download the first Aliyah of Bereishis for free: Onkelos – Bereishis First Aliyah. Print it out and learn it this Shabbos!

Visit artscroll.com to order your copy today!

AS: In your introduction, you say the Chasam Sofer “reshaped the Jewish world and changed the course of history.” Is it possible, in a few sentences, to tell our readers how he did that?

RYB: He did it by showing that being courageous and firm isn’t a contradiction to being a kind, generous, loving rav; by providing a living example of compassionate leadership — what we might call incredible kannaus, butalso  incredible Ahavas Yisrael. He was the single most effective figure in stopping the Reformers, yet a beloved, revered kehillah rav in a major city.

AS: The book opens with a haunting photograph of the Chasam Sofer. It’s almost as if he’s staring at you, and he knows a lot about you. Is that the impression he made on you as you researched his life?

RYB: The picture was purchased from a respected auction house, which had it authenticated. It was originally painted by a non-Jewish artist, and when you look at it, there is a certain feeling of awe, which makes sense. In the book, we tell how the Chasam Sofer’s talmidim and even his own children felt they had to avert their gaze from him at times.

AS: Wars. Trouble with congregants. Financial worries. Messages brought in dreams. Mystical encounters. The Chasam Sofer’s life seems to be both similar to other people’s situations, and yet so very different. How can we reconcile his profound spiritual powers with the everyday challenges he faced?

RYB: That is precisely what makes this story unique. To be one with the Torah, with halachah, with yiras Shamayim, and still incorporate that into real life, practical rabbanus and being a rosh yeshivah. He was a gadol hador in so many different areas, yet none of them came at the expense of any other.

AS: This is a well-researched biography, yet it reads like a novel. How did you manage that?

RYB: I didn’t manage anything. Every project takes siyatta d’Shmaya, and this one is no different.

AS: What do you think the Chasam Sofer’s message would be to Jews today?

RYB: We are where we are because we hold on. We have a Father and He hasn’t changed. What was true remains true. You can be a relevant, successful person, a contemporary person, without compromising that which your fathers believed in.

Get your copy today in time for Yom Tov! artscroll.com/f/CHASH