Living the Halachic Process, volume IV, by Rabbi Daniel Mann (Book of the Month, Kislev 5786)

For chodesh Kislev our choice of Book of the Month is Living the Halachic Process, volume IV: Questions and Answers for the Modern Jew, by Rabbi Daniel Mann. This work, published by the Eretz Chemdah Institute, features answers to queries sent to the Institute. These answers are divided by field of human activity: prayer, berachot, Shabbat, festivals, kashrut, holy articles, money, family matters and, for questions that fit none of these categories, miscellany. Members of the shul have already been acquainted with one such she’elah: what should one do if, in the middle of one’s Shemon’Esrei, one remembers that one has already davened it earlier (you can enjoy Rabbi Kenigsberg’s mini-shiur on this issue here). 

This book covers lots of important topics. For example:

• Bathroom breaks during tefillah
• Berachot over pizza
• Using a dishwasher with a timer on Shabbat
• The correct routine for lighting one’s Chanukiah when coming home late
• Selling sifrei Torah that are too heavy for an ageing community
• Hosting a difficult guest
• Thanking Hashem after a “false alarm”
• Veganism
• Charging for incidental work that was not originally discussed.

We have this volume in our Beit Midrash library—but you don’t have to come to shul to borrow it. The full text is available online from the Eretz Chemdah website here. And if you want to test yourself against the book by reading the source materials and seeking to reach your own conclusions, these materials are also available online, here.

The Humanity of Jewish Law: Book of the Month, Mar Cheshvan 5786

Written 40 years ago, in 1985, The Humanity of Jewish Law is a fascinating and intriguing book. Its author, Meyer S. Lew, was better known in Anglo-Jewish circles as Dayan Lew, a scholar of Semitics, Theology and Jewish History and a powerful figure on the London Beth Din on which he served for quarter of a century.

So what is this book all about? According to its description on Amazon:

In an age of challenge to tradition, this work illuminates the essential humanity of halacha (Jewish law), which has guided the Jewish people through the ages. Drawing on classical talmudic, midrashic, and rabbinic sources, Dayan Lew ably demonstrates the religious, ethical, and spiritual motivations behind halachic decisions affecting all aspects of life and behavior, proving anew that the genius, spirit, and sensitivity that underlie the Jewish legal system advance the human condition and remain relevant for all times.

When this book was published, the Chief Rabbi was Immanuel Jakobovits and the 1980s were a tough time for Jewish orthodoxy in the United Kingdom. Judaism was being attacked from the inside as being antiquated, old-fashioned and insensitive to the needs of the modern era. Lord Jakobovitz lamented that the only good and accessible books on the Jewish religion that were written there were penned by non-Jewish scholars like R. Travers Herford. Against that, in the years before Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks emerged as an outstanding, cogent and productive author, the only outstanding book on Judaism from the domestic rabbinate was the brilliant but heretical We Have Reason to Believe by Louis Jacobs. Dayan Lew’s The Humanity of Jewish Law was the second title to answer the Chief Rabbi’s call for good and accessible English-language books by rabbis, following Rabbi Shlomo P. Toperoff’s Lev Avot.

The Humanity of Jewish Law is part of the Marvin N. Hirschhorn collection, housed in our Beith Midrash.

Eight People We Met on the Way Home: Book of the Month (Tishrei 5786)

Since Rabbi Wein zt’l was such a passionate advocate of aliyah for all, so often reminding his congregants and his wider audiences of the God-given connection between us and our land, it seems only appropriate to select one of his titles as Book of the Month for Chodesh Tishrei—and we have chosen for this purpose Eight People We Met on the Way Home—published in 2024 as the book of the lecture series on the major personalities involved in the return of the Jewish Nation to the Land of Israel.

For the record, the eight in question span a wide range of aptitudes, philosophies and religious orientations: they include characters as diverse as Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (the Netziv), Chaim Weitzman and Louis Brandeis. As the book’s webpage explains:

In a world of propaganda and controversy, Rabbi Wein takes you on a journey through 8 lives that were inextricably tied with the emergence of the Israel of today—and reveals truths you’ve been waiting to discover. Eight People We Met on the Way Home is an all-new riveting, emotion-laden narrative by world-renowned “Voice of Jewish History”.

It’s a lovely book and an easy read, with large, clear print and plenty of illustrations—some quite unexpected (Kaiser Wilhelm II and Giuseppi Garibaldi, the only great European political figure to have a biscuit named after him).

You can enjoy this book by borrowing the copy we have in the Beit Knesset library—but be sure to return it. Many books by Rabbi Wein that start off on our shelves end up in the private collections of people who have borrowed them.

Nostalgia for Eternity: Book of the Month, Elul 5785

It took very little time for us to choose as this month's featured book Nostalgia for Eternity: Ideas, Insights, and Inspirations from Rabbi Berel Wein.  The title of this book, compiled by Rabbi Doniel Staum, itself summarises and epitomises the outlook and philosophy of our dear, departed Rabbi: anyone who has ever listened to his words will have sensed his nostalgia for the power and the purity of the Torah-driven Lithuanian learning tradition in which he was schooled by his father and his rebbes. And no-one who has read his words will have missed his frequent references to eternity--the gift of an eternal bond between God and His chosen people.

Published in 2023 and distributed by Feldheim, Nostalgia for Eternity consists of 24 short and accessible chapters that record in literary form a number of lectures given by Rabbi Wein in Yeshiva Shaarei Torah, supplemented by presentations made by him in various forums over the years. As the inscription on the back cover aptly states:

"What unites [all the chapters] is Rabbi Wein's ability to present poignant lifelong Torah values and lessons in a dynamic and engaging manner".

You can see for yourself just how true this claim is when you pick up the shul's copy from our Beit Midrash library and dip into its pages. 

The Nursing Father: Book of the Month (Menachem Av, 5785)

For Menachem Av we have selected The Nursing Father: Moses as a Political Leader as our Book of the Month.  Written by Aaron Wildavsky, it was first published in 1984. In this work Wildavsky explores the political leadership of Moses as portrayed in the Bible. He examines the story of Moses not just as a religious narrative, but also as a case study in political leadership, arguing that it offers valuable insights into the dynamics of power and governance. The book's title, drawn from Bemidbar 11:12, itself gives an insight both into the mindset of Moshe and the author's approach.

The book's central thesis is that the Moses story can be understood as a lesson in political leadership, and that this understanding can enrich our comprehension of both biblical narratives and broader political theory. Wildavsky analyzes Moses's actions, decisions, and relationships within the context of his role as a leader of the newly-established desert nation, highlighting the challenges and complexities of his leadership. 

Wildavsky's approach to the topic is rooted in the field of political science and draws on sociological perspectives in order to analyze the political aspects of the Moses narrative. He examines how Moses navigated various political challenges, such as establishing authority, managing dissent, and mediating between different factions within the Israelite community. The book also explores the concept of the "nursing father" as a metaphor for Moses's role in nurturing and guiding Israel, both physically and politically. 

The Nursing Father has been reviewed and discussed by scholars of political science and religious studies, who have noted its provocative and insightful analysis of Moses's leadership. While some reviewers have questioned the extent to which Wildavsky's analysis fully integrates sociological theories, they generally acknowledge the book's contribution to understanding the political dimensions of the Moses story. 

You can find The Nursing Father on the shelves of the Marvin N. Hirschhorn collection, which is housed in the library of our Beit Midrash.

Double Take, by Rabbi Jesse Horn (Book of the Month, Tamuz 5785)

An occasional speaker at Beit Knesset Hanassi, Rabbi Jesse Horn is a prominent participant in the religious life of Israel's capital city. Within Yeshivat Hakotel he is known for his methodological and Brisker approach to Gemara, his creative outlook on Tanach, and for his warm and approachable personality. 

This month our Book of the Month is Rabbi Horn's Double Take (subtitled 'Biblical Personalities: More Than Meets The Eye'), which was first published in 2016. So what is it all about? According to the book's web page: 

In Double Take, Rabbi Jesse Horn bridges the gap between the traditional interpretations espoused by Chazal and other Rabbinic authorities on the one hand and the simple and straightforward reading of the Tanach on the other. By rigorous and sophisticated Biblical and Rabbinic textual analysis, Rabbinic sources which at first seems at odds with the text can be read harmoniously.

Rabbi Horn uncovers parallels, and answers critical questions such as, Why is this story included in the Torah? Why is this detail left out? Why do these two stories parallel each other? and What understanding does the Torah want us to derive about each character?

The contents of this work contain some surprises. Torah favourites such as Yosef and Yehuda, Aharon and Mordechai will be found in here as well as some names that attract less affection such as Lot and Hagar. 

As you might expect from the pen of an experienced educator, the text is clear and easy to follow. If you hunger for more, the ample footnotes provide a delicious second course packed with references, elucidatory comments and explanations.

A copy of Double Take has recently been procured by our little library in the downstairs Beit Midrash. Enjoy!

Rising Moon, by Moshe Miller (Book of the Month, Sivan 5785)

With Shavuot fast approaching, our Book of the Month for Rosh Chodesh Sivan is Rabbi Moshe Miller's Rising Moon. What's it about? Here's a handy synopsis, drawn from one of the websites from which Rising Moon can be purchased: 

Ruth, a princess of Moab, leaves her homeland, along with Naomi and Orpah, after suffering terrible losses to become the mother of the royal house of Israel. Now, in a revolutionary reading of the Book of Ruth, Moshe Miller provides an entirely new perspective on this beloved story. 

Beneath the simple surface of the Book of Ruth, the Sages trace a web of primal issues, including the Serpent in the Garden of Eden; the jealousy of Cain; the painful break between Abraham and Lot; and the mystery that is the mitzvah of yibum. The fiber that binds together all these issues is the theme of love. Love is the key to this story, which culminates in the unique love of Ruth and Boaz, the ancestors of the once and future king, David, whose very name means love! 

Don't let this synopsis lure you into thinking it's just a romantic rendition of one of Tanach's most moving episodes. With a subtitle that reads "unravelling the book of Ruth", it is presented as a drama in four acts and turns out to be an ingenious and textually sensitive analysis of a Megillah that we know so well that we don't stop to ask ourselves if we can't get to know it a little better.

You can borrow this book from Beit Knesset Hanassi's downstairs library.

The Book of Books, by Azriel Eisenberg (Book of the Month, Iyar 5785)

The Book of Books is one of the more handsome tomes you will find on the shelves of Beit Knesset Hanassi's Marvin N. Hirschhorn collection. 

In this volume Azriel Eisenberg, himself a seasoned educationalist, takes the reader through the mysteries of the Torah scroll, starting from the specific way the scribe copies the Torah on to the parchment scroll to the illuminating history of the Bible text and the important role the Sifrei Torah have played in the life and history of the Jews. It's an enjoyable and easy read, with large, clear print and plenty of illustrations. 

This engrossing book is said to be the only comprehensive guide in English to the many facets of the Torah scroll, the most sacred and precious possession of the Jewish people.

The Marvin N. Hirschhorn collection is located in the Beit Midrash, at the far end of the raised area that is reserved as an Ezrat Nashim during davening times. This Shabbat we marked Marvin Hirschhorn's 5th yahrzeit.Chaim arukhim to Myrna and all the family. 

The Hafetz Hayyim on the Siddur (Book of the Month, Nissan 5785)

The Hafetz Hayyim on the Siddur is not the only English-language book to explore the deeper meaning and functionality of Jewish prayer, but it was the first to delve into the subject from the viewpoint of one of the holiest and most learned rabbis of modern times, the Chafetz Chaim (Rabbi Israel Meir HaKohen Kagan). It is the product of considerable team effort: the text was gathered and arranged by Rabbi David Zaretsky, then translated from the Hebrew by Charles Wengrov and edited by Rabbi Isaiah Aryeh and Joshua Dvorkas. 

This work comprises a collection of thoughts, reflections and interpretations of Jewish prayers. Its highly detailed contents list reveal that the text embraces not merely daily prayers but also the period of compassion and penitence surrounding and including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, as well as the festive period that follows them. 

You can find this book, which is part of the Marvin N. Hirschhorn collection, on the shelves of Beit Knesset Hanassi.

The Library of Everything, by Rabbi David Ebner (Book of the Month, Adar 5785)

The Library of Everything: Poems and Torah Commentaries is one of the most unusual books in Beit Knesset Hanassi’s collection. It consists of a set of creative and imaginative items, in prose and verse, by Rabbi Dr David Ebner—Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi, Jerusalem. According to the publishers, ATID:

This collection of original poetry on Jewish and religious themes will enlighten and stimulate readers to an array of issues-Jewish learning and teaching; textual understanding and interpretation; prayer, salvation and repentance; and the Holocaust.

Each of the twenty-one poems is accompanied by a short essay, notes, or an excursus, through which the author unfolds the genesis of the poem: how it was distilled from classical Jewish sources, or—moving in the opposite direction—drawing the reader's attention to implications and applications of the poem to contemporary religious life and experience.

Rabbi Ebner has taken an active interest in integration between Jewish studies and English literature. This is apparent to the reader of this slim (94 page) tome, from which the author’s warm and engaging personality can be instantly discerned.

Abraham Joshua Heschel and Elie Wiesel, You Are My Witnesses, by Maurice Friedman (Book of the Month, Shevat 5785)

One of the more unusual titles in the Marvin N. Hirschhorn collection is Abraham Joshua Heschel and Elie Wiesel, You Are My Witnesses, by Maurice S. Friedman (1921-2012). Published in 1987, this is a personal tribute to two of the most distinguished figures in contemporary Judaism--Elie Wiesel and Dr Abraham Joshua Heschel.

Friedman himself was an interdisciplinary and interreligious philosopher of dialogue. His intellectual career, spanning fifty years of study, teaching, writing, translating, traveling, mentoring, and co-founding the Institute for Dialogical Psychotherapy, is claimed to have prompted a language of genuine dialogue.

In 1956, Friedman wrote a broad survey of Martin Buber’s work available at that time, Martin Buber: The Life of Dialogue, which was the first introduction of Buber’s concepts in the English-speaking world. He became friends with Elie Wiesel, the celebrated Jewish author, and Abraham Joshua Heschel, a well-known Jewish religious philosopher.

In this book the author describes Heschel and Wiesel "as witnesses in our day for the God of the biblical covenant that Moses proclaimed". He adds that "they are also my witnesses, since I have stood in a unique personal relationship with them both".

Concepts of Judaism, by Isaac Breuer (Book of the Month, Tevet 5785)

 Rabbi Isaac Breuer (1883-1946) was a major figure in twentieth century Neo-Orthodoxy, following

n the footsteps of his maternal grandfather Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch. Though he both trained and practised as a lawyer, it is as a religious and political personality that he was best known, being the first President of Poalei Agudat Yisrael.

Rabbi Breuer was also a noted thinker and author, whose deep thought is well reflected in Concepts of Judaism, a selection of his writings selected and compiled by Jacob S; Levinger. Although the Neo-Orthodoxy movement had defined itself from the start largely as an opposition to the German Reform movement, Rabbi Breuer already regarded the Reform movement of his day as essentially the impotent and dying remnant of the Haskalah. For him, the real enemy of Orthodoxy was both political Zionism and Religious Zionism, which he considered especially dangerous because they possessed an authentic Jewish instinct and impulse. The goals of the Zionists paralleled the goals of his own Agudah organization in many areas ("reunification of land and nation"), but without the stress which Agudah laid on adherence to halachah and tradition. Indeed, he envisioned a Messianic Torah state in the land of Israel, and could not abide the idea of "reunification of land and nation" coming to pass through the agency of secular Zionist forces in the form of a secular state.

This work is part of the Marvin N. Hirschhorn library, which is housed in Beit Knesset Hanassi.

Dear Maimonides, by Andrew Sanders (Book of the Month, Kislev 5785)

Dear Maimonides: a discourse on religion and science is described by its author as “a major attempt to understand the ‘meaning of it all’”, using the viewpoint of someone far removed in space and time from our world. This might seem something out of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy—but it isn’t. It transports Yosef ben Yehudah ibn Shimon, the original addressee of Rambam’s Guide to the Perplexed, to 20^th century North America. By doing so, the author seeks to provide a new and empirical worldview that incorporates the teachings of both the ancient and the modern Jew.

Who is the man who dares to do this? Our author, Andrew Sanders, was born and raised in Hungary, where he lived through both the Holocaust and the subsequent Communist regime. Leaving Hungary at the age of 24, he was educated as a chemist, and worked in that capacity at the University of Toronto. Later, he learned computer applications, was an early practitioner of that field, became an executive of a major financial institution, eventually starting his own computer software company, which was highly successful. Thereafter he devoted his time and effort to researching and writing on Jewish subjects, from philosophy and theology to historical fiction. In 1989 he and his wife made aliyah.

This volume forms part of the Marvin N. Hirschhorn collection, housed in Beit Knesset Hanassi. You are welcome to borrow it.

Rebels in the Holy Land, by Sam Finkel (Book of the Month, Mar Cheshvan 5785)

When a determined band of Russian orthodox Jewish farmers arrived in what was then known as Palestine in 1882, they knew the world would be watching: In one of Baron Edmond de Rothschild’s most daring experiments, their task was to build a Jewish agricultural colony to serve as a model for future refugees fleeing persecution. But Rebels in the Holy Land is no typical story of pioneering; it is a tale of monumental idealism in the face of duplicity and cynical betrayal.

The farmers’ simple wish to observe the laws of shemitta in the Sabbatical year of 1889-1890, despite their patron’s opposition. This ambition thrust them into the swirling epicenter of worldwide controversy. Reviled by the Baron’s administrators, vilified in the press, ridiculed and nearly abandoned even by some of their religious countrymen, they stood firm. Their fight for what later became Mazkeret Batya sheds dazzling historical light on some of the very issues facing Israel today.

Sam Finkel’s book, which is now available in Hebrew as well as English, is illustrated with maps and vintage photography. We have a copy here at Beit Knesset Hanassi which you are welcome to read. Sam, by the way, is a local resident who can sometimes be found at Hanassi.

Encyclopedia of Torah Thoughts, by Rabbi Charles Chavel (Book of the Month, Tishrei 5785)

Not many people today are familiar with the name of Rabbi Dr Charles Chavel. So who was he? Born in Ciechanow, Poland in 1906, he moved to the United States in 1920, receiving semicha in 1929 and a doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1928. 

A communal rabbi and later a dayan, R' Chavel was chief editor of the journal HaDarom from 1957 until his death in 1982. A recipient of the Rabbi Kook Jewish Book Prize, he moved to Jerusalem where he joined the Board of Directors of Mossad HaRav Kook.

The Encyclopedia of Torah Thoughts, published in 1980, is one of R’ Chavel’s most significant works. Its title is misleading, since it is not an encyclopedia at all. Rather, it is an annotated English translation of Rabbenu Bachya ben Asher’s monumental Kad HaKemach—a set of 60 discourses, arranged in alphabetical order, that sought to embrace every aspect of Jewish life as it was seen from the perspective of 13^th century Spain. As such, it complements his translations of the works of Rambam.

This remarkable book, part of the Marvin N. Hirschhorn collection, can be found on the shelves of Beit Knesset Hanassi, where you are welcome to peruse it.

Exclusiveness and Tolerance, by Jacob Katz (Book of the Month, Elul 5784)

 Jacob Katz, born in 1904 in Magyargencs, Hungary, was an acclaimed Jewish historian and educator. He was also something of an innovator, bringing sociological methods into play in his study of Jewish communities, with special attention to changes in halachah and Orthodoxy. In his youth he pursued both religious and secular studies, receiving rabbinic ordination and a doctorate in social history. Awarded the prestigious Israel Prize in 1980l he died in Israel in 1998.

Published in 1959, Exclusiveness and Tolerance is a scholarly account of one of the most difficult and persistent issues faced by Jews in the diaspora: how to live as Jews in a non-Jewish world.

Subtitled ‘Studies in Jewish-Gentile Relations in Medieval & Modern Times’, this work is divided into three sections. The first sets out the author’s methodology and terms of reference. The second reviews the 10^th to 14^th centuries and the third spans the 16^th to 18^th centuries. In an even-handed approach, Katz examines both Jewish and Christian sources and materials.

You can find this book here in Beit Knesset Hanassi, in the Marvin N. Hirschhorn collection.

The Teacher, by Zvi Kolitz (Book of the Month, Menachem Av 5784)

Beit Knesset Hanassi is home to many sefarim and English-language books, including the Marvin N. Hirschhorn collection. Professor Hirschhorn's library was given to Beit Knesset Hanassi after he died by his widow Myrna, and it contains many books of interest. We reproduce on the right the handsome ex libris plate that you will find inside the books that comprise this collection.

In this, the first in our new Book of the Month series, we feature a publication that features in this collection: The Teacher, by Tzvi Kolitz.

The author, Zvi Kolitz, was born into a prominent rabbinical family in Alytus, Lithuania. He studied at the nearby Yeshiva of Slobodka and then lived for several years in Italy, where he attended the University of Florence and the Naval Academy at Civitavecchia. Emigrating to Palestine in 1936, he led recruiting efforts for the Zionist Revisionist movement for which he was arrested by the British and jailed for his political activities. 

After Israel's independence in 1948, Kolitz became active in the state's literary and cultural life. In 2002, Kolitz died of natural causes in New York. He is best known for a classic of Holocaust literature, Yosl Rakover Talks to God.

Subtitled "An Existential Approach to the Bible", The Teacher is a challenging read that makes no allowances for the possibility that the reader may not be as well-read as the writer. Its 215 pages are packed with ideas and allusions, framed within the context of a narrative in which a gifted and unusual teacher, Ariel Halevi, gives a weekly class to a varied group of adults on the implications of the Torah for our lives today (i.e. the 1980s).