A Beautiful Rendition of Machnisei Rachamim

Orad Katz & Tsudik Grindwald Machnise Rachamim from "The Rebbe's Dream" Heichal Hatarbut Tel Aviv

The Week in Books

New Releases:

-Moments: Unexpected and Incredible Moment's In Our Lives, by Nachman Seltzer
-It's Never Too Little, It's Never Late, It's Never Enough, by Rabbi Yissocher Frand
-Raising Kids to Love Being Jewish, by Doron Kornbluth
-Life is Now, by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin
-The Torah of Brisk - Rosh Hashanah-Yom Kippur, by Rabbi Shimon Yosef Meller
-Voice of Nobles: Commentary of the Dubner Maggid on the Book of Ecclesiastes, by David Zucker
-Rosewood Court, by Libby Lazewnik

Upcoming Releases:

- Delivery From Darkness: A Jewish Guide to Prevention and Treatment of Postpartum Depression, by Rabbi Baruch Finkelstein, Michal Finkelstein and Doreen Winter
-Festivals of Life: The Depth and Meaning of Mo'adim, by Rabbi Zev Leff
- The Yellow Notebook: A Novel, by Devorah Rosen
-The Daily Halacha, by Rabbi Eli Mansour
-Mother's to Mother's: Women Across the Globe Share the Joys and Challenges of Jewish Motherhood, by Julie Hauser
-The Legacy of the Mashgiach: The thought-provoking teachings of Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein, Mashgiach of Yeshivas Mir and Ponevez
-Torah for your Table, by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis and Rabbis Yisroel and Osher Anshel Jungreis
-The Essential Malbim, by Rabbi Reuven Subar

It's Finally Here

After many delays and false release dates the new Yeshiva Boys Choir album, Shemoy Shel Melech, is now available for purchase. I was just listening to some clips on Mostlymusic and it sounds okay but you can't tell everything from just 30 second previews. I have to say that although I was not at the Big Event Concert I just bought the DVD (a great buy! Review coming soon) and I was very impressed with the "Pirchei Boys Choir" which from what I understand was just YBC singing the songs of the old Pirchei Choir and R' Eli Teitelbaum. The harmonies and solos were gorgeous with none of the shrieking that I have sometimes come to associate with YBC. They we're, to put it simply, phenomenal. I would hope that Eli Gerstner was able to recreate that same smoothness into this album. Anyways, when the CD becomes available in my local store I will try to pick up a copy and give it a good listen. I'd be interested to hear what you also thought of the album, and stay tuned for more Jewish music news and reviews here at the Jewish Book World.

Comic Laugh

People of the Book

Books are a wonder of creation which never ceases to expand and amaze. They are full of new and exciting information and there is always one out there for whatever mood you're in. When I was younger I remember my mother telling me that one of her greatest pleasures in life as a child was to curl up in bed on a rainy day with a cookie and a good book. I don't have trouble believing that since I have experienced that same wonderful pleasure myself- and it's not limited to bad weather days or to when you have some cookies lying around. Every day can be a book day. I personally find that Shabbos is the best day to sit down and lose yourself in a book or sefer. Put yourself in a comfortable environment and just read. Prepare ahead of time for moments where you will have to pass the time, like sitting at the DMV or a the doctors office, by bringing that new book you haven't had time for yet or the newest edition of Mishpacha Magazine. If you doubt that there is a book out there that could interest you try walking into a large bookstore like Eichlers in Brooklyn or Shanky's in Yerushalayim, take a step back and you will be amazed at the never ending line of row after row of bookshelves piled high with books. Go to the Library of Congress and see how many categories of books exist within those walls. Humanity does not lack for reading material. Food, maybe, but not books!

My young brother has a book called The Very Best Gift by Genendel Krohn. It's a cute book that describes the giving of the Torah in a fun to read rhyme. I have made an observation about the Torah which has led me to believe why it is the very best gift. It never ends! I get overwhelmed walking into a Rav's house and seeing how many seforim line the walls. To imagine that one person could learn through those thin pages and thick books in a lifetime, and that's just referring to the books that were on those particular shelves! There is a book that was on the NY Times Bestsellers List called The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs, which is the quest of one man (the author) to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. One certainly views that as a great accomplishment- it's one of the most comprehensive lists of knowledge in the secular world. However, the Encyclopedia is but a drop in the sea compared to how many seforim currently available (and still growing) we have access to and that are being learned. The Gemara alone is tremendous in size and there have been uncountable numbers of commentaries written since then. Only a work such as the Torah, which is from the Hand of our G-d who is infinite, could give forth such a stream of knowledge which is still growing. Hafoch Ba V'Hafoch Ba D'Kula Ba- turn it (the Torah) and turn it for everything is within it. The quantity of knowledge out there shouldn't intimidate, rather it should excite because you know that there will always be something waiting for you to dig right into.

The Week in Books

New Releases:

-Kedushat Levi: Torah commentary by Reb Levi Yitzchak M'Berditchev in a 3 Volume Set, translated by Eliyahu Munk

-Path to Greatness: The Life of Maran HaRav Elazar Menachem Man Shach Vol. 1, by Rabbi Asher Bergman
-Midnight Intruders, by Avner Gold

-Search Judaism: Judaism's Answers to a Changing World, by Rabbi Yitzchak Fingerer

-All of Our Lives: An Anthology of Contemporary Jewish Writing, by Sarah Shapiro
-In Defense of Torah Values: My Memories of Moreinu Reb Yaakov Rosenheim and the Struggle for Yiddishkeit in Eretz Yisrael (1938-1968), by Zev Schlesinger

Upcoming Releases:

-Life Is Now, by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin
-It's Never Too Little, It's Never Late, It's Never Enough, by Rabbi Yissocher Frand
-Mother's to Mother's: Women Across the Globe Share the Joys and Challenges of Jewish Motherhood, by Julie Hauser
-The Daily Halacha, by Rabbi Eli Mansour
- The Yellow Notebook: A Novel, by Devorah Rosen
- Moments: Unexpected and Incredible Moment's In Our Lives, by Nachman Seltzer
- Delivery From Darkness: A Jewish Guide to Prevention and Treatment of Postpartum Depression, by Rabbi Baruch Finkelstein, Michal Finkelstein and Doreen Winter
-Festivals of Life: The Depth and Meaning of Mo'adim, by Rabbi Zev Leff

JMR Upcoming CD Report!

The Jewish Music Report has just published a great list of some of the new albums that are in the works and are due out soon. The list includes, among others, new albums for Yaakov Shwekey, Yeshiva Boys Choir, Benny Friedman, Ohad, and MBD. I am personally looking forward to see what each CD has to offer, and I am especially excited for the albums from Shua Kessin, Benny Friedman, and YBC 4. One new release is the CD and DVD from the Big Event Concert which featured Lipa, Dedi, MBD, and others and iy'h I intend to purchase that as well (I'm deliberating between getting the CD or the DVD- which do you think is a better buy?). It was billed as the concert of the year and although I wasn't able to make it to that one LifeofRubin has reported that there will be another Big Event concert next year so maybe I'll have the chance to go to that one. In the mean time, keep looking out for all those new CDs (and books) due out within the coming weeks. These are exciting times!

Rivky Holtzberg's 29th Birthday

Time may heal all wounds but certain incidents need many years before their shock begins to disappear. Since the tragic events that took place last December at the Chabad House of Mumbai the incredible sadness of it all continues to linger with an awesome strength. Yesterday, Tu B'Av, was the 29th birthday of Rivky Holtzberg, Chabad shlucha to Mumbai, and as a zechus for her neshama the Holtzberg and Rosenberg families have asked Collive to please publicize that in her honor we should recite Rivky's chapter of Tehillim (as corresponding to her age +1), which is Perek 30/Lamed. This can be recited for Rivky throughout this coming year and it serves as a measure of hakaras hatov for the work that she was moser nefesh for. In the merit of all the kedoshim we should see good tidings very soon.

Watch a video of Rivky Holtzberg a'h as she speaks about her work in Mumbai:

(Video HT: Gruntig)

The Week in Books

Recent Releases:

- Green Fences, by Riva Pomerantz
- Positive Word Power, from the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation

Upcoming Releases:

- Path to Greatness: The Life of Maran HaRav Elazar Menachem Man Shach Vol. 1, by Rav Asher Bergman
- Moments: Unexpected and Incredible Moments In Our Lives, by Nachman Seltzer
- 6 Constant Mitzvos, by Mordechai Plaut
- Search Judaism: Judaism's Answers to a Changing World, by Rabbi Yitzchak Fingerer
- All of Our Lives: An Anthology of Contemporary Jewish Writing, by Sarah Shapiro
- Life is Now, by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin
- Midnight Intruders, by Avner Gold
- It's Never too Little, It's Never Late, It's Never Enough, by Rabbi Yissocher Frand

Review: “The Rav Thinking Aloud”

Almost every student in either a Hebrew day school or a yeshiva nowadays has heard of Rabbi Joseph B. Soleveitchik, or as he's more commonly referred to- the Rav. It shows something about the impact that an individual has made on society when all you need to say is "the Rav" and people know who you mean. I had also grown up hearing about the Rav, both in the classroom and at shul, but I never read any of the works by him or about him.

That all changed a month ago when I picked up a new book, "The Rav Thinking Aloud: Transcripts of Personal Conversations with Rabbi Joseph B. Soleveitchik," by Rabbi David Holzer, Rabbi Soleveitchik's close confident and a personal attendant of his for many years. This book is a collection of informal conversations with the Rav about a variety of topics, including thoughts on Zionism, women in Halacha, medical ethics and a personal history of the Rav's early years, including recollections of his grandfathers, the giants of the Brisk Yeshiva. This book is unique because it contains the actual words of the Rav as recorded by Holzer, as opposed to recollections or retellings of his views. The downside (which is not a big one) to this is that because the book contains unscripted conversation the sentence structure is not always complete, and sometimes a word or two is missing due to the recorder not picking up clearly the Rav's voice. However, these unedited informal conversations are really one of the most genuine ways to get a close up look at the Rav's thoughts and ideas. The Rav is literally "thinking aloud", which is how he himself expresses his views in one of the later chapters, and the reader gets the authentic feeling of being in conversation with the Rav.

The format of the book is divided between sections of recorded conversation and notes that Rabbi Holzer took down from certain conversations. The bottom of each page explains that the standard text is the words of the Rav from the recordings, and the text that is surrounded by a border is based on notes. The author does a good job making sure that everything is clear, making a distinct separation between who is asking the Rav questions versus when the Rav is the one talking, as well as when the text is based on notes.

The book is also accompanied by footnotes that add both sources and interesting additional information about the topic being discussed. As a reader, I have always preferred footnotes over endnotes because then you can remain on the page and see the added information, as opposed to having to turn all the way to the back of the book to find the same information. A brief album of pictures is included at the end of the book, with most of them showing the author or members of his family with the Rav. This author makes clear the connection that existed between himself and the Rav. Instead of any haskamos the book begins with a transcript of the Rav speaking affectionately at the author's sheva brachos, and throughout the book the Rav visibly shows a high esteem for his young attendant. This lends legitimacy to the author's credentials towards writing such a book since he is clearly familiar with the subject being portrayed and was found worthy of such a task by the subject himself.

One of the most interesting chapters, as well as one of the longest, is the recording of a shiur at YU that the Rav conducted following Shacharis on the morning of Yom Ha'atzmaut 1978. The focus of the shiur stemmed from the recitation of Hallel during Shacharis and the Rav delves into whether or not in his opinion one should recite Hallel on that day. The chapter goes into so many different scenarios and aspects of Yom Ha'atzmaut, answering pretty much every possible question. Concepts of Halacha for the day, such as Hallel, K'rias HaTorah, and music are brought into the conversation, as well as hashkafic concepts like aliyah and our responsibilities to the land. One question that was posed to the Rav was:

"What should be done? Is the whole idea of Yom Ha'azmaut a proper idea?"

The Rav answers:

"I don't know, it's no idea. For my part Yom Ha'atzmaut can be Yom Yerushalayim. I don't care about the date. In my opinion there is no kedushas ha'yom in the day. But the fact, the event, of Medinas Yisrael requires shevach v'hodaah to Hakodosh Baruch Hu, and not only on Yom Ha'atzmaut. One 365 days of the year." (p. 214)

The Rav's views on this topic are not accepted by everyone but it is interesting to read into his thoughts on the matter and the ways that he came to his conclusions. It took me a while to make my way through this chapter and the rest of the book but overall one puts it down with a sense of understanding another approach to Torah within the framework of Shivim Panim LaTorah and I would recommend this book for anybody interested in learning more about the Rav and his teachings. Even someone like me, who does not necessarily come from the same school of thought as the Rav, enjoyed learning more about a person who is respected and revered by many thousands around the world.