New Sefer from the Mevaser Tov of Biala

A new volume of the English translation of the seforim of the Biala Rebbe of Lugano, also known as the Mevaser Tov, has just been released. This new sefer is called Mevaser Tov: Sefer Hachaim, and is being distributed by Feldheim. I first saw the new volume when I was in Israel a week ago and I very quickly decided to buy a copy. The only reason that I even debated whether or not to buy it then was because I have not yet completed another sefer of his which I own, "The Merit of the Righteous Women." However, that sefer has been so phenomenal that even though I have been reading it slowly I have gotten an appreciation for the uniquness of the writing of the Biala Rebbe. Credit also goes to the translators of his works, Daniel Worenklein and Reuven Methieson. The writing is articulate and scholarly and it exudes this feeling of love for the reader and the topic being discussed, something that I have not consistently found in hashkafah based books. So now I have this new volume, Sefer Hachaim, sitting on my book shelf and I hope to be able to get to it soon. In addition to the two previously mentioned books, there are an additional two volumes of the Mevaser Tov that are translated into English and can be bought on Feldheim's website, as well as a large collection of Hebrew seforim by the Rebbe that can probably be found in larger Judaica stores.

You can read more about the Biala Rebbe of Lugano, Rabbi Benzion Rabinowitz on Wikipedia's Hebrew site here. This also includes a complete list of the Rebbe's writings.

SOY Seforim Sale: Schedule of Events

I was just checking out the schedule of events for the YU SOY seforim sale, which begins tomorrow, and it looks like there are going to be a great variety of programs and events to attend. During the next three weeks there will be shiurim, book signings, concerts, family events and even a stand up comedy show. The schedule in full can be seen at the seforim sale website by clicking here, but I just wanted to list a few of the events that seemed of particular interest to myself:

• Rabbi Gil Student will be hosting a book signing Monday night, 1/25, at 7 PM
• Yaakov Chesed Live, at 8 PM Thursday night, 1/28
  
• YU Maccabeats Live, 6:30 PM 2/1 (see a video of one of their impressive acapella performances here)
• Proffesor Daniel Rynhold will be giving a lecture on "Why Does Medieval Jewish Philosophy Matter?" at 12:30 PM, Sunday 2/7
• Joel Chasnoff presents College Comedy Night at 7:30 PM on 2/10

In addition to those particular events the list of Rabbinim who will be giving shiurim is quite a compelling one and I guess the only thing that may keep me from attending all of them will be the other requirements that I must attend to as part of daily life. Here is a list of the shiurim that will be given:

• 1/24- Rabbi Norman Lamm (in conjunction with his new Haggadah) at 12 PM
• 1/25- Rabbi Mordechai Willig at 8 PM
• 1/27- Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky at 8 PM
• 2/8 -Rabbi Eytan Feiner at 8 PM
• 2/14-Rabbi Yonoson Sacks at 2 PM

See you there!

Week in Books

New Releases:

-Copyright in Jewish Law, by Rabbi Nachum Menashe Weisfish
-Checkmate, by Ester Toker
-Pure Money Vol. II: A Straightforward Guide to Jewish Monetary Law, by Dayan Shlomo Cohen
-The Life and Times of Rabbi Yonason Steif: Living in the Illuminated Shadow, by Esther Shulamis (Stief) Bleier
-Chofetz Chaim: The Family Lesson a Day, by Rabbi Shimon Finkelman
-Reb Boruch Ber: The Life and Times of Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz, by Rabbi Chaim Shlomo Rosenthal
-Yoreh Binah: Concepts of Kashrus, by Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis
-Candles in My Window, by Beth Firestone
-Terra Incognita: A Novel, by Libi Astaire
-Meant to Be: An Abrams Family Legacy, by Azriela Jaffe

Upcoming Releases:

-Seek Peace and Pursue It, by Dovid Lieberman Ph.D
-Purim and Persia: A Historical and Archaeological Perspective, by Rabbi Yehuda Landy
-The People Files, by Nachman Seltzer

When Was It Released?

Do books get released in Israel before they are released in America? That question jumped out at me as I was exploring the world of Israeli seforim stores during my current visit to Israel. When I was in Manny's in Meah Shearim the other day I happened to see what would be considered a new, big, release considering it's predecessor's great success. The book? It was the new Feldheim English translation of Nefesh Shimshon. I believe that the topic of the new release is Emunah but since I have yet to find it online I am just relying on memory. As some of you may recall, the first Nefesh Shimshon translation was on Shabbos Kodesh and it jumped to the top of Feldheim's best seller list. Feldheim even had an advertisement for a while that if you bought the book and didn't enjoy it you could return it for a refund. That was how sure they were that it would go over well with the readers, and the consensus seems to be that they were right. So why was I surprised to see it in the Israeli seforim stores? The main reason is that such a big follow up release could be assumed to garner a lot of ad time on Feldheim's website and in the various Jewish publications. However, the book has not even made it into the Feldheim "future release" section as of yet, implying that it still has a while before it is released, and needless to say there has been no news announcing the publication of this volume. Since the new Nefesh Shimshon has been released in Israel the release dates must be in regards to other countries, including America. There are other books that I know of that were also released first in Israel before the rest of the world, again highlighting the variation in release dates that a book may have. In the meantime I am curious to see when the first advertisements will take place in America for Nefesh Shimshon on Emunah (?) as well as to see the reception it gets. R' Shimshon Pincus's works in general are as good as gold and can be found on bookshelves in homes all over the world so this new addition can probably be assured to be another bestseller. We'll see soon.

On a side note, another observation I made while making my way through Yerushalayim book stores is that book release dates can work in the reverse as well. So far I have yet to see the new Artscroll release, The Family Lesson A Day, which is their new edition to the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation publications and can currently be found in American book stores. So maybe the way these things work is that all the book publishers get together and decide that to be fair some books get released first in Israel while the rest of us get to have the other new releases. If I could have some input in all of this I would recommend that everybody use the "Harry Potter release method" which is that all new books are held under lock and key until they are released simultaneously around the world. Then again, for that to work, bookstores would have to stay open until the wee hours of the morning and trampling could ensue, so maybe we should just keep things the way they are.

Rabbi Twersky Sale

Book Review Recap for 2009

Here is a recap of all the book reviews featured on the Jewish Book World this past year. With Hashem's help this coming year will bring you many more book reviews, including a couple coming soon on some of the latest books.

Starting from oldest review to newest:

Reb Shlomo: The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, by Yisroel Besser

Don't Yell Challah in a Crowded Matzah Bakery, by Mordechai Schmutter

The Rav Thinking Aloud, by David Holzer

It's Never Too Little, It's Never Too Late, It's Never Enough, by Rabbi Yissocher Frand

Search Judaism, by Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer

Miracle Ride, by Tzipi Caton

Salomon Says, by Rabbi Yaakov Salomon

Rabbi Sherer, by Yonoson Rosenblum

YU News: Seforim Sale is Almost Here

Updates on the upcoming seforim sale from the YU News website:

The students of Yeshiva University (YU) will hold their annual SOY Seforim Sale from January 24 through February 15 in Belfer Hall, 2495 Amsterdam Ave. on YU’s Wilf Campus in Manhattan. The sale, North America’s largest Jewish book sale, is organized entirely by YU students who run the entire operation from ordering to setting up the premises, marketing and all the technology the project entails. Proceeds support a myriad of initiatives, including student activities on campus and student-lead outreach programs in the Jewish community.

Last year the acclaimed Judaica book sale drew over 15,000 people from the tri-state area and raised more than $1 million in sales. The annual event provides discounted prices on the latest of over 10,000 titles in rabbinic and academic literature, cookbooks, children’s books, music and lecture CDs, and educational software.

“We expect to draw close to 20,000 people this year,” said Eliezer Barany, CEO of the SOY Seforim Sale. “We will be offering a wider array of seforim and have many exciting events planned, including multiple book signings and lectures, musical performances, and for the first time ever, a stand-up comedy routine by one of the authors.”

The Seforim Sale has become a highlight for the Yeshiva University community, as students and alumni congregate to visit their alma mater, see old friends, and add books to their personal libraries.

Those who can not attend the sale can still take advantage of the great prices and vast catalog selection by ordering online on the Seforim Sale’s upgraded Web site. For a complete listing of dates and times, to purchase gift certificates or to view the online catalog, visit
www.soyseforim.org.

(HT: Vos Iz Neias)