From Sarah to Sarah: Back in Print

Does it ever happen to you that you haven't thought about a certain person for a while and then on the day you think about them their name starts to pop up everywhere? Recently I received an e-mail from a woman who was looking for a copy of Rebbetzin Sara Feldbrand's book "From Sarah to Sarah." I hadn't been aware that it was out of print and this woman was looking to borrow a copy. I own the book but haven't read it in several years. Now, only a few weeks after receiving that e-mail I saw that Israel Book Shop is releasing a new, expanded version of this fantastic book. The original book included short biographical details about tens of women throughout Jewish history and I am assuming that the expanded edition includes new women. The title of the book is a reference to two particular women, Sarah Imeinu and Sarah Schenirer, but it includes so much more about women both known and unknown spanning all times and places in Jewish history. With the majority of Jewish biographies focusing on our great Rabbinic leaders, this comprehensive book on great Jewish women is a welcome addition to any Jewish library.

You can click on the picture above to see the names of some of the women included in this book. 

HaRav Shlomo Lorincz Z"TL

When I saw the articles headlined with the name Rabbi Shlomo Lorincz, announcing his passing, I knew that the name was familiar to me from somewhere. Then I remembered that he is the author of an incredible biography, "In Their Shadow," which details the lives of the Chazon Ish, Rav Shach and the Brisker Rav. The book is actually a translation of it's Hebrew equivalent, B'Mechitazasam, which received tremendous haskamos from a large number of Gedolei HaDor. The Hebrew version has two volumes, the first being what was translated into English and the second being the biographies of a large number of additional Rabbonim, which I hope will eventually be made available to the English reading public. If anybody has the opportunity to get a hold of a copy of these books take a moment to read through them. Rabbi Lorincz was a contemporary of some of these Torah giants and his writing is filled with powerful stories and lessons that are meant to inspire and improve us.

After reading some of the obituaries for Rabbi Lorincz I learned about some of his other incredible accomplishments, which I had been ignorant to before his passing. He was a political activist, achieving the status of MK in the Knesset, and he was a great Talmid Chochom. Yonason Rosenblum from Cross Currents has an insightful piece that gives the reader an outlook into the life of this special human being. One of the passages that caught my eye was the following:

"In his preface to the first volume of B’Mechitzasam (the translation of which into English I had the honor of supervising), Rabbi Lorincz describes how he recorded only those stories of the Chazon Ish, the Brisker Rav, and Rav Shach that can inspire others to increased Torah learning, fear of Heaven and good deeds. He entreats the reader not to read the book as a storybook, but to contemplate each story, analyze what it teaches us, and think about how that lesson can be applied in practice."

This to me is the essence of what Gedolim biographies are all about, and that is why I particularly gravitate to books of that genre. If we could learn from the examples of the great giants of generations, current and past, and see what heights man is capable of achieving then we would all grow in positive ways. Don't be intimidated by their achievements. As the saying goes, "shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you'll land among the stars."

Yehi Zichro Baruch.