Book Reviews

The ambitious collaborative effort that produced this new Koren translation with its vocabulary, syntax, commitment to elegance and readability emanates from Rabbi Sacks’s inspired vision and legacy.

Dr. Schipper set out to tackle a topic that has baffled science and philosophy for centuries – the nature of consciousness.

In many cases, it turns out that neurological diagnoses like dyslexia and ADHD are actually cases of Irlen Syndrome masquerading as a different disorder.

Many of the recipes are suitable for a simple family dinner but can also be dressed up for guests or holiday meals.

Direct and indirect references to his previous works provide brief insights into his ideas about happiness, meaning, materialism, alcoholism, character, marriage, anger, sensitivity, honesty and teshuvah.

My history classes in school were dull and confusing with a mix of dates and facts, but historical fiction had drama, events and conflicts.

Dr. Sokol presents Rabbi Yochanan’s refusal to make the first move toward reconciliation as a “heroic choice” to “valorize respect for Torah’s masters over his own search of Torah truth.”

She was seeking people who felt the Holocaust viscerally, in the limbs of the body, as a deep personal trauma, not “as though” I was there, but – “Yes, I was very much there.”

Conceived as a project to help his scattered constituents prepare for Rosh Hashanah 5781, Rabbi Wildes sent out WhatsApp messages with thoughts and questions to consider each day.

How do we approach the Jewish study of Tanach as a text with a universal message as well as a special message for the Jewish people?

I love the unstated hashkafa underlying the book. At a time when some communities are turning more toward rabbinic guidance as all encompassing, a voice urging autonomy is a wonderful call and is a true reflection of a modern hashkafa.

Rebbetzin Twerski does spend many pages considering the dynamics between friends, but she also includes chapters and anecdotes with more of a focus on the relationship between parent and child, grandparent and grandchild, husband and wife, siblings, and more.

While the Rav may have been slightly hyperbolic with his comparison, what can’t be denied is that the genius and brilliance of Rav Chaim was, in part, bringing a scientific sophistication to the Talmud.

One cannot exaggerate the importance of these two volumes to those interested in the Shoah.

The statements of the Sages that are found in the book constitute tremendous bodies of knowledge and wisdom on their own.

The authenticity of the book is also worth noting. I particularly appreciated that when Sara reaches out with kindness to the classmate who teased her, the classmate is largely unreceptive. This rings true.

Not everyone can write or relate a dvar Torah, but everyone likes and can ask a riddle.

‘What Do You Really Want?’ reminds us that ‘trusting ourselves means knowing that whatever stands before us, we are up for the task’

It’s amazing how a Jew raised with minimal religion can still feel visceral discomfort when asked to pray in front of a Buddha or participate in a cremation ceremony. That growing feeling of disjointedness ever so slowly spurred Liane’s interest in her own heritage.

Assaf A. Voll has written one of the most comprehensive books on the history of the Palestinian People.

We meet the occupants of Rav Naor’s imagined library, general philosophers as well as musicians of Western culture. Where else does Leonard Cohen engage in dialogue with Rav Kook?

In addition to sharing how they processed trauma, frustration or sadness, many share happy, unexpected results of their struggles, and several note that the process of sharing their stories is therapeutic.

When I heard that The Rabbi of Buchenwald had been published, I was delighted, especially since I knew the book would not be just a tribute to Rabbi Hershel Schacter, but a highly significant, meticulously researched work of critical scholarship. And I was right.

Moshe Koppel’s new book, “Judaism Straight Up: Why Real Religion Endures,” explains why powerless, diasporic Judaism has no future.

Read it and weep--AND laugh

The author of the book Ronit Treatman, the daughter of Israeli diplomats who speaks several languages and lives in Philadelphia, was inspired to write the book after she became involved with the Bnei Anousim, the tens of millions of people around the world descended from forcibly converted Spanish and Portuguese Jews through the organization Reconectar.

One of the book’s most creative and powerful essays discusses the so-called “IKEA effect,” which asserts that people value things in accordance with the amount of effort they put into getting or building them.

One question is about Marie Kondo’s cleaning philosophy... Does the animism that underlies Kondo’s philosophy invalidate her overall method?

Jenna’s writing is honest, raw, and moving. She describes the struggle to adapt to a new way of life for her and for her family.

Dr. Rutland does a fantastic job at using Liebler's life story as a springboard to introduce the reader to the dynamics of the Australian Jewish community in the latter half of the 20th century.