Title: Shai LaMorah
Author: Rabbi Shlomo Stern
Author: Rabbi Shlomo Stern
In his new English language sefer, Shai LaMorah, Rabbi Shlomo Stern picks key themes and lessons from each parshah and applies them – through the excerpted wisdom culled from a wide selection of classic Meforshim, Rishonim, Acharonim, Chassidic commentators, Mussar masters and the gedolim of our own times – to the practical situations and challenges which we all face in our daily lives.
Rabbi Shlomo Stern is a musmach of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel of Baltimore, and served as the executive director of HASC (Hebrew Academy for Special Children).
Designed for easy reading, complete with a full complement of footnotes referencing sources, and snippets of the original Hebrew text, with nikkud, Rabbi Stern figuratively takes the reader by the hand and walks him through these concepts step-by-step, from the words of the Chumash to the application of its lessons to our contemporary lives.
While the work touches on a broad spectrum of Torah concepts and ideals mentioned in each of the parshiyos of Sefer Bereishis and Sefer Shemos, the focus in always on the practical consequences to each of us in our daily lives. It also promotes the broadest possible view of our spiritual lives, by emphasizing how we can infuse even the most mundane aspects of our physical existence with a higher meaning and thereby raise ourselves closer to the Torah ideals towards which we strive.
Another frequent element in Rabbi Stern’s narrative is how our religious values enhance and inform our daily interactions with our fellow man – such as in business transactions and at our places of work – with greater respect for the dignity and concerns of others. Rabbi Stern, in his analysis, often emphasizes how every aspect of our lives, even the unpleasant ones, present us with an opportunity for personal growth and enlightenment.
The author is also effective in weaving together ideas and concepts – from a wide variety of classical and more recent Torah sources – into a seamless pattern reinforcing his main theme and illuminating a practical course of action for the individual reader.
While seeking to inspire us to achieve higher spiritual goals, this sefer nonetheless is very down-to-earth in its approach. It is therefore an ideal source both for serious Torah scholars and lay people who wish to broaden their understanding and seek stimulating insights into the weekly parshah. Through his positive and optimistic approach, Rabbi Stern makes the personalities of the Chumash come alive for today’s readers, while applying the approaches of many different Torah authorities to the challenges of contemporary Jewish living.
Shai LaMorah bears the approbation of several leading Torah authorities, including HaRav Avraham Pam, z”l.
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