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Literary Link Four Important 2016 Books for Your Holiday Consideration by Phil Jacobs Tions in Which There Is No Simple Right Course of Action

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Literary Link Four Important 2016 Books for Your Holiday Consideration by Phil Jacobs Tions in Which There Is No Simple Right Course of Action Literary Link Four Important 2016 Books for Your Holiday Consideration By Phil Jacobs tions in which there is no simple right course of action. Whatever you do will There were so many excellent books be considered wrong. Every option will out there this year for the Jewish reader. involve the compromise of some moral I picked four of the most recent se- principle. lections I’ve had the privilege of reading. “Shechem’s single act of violence Each one of them “spoke” to me person- against Dina forced two of Jacob’s sons ally and helped me with a better under- into violent reprisal and in the end every- standing of the parsha, Passover or Israel. one was either contaminated or dead. It 1. “Essays on Ethics, A Weekly Read- is indicative of the moral depth of the ing of the Jewish Bible,” by Rabbi Jon- Torah that it does not hide this terrible athan Sacks. (2016) Maggid Books. An truth from us by depicting one side as imprint of Koren Publishers, Jerusa- guilty, the other as innocent. lem, Ltd. Hardcover. 384 pages. ISBN-10: “Violence defi les us all. It did then. It 159264449X. does now.” This is one of the books you’d want to 2. “The Exodus You Almost Passed have in your library when it comes to a Over,” by Rabbi David Fohrman. (2016) further exploration of the weekly parsha. Aleph Beta Press. Hardcover. 312 pages. Rabbi Sacks, a prolifi c author with keen ISBN-10: 0997347600. insight, writes in the book’s introduction Rabbi David Fohrman is a master au- of seven features of Jewish ethics. They in- thor at making readers understand and clude “The dignity of the individual,” “Hu- really relate to the subjects and peo- man freedom,” “The sanctity of life,” “Guilt ple he writes about. Years ago when he not shame,” “Loyalty and love,” “The eth- lived in Baltimore, I had Rabbi Fohrman ics of covenant,” “The dual covenant” and engaged in this kind of warfare than did as a scholar-in-residence at Congregation from the start he’s asking us to imagine “The eclipse of biblical morality.” our ancestor Jacob. Throughout the cam- Tiferes Yisroel. We are still talking about what God was thinking in delivering the Rabbi Sacks brings out messages in paign, I found myself recalling the words his mastery of Torah, and how he makes enslaved Jews from bondage. How is this the parshiot that one might not have con- earlier in Parsha Vayishlah about Jacob’s it relatable to everyone who hears him. task accomplished? sidered. feelings prior to his meeting with Esau. “The Exodus You Almost Passed Over” But wade through the book—there’s For example, in this week’s Parsha Vay- ‘Jacob was very afraid and distressed, is required reading when it comes to a more. How Pharoah and Moses relate and ishlah, he writes, “As I was writing this es- about which the sages said, ‘Afraid, lest he different way of looking at the Exodus. the nuances of Pharoah’s response to Mo- say in the summer of 2014, Israel was en- be killed, distressed lest he be forced to He writes in a way that makes the ses and Hashem are brought out through gaged in a bitter struggle with Hamas in kill.’ What the episode of Dina tells us is reader get a possible glimpse of what each Rabbi Fohrman’s work. Gaza in which many people died. The not that Jacob, or Simeon and Levi, were of the major Exodus subjects, Hashem, state of Israel had no more desire to be right, but rather that there can be situa- Pharoah and Moses, were thinking. Right CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE Festive Covers by Israeli Artist INSPIRING CHANUKAH GIFTS FOR Yair Emanuel THE ENTIRE FAMILY FROM KOREN Yair Emanuel is one of Israel’s most famous and respected artists. He is known for his use of vivid and harmonious colors to portray the vibrant spirit of Jerusalem. Koren Sacks Koren Sacks Talpiot Siddur Talpiot Shabbat Siddur Weekday Siddur Nusah Ashkenaz Humash Nusah Ashkenaz Nusah Ashkenaz Complete Hebrew Siddur Nusah Ashkenaz & Sefarad Includes prayers for with English instructions "MM4IBCCBUUFöMMPUJO Complete Siddur with Rosh Hodesh, Torah Hebrew with English elegant translation & readings, halakha instructions, with commentary by Rabbi guides & more. Torah and Haftarah Jonathan Sacks readings KOREN PUBLISHERS JERUSALEM Available online and at your www.korenpub.com local Jewish bookstore 201-371-3212 • WWW.JEWISHLINKNJ.COM December 15, 2016 • 15 Kislev, 5777 47 Literary Link nuts. The engine in the red Nissan Sentra I’ve read his columns and writings through Four Important 2016 Books for wouldn’t turn over. the years. Your Holiday Consideration I decided to let the engine settle for a We read from the words of a rabbi, a CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE while. This was before cell phones. I was psychotherapist and a person who reach- heading into the shop to call AAA, when es many of us through his calm and clari- This is an enjoyable read. Rabbi Fohrman a man I didn’t know came over to me and ty. That he would connect many of his in- turns the Exodus into a personal story. That asked me if he could give me a lift home. sights to the parsha was always something feeling about our entire people “being there” At the time, I wasn’t living in the heart to look forward to. really comes through. Not that we’re looking of the Orthodox community like I do now. Rabbi Weinreb is not afraid to take on for something easy to read, but Rabbi Fohr- Fact is, I was several miles away in a sub- diffi cult issues that we face in our own man’s work here is chatty, almost conversa- urb. The man offered to drive me all the lives, be it parenting, grief, aging or just tional, and well done. It for sure will give way home. When I got in his car, he held about anything involving personal rela- you more to add at your Passover seders this out his hand and introduced himself. tionships. year. And while it’s only December, it’s never I was sitting in Rabbi Weinreb’s car. He The book is a collection of his essays. As too soon to learn more and prepare. Rabbi drove miles out of his way to get me home. we head into Chanukah’s seasons of lights, Fohrman’s work will get you ready. I was a young journalist, working for this is the book that will shine a light on so 3. “Person in the Parasha, Discovering the Baltimore Jewish Times. He was the many issues impacting all of us. the Human Element in the Weekly Torah spiritual leader of Baltimore’s Shomrei Emu- For some of us, that impact started on Portion,” By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Ex- nah and would lead his congregation to un- the level of a broken down car and the of- ecutive Vice President Emeritus, Orthodox precedented growth in his 13 years there pri- fer of a ride home. Union. (2016) Koren Publishers, Jerusalem. or to coming to the Orthodox Union. 4. “Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Hardcover. 648 pages. ISBN-10: 1592644627. He was a voice of reason and clarity in Reborn,” By Daniel Gordis. (2016) So, a personal story fi rst. Sometime ago an often hectic world. HarperCollins Publishers. Hardcover. in the late-1980s, my car broke down on a I’ve spent many a Tisha B’Av watching 560 pages. ISBN-10: 0062368745. cold day in the parking lot of a Dunkin Do- his online shiurim. And like many of you, Daniel Gordis is the senior vice pres- ident of Shalem College and a Jerusalem Post and Bloomberg View columnist. This book, his 11th, is the type of volume one wants to offer someone who wants a histo- ry of Israel that can be read in a short time (546 pages) and give them a clear picture of how the dream of Theodore Herzl turned into a thriving Jewish homeland. Kraft Heinz Company © Gordis doesn’t just depend on the narra- tive of the history of Israel; he pins that his- tory to fact. He writes about the beauty of the nation, while also taking on some of its diffi cult issues. This is the book on Israel, however, that Chanukah, one creamy should be required reading for that syn- agogue mission taking many fi rst-timers to Israel and even for Birthright’s young adults. bite at a time. There are ample reviews of this book on the web, but reading this book ahead of the reviews will give the reader the most clari- ty without the distraction of pros and cons. Light up your Chanukah, with the Gordis wrote this book for a friend, a leader of a Jewish organization, who want- delicious creamy taste of Breakstone’s. ed to give a group he was bringing to Israel Get yours today! a history they could manage with a reason- ably quick read. It is not so much quick as it is wonder- fully complete. Also, Gordis does an admi- rable job of intermingling aspects of Israeli culture and its people throughout the po- litical and historical milestones the author would naturally cover. 48 December 15, 2016 • 15 Kislev, 5777 201-371-3212 • WWW.JEWISHLINKNJ.COM Literary Link ‘Emunah With Love and Chicken Soup’ Is a Wonderful Cliché By Sharona Braun in their small Jerusalem home every Shab- She also includes “Henny’s Torah Teach- “Emunah With Love and Chicken Soup.” bat.
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