NEW BOOKS Talmud, through the Rishonim and Acharonim, to the modern- FROM day halachic decisors, always reaching a practical conclusion. Rabbi Brofsky’s clear prose allows any reader, regardless of Festivals of Faith: Reflections background, to benefit from comprehensive discussions of the on the Jewish Holidays laws of prayer. By Norman Lamm OU Press, Yeshiva University Press, Ktav Darosh Darash Yosef: Discourses of Rav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik on the Weekly Parashah he publication of a book by one of the By Avishai David Tleading Jewish thinkers of our time, a OU Press, Urim, Yeshivat Torat Shraga man whose mastery of Torah texts is Covenant and Conversation matched by profound insight and remark- By Jonathan Sacks able eloquence, is a cause for celebration. OU Press, Maggid Last year’s pre-Pesach buzz revolved around Rabbi Norman Lamm’s newly published Haggadah, The Unlocking the Torah Text: An In-Depth Royal Table. This year we celebrate his insights on the cycle of Journey into the Weekly Parsha festivals throughout the year, which have been collected into a By Rabbi Shmuel Goldin single volume titled Festivals of Faith: Reflections on the Jewish OU Press, Gefen Holidays. For decades, Rabbi Lamm has been mesmerizing au- diences with his captivating language and compelling messages. eek after week, month after month, year after year, as the He is a preacher par excellence, conveying a Torah message in a Wglobal Jewish community continues the unceasing cycle format that is enjoyable, edifying and uplifting. of Torah reading, we have the ability to study the weekly Around the year, from holiday to holiday, Rabbi Lamm offers parashah in greater depth and with a new perspective. But timeless messages of unsurpassed substance and style. which commentaries to use? What will offer one both depth and ease so that he can keep up with the weekly readings? To Hilchot Tefilla: A Comprehensive Guide to the Laws of help answer this question, OU Press has produced three excel- Daily Prayer lent collections of essays on the Torah. By David Brofsky The first is a newly published volume by Rabbi Avishai OU Press, Ktav, Yeshivat Har Etzion David, Darosh Darash Yosef: Discourses of Rav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik on the Weekly Parashah. Rabbi David, a longtime rayer is an intimate conversation of student of Rabbi Soloveitchik, encapsulates his mentor’s leg- Pthe heart. It is a personal discussion with the Almighty, a laying bare of one’s endary lectures on all Five Books of the Torah. Join this master innermost insecurities and needs. Never- scholar and teacher as he explores human psychology, religious theless, Jewish prayer follows a stan- philosophy, ethical ideals and halachic concepts as they emerge dardized structure accompanied with from the Torah’s text. universal detailed rules that seem dizzy- The second collection is Covenant and Conversation, a pop- ing to the uninitiated. ular series by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi of the Many synagogue attendees are content United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. Rabbi knowing how to pray—when to sit or Sacks is one of the most original thinkers and articulate writers stand, when to speak or remain silent, et in the Jewish world today. Covenant and Conversation allows cetera. For them, a digest of laws, the type found in siddur in- readers to experience Rabbi Sacks’ sophisticated approach to structions, is sufficient because it allows them to participate life lived in an ongoing dialogue with the Torah. fully in Jewish prayer. Others, however, want to know where Finally, we offer the highly regarded Unlocking the Torah the rules come from. They want to understand the underlying Text: An In-Depth Journey into the Weekly Parsha by Rabbi logic and know about the different opinions. Shmuel Goldin. A longtime pulpit rabbi and popular teacher Rabbi David Brofsky’s new book, Hilchot Tefilla: A Compre- at Yeshiva University, Rabbi Goldin is also a prominent na- hensive Guide to the Laws of Daily Prayer, amply satisfies the tional leader. His insights on the weekly parashah and classi- needs of such individuals. Weaving together halachic, philo- cal commentaries are original, thoughtful and provocative, sophical and historical analyses, this book follows the develop- easily understood by beginners yet equally meaningful to ad- ment of the laws of prayer from the earliest sources in the vanced students. Spring 5771/2011 JEWISH ACTION I 85.