Questions Is it true that the words “Sukkah” and “Torah” appear in the Five Books of Moses and in later Bible books? In the Five Books, “Sukkah” refers to a temporary hut and the holiday when it is used. In the Five Books, “Torah” means “law.” Later, it came to mean the Five Books [...]
The Koren Tanakh Graphic Novel: Yona (Jonah in English) is more than a retelling of Jonah. Koren presents it as the full biblical text in graphic form, with words by David Sacks, four artists, and one colorist. It can help readers see that the fish is not the climax of Jonah—the human heart is. [...]
“The Koren Mesorat HaRav Tehillim” is the Rabbi Dr. Raymond Harari Edition, published jointly by OU Press and Koren Publishers Jerusalem. It is a 2026, 582-page edition of Sefer Tehillim—the biblical Book of Psalms—with commentary based on the teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Dr. Reuven Mohl compiled and edited the commentary from [...]
Warren Zev Harvey, the author of the 2026 Cambridge University Press 74-page book “Spinoza and the Medieval Jewish Philosophers,” is an important contemporary historian of Jewish philosophy. His long career has included significant work on Maimonides, Hasdai Crescas, Judah Halevi, Spinoza, and other Jewish philosophers. He was born in New York in 1943. He [...]
Graphic novels can offer something distinctive: they combine words, images, design, and pacing, so readers actively interpret both what the text says and what the pictures imply. This can make complex stories, historical events, and religious narratives more immediate and memorable. They may also encourage readers who find long blocks of prose intimidating to [...]
Today, Monday, September 14, 2026, is Tzom Gedaliah (צוֹם גְּדַלְיָה), the Fast of Gedaliah. The Hebrew date is 3 Tishrei 5787, the third day after Rosh Hashanah, the New Year holiday. It is one of Judaism's four traditional fasts associated with the destruction of the First Temple and the loss of Jewish sovereignty. It [...]
It is human nature to do things for what we think is a very good reason, but people fool themselves. An example is the modern-day practice of Hebrew-loving Jews calling their grandparents by names they think are ancient Hebrew. They do so because they love Hebrew and want to call their grandparents in this [...]
People who never question what they read or inquire about what they sense with their other senses are like Hermits, fools who close themselves in caves. They tell others that they are communicating with God, a lie, since God created or formed humans with a mind to think, the first gift He gave people, [...]
Man on Valor One of my favorite authors is Charles H. Freundlich. Like I. L. Peretz, author of “If Not Higher,” and Nobel Prize winner in Literature Isaac Bashevetz Singer, he writes not only fascinating short stories. He tells them in ways that prompt readers to recognize ideas that are generally overlooked but, when [...]
The Hebrew word Siddur means “order.” It is the Jewish prayer book designed for ordinary weekdays and Shabbat. Its purpose is to give Jewish worship a regular order, language, and structure. It includes biblical passages, blessings, the Shema, the Amidah, Psalms, and other writings, enabling individuals and communities to pray and learn within a [...]
The Hebrew original of this splendid book is Malkhut Adam: Iyunim be-Sefer Shmuel (2021). The English translation was published in 2026. Both are very interesting and very informative, even mind-opening. Rabbi David Silber is an important contemporary American Jewish educator and Tanakh teacher. He is best known as the founder and dean of the [...]
I apologize for not working on my book, writing reviews, and answering emails. Three weeks ago. I caught a cold that totally disabled me. I couldn't read or write, only lay in bed. It happened before. It lasted 3 or 4 weeks. I am now 90 percent better. I expect to be totally fine in [...]
The 2026 film The Odyssey was written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Nolan's films often explore moral responsibility, sacrifice, loyalty, and the consequences of one's choices. Movies such as The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Oppenheimer all examine ethical responsibility toward others. His portrayal of Homer’s Odyssey reflects these concerns and contrasts with what is [...]
Jonathan Grossman's 2019 book Creation: The Story of Beginnings, published as part of the Maggid Tanakh Companion series, is a substantial 439-page study of Genesis 1–11, with approximately two dozen pages devoted to bibliography and scholarly references. The book combines easy-to-read, interesting literary analysis, sensitivity to the nuances of biblical Hebrew, and engagement with [...]
Maggid Tanakh Companions: The Noam Series is a collection of scholarly yet highly readable volumes that examine the books and major figures of the Hebrew Bible through close literary analysis. Published by Maggid Books, an imprint of Koren Publishers Jerusalem, the series makes modern biblical scholarship accessible to both lay readers and advanced students [...]
In 2026, Maggid Books, an imprint of Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd., published "Deuteronomy," the last of the five Parsha Companions authored by Rabbi David Fohrman. Rabbi Fohrman reveals nuances in Deuteronomy's Hebrew text that many people do not know, but that were detected in the ancient Talmud and Midrashim. Rabbi Fohrman is an American [...]
The word ubiquitous suggests that something is common, widespread, and constantly encountered in daily life. For example, cell phones, air, and the internet are all ubiquitous in today’s world. Abraham ibn Ezra, a famous medieval Jewish scholar and philosopher, had a unique take on the number three. He was one of the most distinguished [...]
Kabbalah and the Holocaust Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel is an American rabbi, educator, author, and lecturer whose many superb books span Jewish theology, philosophy, biblical interpretation, mysticism, and interfaith dialogue. Born in San Francisco and raised in California, he is the son of a Holocaust survivor to whom he dedicates his 2026 book. [...]
The Maggid Tanakh Companions series was created to help readers engage deeply with the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) by combining traditional Jewish interpretation with modern literary analysis. Rather than serving as verse-by-verse commentaries, the books examine major biblical characters, themes, and literary structures to uncover theological, ethical, and psychological insights that resonate with contemporary readers. [...]
Lisa Fredman, the author of The King and the Commentator, is an Israeli-based biblical scholar, educator, and author whose work focuses on the Hebrew Bible and medieval Jewish biblical interpretation. She earned a bachelor's degree from Stern College and completed both her MA and PhD in Bible at Bar-Ilan University. Her focus is on [...]
Max Gross is an American writer, journalist, and editor. The Lost Shtetl is his first novel and established him as an imaginative new voice in contemporary Jewish fiction. He published it on October 13, 2020. It is the winner of the National Jewish Book Award and the Jewish Fiction Award from the Association of [...]
I just finished my first draft of my 74th book, entitled “Good Novels Can Improve Our Lives.” You may find the Introduction interesting. Good novels, despite being fiction, can, and indeed should be read to improve our lives. I am beginning this book exactly six months short of being 91. During these decades, [...]
On May 26, 2026, I wrote an essay, “Was Spinoza an Atheist?”, a review of Professor Nadler’s book Spinoza, Atheist. I made several mistakes. I wrote that his book was dated 2023 when the correct date is 2026. I also said that Professor Nadler thought Spinoza was a pantheist and an atheist. I was [...]
Professor Steven Nadler is a philosopher and author, the Vilas Research Professor and the William H. Hay II Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is an internationally recognized scholar specializing in 17th-century philosophy, including many works [...]
About eight decades ago, I began to read science fiction, as my brilliant dad did when he was young. At first, the books gave me only two delights: the joy of good dramas and a single new idea. Later, as I read more, I learned many things from each novel. They even led me [...]
Yishay Ishi Ron, who wrote The Girl Who Rode the White Lion, served in an elite IDF combat unit and is a survivor of PTSD. PTSD stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying, shocking, or life-threatening event. He turned his experiences into his [...]
My father, Rabbi Dr. Nathan Drazin (1906-1976), published his book Marriage Made in Heaven in 1958. The book, which provides a frank discussion on sex and marriage from an Orthodox Jewish perspective, was originally released by Abelard-Schuman in London and New York. It was very successful and has had several reprints, including a second [...]
God and the First Families: Parenting, Trauma, and Healing in the Book of Genesis is by Professor Stephen Spector. He is a professor at Stony Brook University. He wrote other books on the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, and taught the Bible to undergraduates and graduate students for 50 years. His 2026 book, [...]
Essentials of Judaism is a 558-page volume from Urim Publications, an independent publishing house established in 1997 in Jerusalem and New York (Brooklyn), specializing in high-quality Jewish-interest books. It publishes approximately 15 books annually on subjects such as Jewish thought, law, spirituality, modern biographies, Bible commentary, and children's literature. Tzvi Mauer and Moshe Heller [...]
The 2025 bilingual edition of The Steinsaltz Mishne Torah: Sefer Hamadda and Sefer Ahava by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, published by Koren Publishers, is a remarkable achievement. The impressive book contains more than 1,100 pages. It is the first volume of the projected series that will continue with the remaining books of Maimonides’ highly [...]
