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 [...]
The Talmud primarily discusses the concept of Sinat Chinam (baseless or senseless hatred) in Tractate Yoma 9b. It states that Sinat Chinam is the primary cause for the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. Surprisingly, it highlights that while the people of that era observed the study of Torah, the divine commandments, [...]
The remarkable book If You’re Reading These Words: Last Letters from Heroes of the October 7th War is one of the most moving and unforgettable books to emerge from the trauma of October 7 and the war that followed. Toby Press that publishes it is the Jerusalem-based publishing house, founded in 1999, that specializes [...]
My friend Stephen I. Ternyik posted the following very complementary and very nice article about me on the internet in Academia, Edu. Academia’s mission is to accelerate the world’s research and to share important information . Today 266 million users have joined Academia.edu, and around 140,000 people join Academia.edu each day. It believes that [...]
Amos: The Genius of Prophetic Rhetoric Yitzchak Etshalom, the author of Amos: The Genius of Prophetic Rhetoric, received rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem and is an educator and a leading teacher of Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) in North America. He is the author of Between the Lines of the Bible: Exodus [...]
I Samuel: A King in Israel Rabbi Amnon Bazak’s book I Samuel: A King in Israel (2024) is a thoughtful study of one of the most dramatic books in the Hebrew Bible. He is known for his work in biblical interpretation and his teaching at Yeshivat Har Etzion and Herzog College. He edits the weekly [...]
Joel, Obadiah, and Micah: Facing the Storm Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Beasley presents readers with a delightful, thoughtful, enjoyable, and learning experience in Joel, Obadiah, and Micah: Facing the Storm, three of the so-called “Minor Prophets” of the Hebrew Bible. Although brief, the books of Joel, Obadiah, and Micah contain powerful messages about justice, [...]
Exodus: The Genesis of God’s People, published in July 2025 by Zvi Grumet, is a thoughtful and engaging study of the biblical book of Exodus that illuminates how the Israelites transformed from families of enslaved people into a nation following their understanding of God. Rabbi Dr. Grumet, a veteran educator and scholar of the [...]
