The recently-published book Homeward Bound: Inspiring Stories of Return (Feldheim Distribution) by Rabbi Michoel Gros is a collection of captivating stories and inspiring lessons of Jews returning to their roots and of people involved in kiruv. It contains dozens of true anecdotes of teshuva and kiruv, and it can be an important
The Talmudic and Midrashic texts known as Aggadah are the stories, folklore, historical anecdotes, moral exhortations, and practical advice, words if inspiration, and most importantly, Jewish wisdom on how to best live our life in the service of God. In Aggadah: Sages, Stories, & Secrets, Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein, a rebbe in a number of yeshivot and seminaries,
Over the past seventy years, the Jewish nation has seen a truly remarkable development -- the multitudes of Jews returning to their roots. Our leaders and rabbanim work tirelessly to teach these Baalei Teshuva and to guide them on their journey. I have been zoche to be raised in a home which has been a crucial stop on the
As an educator, I am always looking for texts that my students can learn independently, glean relevant themes and feel a sense of accomplishment. The same goes for teaching a shiur – I want to teach a class that is interesting, relevant and based on compelling classical texts. The Chumash is the natural place to go, but students may find the parsha overly familiar territory. What have recently grown in popularity are shiurim and the online
Some Jewish holidays are widely practiced. Others are often ignored. Yet, whether popular or not, the Jewish holidays are largely misunderstood. Of course, Chanukah is about light and Passover is about freedom, but there is so much more. Each Jewish holiday has much to teach us. Still, the Jewish holidays are more than a collection of individual days
I recently received a copy of the new Jaffa Edition of Mesillas Yesharim. As someone who gives a mussar vaad, I currently own the classic Feldheim version, The Ofeq Institute’s Complete Mesillas Yesharim, and Rabbi Yaakov Feldman’s translation with commentary
