I remember that book report quite clearly. I was in the sixth grade at the time, and my English teacher was extremely fond of assigning book reports, doing so on a monthly basis at least. I’ve always been a voracious reader, so reading all those books was something I could handle…but the problem was that the books had to be ones that we’d never read before. Otherwise, for all the teacher knew, we could be writing up whole book reports based on books that we’d read three years ago. (Never underestimate the memory of a child, you know!)

Back then, Jewish books weren’t coming out every few weeks. So every book report assignment found me wracking my brains, trying to find a book that I hadn’t yet read.

I think it was my father who suggested I read Baron Korff. Even back then (with all these “back then’s,” by now you probably think I’m ancient… but really, I still have some time for that, b’ezras Hashem!), it was considered a classic, and I had to track down someone who still owned a copy of it. Once I’d done that and read the book, though, I was glad I’d gone to the trouble of finding it—it was a phenomenal book.

There was nothing petty or modern-day about this book; this was the real deal—a novel with fully fashioned characters such as a guilt-ridden Russian baron, a perceptive Galician count, a wise old rabbi, and of course the main character, Abram, who began his life as an abandoned Christian baby boy…

Like I said, I loved every minute reading this book—and now you can have this same enjoyment, too! After years of being out of print, Baron Korff –with a new look due to its updated front cover—is now once again being released and put back onto the shelves of your local bookstore!

This is a classic that has never lost its charm. Read it, and you’ll agree. Whether you’ve read this book in the past and are buying it for the nostalgia it evokes within you, or for your kids to read as a kind of “ma’aseh avos siman la’banim”; or you’re young enough to have never heard of Baron Korff and are buying it simply out of curiosity (what is this book about anyway, that they were going on and on about it in that article?), this is a purchase you will not regret having made!

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By Sarah Irons

Books on health and nutrition tend to make me feel guilty. About every six months I resolve anew to change my lifestyle. I buy a new book, along with plain nonfat yogurt and whole-spelt crackers from the grocery store, and promise myself that this time I’m going to see it through. I’ll end my relationship with pizza and sushi in favor of bright leafy greens, unsweetened fruit shakes and grilled chicken on half a whole wheat wrap. My most successful attempt lasted for four months, about two years ago.

At this point I have almost an entire library of diet and nutrition books in my house. Yet Dr. Shmuel Shields’s book, L’Chaim: 18 Chapters to Live By (published by Brand Name Publishing),stands out among them. Dr. Shmuel Shields, a certified nutritionist with a private practice in New York, himself made the transition from what he calls a “standard American diet” (SAD): “about 150 pounds of sugar annually…and the amount of fat found in one stick of butter every day.” With the help of a local health food store proprietor, Dr. Shields discovered firsthand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. He experimented with a range of eating habits, including a foray into veganism, before settling on a “high-fiber, primarily plant-based diet” that includes chicken or meat on Shabbos. Now he uses his knowledge and experience to help other people. In addition to his practice, Dr. Shields is also a popular lecturer and health columnist.

The book is organized into eighteen distinct chapters, and each chapter focuses on one aspect of living a healthier lifestyle. Dr. Shields explains it fully using a blend of current scientific findings, Torah perspectives, and tips for practically incorporating it into our lives. The nutritional information is cleverly interspersed with personal anecdotes from both Dr. Shields’s life and practice—showing how people have successfully integrated these changes into their own lifestyle.

The topics include ways to boost your immunity and avoid colds and flu; how to distinguish between “good” carbs and “bad” carbs; the role of fat in our diet (it’s not as bad for you as you might think); how to wean ourselves off sodas and other artificially sweetened drinks with the only beverage your body really needs: water; debunking the most common excuses for why we don’t exercise and feasible ways to increase daily activity; stress reduction, especially in an age of increasing reliance on technology; and sleep—why it’s so essential for both physical and mental health.

Each chapter ends with a practical application for the concepts it covers, including meal plans, original recipes, strategies for staying on track on Shabbos and Yom Tov, tips on longevity from a woman who passed her 100^th birthday and, most importantly, healthy alternatives for some of the most unhealthy foods we love to eat, like pizza and hot dogs.

Many readers will find chapter 17, “Transitions: Step by Step,” to be particularly helpful and hopeful. This chapter acknowledges the difficulty of changing our habits and routines and recommends a slow but steady process to make it stick. There are even useful tips for getting used to new tastes and foods, like mixing small amount of unfamiliar foods with familiar ones.

L’Chaim: 18 Chapters to Live By may be the solution that so many of us, who would like to be healthier but are not quite sure how to go about it, are looking for. It’s easy to read and strikingly concrete and of-the-moment. With the integration of Jewish life into the core of its premise, this book fills the unique niche of the observant, kosher consumer. It’s a book that has given me a lot to think about and one I certainly plan to refer back to as I attempt, once again, to commit to a healthier lifestyle for myself and my family.

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Let’s face it—with all the talk about our world being so small and constantly shrinking even more, the options available for consumers in the world only continue to grow. Especially when those consumers are Jewish, English-speaking ones who are looking for new books on Chumash and the parshah. Walk into any sefarim store, and you can become dizzy just looking at the displays of all the English parshah books there are on the market. Some are geared to men, some to women, and still others to children. Some are heavy and deep; others are less so. Some are colorful and full of humor; others are of a more serious and scholarly nature.

And this plethora of options is a good thing—no one can deny that. When you think about the amount of English parshah books—or lack thereof—that was available even just fifteen, twenty years ago, you can’t help but marvel at the astonishing leap in numbers.

With all due respect to these many fine sefarim on the Chumash, however, there is something to be said when the sefer was written decades ago (in lashon hakodesh) by a close talmid of the Chafetz Chaim, Rav Shmuel Greineman zt”l,and the divrei Torah and hashkafah within it are the very words of the Chafetz Chaim himself…

Yes, Chafetz Chaim on the Torah is not your ordinary Chumash/parshah book by any means.

In the words of the great author (translated into English):

“The sefer you are holding in your hands may be a slim volume, but it is of great value. I did not author it; I merely compiled it. I followed the reaper, collecting and gathering single stalks from the harvest and brought them together into the granary.

The owner of the field, and the one who planted the wheat, is Rabban shel Yisrael, the tzaddik, Maran Rav Yisrael Meir Hakohen zt”l, the Chafetz Chaim…”

For years a fixture on many a serious Jew’sbookshelf or table, this beautiful sefer has now been translated into English for the very first time.

In addition to the Chafetz Chaim’s divrei Torah on the Chumash, the sefer also includes a section entitled “Maasai L’Melech,” which is comprised of stories about the Chafetz Chaim and his life, what he said about various happenings, and lessons learned from him. The sefer is literally packed with Torah hashkafos and yiras Shamayim, and as you read it, if you listen with your heart, you may even hear the Chafetz Chaim’s gentle voice, guiding you, instructing you, connecting you to him and to his legacy…

Like we said, not your ordinary Chumash/parshah book at all.

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The thoughts running through my head after reading a sample of Parsha Potpourri were: Wow!! This is beautiful!!

There really is a lot to “wow” over in this unique parsha book, and it really is nothing less than a masterpiece in its content.

With so many parsha books out on the market today, logic would dictate that a new book of this genre would need to work extremely hard in order to sell itself. But this book—and its author—speak very eloquently for themselves.

First of all, Rabbi Ozer Alport is a well-known name in the divrei Torah-on-the-weekly-parsha world. He writes a weekly, very well-received newsletter with divrei Torah on the parshah, which he culls from an astonishing range of eclectic sources. In this book, a compilation of some of Rabbi Alport’s best offerings, you’ll find the divrei Torah of the Chafetz Chaim, Rav Tzadok Hakohen, the Chiddushei HaRim, the Brisker Rav, and Rav Zalman Sorotzkin (Oznayim L’Torah), among many other sources.

And the book itself? Well, you really should pick it up and leaf through it yourself to see what I mean. It just grabs you. Maybe it’s the rich and inviting tone in the presentation of the divrei Torah, or maybe it’s the sense of challenge and intrigue found in the “Points to Ponder” section, as you think to yourself, Hey, that’s a good question! I wonder what the answer is.

One thing is for certain. No matter which parsha you’re looking at in Parsha Potpourri, you are bound to find something (or many such “somethings”) very apropos, very pertinent, and very beautiful to say over at your Shabbos table.

The food and the guests, though, you’ll have to provide for yourself.

Click here to purchase online.