Exploring the Wonders of the Human Anatomy

Did you also grow up thinking that those white spots on your fingernails were caused by a lack of calcium, since you didn’t drink enough milk? Or that eating carrots will improve your eyesight? Or that if you swallowed a watermelon seed, you’d grow a watermelon inside you?

Okay, that last one I’m sure you outgrew by the time you were six, but those other long-believed myths? Many adults haven’t outgrown them and still think they are true!

That’s why it’s so important to make sure your kids read Exploring the Wonders of the Human Anatomy, the latest book in the Jewish World of Wonders series, by Efraim Harari. Okay, it’s not the only reason why they should read this book—far from it! The main reason is: they will absolutely love, love, LOVE it, and will be kept busy reading it for hours at a time. The book is chock-full of all kinds of fascinating information about our amazing body, with full-color photos and adorable illustrations, not to mention informative diagrams and fun-facts, hilarious jokes, and so much more, all written from a Torah perspective. Readers will learn about the various systems in the body, the specific role each organ and body part plays, and how everything functions so harmoniously together—true nissim and nifla’os ha’Borei.

For a gift this Chanukah that will entertain your kids as well as truly educate and inform them in Torah-true fashion, Exploring the Wonders of the Human Anatomy is the answer.

Oh, and the REAL reason for white spots on fingernails? Check out page 81 for that!

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Me First Manny

Observe any preschool class (and often older classes as well…) during “line-up,” and you’ll see the same thing: kids running to be FIRST on line. What is it about being FIRST that’s so great?? I guess you’d have to be a kid to answer that question… But as adults, what we do know is that this “I’m first!” business often gets out of hand. I mean, what about those poor kids who happen to sit at the back of the classroom and can’t race to the front as fast as their other classmates? Are they doomed to always go to recess/get their snack/leave the room last? Not to mention the arguments these “I’m first!” kids always seem to engender with each other (because, after all, how many “I’m first!” kids can actually be the first?!)…

If you’re one of the many exasperated parents or teachers out there who are looking for a solution to this problem, look no further than Me First Manny, an absolutely adorable children’s book by Sari Grunwald and Shuli Marmorstein. Following the smashing success of their first book, Manny in a Pickle, this author/illustrator duo set out to create a book that would show kids just how ridiculous it is to always insist on being first for everything. In Me First Manny, the beloved Manny character takes his “Me-First” tendency a bit TOO far…to the amusement and delight of all readers of this book!

Kids will love reading this book and poring over the detailed illustrations, over and over again, and best of all, the message that, “It’s NOT the worst, if you are in the middle, and someone else is first” will really resonate with them. Hopefully, you’ll begin seeing the positive results of that quite soon!

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Hide & Seek

When you have one kid reading a book over another kid’s shoulder, because Kid 1 simply cannot wait for Kid 2 to finish the book before reading it herself…you know you have a GREAT book on your hands.

When a book can so thoroughly entertain a bunch of bored tweens on a long winter’s evening, that you hardly hear anything from them for hours on end…you know there’s something extra special about the book.

When this book becomes THE talked-about subject among said tweens and their friends for the next few days…you know you’ve got to let the public know about this amazing product!

Folks, let me introduce you to Hide & Seek, a novel for teens and tweens by popular author Brachah Rosman. Here’s a book that’s got every element that kids love in it: suspense, adventure, scariness, unexpected plot twists, and finally, a happy ending. Of course, the book has lots of wonderful, Torah-true messages woven through it as well—but those sink into the readers’ minds subconsciously, without the readers even realizing it, as they are too busy trying to figure out what will happen next to pay close attention to anything else.

So, if you’re looking to give your child (or yourself—we’ve gotten so much enthusiastic feedback about this book from adults, too!) a really fantastic gift, go ahead and buy a copy of Hide & Seek. Trust me, this is a purchase you won’t regret.

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The Chief

Reb Chaim received a call one evening.

“Hello, is this Rabbi Goldzweig?” asked the man on the line.

“Yes, it is.”

 “I am visiting from Toronto for business and staying in a hotel downtown. I was told to call you for information about where I can get kosher food,” the caller explained.

Rabbi Goldzweig told the man that the kosher stores and restaurants were all located on the north side of Chicago, but that they would probably be closing within the hour. The man sounded disappointed that he would not be able to make it in time to get something to eat.

Reb Chaim told the man, “You know what? Let me stop off at the store and get you some sandwiches and I’ll bring them down to you. I should be there in about an hour.”

The man protested that Reb Chaim shouldn’t bother, but Reb Chaim told him not to worry about anything.

An hour later, Rabbi Goldzweig reached the hotel and saw a distinguished-looking Orthodox Jew in the lobby. He introduced himself and handed him a bag of sandwiches and other food.

“I can’t believe you came all the way downtown just for me!” the man said. “How much do I owe you?” He pulled out his wallet.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s my pleasure,” Reb Chaim reassured the man.

The man smiled and shook Reb Chaim’s hand. “My name is Moshe Reichmann and, thank G-d, I can afford to pay for it. I refuse to take the food without paying. Please tell me how much I owe you.”

Rabbi Goldzweig had never heard of the famous Canadian philanthropist. He smiled back and said, “Well, my name is Chaim Goldzweig, and have you ever heard of something called chessed? I refuse to take money for a chessed.”

Mr. Reichmann looked at Rabbi Goldzweig incredulously. “Have you ever heard of me? My company is Olympia and York.”

“Hmm.” Rabbi Goldzweig thought for a moment. “I know where Olympia is and I know where York is, but they are nowhere near each other! But listen, if you want, you can take the money and give it to tzedakah instead.”

A little while later, Rabbi Goldzweig received a call from one of the rabbis at the OU.

“Chaim, you know you brought food to a man staying downtown?”

“Yeah,” Rabbi Goldzweig said. “He said his name is Reichmann or something like that. Why do you ask?”

“Chaim, that was Moishe Reichmann, one of the richest people in the world. You asked him if he knows what chessed is? He is one of the biggest ba’alei tzedakah around. He just called me to see if we have people from the moon working for the OU!”

But Reb Chaim wasn’t impressed. He would have done the same thing had the man not had a penny to his name.

Meet Reb Chaim Goldzweig. If you hadn’t heard of him until now, the above anecdote illustrates exactly the kind of person he was. A larger-than-life figure, he was the one on whose shoulders rested much of the kashrus industry of the world. But that was in the public eye.

In the privacy of his home, Reb Chaim was a ba’al tzedakah who supported countless individuals and institutions—even though he was not a rich man. He was the man who ran an open house that was literally just that: a house where random guests and homeless people felt comfortable opening the fridge, answering the phones, and changing the temperature of the thermostat, as if they were all bona-fide family members. He was the scion of chassidic Rebbes, whose bitachon in Hashem was genuine and absolute. And, of course, he was a beloved husband, father, and zeidy, who enjoyed nothing more than pampering his loved ones.

The Chief, written by a son-in-law, Rabbi Ephraim Nisenbaum, offers a peek into the life and legacy of Reb Chaim Goldzweig. In this book, you will read the fascinating history of the kashrus movement in America, and the enormous role that Reb Chaim played in it. You will also read many of the sometimes-scary-sometimes-hilarious-but always-entertaining stories that Reb Chaim experienced along his colorful journey as a globe-trotting mashgiach. As well, you will gain immeasurable chizuk and inspiration from the actions of this humble, self-effacing giant in chessed.

Click here to purchase online.