BOOK REVIEW BY RABBI DOVID KAPLAN

THE MALBIM ON IYOV: THE SEARCH FOR FAITH AND MEANING

AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE MALBIM’S CLASSIC COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF JOB

Translated by Herbert Weisberg and Yosef Y. Kazarnovsky

Rav Moshe Sherer, z”l, was known for his efficiency and precision in just about all areas of life. He once noticed that a form of some sort had been left in the wrong place in the office, and he reacted with a touch of irritation. One of the office workers asked him why something so slight bothered him to such a degree.

He said, “If this isn’t right, what else isn’t right?”

Carelessness in one area indicates that carelessness exists elsewhere, with the result that things are not as they should be. Eventually the whole enterprise falls apart.

When a new book comes into my hands, the first thing I notice—without even making a conscious effort to do so—is the degree of professionalism. There is an old saying that says, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Well, those in the know say, “Anyone who says you can’t judge a book by its cover has never been in the publishing industry.”

The resplendent cover of The Malbim on Iyov, published by Brand Name Publishing, is an indication that a professional and conscientious job follows between the covers of the book. One who spends time looking through this work will find that it is indeed a superb piece of workmanship.

The translators’ preface grabs you and kindles your interest. The layout incorporating the Hebrew and English translation of the entire sefer of Iyov is top-notch. But most important, of course, is the translation itself. The translators  clearly chose their words carefully in order to facilitate clarity in understanding the thickly obscure language and concepts of Iyov and the profound commentary of the Malbim.

When the translation of a Torah text comes out, the reaction of many is, “This is absolutely meant for beginners and novices.” However, this is not at all accurate. As the Novominsker Rebbe, shlita, wrote in his approbation to the Hebrew edition of the Schottenstein Shas, “A translation is an entryway for one to gain the basics and then be able to delve deeper.” This translation of the Malbim’s commentary on Iyov, while certainly indispensable for a novice, is just as beneficial for a veteran Torah scholar. When learning the Hebrew original of Iyov and the Malbim’s commentary, one certainly comes away with an understanding of what the Malbim wants to convey. However, seeing it in one’s “mama loshen”—in this case, English—can trigger a new depth of thought that comes from the subtleties of a finer understanding. Everyone at every level can gain from this exceptional work.

In any translation, one must strike a balance between literal translation and flowing readability at the expense of accuracy. This is a difficult challenge—especially so regarding the book of Iyov and its commentaries—but the translators succeeded to an impressive degree. All that is left is for the reader to take advantage of this outstanding work.

Brand Name Publishing, under the direction of Rabbi Hershel and Suri Brand, has once again lived up to the high standards that has come to be expected of them.

To order online click here.

“Children, I forbid you to enter the ghetto! Those trapped in the ghetto will be transported to the Place of No Return…You must pack your most vital belongings immediately…and flee for your lives!”

With his father’s final plea ringing in his ears, young Pinchos Yeshaya Kornbluh said goodbye to his days as a serious and diligent bachur in yeshivah, and began his escape flight, always attempting to keep one step ahead of the Nazis…

Yes, it’s the Three Weeks, and with thoughts of the Churban painting all of our everyday interactions in somber tones, which type of reading would be more appropriate than a Holocaust book?

And Tatteh said, “Run!” is a Holocaust book that you will not be able to put down—guaranteed!

Originally written in Yiddish, and then translated to Hebrew, this book has been a bestseller for years. Now it has been translated to English, and is bound to take up residence on the bookshelves of all English-speaking book-lovers out there.

In this book, you will read about the long chain of hardships and miracles experienced by Pinchos Yeshaya, the split-second decisions, whose outcomes often spelled life or death, that were his constant companions. Yet from his time in the Hungarian army, where the commander of his battalion, noting the youngster’s daring spirit and leadership qualities, soon put him in charge—even submitting to the boy’s decisions himself—through the misery of the Gunskirchen concentration camp, from where he was eventually liberated, Pinchos Yeshaya persevered. He learned to look danger right in the eye, to keep his cool and outsmart even the wiliest of German guards, armed only with his pure faith, his zeal to keep as many mitzvos as possible, and his determination to stay alive.

Just as Tatteh had mandated.

…sounds like a fiction book, doesn’t it? But it’s not. It’s a true story, the story of Pinchos Yeshaya Kornbluh, and, in a sense, the story of our entire nation…

So read more about it—discover what Tatteh said, “Run!” is all about!

Click here to purchase online.

Sometimes it seems as though every book you pick up—especially books for kids and teens—is the same old story just done over. The same “best friend issues.” The same problems with the class queen. The same kids being left out of the baseball game. And you wonder: isn’t there anything else to write about? Something with some more imagination to it…something that will open new vistas in my child’s head…something that may take him to a different and more exotic locale…something with some more umph to it…something else?

Well, you asked for it, and you got it! Here it is—Alone in Africa—a book for tweens and teens (and their parents, too!) that is so stuffed with imagination and adventure that it’s practically oozing out of the book’s seams and sockets!

Alone in Africa. Even the name just gives you the chills, doesn’t it? And that’s even before you start reading it… This is a book of suspense and adventure… of charging elephants and sinister tribal chieftains…of enemy tribes marching into battle…of heroic family members braving danger for each other… and of trusting in Hashem wherever in the world you may be…

Join Nesanel, Penina, and Chezky on their adventure—because if it’s adventure that you were looking for, you’ve come to the right place and opened the right book!

Click here to purchase online.

For all you discerning moms looking for something refreshing and new to add to your kids’ book collection, this is it! Look no further—we’ve got the newest, most adorable book out on the market!

Not my Kind? I Don’t Mind! is a children’s book about ahavas Yisrael. But lest you think that this is “just another one of those kids’ books,” let us assure you that this is as different and unique as it is, like we said before, absolutely adorable. It tells the story of the Fine twins, who have just moved and are looking for some new friends—but only friends who look and dress just like them. Then the twins find themselves needing some help, and the ones lending a hand are kids who are “not their kind”…

Instead of having regular illustrations, Not My Kind? I Don’t Mind! is illustrated with adorable clay figures. These cute little “mentchies” add so much to the story, taking the book to a whole new level. Your child will be captivated by the little figurines of Nesanel, Nechama, and all the other characters in the story.

For that matter, so will you be captivated by them! Go ahead—open a copy, flip through some pages…ahh, now do you see what we mean??

So buy your kids the book…and watch the smiles break out…

Click here to purchase online.

Suspenseful? Check.

Intriguing, not-your-run-of-the-mill kind of plot? Check.

Realistic characters? Check.

Fast-paced, entertaining reading? Check.

Satisfying ending? Check.

Yup, folks. Some books do have it all, and, as you can see for yourself, our newest novel, Divided Attention, certainly does. This is one book that we guarantee will appeal to any and all readers.

You’ll read the gripping story of a young boy’s struggle to carve for himself a new life, while being thwarted time and again by a past that refuses to leave him… Yes, you may need some tissues for this book—it is quite emotionally charged—but we know you will absolutely love the depth of the plot, as well as of each character in the book.

If you’re looking to treat yourself, or someone else deserving of a nice gift, this Pesach, then Divided Attention is the book you are looking for.

Click here to purchase online.

If you’re a mommy, you know there’s nothing like it in the world—having your kids cuddle up with you while you look at and read books together. There’s something about the sweetness of the moment—especially if the children have just been bathed, pajama-ed, and with their hair combed—that makes you just want to freeze the scene in your memory forever…

Of course you need the right kind of books in order to make the most of this special mommy-and-me time. A book that’s too long and wordy, or one with ho-hum pictures, is just not going to cut it. Which is why Mommy, Tell Me More—books 1 and 2—have become such popular books among so many mommies and children.

Each book contains text especially geared to a specific age; Mommy, Tell Me More volume 1 is directed to really young children (ages 1-2), while Mommy, Tell Me More volume 2 is for “older” children (2 and up). Everything about the books is both mommy- and kid-friendly:  the educational text and stories, the enhanced language, the creative thinking the books engender, not to mention the stunning artwork by renowned illustrator Tirtza Peleg!

Enjoy these special moments with your children. They grow up so fast as it is! Buy yourself a copy of both Mommy, Tell Me Morebooks, and let the good times begin… 

Click here to purchase online.

You’re stuck in traffic late on Friday afternoon. The minutes are ticking by, and the pressure is mounting within you… Help! What should you do?

You’ve been driving for hours down the 80, and you feel your eyelids start to droop. You need some heavy-duty caffeine, so you stop at a rest stop to buy some coffee…but there are no disposable cups there. Okaaaay, you tell yourself. Now what?

You’re driving merrily down the street, singing along to your favorite CD, when…you see them: those dreaded flashing lights in your rearview mirror. Uh-oh, you think. What did I do this time? And, even more important, what do I do now?

If you live in modern-day times and have a driver’s license, chances are that you are familiar with these types of “driving dilemmas.” And now, we are presenting you with a practical way to find solutions for all of these scenarios.

Code for the Road, by noted author Rabbi Avrohom Bookman, is a handy and helpful manual that will provide you with the knowledge and know-how of halachically correct driving practice. Small enough to fit in your glove compartment yet comprehensive enough to include a whole lot of practical information, Code for the Road is an indispensable guide when it comes to the Torah’s perspective on basic driving and parking rules, the halachosof yichud in a car, brachos, and tefillas haderech, solutions to many driving dilemmas, and much more.

So whether you’re en route on a quick drive to the grocery store, or a long road trip, be sure to pick up a copy of Code of the Road before starting out.

And have a safe trip, too! 

Click here to purchase online!

She wants to help, she’s eager to please, she doesn’t mean to mess things up…she’s…Doda Golda!
Get ready for your kids to erupt into gales of giggles with our newest children’s book! Meet the one and only Doda Golda! She comes to help out with the Pesach preparations, but her literal sense of comprehension doesn’t exactly bring forth the intended results…
Whether it’s “turning over the kitchen” by flipping over each pot and pan, or “separating the eggs” by hiding them all in different places, Doda Golda sure knows how to spread laughter among her family…and among yours, as well!
This is one book sure to bring out the let’s-get-to-work-and-help-out attitude in your children! If you’re trying to come up with an idea for an afikoman present that may simultaneously provide you with more eager helpers (or at the very least, some much-needed stress relief and laughter)—Doda Golda Comes for Pesach is the book you’ll want to get for your kids this Pesach!

Click here to purchase online.

I know I quote many when I say that the world we are living in nowadays is not the same as it was years ago. Or, to put it simply, things aren’t how they used to be. How else can one describe the frightening trend of obsessions with various mediums, the substance abuse, the growing number of addicts within our own insular communities?
It was to fight this development that Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser, world-renowned rav, speaker, and author, wrote The Addicted Soul. This book focuses on the common addictions of drinking, gambling, drugs, internet use, texting, shopping, and eating. In his clear, thought-out way, Rabbi Goldwasser first shows the destruction and harm of each addiction, and then presents methods for obtaining help and releasing oneself from addiction’s tight grip.
This is a serious book as it is an important one. Addiction is not something to be taken lightly, as Rabbi Goldwasser explains in great depth. With The Addicted Soul, a person who finds himself hooked onto something in an unhealthy way has taken his first step to getting help…and gaining his freedom.

Click here to purchase online.

Growing up, life was about Chinese jump-rope, Bazooka gum…and When Zaidy was Young. As kids, we found nothing more captivating than listening to Heshy, Manny, Uncle Isadore, Mrs. Pitkin, and all the rest of Shmuel Kunda’s colorful cast of characters come to life on our family tape recorder (for the un-initiated, yes, we’re talking about the Pre-CD-Player Age). When I think about it now, though, I realize that as much as we loved the hilarity of those When Zaidy was Young tapes, a lot of their pull came from their endearing depictions of the Lower East Side of years ago. There was something so compelling, so…curious about the way life was back then, with haggling pushcart peddlers and crowded, dreary tenement buildings, in the city of New York that was so similar—yet so different—from what it is nowadays.
I felt the same pull when reading This is America. Set against the backdrop of the early nineteen hundreds, this magnificently written, well-researched historical novel literally makes you feel as if you were transported back to that time period, where you could peek into the lives of Tcharna Gordon and her family as they valiantly try to “make it” in the New World they’ve been thrust into. You can just picture the overwhelmingly noisy and busy streets of New York, over-run with carriages and even some automobiles…the overcrowded sweatshops where so many girl work, and where Papa is insisting that Tcharna find a job…the dizzying atmosphere in the Coney Island amusement park…
Of course life for the Gordons is not exactly one, big, nostalgic bed of roses—far from it. This is America pulses with the very real—and very painful—feelings of a family ripped apart by differences that run too deeply to be pushed under the rug. Reading the book, we become aware of our own array of emotions that rise to the fore as the plot twists and develops—empathy for Mamme’s hurt, frustration for Tcharna’s angst, amusement for Bina-Gittel’s antics…
This is America is not your typical book. It is a book that enlightens as it entertains; broadens your horizons as it provides enjoyment. Read it and see for yourself—you will not be disappointed!

Click here to purchase online.