Thirty days before a Yom Tov. What are most frum people doing at that time? Perhaps, if you are a woman and that Yom Tov happens to be Pesach, cleaning your house? Cooking ahead and stocking the freezer? Or, if you are a man and the Yom Tov happens to be Sukkos, building your sukkah and deliberating over your arba minim? Stocking up on the appropriate machzorim for the Yom Tov? (Try Metsudah’s interlinear machzorim; they are the best!)

According to the Gemara, though, thirty days before a Yom Tov is when one should begin learning the halachos appropriate to that Yom Tov. And before you get overwhelmed and start wondering how in the world you’re supposed to go about doing this, read on about our phenomenal sefer entitled Shloshim Yom Kodem Hachag.

In this sefer, you will find all the halachos about all the yamim tovim, divided neatly into thirty sections that correspond with the thirty days before each Yom Tov. This way, all the work has been done for you; all you have to do is open the sefer each day and learn the daily halachah!

Based on the Shulchan Aruch and Mishnah Berurah, and including many psakim of contemporary gedolei haposkim, Shloshim Yom Kodem Hachag provides you with all that you need in order to enter each Yom Tov with a clear background of the halachos relevant to that holiday. See what a difference this sefer can make in your celebration of each Yom Tov. Your Yamim Tovim will forever be enriched and enhanced!



Just in time for your Yom Tov menu planning…

Indian Style Vegetable Samosas… Kickin’ Curry Alfredo…Garlic Herb Chicken and Potatoes… Red Velvet Cake…

Getting hungry? Well, if the titles of these recipes aren’t making your mouth water, take one look at the full-page, colored photo of each of these foods, and you are certain to start drooling!

Yup, Sarah Lasry does it again!

Just a few short years have passed since the release of her first cookbook, The Dairy Gourmet, and already Sarah Lasry’s name has become synonymous with creative kosher cooking and, simply put, GOOD FOOD. Now, in her latest book, The At-Home Gourmet, she takes her innovative approach to cooking to new heights. In this handsome new cookbook, you will find a host of over 100 original recipes— dairy, meat, and pareve—all fully illustrated and easy to follow.

On a diet? Try the Salad Pizza or Salmon Burgers. Looking for a hearty fleishig supper? How does Chicken Pot Pie Pasta or Margalit’s Moroccan Meatballs sound to you? Of course, if you are looking for something just a tad more elegant, you can always try Crusted Veal Chops or Plum Lamb with Pears in Red Wine Sauce…

There is something for everyone in The At-Home Gourmet. So c’mon, pamper your taste buds a bit… Pick up a copy of this hot cookbook and…bon appetite!!

The weather is finally warming up. Your little ones won’t go to bed on time, “’Cuz it’s still light outside!” Mosquitoes are back in business once again (and so is your local pharmacy, which seems to be going through its bottles of Calamine lotion and OFF spray at an alarming rate). Everyone seems to have a bad case of spring fever… All these signs can only point to one thing: summer vacation is right around the corner! And if you are lucky enough to have a trip to Eretz Yisrael planned for that vacation, well, quit the kvetching, would you; what else could you possibly want?!

Okay, okay, there is something else that you could still want—and that is, some help with planning your itinerary for your trip. With so much to do, so many people to see, and so many places to visit in Eretz Yisrael, all within the limited time of your vacation there, it’s no wonder you may be feeling slightly overwhelmed. But never fear; Israel Bookshop comes to the rescue once again!

This time, we’re offering you The Shomer Shabbos Israel Travel Guide—your soon-to-become best friend. It has in it literally everything you’ll need to know in order to have the best experience possible in Eretz Yisrael—names and phone numbers of tourist attractions, mekomos kedoshim, hotels, shuls, restaurants, stores, taxis… you name it, and it’s there. It also includes all the info you may want on how things work in Israel, such as sales tax and store hours there, as well as many relevant halachos pertaining to the tourist in Israel.

And yes, true to its name, everything listed in this glossy, full-color handbook is a Shomer Shabbos site. So you can rest assured that your experience in Eretz Yisrael will be on the highest caliber possible, as you will be patronizing only those who are Shomer Shabbos.

How did such a unique idea come about? Actually, there is an amazing story behind the publication of The Shomer Shabbos Israel Travel Guide. Read on and be inspired…

Shabbos – The Source of All Blessings

The sixth edition of the Newcomer’s Guide included a sneak preview of our upcoming Travel Guide. It was a hit, the positive feedback poured in. (We heard that on Chol Hamo’ed Sukkos, more English speakers patronized the Monkey Park than ever before, and the park attributed this to being included in our trip section.) There was one objection, however, voiced from time to time: “How can you include sites that are open on Shabbos?” Keep Reading…

King Pharaoh was not nice; he was as mean as can be.

He said, “The Jews must stay in Mitzrayim, and work very hard for me.”

And so begins C. and Z. Blaivas’ latest board book for children—The Baby in the Basket. In adorable rhymes, The Baby in the Basket tells the story of Moshe Rabbeinu in a way that even the youngest readers can appreciate and enjoy. The board book is the perfect size for tiny hands, and your little ones will love looking through the thick, brightly-illustrated pages again and again.

So take your baby or your toddler on your lap, cuddle up on the couch, and begin reading to him The Baby in the Basket. He’ll enjoy it so much… and so will you!

Also in the C. and Z. Blaivas’ board book series: Our Beautiful World, which tells the story of the Six Days of Creation, and The Very First Rainbow, which is the story of Noach and the Mabul (Flood).

Anyone out there made a bris recently? If yes, first of all mazel tov, and secondly, I’d like to ask you a question: Did you understand all that was taking place at the bris? Don’t worry; you don’t have to respond, and I’ll never know if you did or not! But seriously, so many fascinating minhagim take place at a bris—minhagim that we all know about, but rarely know the reason behind them. For example, did you know that the reason the honor of kvatterin is given to a husband and wife is based on the idea that bris milah is compared to marriage, because through the milah the baby is betrothed to Hashem? And that one of the reasons why the bris milah takes place on the eighth day is because right before the baby is born, an angel taps him on the mouth and causes him to forget all the Torah he has learned inside the womb, so there first is a seven-day mourning period because of all this forgotten Torah?

In Bris Secrets, you will find all of this information—and much, much more. From the common minhagim to the unusual ones, be they the customs of Ashkenazim, Sephardim, or Chassidim, you will find all the what’s and why’s of a bris milah in this handsome book. Also included is a section on the birth of a baby girl, which is comprised of the various customs pertaining to naming a baby girl and the celebration of a kiddush, as well as the reasons behind these customs.

So whether or not you already made a bris, have one coming up, or are just curious about the in’s and out’s of this special mitzvah, be sure to check out Bris Secrets! Also makes a great gift for your relatives and friends who are making a bris or a kiddush!

On the heels of the successful release of Special Delivery 1 (Birchos Hashachar), it was hardly surprising that Special Delivery 2—on the Shema—hit the shelves of the bookstores so soon afterward. There’s something so beautiful about this series, so irresistible, that you just want to buy each Special Delivery book for your kids. These books are simply gorgeous! Each illustration is so striking and realistic, it can take your breath away to just look at them! Of course, the content of the books is of the highest caliber; doesn’t every parent dream of teaching his or her children the beauty and the meaning of the tefillos we say each day? And when the lessons are being served up to your children in such an appealing way, with  these stunning full-colored pictures, your kids are sure to love these books as much as you’ll love them.  Click here for some sample pages.