When your high school (or worse, elementary-aged!) kids start coming home from school spouting halachos you think might be vaguely familiar…but maybe not…or maybe you remember hearing them the opposite  way?…well, then, you know you’re in trouble! Although, in all fairness, it’s been a while since your own halachah classes in high school, so perhaps there are grounds for you to be excused…?

All joking aside, when it comes to halachah, there really is no excuse not to know the relevant laws governing our lives. As Torah Jews, by hook or by crook we’ve got to know halachah! But at this stage of your life, what can you do, short of brushing up on your knowledge by way of your child’s halachah notes and his or her teacher’s handouts? You don’t really have time to attend shiurim, and thick, scholarly halachah sefarim are a bit out of your league…

That’s where the Halachically Speaking series comes into play. Concisely written and extremely reader-friendly, these books are designed to teach you many of the little-known halachos in a clear and straightforward manner. By reading just a section or two a day from these books, you could be covering a lot of ground and understanding exactly what you’re reading about.

The sixth volume of this amazing series just made its debut, and each book is an absolute gem in terms of its content and readability. Invest in your family’s shemiras halachah…buy a copy of Halachically Speaking 6—and the whole series—today!

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Remember your first time visiting Israel? (All of you lucky ducks reading this who actually live in Israel—well, all I can say is, I hope you realize how fortunate you are!) Remember how your eyes widened at the sight of Jews of every type and stripe walking the streets of Me’ah She’arim? Remember how your heart was warmed when you witnessed the exquisite acts of chessed so part and parcel of the Holy Land? Remember the many colorful—and special—characters you met, at the Kosel, at the makolet, and while on buses, which filled you with such wonder and awe?

Jerusalem Recycled evokes all this nostalgia and so many other emotions. Beautifully written by Rebbetzin Sheindel Weinbach, this book tells the true tales of an amazing chessed apparatus that has burgeoned and branched out all over Israel—namely, Rebbetzin Weinbach’s clothing gemach. The stories in this book are incredible as they are of the “only in Israel” variety; their starring characters are the unforgettable, one-of-a-kind Yidden for which Eretz Yisrael is so famous.

Take a peek at the secret treasure housed in the distinguished neighborhoods of Mattersdorf and Geulah. Meet the many givers and takers; those in need of a black shirt for a performance, or a veil for a poverty-stricken kallah; people needing to give away blood pressure cuffs and wool-lined winter shoes, and people needing to receive those very same items… You’ll find yourself inspired, amused, and often goose-bump-covered over and over again!

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Looking for a really great gift for that really great kid in your life? Comic books are all the rage these days, especially for kids, and we’ve got an excellent new one that young readers will absolutely love!

Every Minute Counts tells the stories—in comic form, of course—of two famous meshalim, one originally said over by the Maggid of Kelm, and one by the Chafetz Chaim. Both meshalim are on the topic of the most precious thing in the world: limud haTorah. As your kids read and enjoy these comics, they will be filled with inspiration about the importance of learning Torah and using every minute of time to fulfill Hashem’s will.

So, although you may think you’re buying your child a book in order to entertain him and keep him busy while you fry latkes in the kitchen—in reality, you’re actually tending to his ruchniyus at the same time. Now how’s that for a top-notch Chanukah gift?

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Kids and comics books. Whoever first redt the shidduch between the two sure knew what they were doing! I see this firsthand each time I catch sight of my neighbor’s kids—very active preteen boys—sitting on their front porch, engrossed in—what else?—a comics book.

But nothing prepared me for the excitement a new Just Imagine book would generate on the block! As soon as the news broke that our family had the Just Imagine Chanukah book (We Beat the Greeks), my house became instantly popular! The knocking on the door wouldn’t let up—“Can I borrow your book?” “When will it be my turn for it?”

Mind you, my own kids wanted to read the book, too—so suffice it to say, we had to do a lot of schedule juggling and turn-taking to make everyone happy!

My advice to all those kids who had a long wait, and to all of you readers who want a fantastic, spine-tingling yet wholesome, frum comics book for your kids: Run, don’t walk, to your nearest Jewish bookstore, and pick up a copy of Just Imagine—We Beat the Greeks for yourselves! As you read this amazing, true-to-life rendition of the Chanukah story, you’ll see exactly why this book is such a hit…

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Have you met Berel and Breindy Adler yet? Oh, you know who I mean—those irresistible characters in the A Journey with Rabbi Juravel series, the ones who are always getting themselves into really whacky adventures while learning important lessons? If you still don’t know who I’m talking about, you ought to do something about this! A great place to start would be by reading A Journey with Rabbi Juravel 5: The Case of the Greedy Gorillas.

In this exciting book for tweens (and really any-aged fan of Rabbi Juravel’s—we know you’re out there!), readers are treated to an array of seriously imaginative and suspenseful stories about Berel and Breindy Adler and friends. As always, Rabbi Juravel knows exactly how to keep a kid’s interest while simultaneously implanting great values in him.

So join the fun! A spectacular reading adventure awaits you in this book!

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Attention all tween readers! Your favorite author Rachel Stein is back, with another spectacular book of great stories for you!

In her newest book, called Whirl and Twirl, you’ll meet Mindy, who will do anything to win the Tanach Bee Competition…until she is really put to the test; Shmuel Yaakov, who pulls a practical prank on his friend…and then must suffer the consequences from it; Chaim, who is being asked to give up a very special trip in order to help out his Zeidy; and a host of other relatable characters. Whirl and Twirl will take you on a glorious ride into the exciting world of tweens, from the first page until the very last!

Click here to purchase online.

I admit—I have a weakness for dolls. Yes, I know I am an adult and that dolls are generally considered the purview of little girls, but when I saw the cover of Mitzvah Dolls, I instinctively gasped and was filled with a warm feeling as I thought: Shiffy! Because the gorgeous blonde-haired doll on the front cover of this equally gorgeous children’s book does indeed look very much like Shiffy, the doll I had as a seven-year-old, and seeing this cover immediately brought back all those delicious memories of long days and nights spent playing with my doll, styling her hair, dressing her up…  And right away I knew I wanted to give this book to my own seven-year-old daughter, who, like her mother, enjoys nothing more than playing with her dolls.

The thing is, this book is not just a photo album of pictures of dolls. There’s tochen to it, too, on a children’s level, as each page of this unique book is graced by a photo of an adorably dressed doll doing a mitzvah. There’s the picture of the dolls davening, the doll helping his brother who fell off his bike, the one helping her mother fold laundry, and lots more. The corresponding rhymes that go along with each picture further enhance the presentation.

Do you have a little girl in your life who loves dolls as much as she loves reading books? Give her Mitzvah Dolls as a gift, and you’ve made this lucky girl’s year!

Click here to purchase online.