With Tisha B’Av now safely behind us, can Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur be not too far ahead? The High Holiday season will occur on the cusp of Labor Day weekend, one of the earliest such seasonal placements in memory. Due to this scheduling oddity, I have deemed this a major factor in the early consideration of the literary aspects that play an important part in the observance of these holidays. more

In his commentary on the Counting of the Omer, “The Siddur Illuminated By Chassidus, Shabbos” (Merkos/Kehot, 2015), Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, formerly of Cedarhurst, now of Jerusalem, teaches … more

Ta’anis Esther, next Wednesday, will again mark the Yahrtzeit of HaRav HaGaon Moshe Feinstein, zt”l. For this occasion, we will again briefly highlight the valuable biography, “Reb … more

Another week, another gifted commentary on the Haggadah, this time by Dr. Adena Berkowitz. Just released by Israel’s Gefen Publishing House, “The Jewish Journey Haggadah” is … more

It is not unusual for a book’s title to include a year. 1776 and 1912 are among my favorites. They resonate deep meaning and so does the year 1492. “1492,” subtitled … more

Last week I received a profound teaching from the esteemed rabbi of the iconic Bialystoker Synagogue, Rabbi Zvi Romm, themed to the recent bigoted rant by a so-called Jewish historian, Dr. Hasia … more

When I was growing up on New York’s Lower East Side, one of the greatest American literary figures was Herman Wouk. His reputation was great because of the books he wrote, which are cited in … more

The Kosher Bookworm By Alan Jay Gerber Issue of May 7, 2010/ 23 Iyar, 5770 With the annual observance of Yom Yerushalayim this Wednesday, May 12, this week’s essay will be a brief review … more

Among the most consistent liturgical works on the Jewish calendar is the twice daily recitation of Psalm 27, beginning next week, heralding the upcoming high holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Succos. more

This year, it is once again my honor to bring to your attention another work of great scholarship by Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb — his beautiful translation of the Kinot liturgy for Tisha … more