The scholarship of Rabbi Dr. Jerry Hochbaum

OU Press has announced the publication of Rabbi Dr. Jerry Hochbaum’s “The Hidden Light: Biblical Paradigms for Leadership.”

Arranged according to the Torah’s parshiyot, the book is far from a conventional “parashat hashavua” compendium. It is a fascinating exploration and distillation of the Torah’s view on leadership.

Through a lifetime of involvement in Jewish communal work, Rabbi Hochbaum experienced first hand the nature of leadership in the Jewish community. A prominent professor of sociology at Yeshiva University, he also worked with the National Jewish Community Council and was executive vice president of the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture where his major priority was the organization of a leadership development program for the global Jewish community.

The leadership issues that he encountered in the real world echoed for him in the Torah’s depiction of human interaction and the development and growth of the Jewish people.

Combining a novel approach with sensitivity and insight, “The Hidden Light: Biblical Paradigms for Leadership” rewards the reader with a fresh view of the weekly parashah.

Here is a tribute to Rabbi Hochbaum from the executive vice president emeritus of the Orthodox Union, Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb:

“The topic of leadership is of critical interest to all of us today. Dr. Jerry Hochbaum’s “The Hidden Light: Biblical Paradigms for Leadership “addresses this topic in a thorough and thoughtful manner.

“Dr. Hochbaum draws upon his many decades of experience at the helm of the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, along with his academic expertise in the social sciences and his Torah erudition, to produce a most insightful and helpful work. The reader is sure to come away from this original book informed, enlightened, and inspired.”