Bedtime Reading for Briskers: Lomdus and Life-lessons from the Laws of Korbanos on the Weekly Parsha (2021), by Rabbi Ephraim Meth
Reviewed by Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein
(Rachack Review)
Please allow me to first explain
the meaning of this book’s cheeky title. “Briskers” refer to the stereotypical Yeshiva
students reputed to engage in pilpulistic casuistry (termed “lomdus”), who are
especially known for their peculiar practice of studying the Order of Kodshim.
The tractates within that Order of the Talmud broadly deal with the laws of
ritual sacrifices and the other rites in the Holy Temple. Those laws have a
reputation of being dry and arcane, making them accessible to only the most expert
Talmudic scholars.
Rabbi Meth turns all this on its
head by offering an easily-accessible work mostly dedicated to the laws of the
Temple and its various rituals. For each Parashah, Rabbi Meth finds some related
theme (sometimes more loosely than others) and offers a learned study on that topic.
Sometimes, his essays are more of a Halachic nature, while sometimes, they are
more Aggadic, and sometimes, somewhere in between — but they are always
interesting and original.
True to form, most essays revolve
around some difficult passage in Maimonides or Sefer HaChinuch, which
Rabbi Meth typically illuminates with a novel thought or by citing an earlier
scholar who dealt with the issue at hand. When dissecting a topic, Rabbi Meth provides
the reader with the requisite background to the Talmudic discussions in plain English,
often with analogies that help bring home the point being discussed. Additionally,
the author draws from a wide range of sources that people not might be familiar
with, like Rabbi Moshe Isserles’ Toras HaOlah (a comprehensive synthesis
of philosophy and Kabbalah dedicated to the topics of Kodshim) and Rabbi
Meir Simchah of Dvinsk’s Meshech Chochmah (a deeply insightful commentary
to the Pentateuch). He also cites more familiar sources like Malbim, Rabbi
Samson Raphael Hirsch, and the rabbis of the famous Soloveitchik dynasty. This
was a fun book to read, and just to make the author smile, I made a point of
reading it at night before going to bed.
From Forbidden Fruit to Milk and Honey: A Commentary on Food in the Torah (Urim Publications, 2018), edited by Diana Lipton
Reviewed by Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein
(Rachack Review)
The basic premise of this book is
refreshingly original. For each Parashah, the book presents an essay written by
a leading Jewish academic that focuses on some aspect of the Parashah related to
food and offers some sort of insight into that topic. Then, the editor herself
offers her own thoughts on various passages in each Parashah, usually also
somehow relevant to talk about food.
Famous scholars who contributed
to this volume include Professor Jack M. Sasson (a professor in Vanderbilt
University and administrator of the Agade email listserv, who is himself a
noted scholar of the Ancient Near East studies), Professor Robert Brody (arguably
the world’s expert on the Geonim and Geonic literature), Rabbi Jeremy Rosen (a
student of the Mir Yeshiva and Cambridge University, who is a well-known blogger,
pulpit rabbi, and lecturer), Professor Gary A. Rendsburg (a renowned authority on
Hebrew and other Semitic language at Rutgers University), Professor Chaim Milikowsky
(a scholar who dedicated much of his efforts to Seder Olam and preparing
a critical edition of that rabbinic work, he is also a former son-in-law of
Rabbi Shmuel Rozovsky and the current husband of the Mrs. Lipton), and
Professor Athalya Brenner (a scholar who wrote an eye-opening work about colors
in the Bible and later focused on Feminism and the Bible). Somewhat surprisingly,
these scholars tended to offer relatively conservative readings of the Parashah
and did not seek to replace traditional understandings with newfangled ideas.
The Journey to your Ultimate Self: An Inspiring Gateway into Deeper Jewish Thought through the Lens of the Weekly Parashah (Mosaica Press, 2022), by Rabbi Shmuel Reichman
Reviewed by Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein
(Rachack Review)
The title of this book truly gives
away exactly what this book is really all about: It’s a self-help book based on
the Parashah that offers inspiring ideas that can help a person achieve their true
potential. The author presents quasi-Kabbalistic insights (largely based on the
teachings of the late Rabbi Moshe Shapiro) along with practical advice to make
the book a guide for self-betterment. Interspersed are grey boxes with interesting
stories that really sharpen the author’s points and make them come alive more
poignantly. The book bears rabbinic approbations from esteemed authorities like
Rabbi Asher Weiss, Rabbi Michael Rosenzweig, and Rabbi Zev Leff.
The young author is already a well-travelled
speaker who has established himself as a go-to person for inspiration and
coaching. He founded the Self-Mastery Academy, an online self-development
course (based on Torah principles and high-performance psychology). He also
holds graduate degrees in Jewish Thought and Jewish Education from Yeshiva
University, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Psychology at University of
Chicago. Like his venerated father Rabbi Dr. Edward Reichman, the younger Rabbi
Reichman is also a recognized authority on Jewish medical ethics and has lectured
on that topic internationally.
