Those who devote their early adult years to full-time Torah learning know they are living in a different reality. Their world is pure and idealistic, and their goals are spiritual. Their success is measured in the thrill of a new insight and the glimpses of Hashem's wisdom that only the Talmud can reveal. For some, the early years are only the beginning of a life-long ascent in the world of Torah. For most, however, a return trip to the material world is inevitable. This is one of the most difficult transitions a Ben Torah ever will make. It calls his entire identity and purpose into question. And yet little time is devoted to preparing for this transition in the years during which all energy is focused on Torah learning. Some get lost, and some feel misled; most are confused about how to proceed with their self-esteem and values intact. Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky has written a book that will serve as a guiding light to the many young men who are making this transition.--Back cover.

A small Torah scroll passes from a Dutch rabbi, to a Bar Mitzvah boy during the Holocaust, to the first Israeli astronaut.

A spirited classic of American Jewish literature, a historical novel about ancient sage-turned-apostate Elisha ben Abuyah in the late first century C.E. At the heart of the tale are questions about faith and the loss of faith and the repression and rebellion of the Jews of Palestine. Elisha is a leading scholar in Palestine, elected to the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court in the land. But two tragedies awaken doubt about God in Elisha's mind, and doubt eats away at his faith. Declared a heretic and excommunicated from the Jewish community, he journeys to Antioch in nearby Syria to begin a quest through Greek and Roman culture for some fundamental irrefutable truth. The pace of the narrative picks up as Elisha directly encounters the full force of the ancient Romans' all-consuming culture. Ultimately, Elisha is forced by the power of Rome to choose between loyalty to his people, who are rebelling against the emperor's domination, and loyalty to his own quest for truth.--Publishers Weekly

Kar-Ben Read-Aloud eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and text highlighting to bring eBooks to life! As a child, David watches his grandfather, a Torah scribe or sofer, finish a Torah scroll for the synagogue. "A Torah is not something to be thrown away," his Grandfather explains. David's grandfather carefully stores the old Torah his new one has replaced in his cabinet, hoping to one day repair the letters so the Torah can be used again. David grows up and becomes a sofer just like his grandfather. Through the years, people bring him damaged Torahs they have saved from danger and disaster - one damaged by Nazi soldiers during World War II, one damaged in a fire in a synagogue, and one in flooding during Hurricane Katrina. David stores each of these precious Torahs in his cabinet, until his granddaughter Leah gives him the idea to make a recycled Torah from the salvaged Torah scrolls.

"A family joyously celebrates Simchat Torah at synagogue"

In this remarkable book, prolific writer and lecturer Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky delves into the ocean of Torah and brings up bits of fabulous treasure.The essays the essays span the Jewish year, from Rosh HaShanah to Tishah B'Av, in which the themes of the Jewish calendar spring to life. They tell of the remarkable lives and deeds of great men, such as Rav Aaron's own father, Reb Bentzion Lopiansky, Rav Chaim Shmulevitz, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, Rav Nochum Partzovitz, and Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. They present timeless issues such as the chareidim and the draft, modern-day Jewish marriage, negotiating with kidnappers, and comparing the completing of the Talmud with competing in the Olympics. It is a rare work that profoundly delights even as it teaches and inspires. Time Pieces is such a book.“In our mundane world, feeling and intellect are forever at odds. But when it comes to the Divine, these seemingly mutually exclusive realms converge, since Hashem is one… No professor of Jewish thought ever had tears coursing down his cheeks, overwhelmed by the depth of Shir HaShirim… One who has experienced that spark of knowledge and awareness arising from those divrei Torah [derived from in-depth exploration of the Torah] knows that no Minchah can ever be the same again.”—From the Introduction to Time PiecesAn esteemed friend, who reads critically, once put the question into much sharper focus. Upon evaluating an essay of mine, he commented, “It's nice, but will anyone daven a better minchah because of it?” An important question, and one that must be answered fully. Life is too short for things that are merely “nice”; if they don't move a person closer to his Creator in any significant way, then one should not waste one's time on them.

"The Torah is called the Tree of Life. Just as a tree is always growing and changing, the Torah's ideas can help us grow and change, too. Yoga can do the same. Both can help us strengthen ourselves, calm our minds, and learn to appreciate the world around us. Written by rabbi and certified yoga instructor Mychal Copeland, I Am the Tree of Life encourages us to explore both the world of yoga and the stories of the Bible and find meaning in both"--Amazon.com.

Seed of Redemption presents a riveting, overarching commentary through which the reader can begin to appreciate the extraordinary depth and scope of this small Megillah, which touches on the very foundations of humanity and Klal Yisroel. This deep and greatly inspiring sefer is sweeping in scope, and yet it takes note of every detail; it is built almost entirely on Chazal and flows seamlessly with the text of the Megillah. Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky, author of Ben Torah for Life and Golden Apples, as well as other works in both English and Hebrew, has rendered this sefer as an English adaptation of the sefer Nachlas Yosef. It preserves the original insights while striving for the same readability in English as the original version provides in Hebrew.The sefer Nachlas Yosef is one of the most well-liked Hebrew commentaries on Megillas Rus. It was written by Rav Yoseph Lipowitz zt"l, a talmid of Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel zt"l, the Alter of Slobodka.

In this second volume of his long-anticipated five-volume collection of parashat hashavua commentaries, Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks explores these intersections as they relate to universal concerns of freedom, love, responsibility, identity, and destiny. Chief Rabbi Sacks fuses Jewish tradition, Western philosophy, and literature to present a highly developed understanding of the human condition under Gods sovereignty. Erudite and eloquent, Covenant Conversation allows us to experience Chief Rabbi Sacks sophisticated approach to life lived in an ongoing dialogue with the Torah.

Torah as a guide to personal growth Following the framework of the ancient tradition of weekly Torah reading, Shefa Gold shows us how to find blessing, challenge and the opportunity for spiritual transformation in each portion of Torah. An inspiring guide to exploring the landscape of Scripture... and recognizing that landscape as the story of your life. Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land promises to turn the year-long cycle of Torah reading into a journey of personal spiritual growth. The first book by Rabbi Shefa Gold, the popular teacher of chant and meditation, Torah Journeys is designed to be meaningful for those at any spiritual level. Shefa Gold is renowned in Jewish Renewal circles and beyond for her teachings, particularly in the realms of chanting, meditation, and connecting to the sacred. She received rabbinical ordinations from both the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Salomi. In Torah Journeys, Rabbi Gold reveals a blessing and a challenge hidden in each weekly Torah portion, based on her principle that the Torah is happening now, and that its stories - from the Creation in Genesis through the death of Moses at the end of Deuteronomy - are about each individual's life journey. Drawing from her spiritual search as an adept in an array of practices, Rabbi Gold offers transformative practices for each week, ranging from meditation to visualization to chant. Torah Journeys is the fruit of the religious journey of an engaging teacher with an impressive grasp of the texts and liturgy. Having experienced other traditions inspired Rabbi Gold to search out similar tools in Judaism to expand consciousness, become fully human and know God Rabbi Gold shares with us her insightful approach to Bible study and personal growth. The result is poetry for the soul. Torah Journeys is a book that is not merely about Jewish Renewal, but in fact, gives the reader tools to do it. A classic of Jewish spiritual renewal.