Are you looking for a very practical way to review the laws of Shabbos observance? The new release, Do You Know Hilchos SHABBOS? , is a perfect read for the entire family. It is written in question answer form, in order of each of the 39 melachos. All the questions are close to real life situations that can happen in any Jewish home.
Judging the Book by its Cover - a first glance review:
The cover is very clear with some colorful pictures that make you wonder what the connection is. This book takes what might be considered random items and organizes their significance in terms of Shabbos, Melachos and Muktza.
I think the key words on the cover are "Practical" and "Whole Family" and they really speak for themselves.
Some Details I Liked:
I always want to brush up on my halachic knowledge and sometimes get intimidated by thick seforim or books that just have on law after another with complicated scenarios that I'm not quite sure if they apply to me or not.
This book breaks each melacha down with a slight overview and then goes through the practical examples that are very applicable nowadays.
Who This Book is For:
This book is a great review for anybody that thinks they know Hilchos Shabbos or knows that they know most of them, but finds themselves in situations that could be problematic. For example, what issues can come up with changing a baby's diaper? Or even what to avoid doing just before lighting candles on Friday evening? These questions have complex and simple answers that Rabbi Fletcher presents in a very clear manner.
Who This Book Isn’t For:
Being that this book is a review, I would not suggest it for someone who is not yet familiar with what makes Shabbos holy and all the fences that keep it that way. Rabbi Fletcher cites his sources, which are both contemporary, such as Rabbi Ribiat shlit"a's and HaRav Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth zt"l's sets of seforim, and talmudic. I would suggest that a true beginner refer to one of the above sets to gain a full tutorial before relying on this book.
What I Didn’t Like/Would Have Made it Better:
It sounds funny, but I do think that illustrations would be a great asset to this wonderful work. Being that it is written for the whole family and there are situations that can be understood easier with a picture, I feel that images would be a nice enhancement.
I also felt that it was lacking consistency with the transliteration. So you have to understand the korea, kriyah, and keria, all mean tearing.
In Conclusion:
I recommend this book as a gift, as bedtime reading, as Shabbos table sharing and an all around good read. It is definitely a powerful, easy to use tool to gauge what you know and what you need to know in terms of Shabbos observance.
Disclaimer:
I received this book for the purpose of reviewing it, but that it no way changed the way I read it and reviewed it.
- Do You Know Hilchos Shabbos?
- The Daughters Victorious
- The Elephant in the Room
- Reb Kanievsky
- The East Shmeezy Guide to Yiddish
As Long As I Live was translated from the Hebrew book, Es'haleich. It is an incredibly inspirational story told by the man himself. R' Aharon Margalit was physically sick as a kid, but that did not stun his emotional, mental and spiritual growth at all. Read about how he overcomes many hard situations in life and continues to thrive even under testing conditions.
Judging the Book by its Cover - a first glance review:
After reading the story, I appreciated the cover. It portrays a respectful man, busy, concentrating on documents at his desk. R' Margalit describes several instances through out the book where he had to sit and examine the facts. He is an organized individual, both in his thoughts and actions.
Some Details I Liked:
Aside from the actual story-line I very much appreciated the tips at the end of the book. When writing a book, it is hard to tell the story and make sure that the lesson is taken the right way. This book has a clear life lesson and pointers to carry-out that lesson.
Who This Book is For:
This book is for people struggling that are looking for chizuk and encouragement. By struggling, I mean in any sense. R' Margalit writes about serious spiritual, emotional, mental and physical struggles and how he overcame them.
Who This Book Isn’t For:
Someone looking for especially light or depressing reading. This book is full of ups, but does have some downs. The beauty of the book is that all the downs are put in perspective and used a weights to help build strength.
What I Didn’t Like/Would Have Made it Better:
I have to admit that it took me some time to get "into" this book. It is at least 60 years that are written about from cover to cover, some episodes dwelled on and others just mentioned in passing. I also had trouble with the fonts changing from regular to italics, but that is just a personal preference issue.
In Conclusion:
As long as I live, I think I will read this book a few more times and apply the lessons from it, many, many more times. This is an inspirational story with a happy ending, lots of positive throughout the hard parts and written by the person himself, giving it a special authentic feel.
Forever One is a story of two groups that go through challenges recognizing each others' strengths. It is a novel that is lifelike with a lesson that you can internalize.
Judging the Book by its Cover - a first glance review:
The cover shows two girls, sitting side by side with their arms overlapping, displaying their comfort and friendship.
It seems like a girls' high school political novel, which it is.
Some Details I Liked:
The story-line is factual enough, with credible details enabling the reader to easily relate to what the character is going through.
It is well written in the sense that I found myself sympathizing with the characters and hoping that things would go well for them.
Who This Book is For:
I think that elementary through high school kids would most appreciate this novel, as well as adults or educators involved with that age group.
Who This Book Isn’t For:
This isn't an ultra complex plot with suspense and a thrilling ending. It is more of a happily ever after tale.
What I Didn’t Like/Would Have Made it Better:
The story had a few episodes that didn't have a follow up. Along with that were events not mentioned. For example, Nosson was going to get engaged. All that we read about is that the girls bought gowns for the wedding. We don't know if the wedding happens or any details about the engagement.
In many books there are three symbols or a line indicating a switch of setting. Forever One only has a space for the differentiation of time. Therefore, it sometimes takes a few lines to understand what is happening.
In Conclusion:
This is a very sweet powerful with an important lesson.
Disclaimer:
I received this book for the purpose of reviewing it, but that it no way changed the way I read it and reviewed it.
