Inside ArtScroll - For the Week of July 14, 2008

A Peek Inside The Production Room:

Avner Gold Comes To ArtScroll: Many of us grew up with the exciting historical fiction of Avner Gold, whose descriptions of European Jewish life in the middle 17th century were as riveting as they were realistic. His Ruach Ami series comprised eight volumes, beginning with The Promised Child and ending with The Marrano Prince. After a long silence, the story line of the Dominguez family, secret Jews in Catholic Spain, continues with The Long Road to Freedom: The story of the Strasbourg Sage. The first volume, due out soon, may be Avner Gold’s finest work to date.

The Mishkan: An interactive DVD of the Tabernacle: Imagine it! Only 10 years ago, it was impossible - but now, thanks to state of the art visual DVD technology, you'll soon be able to explore the Mishkan - the Tabernacle - which the Jewish Nation constructed in the Wilderness. Following the Torah's account in Terumah, Tetzaveh and Ki Sisa, this DVD shows the construction and design of Mishkan, its Keilim (vessels) and the Bigdei Kehunah (the Priestly Garments), all illustrated in advanced 3-D models and animations. You can actually manipulate them using your computer's mouse. You'll be able to virtually "walk" through the Mishkan and "see" the Mishkan complex and all of its furnishings and implements. You'll "construct" them, step-by-step and piece by piece. This one-of-a-kind DVD will animate pesukim and parshiyos that may seem obscure or abstract in their written form. Adults and children alike will be fascinated and edified by this breakthrough new DVD. Scheduled for release this fall, no home or school should be without it!

Daily Dose of Torah -- Series Two -- Cycle Begins: Join the tens of thousands who turn fleeting moments into lasting meaning through the unique learning program of the Kleinman Edition of A Daily Dose of Torah. Offering daily, concentrated insights from the weekly parashah, the Mishnah, Mussar, Gems from the Gemara, Halacha, and the Siddur, this revolutionary 18-minute-a-day program is literally changing lives. The 14-volume Series One edition has been completed and Series Two will begin in time for Parashas Bereishis. Don’t wait though – the Rabbinic Festivals and Fast Days edition of Series Two is available now.

Praying With Fire Volume Two: Everywhere you go, someone is talking about Rabbi Heshy Kleinman’s tefilah-energizing book, Praying With Fire. The long-awaited Volume Two of Praying With Fire is in final preparation for release this fall. Like the first book, Volume Two will be available in standard and pocket size editions. Volume One will be released in French in the next month.

Inside ArtScroll – Week of July 7 08

Tour Jewish Europe with Rabbi Paysach Krohn - right from the comfort of your own home!

This summer, how about a trip to some of the great Jewish centers of Europe – with no tickets to buy, no jet lag, and no need to pack? Rabbi Paysach Krohn, the celebrated American Maggid, has created virtual touring resources that are so stirring, so complete, and so informative; you’ll feel like you were really there!

Through his unique book, Traveling with the Maggid, and three sets of CD-Rom videos, you’ll experience Rabbi Krohn’s trips to the historic sites of pre-war Torah life in Europe. The videos feature hours of awe-inspiring touring to such sites as Vilna, Volozhin, Telshe, Baranovitch, Minsk, Mir, Nikolsburg, Pressburg and more. You’ll absorb insightful background on such legendary giants as the Chofetz Chaim, the Tosafos Yom Tov, Reb Noam Elimelech of Lizhensk, Chozeh of Lublin, the Gerrer Dynasty, Rav Meir Shapiro, the Rama, the Bach, the Netziv, Sarah Schenirer, the Alter of Slabodka, Reb Chaim Ozer, Reb Elchonon Wasserman and other great leaders whose legacy still inspires us.

Rabbi Krohn’s book, Traveling with the Maggid, chronicles his journey through Lithuania and Belarus in 2003 with 125 group members, among them Rabbi Shlomo Brevda, Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Chodosh, Rabbi Shmuel Avigdor Feivelson, and Rabbi Avrohom Zelig Krohn. There are over 100 color images highlighting Rabbi Krohn's stirring narrative. Readers will love this pictorial guide through eleven Torah centers.

The three-disc CD-Rom Catching Sacred Letters preserves the powerful impact of this tour, including many surprising encounters along the way. Eternal Luminaries is a three-disc expedition with Rabbi Krohn to renowned German, Austrian, and European towns & villages of past Torah giants. From Majestic Peaks to a Valley of Tears, also three discs, takes you on an unforgettable exploration of Jewish Poland.

Rising fuel costs are curtailing trips for many, but you can still enjoy exciting Jewish travels this summer. With the book, the CD-Rom’s and your computer, you can spend many evenings discovering the greatness and grandeur of the Torah world of yesteryear.

It’s been said “we can’t know where we’re going until we know where we’ve been”. Through his one-of-a-kind book and CD-Rom’s, Rabbi Krohn has opened up a remarkable portal in time and space to enrich your personal journey into the Jewish future.

Note: This Chanukah, ArtScroll plans to publish Rabbi Krohn’s next book in his famous Maggid series: In The Spirit Of The Maggid.

Editor of Yated Ne'eman Publishes "The Editor's View"

A clever newspaper editor gives readers pause to think, often resorting to pithy titles, satirical wit, and clever wordsmithing to seize their attention. In Rabbi Pinchos Lipshutz’s new book, The Editor’s View (ArtScroll, June 2008), the editor-in-chief of the Jewish weekly Yated Neeman, wields the tool of truth, tempered by a seasoned Torah world view, to create a portal for introspection and – ultimately – action. This absorbing new book is a compendium of many of Rabbi Lipshutz’s finest editorials authored over several years, offering timely reflections on inyonei d’yoma – issues of the day.

Rabbi Lipshutz knows that behind every story resides a bigger story, laden with implications for living life better. Whether dealing with the aftermath of the Gaza “disengagement”, commenting candidly on the unraveling of Western society’s moral fabric, or looking for meaning in our current economic crises, Rabbi Lipshutz guides readers to the safer high ground of the Torah’s outlook. He unearths the intrinsic purpose in what may appear to be random events, helping readers perceive the Guiding Hand that shapes the outcome of human events.

While each stands independent of the others, the book’s fifty-six essays are organized into six general categories encompassing Prayer and Priorities, Leadership, Commitment, Perspectives, Focus on Festivals, and Choices. Though many of the topics are weighty and serious, Rabbi Lipshutz skillfully identifies a vital life lesson in each issue. With a clarity sharpened by a seasoned Torah perspective, this straight-talking editor urges readers to align their thoughts, words, actions, and interactions with the enduring truths that have sustained Jews through the centuries.

The Editor’s View looks at life from angles the common culture may consider oblique or even provincial, but which lovers of truth and integrity will recognize as compassionate and faithful to the upwardly mobile standards that have always inspired Jews to greatness.

It's Official! Announcing Susie Fishbein's Next Cookbook Project!

With sales of over 300,000 copies, the five cookbooks in the Kosher by Design series have inspired a revolution in kosher cooking, bringing simple elegance to home dining and entertaining. Now author and chef Susie Fishbein announces the pending release of her sixth project, Kosher by Design Lightens Up.

Kosher by Design Lightens Up is a gorgeous culinary guide, bursting with easy-to-do ideas for eating and feeling better. This cookbook teaches healthy cooking and food combining techniques, with special commentary by certified nutritional expert Bonnie Taub-Dix, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Assn.

Susie says, "These nutritious recipes are easy to integrate into your everyday menus. Anyone looking to migrate into a better way of eating and living will find delicious options here."

Kosher By Design Lightens Up will feature:

• Over 145 brand new recipes
• Over 160 full color photos
• Over 320 pages
• Creative entertaining ideas, including oil olive tasting, a party spritzer station and more!
• Simple, healthy approaches to: cooking oils, sweeteners, whole grains, superfoods, smarter shopping, and more efficient kitchen gadgets.
• Comprehensive cross-reference index

Kosher By Design Lightens Up is scheduled for release on November 3. To pre-order your copy, just click HERE!

Miracle Ride Rockets Past 6,000 Mark!

Officially launched on June 4th, Tzipi Caton's Miracle Ride has sold over 6,000 copies. A frank and honest account of a teenage Jewish girl's battle with cancer, this book is being heralded as a breakthrough in young Jewish authorship. Everyone loves Miracle Ride - from pre-teens to elderly readers alike. Though the subject matter is serious, this book is delightfully energetic, candid, emotive, and often just downright funny. (Read Ariella Marcus' review of Miracle Ride HERE.)