New Books from OU Press

OU Press is working on a host of exciting projects that will appear over the next few months. Some focus on the teachings of the preeminent Talmudist and philosopher Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. All bear the same hallmark of quality you have come to expect from OU Press.

The Concise Code of Jewish Law: A Guide to Prayer and Religious Observance on the Sabbath—Revised Edition
By Rabbi Gersion Appel
Edited by Rabbi Daniel Goldstein
OU Press and Koren Publishers Jerusalem

Part of a projected four-volume series covering all the major aspects of Jewish law applicable in our times, Concise Code aims to provide a user-friendly and accessible presentation of halachah le’ma’aseh for the current generation. This project was initiated by Rabbi Gersion Appel, who published two volumes of Concise Code in his lifetime, and OU Press has undertaken the mission of updating the existing volumes and completing the project. In this volume on the laws of Shabbat, Rabbi Daniel Goldstein, building upon Rabbi Appel’s foundation, has produced a thoroughly researched work addressing contemporary realities while citing the opinions of a broad spectrum of leading posekim. Like the previous edition of Concise Code, this book is destined to become a classic resource of practical halachah.

Siddur Kulanu BeYachad
Edited by Michael Adler and Rabbi Benjy Leibowitz
OU Press and Koren Publishers Jerusalem

This siddur, developed by the OU’s Yachad/NJCD staff, is a groundbreaking work in making the Jewish prayer book accessible to all Jews, including the developmentally challenged. Until this point, individuals who were uncomfortable with the standard siddurim lacked any alternative options suited for their needs. The Siddur Kulanu BeYachad is being created with these individuals in mind. The siddur will contain large font and clear instructions, as well as a conceptual translation that aims to elucidate the concepts in our tefillot, rather than merely translate the words. In addition, the siddur will contain a commentary highlighting important themes and transliteration of select prayers.

Chumash Mesoras HaRav: Vayikra
Edited by Dr. Arnold Lustiger
OU Press and Nehora Publications

This volume, the third in the Chumash Mesoras HaRav series, collects the dozens of published and unpublished sources containing the reflections, interpretations and commentaries of the Rav, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, and presents them in English alongside the text of the Chumash. The complex topics in Sefer Vayikra are illuminated by the Rav’s unique blend of penetrating halachic understanding and keen philosophical insight. Following on his achievement in the Bereishit and Shemot volumes of the Chumash Mesoras HaRav, Dr. Arnold Lustiger again succeeds in bringing the Rav’s diverse and multifaceted teachings into the hands of every interested reader.

Birkon Mesorat HaRav
Edited by Rabbi David Hellman
OU Press and Koren Publishers Jerusalem

The humble bentcher or birkon may seem the most pragmatic of Jewish books, containing little more than the text of blessings recited surrounding a meal. But students of the Rav and of his writings recognize that the topics of blessings, Grace after Meals, Kiddush and Havdalah contain within them a rich conceptual world and a profound philosophy. The Birkon Mesorat HaRav will contain not only Rabbi Soloveitchik’s commentary on the text of Birkat Hamazon, transcribed from previously unpublished lectures, but a wealth of commentary on a variety of themes related to Shabbat and yom tov, the wedding ceremony and sheva berachot, and the rites of circumcision and redemption of the firstborn. Also included will be a section of reshimot about various halachic topics relevant to the birkon; hanhagot HaRav, recording the Rav’s personal practices; and essays synthesizing Rabbi Soloveitchik’s approach to some of the major topics discussed.

Lectures of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik on the Principles of Faith, Resurrection, and the Nature
of Man
Edited by Rabbi Meir Triebitz
OU Press and Koren Publishers Jerusalem

In the early days of his tenure at Yeshiva University, Rabbi Soloveitchik taught graduate courses on Jewish philosophy in the Bernard Revel Graduate School. A transcript of his lectures for one of these courses has been skillfully edited and annotated by Rabbi Meir Triebitz. In these lectures, the Rav discussed many basic topics in Jewish philosophy, some of which he did not address elsewhere in his writings, and some of which recur in his other works, such as The Emergence of Ethical Man. Rabbi Triebitz locates sources and finds parallels to other works of the Rav, as well as highlights divergences between the Rav and other thinkers. This text and accompanying notes provide a fascinating window into the early thought of the Rav.