For several decades, informed readers sought out Rabbi Berel Wein's opinion column in his weekly Destiny Foundation blog, in the Jerusalem Post, and other publications to gain his perspective on current issues. The products of his highly educated and sensitive mind, the essays were uniquely "Wein"- always original, always refreshing in their candor, and subtly thought provoking. Who else could experience uplift from an orchid plant or discover the core values of the Jewish nation in the words of Israel's taxi drivers?His sweeping gaze simultaneously takes in past, present, and future.Continually aware of history and its impact on today's events, he looks at an empty field in the Land of Israel and sees not only the farmer with his plow today,but one who worked the same land two thousand years ago. And with heartfelt faith and a vibrant awareness of ancient prophecy, he envisions those who will harvest that field in the future. In this troubled, insecure age of ours, he proves that one can, one must, be a realist and an optimist at the same time.The best of these valuable essays have been collected for this volume. If you are fan of Rabbi Wein's writing, you will feel as though you are encountering an old friend. If you are not already familiar with Rabbi Wein's take on life, you are in for a treat.

In My Opinion

Rabbi Berel Wein

ALEF TO TAV

People remember stories long after they have forgotten the message that a lecture or sermon is meant to impart. And that is fitting, as life is about people and people are the subject of stories. These stories are related to others and even to later generations. As such, the reader gains insight into remarkable and decisive events, as well as Jewish life and traditional practices in the real world. This is a book of exceptional experiences and extraordinary people. The stories told are certainly instructive but more importantly, they are priceless. For several decades, informed readers sought out Rabbi Berel Wein's opinion column in his weekly Destiny Foundation blog, in the Jerusalem Post, and other publications to gain his perspective on current issues. The products of his highly educated and sensitive mind, the essays were uniquely "Wein"- always original, always refreshing in their candor, and subtly thought provoking. Who else could experience uplift from an orchid plant or discover the core values of the Jewish nation in the words of Israel's taxi drivers?His sweeping gaze simultaneously takes in past, present, and future.Continually aware of history and its impact on today's events, he looks at an empty field in the Land of Israel and sees not only the farmer with his plow today,but one who worked the same land two thousand years ago. And with heartfelt faith and a vibrant awareness of ancient prophecy, he envisions those who will harvest that field in the future. In this troubled, insecure age of ours, he proves that one can, one must, be a realist and an optimist at the same time.The best of these valuable essays have been collected for this volume. If you are fan of Rabbi Wein's writing, you will feel as though you are encountering an old friend. If you are not already familiar with Rabbi Wein's take on life, you are in for a treat.

Heads And Tales by Rabbi Berel Wein

Think of the shtetl and you think of Chaim Shapiro. More than a beloved and colorful chronicler of Jewish life in the towns and villages of Poland and Lithuania, he is a man who lived there and still breathes its air. And he has the precious knack of communicating his experience in prose that crackles with vividness and enthusiasm. In this book we meet great rabbis and rebellious rogues. We enter famous yeshivos whose names still evoke awe and we savor the atmosphere of humble dwellings of people who never knew they were desperately poor. We marvel at the pure faith and reverent conduct of unlearned stevedores who carried their rabbi on their shoulders, rather than let him trudge up the steps to his flat. And the foundations of Jewish life tremble under our feet as we feel the anguish of parents seeing their sons and daughters swarm after the blandishments of the new "Workers' Paradise" of Lenin and Stalin -- and the hated Yevsektzia. Most of all though, this is an uplifting book, filled with spirit and learning, hope and humor. Despair is not in the vocabulary of Chaim Shapiro, and he infuses the reader with the vitality and optimism of Jewish life. He absorbed it in places like Lomza, where his parents were renowned for their Torah wisdom, commercial integrity, and human compassion. Shtetl stories are nothing new; they have been a staple of Jewish life for generations. Indeed, this book is not new -- and that is why it is such a valuable contribution to anyone's bookshelf. It is authentic, riveting, heartwarming. It will leave a lasting glow in the heart of every reader.

Once Upon A Shtetl

Artscroll/Mesorah

Tending the Vineyard

Shaar Press

Rabbi Berel Wein has become a household word on six continents, as a foremost rosh yeshivah, rabbi, lecturer and historian. His scintillating presentations of Jewish history have won him a host of admirers - and deservedly so. Perceptively, wittily, wisely and accurately, he presents an ancient story as if it were happening before our eyes. He relates old dilemmas to today's problems and shows how Jewish history is an endless and inspiring continuum. In this, his third masterwork, Rabbi Wein takes us from the end of the First Temple Era to the times of the Geonim. He transports us to the eras of Alexander the Great; the miracle of Chanukah; the creation of the Mishnah and Talmud, and how they saved Jewish life for all time; the Roman Empire and the courageous rebellion of Bar Kochba; the rise of Christianity; such great Geonim as R' Saadia, R' Sherira and R' Hai, and how they led the monumental Torah centers of Babylonia and North Africa; the emergence of Islam and the Jewish response; Jewish life taking root in the then-barbarous lands of Europe. Rabbi Wein places Jewish history in the context of the times. Just as important, he tells it from the perspective of the Jews, not through the eyes of Jewry's enemies and conquerors, as history books commonly do. The author has a voracious appetite for history and even the places where it happened. When he tours the world, he sees it as the locale of Jewish eternity, the settings where our nation took shape, the building blocks of today. His broad experience lets him paint the picture of yesterday with the broad strokes of scholarly insight. In this new volume, Rabbi Wein introduces us to times that were exotic, exciting, dangerous, triumphant. This book does them justice. Seldom is a must reading so enjoyable.

Echoes of Glory Compact Size: The story of the Jews in the classical era 350 BCE-750 CE

Mesorah Publications, Ltd.

To modern man, the Middle Ages is a distant, mysterious and forbidding period. It is primitive in technology, brutal in violence, and superstitious and servile in society. But it was also a time of pageant and grandeur, of discovery and wonder, of great achievements and lasting progress, when men of genius and industry laid the foundations for our modern world. Those who have preceded us have in the main been neglected in our assessment of current life. Jews in the Middle Ages achieved great heights of power, wealth, scholarship and creativity - the Golden Age of Spain, of Rashi and the Tosafists, R' Yehuda Halevi and Maimonides. The Jews were part of the Renaissance, the catalysts for the Reformation, sponsors of arts, exploration, and commerce. But it was also a terrible time for Israel. The Almohad persecutions, the Crusades, the Black Death, the burning of the Talmud in Paris, the bitter rivalries, and quarrels within Jewish society itself all combined to paint the era in blood and despair. Rabbi Berel Wein, in this book, has woven an informative tapestry out of the events of the Jewish Middle Ages. Its historic figures come alive and we appreciate their greatness. The Sephardic world and the Ashkenazic society, the longing for Zion and redemption, the intrigues and truths of history are here faithfully explained. The story of the Jewish people in the Medieval Era is told with wit, knowledge, accuracy and emotion. As in Triumph of Survival, Rabbi Wein has not settled merely for a history of the Jews. Herald of Destiny will make our modern Jewish milieu and its problems more understandable by illuminating for us the great medieval Jewish world that preceded us.

Herald of Destiny Compact Size: The story of the Jews in the medieval era 750-1650

World renowned historian and lecturer, Rabbi Berel Wein, paints a panoramic picture of our people from the Classical Era (350 BCE) through the Modern Era, from the end of the First Temple Era, through Cossack pogroms, from the rise of the Chassidic movement, to the rebirth of Torah in America. This Slipcased Gift Edition includes the compact (7"x9") edition of three best-selling titles: Echoes of Glory, Herald of Destiny, and Triumph of Survival.

Jewish History - A Trilogy: Slipcase Set Containing Echoes of Glory, Herald of Destiny, and Triumph of Survival

Most books on modern Jewish history have been written by "outsiders" looking in. This book, Triumph of Survival, is written by an "insider" looking out. It tells the inner story of the people of Israel, which most often escapes the secular historian. It also places this inner story of Israel within the perspective of general world history, something which many traditional Jewish historians have failed to do. The facts of Jewish history force judgments upon us. Divine Guidance, the Torah, and Jewish commitment are central to our story over the last 300 years. The book does not create myths nor does it come to revise our understanding of Israel's history. Replete with facts, dates, and anecdotes, it records a story that has somehow escaped the notice of even many Jews. It informs and inspires. The pain and struggle of the present become more understandable when one knows Jewish history. An ignorant Jew is dangerous. A perpetuation of mythical fantasies about the personalities and events of the last centuries is harmful to our growth and strength. This book can help end the reader's ignorance regarding Jewish life since 1650. Finally, this is a Jewish history book, not merely a book about the Jewish people and its history. The author is a student of the great scholars and leaders he mentions. He is engaged in the daily communal struggle regarding the historical forces loosed in the Jewish world in the modern era. Jewish history is not a subject or a field of academic discipline to him. It is his life's work, his vocation and his career. Consequently, this is also a very passionate and personal book. Jewish history has never been neutral about human beings and events. This book is not neutral about Jewish history.

Triumph of Survival Compact Size: The Story of the Jews in the Modern Era 1650-1995

In The Footsteps of Eliyahu Hanavi: A historical journey through the countries of our diaspora

How Jewish Communities Defended Orthodoxy 1820-1940

Struggles, Challenges and Tradition - In Stock!

Religion & Spirituality

Judaism

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Books by Rabbi Berel Wein