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Reviews
- ~Review by Gil Student, Jewish Action Magazine
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The rabbinate as a profession contains multiple paths and areas of specialization. These include the pulpit, education and other specific concentrations, each of which requires unique skills. Many rabbis master one or two of these areas after years of honing their trade. Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran is the rare individual who has risen to the top of many different fields in his remarkable rabbinic career(s). As a synagogue rabbi, a school principal, a kosher expert, a published author and a sought-after orator, he has refined his immense natural talents on many different levels to allow him to succeed in multiple roles.
Along the way, Rabbi Safran has published essays on the weekly Torah reading. On the one hand, his style is classical. He writes with the eloquence of a prior generation, carefully following the best practices of style and form. His metaphors pierce; his parables hit home. His sermons resonate with the tone of a practiced preacher, a rabbi who knows how to elicit interest with the careful turn of phrase and pointed question.
On the other hand, Rabbi Safran stands firmly in the twenty-first century. Famously, he met his beloved wife online. He is keenly aware of the challenges of loneliness, the temptations of cynicism, the subtle yet insidious subversion of Torah values we face every day. He addresses the dangers of cookie-cutter education: “We must learn from Yaakov’s example and always encourage our children and students to develop and pursue their unique strengths and gifts.” The importance of acceptance of others: “Preparing to pray, like preparing to receive the Torah, asks of me that I embrace the community. I must love my fellow Jews.” The necessity of tradition: “Authentic Jewish experience is rooted in yesterday’s Jewish behaviors and precedent. We do not live in a vacuum of time but nestled within the fullness of Jewish experience and teaching.” The emotional value of giving: “If you ever feel down, reach out to someone else rather than hope someone reaches out to you. You will be amazed at how good you will feel.”
Something Old, Something New is a brilliant rabbi’s classical sermons about contemporary problems. Rabbi Dr. Safran brings his formidable talents to bear on the questions of modern life, showing that the Torah remains eternally relevant. (Posted on 3/27/2019)
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Additional Info
Additional Info
| ISBN | 9781602803152 |
|---|---|
| pages | 703 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| SKU | ktav2667 |
| Publisher | כתב |
