New Book Release: Kitzur Halachos Pesach

Kitzur Halachos Pesach by Rabbi Zev Hofstedter

The following true story is NOT for the faint of heart. But, as I said, it is true, and it teaches a really good lesson–one that unfortunately I had to learn the hard way. You, on the other hand, can learn from my mistake, and always ASK before you take matters into your own hands.

It was Erev Pesach. I and two of my siblings, who shall remain unnamed for obvious reasons, were working in the kitchen and schmoozing.

“You know,” I mused aloud, “anything that touches food has to bekashered before Pesach…but what about our retainers? Food touches them all the time; why don’t we have to kasher them?”

[Author’s note: All three of us wore orthodontic retainers, after having worn braces for several years. All three of us.]

“Maybe we do have to kasher them!” said my sister.

“How?” asked my brother.

The three of us, all in our early teens, discussed it, until we came up with the obvious solution: we needed to immerse the retainers in boiling water.

And so, without stopping to ask a sheilah, without even asking our parents, we set up a pot of boiling water and proceeded to kasher those retainers.

Except that when they finally emerged from their scalding bath, they didn’t really look like retainers anymore. The plastic part had become misshapen and deformed, and suffice it to say, they did not fit in our mouths anymore.

Oh, and did I mention that each set of retainers, being custom-made, cost nearly $1,000? And all three of us wore them.

I don’t think I need to tell you how very displeased our parents were with us on that day…

But we had such good intentions! I remember thinking to myself in consternation. We were only trying to do what’s right; to follow the halachah like good Torah Jews. How could we have flopped so badly?

The answer, of course, is that it’s not enough to have good intentions and to want to follow the halachah; you need to ask and find out what the correct halachah is, in each and every case! (In this case, by the way, we were told that it would be enough to simply clean the retainers very well for Pesach, although each person should ask his rav for his own psak.)

And that is why I so strongly endorse investing in a clear and easy-to-understand sefer on hilchos Pesach, such as Kitzur Halachos Pesach, by Rabbi Zev Hofstedter, before attempting to go through this holiday on your own. Like this, you never have to guess about a halachah–everything is clearly explained, so that you know exactly what halachah requires you to do, each step of the way.

As I said, I learned the hard way about the importance of asking sheilos and checking up halachos in a sefer. But you can take the easier route. With the purchase of Kitzur Halachos Pesach, you can be sure that you won’t be making the kind of mistakes I did…

New Book Release: Secret History

Secret History: Conspiracies from Ancient Aliens to the New World Order by Nick Redfern

History is written by the winners—and the powerful—but how much of it is fiction? And who is really in control today? From the dawn of civilization to the 21st century, from ancient aliens to the New World Order, Secret History: Conspiracies from Ancient Aliens to the New World Order examines, explores, and uncovers the hidden, overlooked, and buried history of mankind.

The book moves from biblical, Egyptian, Mayan, Greek, and early mysteries of antiquity to the clandestine doings of the Nazis and the Masons and assassination plots of the more recent past to the surveillance, monitoring, mind-control, and secret schemes of today. Researcher Nick Redfern investigates the stories, mythologies, lore behind incredible events and clandestine groups of yesterday and today. More than 60 entries dig deep into the manipulation of events by influential groups, including …

• Historical riddles—alien visitations, space gods, and human–alien crossbreeding.

• Government cover ups—mind control, murders, scientists, and secret agents.

• Powerful groups and intended consequences—9-11, new world order, bird-flu, and chemtrails.

Tracing the chilling and lasting effects of conspiracies, cabals, and plots, Secret History: Conspiracies from Ancient Aliens to the New World Order exposes their deep reach in shaping today's world.

New Book Release: Tanya

Tanya by R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi

The Tanya, considered the "Written Torah" of Chasidism, is now studied by tens of thousands of people, from all walks of life. The Bilingual Tanya has contributed enormously to this global interest, by both stimulating and sating the quest for deeper involvement in Chasidut, in those to whom the orginal Hebrew text remains inaccessible, not only on the intellectual level, but as a modus vivendi.

We are pleased to present a newly revised edition of the classic Likkutei Amarim Tanya - Bilingual Edition.

First published in 1973, the Bilingual Edition has become the standard translation of Tanya.

Seeking to bring the teachings of Tanya to an ever-wider readership, we have implemented the following revisions and features:

• The Sefer has received a aesthetic facelift, presented in fresh, easy-to-read typeface.
• The Hebrew text has been reproduced from the recently revised Hebrew edtion of Likkutei Amarim Tanya (Kehot, 2010).
• The original translation of the five parts of  Tanya was the work of a number of translators. As such, the rendtion of terms, the transliteration of non-English words, and the general system of translation varied from part to part. In the present edition, we have endeavored to provide a more consistent style throughout the work.
• All outdated translations of Scripture found primarly in the Likkutei Amarim, Part 1, have been updated.
• Numerous errors in the text and source footnotes have been corrected.
• All footnotes appear on the page where they are refrenced. In instances where the English translation and footnores were too lengthy to appear on one page, the facing Hebrew text is repeated on the following folio, and the remaining English translation continues opposite. A grey bar alongside the Hebrew text denotes the section corresponding to the translation.
• The english supplements section has been completely revised: to further enhance this section's usability, it has been renamed addendum, with an independent pagination system reading from left-to-right, and the information comprised therein has been restructured in a user-friendly order. The glossary originally appearing to Part I has been updated to cover all five parts of the Tanya, and detailed indices and a bibliography have been added.

New Book Release: Handy Military History

The Handy Military History Answer Book by Samuel Willard Crompton

Brutality and fear. Heroism and sacrifice. Military history is a fascinating, complex, and often contradictory subject. War and fighting between tribes, clans, groups and countries has been with us forever. Great leaders, great villains, pivotal moments and events become transformative, causing political, social, and technological upheavals, which were often built on the foundation of war. The Handy Military History Answer Book is a captivating, concise, and convenient look at how the world, the United States, and the lives we lead today have been changed by war and the military. The weapons, leaders, soldiers, battles, tactics, strategies, blunders, technologies, and outcomes are all examined in this powerful primer on the military, its history—and world history.

From early Greeks and Romans to Genghis Kahn and other great conquering militaries of the past, continuing on through the civil wars and world wars that shaped the boundaries of today’s nations, and to the modern weapons, technologies, guerrilla warfare, and terrorism currently reported in the nightly news, this book investigates everything from the smallest miscalculations and maneuvers to the biggest invasions and battles, as well as the cutting-edge technologies and firepower that led to victories and helped change the world.

The Handy Military History Answer Book looks at the who, the what, the why, and the how of conflicts throughout history. It answers over 1,100 questions, from the mostly widely asked to the more obscure, such as:

Who cast the first stone (of human history)?

Who were the "Sea Peoples?"

Is there anything to the story of Ancient Troy?

Could Alexander the Great have conquered the early Roman Republic?

How wealthy would each of Alexander's men been had the treasure at Persepolis been divided?

How many Romans lost their lives at the Battle of Cannae?

Why did people underestimate Julius Caesar when he was in his thirties?

How many men, and auxiliary fighters, were there in a Roman legion?

Was the Battle of Actium truly decisive? And what way?

Which precious metal did the Vikings prefer above all others?

Do we even have his name--Genghis Khan--right?

Who employed the composite bow with greater effectiveness: the Arabs or the Turks?

Why did Pope Urban II go to central France in 1095?

Where did Richard the Lion-Heart get his nickname?

Why on earth did Hitler code-name his invasion of Russia for a German emperor who drowned?

Who was the greater wit: Voltaire or King Frederick the Great?

About whom did King George II remark: "Mad, is he? Well I hope he bites some of my other generals?"

What great poet spent years gathering food and wine for the Spanish Armada?

What was the price for King Francis' freedom, in 1526?

How long did it take to learn how to use the longbow?

What was the largest of the cannon brought by the Ottoman Turks to the siege of Constantinople

Who took over when Genghis Khan died (after a fall from his horse)?

What did the Franciscan monks say when they returned from Karakorum?

Was Napoleon really not French?

Who won the Battle of the Nile, and how?

Where was the world's first submarine deployed?

When did George Washington have to alter all his plans: and how did he go about making the change?

How many people died at the Siege of Fort Sumter?

What was the worst day of the Civil War, in the Far West?

When were balloons first deployed in warfare?

Where did the name "Uncle Sam" come from?

What signals did Paul Revere watch for on the evening of April 18, 1775?

What did Rasputin have to say about the approach of the First World War?

How close did Hitler come to victory at Moscow in 1941?

What ten days decided the outcome of World War II?

What was so special about the B-24?

When did the Cold War commence?

What was the last action of the Yom Kippur War?

What role did Colin Powell play in the run-up to war in Iraq?

New Book Release: Conversion, Intermarriage, and Jewish Identity

Conversion, Intermarriage, and Jewish Identity by Robert S. Hirt, Adam Mintz, and Marc Stein, eds.

Conversion has always been a contentious matter within the Jewish community. In Israel, the US and elsewhere, the issue has caused major divisions between different sectors of the Jewish world. Other than some Conservative congregations, and the Orthodox communities, most Jews in the US are moving away from opposition to intermarriage. Meanwhile, Israel faces a major dilemma in relation to its post-Soviet immigrants, many of whom are of questionable Halachic Jewish status.

While discussion regarding conversion and intermarriage has its roots in the 19th century and early 20th century, it has become a topic of urgency in this generation.

New Book Release: Warped Perceptions

Warped Perceptions by Sandra Sookoo

Feelings don’t matter when destiny is a complicated and muddy sort of thing.

Charlotte Jackson doesn’t enjoy commanding a ship but does it out of duty. Then her life goes as unstable as a supernova when her ship—the Copernicus—is visited by a blue-haired alien who calls himself Garreth.

Jericho—Jax—Revels is determined to captain his own ship as well as keep Charlotte from destroying hers. While he can’t understand why she listens to feelings more than facts, he has a soft spot in his heart for the pretty captain. All that changes into fierce protection once an alien disables their shields and transports himself onto their ship.

Supreme Commander Garreth Wallace is on a mission to save his people. He wants to build an alliance with Earth to improve the dire problems of both their planets. Yet, even though he’s married with a family on his own planet, he can’t deny the lust he feels for Charlotte. If only she’d ditch her unspoken desire for her second-in-command.

When the Copernicus is attacked by the very beings Garreth wants to save Earth from, Charlotte and Jax will have to bank their feelings and focus on saving not only themselves but the entire planet. What the three find amidst the chaos could be the most valuable commodity of all.

New Book Release: The Torah Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom

The Torah Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom, vol. 1 by R. Natan Slifkin

The Torah Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom is a complete reference to animals in the Torah, Talmud and Midrash. Complete with stunning, full-color photographs, it includes:

• Entries on every mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, insect and fish found in the Torah, Prophets and Writings;
• All scriptural citations, and a vast range of sources from the Talmud and Midrash;
• Detailed analyses of the identities of these animals, based on classical Jewish sources and contemporary zoology;
• The symbolism of these animals in Jewish thought throughout the ages;
• Zoological information about these animals and fascinating facts;
• Studies of man's relationship with animals in Torah philosophy and law;
• Lessons that Judaism derives from the animal kingdom for us to use in our own daily lives;
• Laws relating to the various different animals.

The Torah Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom is an invaluable reference work that will be commonplace in homes and educational institution.