Description
“Peninei Halakha” is a comprehensive series of books on Jewish law designed for the contemporary reader. In a clear, concise and methodical style, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed explains the halakha (Jewish law).
Aided by the clear language and by the gradual explanation of the ideas – from the generalities to the particular applications – a beginner in Judaism will find in this book a wonderful companion. Nonetheless, an experienced student, familiar with Talmudic study, will also find information to clarify and organize his own knowledge of halakha, and to give it a solid foundation.
Various volumes of “Peninei Halakha” are studied daily in families in Israel and throughout the Jewish world and in Torah study centers, and serve as textbooks in many Israeli schools. With over 1,000,000 copies published, today “Peninei Halakha” is one of the most popular, widely read, and beneficial works in the field of Judaism.
Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, Rabbi Avraham Shapira, Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi Doron, all former Chief Rabbi’s of Israel, and of blessed memory, and Rabbi Meir Mazuz, dean of Yeshiva Kisse Rahamim, are just a few of the authorities who have honored the “Peninei Halakha” series with their recommendation.
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed shlita is the Rabbi of the community of Har Bracha, where he is the Head of the Yeshiva (center for Talmudic study). In addition to the nineteen volumes of “Peninei Halakha” published to date, he is the author of a weekly article “Revivim” in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper which he helped found, and continues to publish the works of Rabbi Tzaddok HaKohen of Lublin. He was awarded the “Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook Prize for Jewish Creativity” in 2013.
In this book, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed addresses the laws of Pesah: From the meaning of the holiday to general rules of the prohibition of hametz , the mitzvah of memoving hametz (bedikat hametz, bitul, biur, and mechirat hametz), Pesach kashrut, kitniyot, koshering the kitchen, the laws of matzah, the laws and customs of Pesach eve, the hagada and seder night.
In a clear, concise and methodical style, this book will enlighten the reader who wishes to discover or deepen his knowledge of Pesah, from the deep spiritual fundaments to the details of the laws. In addition, the book refers to the different customs among the people of Israel.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin –
I do not know of a better compendium of Jewish Law than Peninei Halakha by Harav Eliezer Melamed shlita. The clarity and organization of the legal requirements of Judaism makes the study of Jewish Law most pleasurable for any interested student. I recommend it with all my heart.
Douglas Wertheimer –
AFTER A FIRST ENCOUNTER with the writings of Rabbi ELIEZER MELAMED, even a reader unfamiliar with the Israelis 13-volume, practical halachic guides will feel no surprise that his works are so popular in Israel. In the just-released English translation of the Passover book, Rabbi Melamed presents a most appealing persona – moderate and judicious, knowledgeable, thoughtful, and respectful.
That would seem impossible today when the subject is the Laws of Pesah (Yeshivat Har Bracha/Maggid Books, 313pp., $29.95), but Rabbi Melamed manages in a clear manner to wend his way through the complex laws of Passover on an even keel, even relating his practical guidance to both Ashkenazic and Sephardic customs.
I would challenge the translators’ use of the word “kosher” as a verb in this otherwise fluid rendition of the Hebrew work, when the word ought to be, and usually is, “kasher” (thus JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, 2001).
While the reader is grateful for an index, this one falls short not only in being divided in two, but in referencing chapter and sections rather than page numbers. I don’t have enough fingers to hold open all of the pages when looking up multiple subjects.
Douglas Wertheimer (Chicago Jewish Star)
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb –
For some years now, Rav Eliezer Melamed, the spiritual leader of the yeshiva and community of Har Bracha in Israel, has been publishing guidebooks which enable Jews with a very wide range of religious backgrounds to better observe halakhic practice…. I recommend this translation to the English-reading public. This series will educate and inspire the reader and help achieve a higher level of meaningful religious observance.
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
Executive Vice President Emeritus of the Orthodox Union