New From OU Press: For Purim

01 Feb 2012

OU PRESS ANNOUNCES “MAJESTY AND MYSTERY,” NEW COMMENTARY ON MEGILLAT ESTHER, BY RABBI NORMAN LAMM

Without a doubt, the Jewish holidays are the high points of the Jewish calendar. Purim is no exception, with its whirlwind of Megillah reading, skits, costumes, mishloach manot, and general frenetic activity bordering on the frivolous. Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, Chancellor and former President of Yeshiva University, has been sensitizing the Jewish community to deeper levels of meaning within the holidays for years, and his new book, Majesty and Mystery, a commentary on Megillat Esther, searches for the deeper meaning of Purim that lies beneath all the fun and frolic.

Published by the OU Press | Jewish Educational Publications, Majesty and Mystery is a compelling contemporary commentary consisting of Rabbi Lamm’s insights on Megillat Esther and the Purim holiday, gleaned from the vast corpus of his oral and written offerings. Rabbi Lamm’s commentary combines his Talmudic erudition with his renowned eloquence, creating a commentary that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally rewarding. Together with several complete derashot on other “days of thanksgiving,” this new presentation of Rabbi Lamm’s thought provides a broad canvas on which he portrays, in his inimitable style, God’s repeated salvation of His people — a salvation which is sometimes clear and bold, at others times ambiguous and obscure. The holiday of Purim takes on new and deeper meaning with Rabbi Lamm’s keen insight and nuanced perspective, and Majesty and Mystery constitutes a veritable treasure trove of profound insights and inspiring teachings.

Majesty and Mystery joins Rabbi Lamm’s most recent books, The Royal Table, a commentary on the Passover Haggadah; and Festivals of Faith: Reflections on the Jewish Holidays, in enriching our appreciation of the sanctity of holidays.

Majesty and Mystery is the latest publication from the OU Press, the publishing house of the Orthodox Union. The OU Press publishes books that breathe new life and relevance into the classic texts we study and the rituals we practice every day. Upcoming publications include Between the Lines of the Bible — Exodus: A Study from the New School of Orthodox Torah Commentary, by Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom, which harnesses the tools of modern Biblical scholarship in the service of classical Torah study, published in conjunction with Urim Publications.

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