As a supplement to the online Nach Yomi shiurim (lectures) – daily summaries of the chapters of Nach (Neviim and Ketuvim, or, Prophets and Writings) found at www.ouradio.org – presented by the Orthodox Union’s Pepa and Rabbi Joseph Karasick Department of Synagogue Services, Rabbi Jack Abramowitz, Associate Director of the Department, presents a new book, “The Nach Yomi Companion, Volume 1: Neviim – Prophets.” The book features a year’s worth of chapter-by-chapter synopses of the entire sefer, from Joshua to Malachi, as they appeared as part of the OU’s Nach Yomi online daily lecture series.
The Nach Yomi program is modeled on the successful Daf Yomi program, in which participants study one page of Talmud a day until the work is completed. The OU launched the Nach Yomi program on November 1, 2007, and each day features a webcast presentation of Neviim. Once Neviim was completed approximately one year later, the next work, Ketuvim began. The entire Nach will be completed on November 11, 2009.
Rabbi Abramowitz declared, “It’s extremely gratifying how well-received the OU’s Nach Yomi program has been and we strive to make this material as available as possible. Not only will this volume assist people with the Books of the Prophets the next time Nach Yomi comes around, it can be used any time to look up a troubling chapter in, say, Samuel, and see what’s going on in plain language.”
To assist those who wish to study the Nach, the OU has produced several free resources, such as a two-year Nach Yomi study calendar and a pamphlet summarizing the authors, dates and content of the 24 books of the Bible. Presenters of the Nach Yomi webcasts have included:
• Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, OU Executive Vice President, now Emeritus;
• Rabbi Menachem Leibtag, founder of the Tanach Study Center;
• Rabbi Chaim Brovender, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Hamivtar, Michlelet Bruriah and WebYeshiva.org;
• Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom, author of Between the Lines of the Bible; and many others.
As of this writing, Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein, a founding editor of www.torahcurrents.org, is lecturing on Mishlei, the Book of Proverbs. Rabbi Eric Levy, Principal of the North Shore Hebrew Academy, will be starting Iyov (Job) on May 15.
This literary addition gives participants in OU’s Nach Yomi program yet another option to learn the concise and clear lessons of the books in Neviim and Ketuvim. There are also the online lessons, as well as MP3s of the shiurim on DVD format. Now, with Rabbi Abramowitz’s “Companion,” people have a handy book to flip through in between classes, on the train, and whenever they want to learn.
Rabbi Abramowitz plans to publish a second volume on Ketuvim upon conclusion of the first cycle of Nach Yomi in November.
Copies of the book, which cost $19.99 each, are available through www.shopou.org. Those who wish to place a bulk order (at a discounted price) can contact Rabbi Abramowitz directly at jacka@ou.org or 212-613-8366.