New On The Bookshelf
There’s lots of new books on the market this summer. Below is a selection you can’t miss!
Inclusion and the Power of the Individual
In the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Rabbi Ari Sollish
Ezra Press, 183 pages
This slim volume recounts the Rebbe’s approach to people with disabilities. Their limitations, he believed, should not deprive them of the opportunity to contribute to society, for they have much to bring to the table.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the Rebbe’s approach was how perfectly natural inclusion was to him. At a time when exclusion was the norm—when people with disabilities were essentially locked out of “mainstream” schools, the workforce, and society at large—when families with loved ones who were disabled often splintered due to social pressures and stigma, the Rebbe advocated inclusion. With love, compassion, and respect, the Rebbe drew in those whom society pushed away.
One By One: From the acclaimed weekly Here’s My Story series.
Jewish Educational Media, 295 pages
The psychiatrist with a vision for change. The young girl looking for direction. The scientist buried in research . . . So many individuals from around the world, each on their own journey, passed through the door of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
The timeless stories of their personal encounters with the Rebbe are collected in One by One and reveal a kaleidoscopic view of the lives touched and transformed by the Rebbe.
Rabbi Dr. Aryeh Solomon
Herder & Herder, 326 pages
Available in October 2019
For more than twenty years, Dr. Aryeh Solomon has scrutinized the vast educational discourse of the Rebbe, examining more than 3,000 documents. Now, in Spiritual Education, Dr. Solomon shares his findings, revealing the Rebbe’s previously undiscovered theory of education.
It is a theory which is at once practical and inspirational, transforming the way that we think about teaching methodologies, curriculum content, academic policies, and the immense responsibility that every educator shares: the responsibility to transform the future.
Schwartzie
Chai Publishing, 294 pages
Rabbi Shlomo Schwartz (1945-2017) was a one time bongo-thumping Greenwich Village beatnik whose passion for Judaism was ignited by the Rebbe. Schwartzie, as he was affectionately known, became an unconventional and inspirational teacher of Torah. With his colorful sense of humor and his knack for connecting with people, Schwartzie was able to guide countless Jews on a spiritual journey back to their roots.
A Chabad representative to the UCLA campus during the 70s and 80s, Schwartzie stood out as the long-bearded rabbi who wore jeans, a tie-dyed t-shirt, and suspenders. “Who could be afraid of a rabbi in rainbow suspenders?” he’d ask.
I Love When That Happens is a collection of sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, and sometimes breathtaking stories from Schwartzie’s life. They capture the rabbi’s unique gift for opening the eyes of those around him—revealing G-d’s master plan in small, everyday moments.
It’s Within You
A Detailed Road Map to Igniting Deeper Self-Worth, Richer Relationships, and Greater Personal Freedom
Rabbi Aryeh Weinstein and Dr. Ilene Cohen
Harte & Co Publishing, 194 pages
Frustrated that he just won’t change? Psychotherapist Dr. Ilene S. Cohen and Rabbi Aryeh Weinstein would tell you that you’re looking in the wrong place. The thing that needs to change isn’t sitting next to you. It’s within you.
It all comes down to one simple—but not always easy—shift: Stop expecting others to change, and work on changing yourself instead. It’s Within You demonstrates how we can harness a new, stronger self-worth; respond to real-life issues with healthy behaviors; and become the source of our own thoughts and emotions.
This article was featured in Lubavitch International, Summer 2019. To order your copy, visit www.lubavitch.com/subscription.
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