by
Rabbi Jack Tauber
Divrei Ya'akov is a collection
of the teachings and insights on the Book of Exodus by Rabbi Jack
Tauber, author of the Chazon Ya'akov commentary on Maimonides's
Laws on Talmud Torah.
While Rabbi Tauber's teachings in his prior work regarding the Book
of Genesis, Yalkut Ya'akov, focused primarily on the individual's
relationship to God and to his fellow man in modern times, those
on the Book of Exodus continue to examine a Jew's individual responsibilities.
It emphasizes the issues relating to the people of Israel as a collective:
the individual's relationship with his or her community, with the
people of Israel as a whole, and with the Land of Israel.
At the same time, Rabbi Tauber grapples with how the Jew of today
should relate to the Holocaust, Zionism and the establishment of
Israel, and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism.
A brilliant scholar with a questing mind that sought to find the
deepest meanings of the Torah, the issues confronted in Divrei Ya'akov
are ones Rabbi Tauber dealt with throughout his entire life.
Divrei Ya'akov is not merely a collection of his sermons and teachings
on the weekly Torah portion. As Yalkut Ya'akov, his insightful work
on the Book of Genesis, set forward a philosophy of Judaism to guide
the individual through interpersonal relations, Rabbi Tauber's teachings
on the Book of Exodus set forth a comprehensive guide for the Jewish
people in its confrontation and interactions with the nations of
the world.
Rabbi Jack Tauber (1916 -
1991) was the spiritual leader of the Avenue Z Jewish Center,
Brooklyn, NY, for 43 years. As a youth he was active in the Betar
Zionist Youth movement where he served as personal secretary to
Zev Jabotinsky, leader of the Zionist-Revisionist movement. During
the Holocaust he was active in the Vaad Hatzolah assisting in
the rescue of Jews from Europe. After the war he joined the Irgun
Tzvai Leumi, thereafter remaining active in the Zionist-Revisionist
movement.
|
