Highlighting: “The Haas Family Edition Pele Yoeitz: The Classic Work by Eliezer Papo.” Mesorah Publications. 2023. English. Hardcover. 350 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1422639504.
(Courtesy of Artscroll) Imagine an encyclopedia—or, in 21st-century terms, a Wikipedia—of Torah thought, wisdom and hashkafa. You can read this encyclopedia through from A to Z—or, in this case, from Alef to Tav. You can also use it as a reference on specific topics. Or you might want to just riffle through the entries, broadening your knowledge and enriching your understanding.
And imagine that you can go to that encyclopedia and find not only facts and wisdom, but also brilliant and practical advice for living, and gentle mussar designed to strengthen your connection to Hashem and His Torah.
You don’t have to imagine it. That encyclopedic collection of Jewish wisdom and guidance has been available and beloved for two centuries. It’s called “Sefer Pele Yoeitz.” And it is now available and accessible to ArtScroll readers, with a flowing translation and elucidation, in the “Haas Family Edition Pele Yoeitz: The Classic Work by Rabbi Eliezer Papo.”
“Pele Yoeitz” was authored by the renowned halachic authority, ethicist and kabbalist Rav Eliezer Papo. The work, which has achieved universal popularity, is arranged alphabetically and covers themes that range from philosophy to halacha to practical advice. Topics discussed in this first of the projected four-volume series range from advice on chinuch, to interpersonal relationships, conducting a business, developing personal integrity, and how to build a home, look for a shidduch, or publish a sefer … the list goes on and on.
This first volume also features a comprehensive, 70-page discussion of dibbur, speech, and how a person can sanctify his words, with separate sections on mitzvah speech, permitted speech, and forbidden speech. Like the rest of the book, each section is a beautiful blend of hashkafa and practical, down-to-earth advice that displays a profound understanding of human nature.
This is a book of pele yoeitz — wondrous guidance — that has illuminated Jewish life for two centuries, and continues to bring Torah wisdom to us now.
