History

Most of us think of avodah zarah as something repugnant, forbidden, and entirely outside our scope of interest. But its treatment in Tanach and by Chazal shows much complexity that we gloss over. Rabbi Klein, a talmid chacham and scholar, does the heavy lifting for us, uncovering what we need to know - and entirely in the spirit of Chazal and our mesorah.

Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, Director of Interfaith Affairs, Simon Wiesenthal Center

Much of the Bible is an attack on various pagan rituals that were practiced by the Israelites and their neighbors… But the exact meaning and nature of what is being condemned and why are shrouded in mystery - with the result that large parts of our own sacred texts are simply not understood. Rabbi Klein is providing a very useful service in filling this lacuna.

Rabbi Dr. Yitzchak Breitowitz, Rav, Kehillat Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem, Israel

Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein once again combines traditional rabbinic scholarship with historical and archeological information to give us a complete and comprehensive treatment of a vast topic… Engaging and informative, this unique book is highly recommended for those who want to gain a deeper understanding of the main obstacle to the Jewish People's relationship with G-d in the time of the Bible.

Rabbi Dr. Zvi Ron, Editor, Jewish Bible Quarterly

About the Author

Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein is a native of Valley Village, CA. He graduated Emek Hebrew Academy and Yeshiva Gedolah of Los Angeles before going to study at the famed Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem and in Beth Medrash Govoha of America in Lakewood, NJ. He received rabbinic ordination from leading authorities Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, Rabbi Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Lerner, and Dayan Chanoch Sanhedrai. He is also a member of the RCA, an alumnus of Ohr LaGolah, and was awarded a summer fellowship at the Tikvah Institute for Yeshiva Men in 2015.

Mosaica Press published his first book, Lashon HaKodesh: History, Holiness, & Hebrew in 2014, and it became an instant classic. Rabbi Klein has also published papers in several prestigious journals, including Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society (New York), Jewish Bible Quarterly (Jerusalem), Kovetz Hamaor (Monsey), and Kovetz Kol HaTorah (London). Many of his writings and lectures are available for free on the internet. Rabbi Klein is currently a member of the Kollel of Yeshivas Mir in Jerusalem and lives with his wife and children in Beitar Illit, Israel. Learn More

The son of Holocaust survivors, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Klein grew up hearing personal stories of horror and heroism, as his parents survived the inferno against all odds and courageously rebuilt their lives in North America. In this poignant collection, Rabbi Klein describes how his parents’ past affects his own life — from becoming a grandfather for the first time to navigating yamim tovim and life cycle events, to eventually revisiting Polish soil and spearheading Holocaust education worldwide. Rabbi Klein provides a new and illuminating lens through which to view Churban Europa.

In the Fragments is a compelling book that will inspire everyone to approach the Holocaust as a means to deepen and enrich their appreciation for life, and encourage the next generation to do the same. Learn More

Without passports, visas or authentic identity papers, bitachon becomes the family's ticket on a perilous flight to freedom. Learn More

Yerushalayim. A city that stands or is destroyed, because of one man's hatred of his brother.
Or...one girl's hatred of her sister?

Chava and Tirtza. Two sisters pushed hard and far away from each other. But even as they pull and tear themselves and each other apart, they realize that the bond between them is too strong to break...

With battle cries in the air, and so many young soldiers falling all around her, Chava Warinsky becomes engaged to a wonderful chassan. But like the trajectory of so much of her life, her joy is shortlived-because of her sister Tirtza.

Yechiel Eisenman is denied his desire to sit and learn, as he is dragged into defending the Old City. But with his brother Chatzkel calling the shots, he finds himself playing a role that is a whole lot more dangerous than he ever anticipated.

Sisters under Siege unfolds against the backdrop of Israel's raging War of Independence. In this beautifully written, intricately woven historical novel, readers are given a taste of the throbbing feelings of the time, the emotions that ran deep within every Jew of this era. And as we follow the painful and triumphant twists and turns of both the characters of this novel and the residents of Yerushalayim at this time, we discover that beneath the differences of every Jew is a core of goodness, a deep sense of caring for the other.

Sometimes that goodness can push one to make great sacrifices for a brother-or a sister.

And in those sacrifices lies hope. For in them lies the road back to Yerushalayim. Learn More

Eduardo meets his future wife at the wrong time. Or is it the right time? Hortensia wants her daughter to get married in a church.

Esmeralda yearns to see her one surviving relative in Portugal. Carlos sees only one alternative. Somehow, he must extricate his family from the relentless clutches of the evolving Inquisition.

Clinging desperately to their Jewish roots, the protagonists confront a destiny that forces them from one exile to another. Yet, a young, bright hope for the future shines through the pages. The story of the "wandering Jew" comes alive through a colorful array of fifteenth century characters that includes Castilians, rabbis, emirs, Moors, pirates, shaliachs, cartographers, sofers and pilgrims. Glimpses of Jewish life during the Middle Ages in Europe, North Africa and the Levant, and reflections on the connection between past and present, reveal the secret of Jewish continuity. Learn More

After discovering her uncle’s devious plan, fifteen-year-old Raizel Golden is forced to leave her loving family in civilized Boston and flee to her relatives in the rugged Colorado Territory. On the run with only a colorful carpetbag holding precious letters and simple art supplies, Raizel joins a wagon train of American settlers trekking out west. She crosses rivers and mountains, and faces buffalo hunts, hostile Indians, and miles and miles of prairie land.

Will Raizel’s emunah and determination be strong enough for her to forge ahead—despite the threat to her Yiddishkeit?

Trailblazer is an exciting historical novel filled with shifting fates and fortunes. Popular author Sukey Gross takes readers on a fascinating journey through America during the height of its pioneer days. Join Raizel as she blazes a trail through the western frontier—into the unknown. Learn More

Yuri Brenner. Former KGB agent and partisan, now working for the Shin Bet. Living in Bnei Brak, married to his mentor's widow, building a new family and a new life. But-can he ever find his place?

Pavel Neumann. Red Army soldier, a drifter, never quite settled. After meeting up again with his best friend and commander from the war, he comes to the fledgling State of Israel, trying to figure himself out. The twists his life then takes are beyond his imagination...

Nechama. Her early childhood a hazy fog, she was adopted as a war orphan by Kibbutz Asif and believes this will be her home forever, her safety net that encompasses her past, present and future. But will it remain so?

Kibbutz Asif. Hidden secrets, hidden children. What is going on behind the idyllic scenes of farm life so innocuously hidden away in this far corner of Israel?

In Stepping Stones, Rochel Istrin, a master of historical fiction, takes us back to WWII's aftermath and the early years in Israel. Everyone has their past to deal with as they etch out a new path for themselves.

Powerful, compelling, intense, Stepping Stones is a novel that will take you on a gripping tale of action and inner growth in which each of its characters goes through the stepping stones of their lives...while learning that change, though sometimes painful, ultimately blossoms into true meaning and fulfillment.

Rochel Istrin is the author of Searching, Hidden, and co-author of Baby's First Year. She writes regularly for several publications. Learn More

Many countries. Many lives. 
And one overwhelming love, for Hashem, His Torah and His People. 
Meet Shulamit Bitton-Blau. You're going to love her.

One foggy day in northern England, a young woman danced into the relatively new girl's seminary that had been founded in Gateshead, wearing an enchanting smile, a bright purple coat, and sandals. The only child of a family deeply rooted in Djerba, the legendary island of Kohanim, Shulamit Cohen was Sefardic, a miracle child whose Jewish education had taken place entirely at home. Yet within moments of her arrival she felt entirely at home in Gateshead - and Gatehead felt entirely at home with its new, unusual and exuberant student.

It was that exuberance, coupled with her rock-solid emunah and her unparalleled love for Torah, which carried Shulamit through her many journeys and challenges. That wide-eyed student grew up to be the wife of an impoverished Torah scholar in Gateshead, a rabbanit in Marseilles when her husband was appointed av beis din, a widow who married off eight children, and, after her remarriage, the wife of one of the outstanding figures in Yerushalayim's Eida Chareidis.

Quite a journey; and Shulamit was quite a personality. Bestselling author Libby Lazewnik brings her to vivid life: her unusual optimism in the face of daunting circumstances and her devotion to her family - a family that included all of Klal Yisrael.

From Djerba to Jerusalem is an engrossing story. More: it's an eye-opening, heart-opening look at the power of chesed, emunah, and love. Learn More