By Rabbi Dovid Juravel
Reviewed by Rabbi Chaim Serebrowski
An incident happened recently at the Shabbos seuda of a friend of mine:
A discussion arose around the table about the act of sechita – squeezing, with the men and women trying to figure out which melacha it falls under. Suddenly, from the end of the table, his 5-year-old son declared, “It’s dosh.” The adults in the room quickly pointed out that there was no connection between squeezing and threshing, but the young boy was adamant. “It’s dosh. I’m telling you.” After pulling out a sefer and referencing the melacha, everyone was surprised to learn that indeed – most scenarios of sechita do fall under the av melacha of dosh.
The humbled grown-ups now turn to the young whiz. “How in the world did you know that?” they ask. He answers without hesitation.
“Simple. I know it from Rabbi Juravel.”
Rabbi Dovid Juravel needs no introduction, as his popular CDs and books are a mainstay of today’s chinuch world. But the recent release of his now comic book series on halacha stands out for utilizing a new frontier to educate a young generation of children about some of the most applicable halachos.
The two books already released in The 39 Melachos with Rabbi Juravel series have transformed the entertainment of comic books into an effective and exciting way to teach children about the intricacies of many of the melachos of Shabbos, utilizing Rabbi Juravel’s trademark clarity and engaging storytelling to help children become proficient in areas that previously may have been muddled to them.
The books build on the tremendous success of Rabbi Juravel’s more-then 100 albums on all the parsha, moadim, Nach, and many other subjects, and specifically on the audio albums in the halcha series, released over the last few years, which have been heralded as a breakthrough phenomenon in the practical teaching of halacha. The CDs, covering hilchos Shabbos, Yom Tov, and kashrus, deliver many crucial halachos incorporated within enthralling stories. The albums have touched a nerve within the frum world, and the feedback has been overwhelming, with numerous people testifying how the albums changed their perception of hilchos Shabbos, Yom Tov, and kashrus.
Each of the sets released contain three CDs, each telling a different fictional story. As the stories progress, the protagonist faces various scenarios, and the details of the melachos or the kashrus concepts are intertwined in the storyline. In each set, the stories were molded around the halachos, assuring that over the course of the three stories in each three-CD set, all the vital elements would be addressed. At times, Rabbi Juravel will pause in the story to add more detail to a relevant halacha, and to point out why in the case of the story being told the action is permitted or prohibited. The stories themselves are fascinating, resulting in a pleasurable listening experience, without the educational-aspect of the albums detracting from the almost addictive storylines.
The recently released books expand the series to a new front. Many children are visuals learners, and they comprehend information more effectively when they see it, rather than by merely hearing it. The focus of the comic books is to give children who learn visually a means by which to get a better grasp on the halachos presented on Rabbi Juravel’s audio albums on halacha.
The books can be used as a standalone resource, or for children to read along as they listen to the CDs. The text of the books was designed to be as similar to the audio version as possible, and many children enjoy following along with the pictures as they listen to Rabbi Juravel’s rendition of the stories.
The first book in the series, entitled Falsely Accused, was released last year, and the second, Shugashvili’s Secret, hit bookstores earlier this month. Each book recreates one CD in Rabbi Juravel’s three-CD Shabbos series, and plans are in the works for a book on the third, and final, book on the lamed tes melachos.
In determining the style of book to create, much effort was exerted to assure that the book reflected the pure values that the frum world has come to associate with Rabbi Juravel. The artist, Mrs. Devorah Friedman, worked hard to ensure that the pictures were both exciting and relatable, while maintaining the tznius and temimus of Rabbi Juravel’s stories.
In the newest book, Shugashvili’s Secret, children can follow the journey of Russian citizen Yossel Rubin, as he is harassed by his rich, non-Jewish neighbor, Vladimir Shugashvili. After Shugashvili is taken away in a dramatic arrest for dereliction of army service, Yossel is drafted and finds himself under the authority of his former neighbor. Yossel has to use his wit to avoid violating the laws of Shabbos, as the army seeks to figure out who has been sneaking into the camp and laying dangerous mines.
Throughout the story, as each melacha comes into play, various tools are used to highlight the details of the melacha. A gold-colored stamp depicting the melacha and its translation clearly points out where each prohibition fits within the story, and occasionally a graphic of a sefer Torah, containing the precise halacha, appears near the storyline, to further add clarity to the melachos.
After the completion of the primary story of the book, Rabbi Juravel includes about 10 pages of practical halachos that relate to the story, divided into individual melachos. For example, the first melacha included at the end of Shugashvili’s Secret is Motzi Me’reshus L’reshus, and Rabbi Juravel points out specific instances in the story where the melacha comes up. He then adds practical cases in our lives where the melacha can come up, and instances where we would be allowed to carry certain items.
“Carrying something in our hands, in our pockets, or even in our mouth, like a candy, would be considered Motzi Me’reshus L’reshus — carrying from one place to another,” he writes in his famous kid-friendly wording. “Riding a bike is also considered like carrying the bike. Kinderlach, clothing that you are wearing is of course not considered carrying, but did you know that sometimes even something that’s part of our clothing can be considered carrying? Imagine if our coat has a loop that we use to hang the coat on a hook, and the loop ripped, and we want to sew it back on. Now the loop is hanging and can’t be used for anything. We can’t wear that coat on Shabbos — because that would be Motzi Me’reshus L’reshus.”
Later in the section, he introduces the concept of an eiruv. “Now, Kinderlach, many of you saw your parents carrying outside or pushing strollers on Shabbos, and you are wondering: Isn’t that the melachah of Motzi Me’reshus L’reshus? Well, Kinderlach, the answer is that there is a way to make it that the whole street is counted like one big yard, and carrying there is not considered like carrying from one place to another — because it is all one place. This is called making an eiruv. Many places have an eiruv, and we are allowed to carry there. But Kinderlach, even if there is an eiruv we still must be careful, because the eiruv is usually only a few blocks long, and when it ends, we might chas v’shalom carry outside of the eiruv. That would be Motzi Me’reshus L’reshus — carrying from inside the eiruv to outside the eiruv.”
Each section ends with a question, which drives children to think. “Now Kinderlach, let’s test ourselves. Which of these examples is Motzi Me’reshus L’reshus? 1. Picking up a yarmulke that fell on the floor next to your feet. 2. Carrying things from the kitchen to the dining room. 3. Bringing a pekele of nosh to shul in a place where there is no eiruv.”
These short chapters on each melacha bring the story in the book to a new level, and they serve as a perfect means to expand the halachos the children picked up in the story into a more comprehensive, meaningful understanding. In my own home, it has become the custom for me to learn a chapter with my children around the Shabbos seudah, and it has proven to be an engaging and enlightening activity.
Each word on the albums and in the books were reviewed by rabbonim, to assure that a clear depiction of the proper halacha was being offered in every scenario.
The stories in the halacha series have received haskamos from Rav Yaakov Forchheimer, senior posek at Bais Medrash Govoha; Rav Dovid Ribiat, author of The 39 Melachos; Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, rosh yeshiva of Zichron Moshe of South Fallsburg; Rav Yerucham Olshin, rosh yeshiva of Bais Medrash Govoha; Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen, rov of Ateres Yeshaya in Lakewood and author of a series on hilchos Shabbos; Rav Boruch Hirschfeld, rosh kollel of Kollel Ateres Chaim Boruch; Rav Zev Smith; Rav Noach Isaac Oelbaum, rov of Khal Nachlas Yitzchok in Queens; Rav Shraga Feivel Zimmerman, rov and av beis din of the Federation in London; and others.
The books are beautifully designed, and the glossy pages are clear and easy to read. Much of the financial undertaking of producing a book of this quality was offset by the Chafetz family of Cleveland, who chose to dedicate the first two books.
Aside from the work in progress on the third book in the hilchos Shabbos series, plans are underway for a series of books on the kashrus albums.
The books are available in seforim or Judaica stores, or directly from the distributer at israelbookshoppublications.com. Rabbi Juravel’s audio albums are also available for purchase at StoryTymeWithRabbiJuravel.com.
The cost of publishing the books are the primary limitation on future releases, and sponsorships can facilitate and accelerate the publication of additional books from Rabbi Juravel. For more information about dedication opportunities please call (845)798-1350 or email [email protected].
{Matzav.com}
