Yaakov Branfman & Akiva Tatz, ArtScroll, 1994
The authors, both students of Rabbi Simcha Wasserman, (Rabbi Tatz is a cousin) offer insights about the life and ideas of a great Jewish leader. Rabbi Wasserman was the son of the great Rabbi Elchanan, head of the famous Baranovitch Yeshivah, who was martyred by the Nazis in 1941. He was a Torah leader in post-war America and then in Israel. I have a special interest, as I heard him speak just twice in Jerusalem in 1987, although some of the ideas I heard from him have had a profound influence on the way I approach the rabbinate and outreach. The book itself captures the man’s amazing insight and personality through his penetrating and sensible approach to the world. Reb Simcha was a founder and agitator of the Teshuvah movement, and much of the book is dedicated to understanding this remarkable phenomenon. One section that I have found particularly useful is the one dealing with Kabbalah – exploding myths and answering key questions in a simple and accessible manner. The section on child rearing and education is highly recommended. Sadly, the Wassermans had no children, but Reb Simcha is quoted as saying that he had plenty of experience in the field from the way in which he was raised by his own parents!
