Mayim Bialik: The One Book You Need To Read For Passover: I want to share with you a new book I have fallen in love with if you read one book about Passover season, this is it. And if you read one book about a Jewish holiday, this is the one to read. And, honestly, if you read just one book in your life about Judaism, I still think this is the book to read. Why? How can one book be potentially so many things for so many people? Well, it s because of the lens of the author. Rabbi David Fohrman is the founder of AlephBeta.org, a website of fun and interesting educational videos about all things Jewish. What makes AlephBeta special is the lens Rabbi Fohrman uses with which to examine the world through Judaism. The whole site is infused with a modern, traditional, scientific and inquisitive lens. The Exodus You Almost Passed Over is Rabbi Fohrman s new book which uses his unique lens to explore everything from why we call Passover Passover to why the journey to freedom had to be so incredibly convoluted to what it means to be chosen and how this story affects us right here, right now. For thousands of years, Judaism has centered around a set of stories we tell from our Torah. For thousands of years, we have told those stories faithfully. But there is another set of wisdom and knowledge that most people especially those of us who were not raised in a religious setting or going to a religious school have been left out of. Rabbi Fohrman brings that world to us. It is the world of Rabbinical analysis, of turning every story over, of turning every word over, of finding the hidden meaning and making it all come together as a whole rather than a set of parts. This book brings all of this to us with humor, with joy, and in a way modern types can wrap our heads around. Rabbi Fohrman uses the Passover story to illustrate not only the stories behind the stories, but he shows us a way to think about Judaism that many of us have previously never had access to. I especially hate reading books where I m talked down to or where I m made to feel stupid for not knowing what the heck every detail is that the author is talking about. The Exodus You Almost Passed Over is written in small chapters: tastes of ideas with parallels and conclusions drawn being laid out very clearly and concisely. But I never feel patronized when reading Rabbi Fohrman s work. He has a marvelous way of speaking to you and bringing you to the next level of your understanding and your capabilities intellectually without making you feel like he s dumbing it down. I strongly suggest you find time to read The Exodus You Almost Passed Over before Passover. It will enlighten your holiday, get you thinking about bigger things, and bring you closer to your intellect which, as the great scholar Maimonides notes, is the glory of God. And if you re never visited AlephBeta.org, now is a great time. So many people use the videos to entertain and educate their kids, and my kids love the videos. Schools use them, and many people who know nothing about Judaism but want to learn more have found a great resource in AlpehBeta. Jewish learning never stops. There are so many ways to keep learning: meeting new communities, praying new places, celebrating at new people s homes and learning about how and why they do Judaism the way they do it...and so many books to read. I hope this book enlightens you and entertains you as it did me. Check it out and happy preparing for Passover! --Mayim Bialik: The One Book You Need To Read For Passover. Kveller, April 4, 2016 --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Rabbi David Fohrman is the Dean and founder of Aleph Beta and scholar for the Hoffberger Foundation for Torah Study. He lectures internationally on Biblical themes. Rabbi Fohrman currently resides in Woodmere, NY with his wife and children, where he also serves as resident scholar at the Young Israel of Woodmere. Rabbi Fohrman is the author of The Beast that Crouches at the Door, finalist for the 2007 National Jewish Book Award, and The Queen You Thought You Knew. He served as a senior writer and editor for ArtScroll s Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud, and taught Biblical Themes at The Johns Hopkins University. Rabbi Fohrman s recorded lectures and animated videos are available at alephbeta.org. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.