Publishing A Children's Book (Not Mine)
Jewish wisdom rhymes
Una nota para mis lectores de habla hispana: Ustedes son una parte esencial de nuestra comunidad, y valoro profundamente la oportunidad de compartir estas enseñanzas judías con ustedes. La poesía, especialmente las rimas infantiles, depende mucho del ritmo y los juegos de palabras únicos de cada idioma. Aunque no puedo ofrecer una traducción directa de estas rimas en este momento, espero crear en el futuro una colección original de rimas infantiles judías en español, que capture la misma calidez y sabiduría, mientras honra la belleza del idioma español. ¡Gracias por su comprensión y paciencia!
A note to my Spanish-speaking readers: You are an essential part of our community, and I deeply value sharing these Jewish teachings with you. Poetry, especially nursery rhymes, relies heavily on rhythm and wordplay that's unique to each language. While I can't provide a direct translation of these rhymes right now, I hope to create an original collection of Jewish nursery rhymes in Spanish in the future—one that captures the same warmth and wisdom while honoring the beauty of the Spanish language.
I'm excited to share a special project that's close to my heart! I recently had the privilege of editing, adapting, and illustrating a beloved children's book. This labor of love is now publicly available, and I'd love to tell you the story behind it.
Many years ago, when I was a child, my parents had a book called "Jewish Wisdom Rhymes." The author was named simply as "Rachel Brocha," and these rhymes were clever adaptations of familiar Mother Goose themes, infused with values and life lessons.
I had memorized them as a child, and frequently shared them with others, but our family's copy had long since disappeared. After an extensive search, I finally tracked down a copy from a used bookstore in California.1 This discovery led me down an unexpected path of connections and coincidences.2
It had been published by Chadish Media.3 What caught my attention were the two rabbinical approbations—one from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein and another from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, both very different and towering figures in 20th-century Judaism. I am not aware of another publisher with these two approbations.
After reaching out, I received a call from Rabbi Mordechai Rosenberg of Chadish Media. To my amazement, he remembered my father ordering the original copy years ago! He connected me to the original author, Rachel Brocha Hartstein, who generously granted permission to adapt her work.
While the book is available for purchase, the same content is available in a free PDF version, which you can download and print for yourself! My goal is only to share these rhymes with as many people as possible. More information below.
This project has been a beautiful reminder of how old books can build new bridges. Tremendous thanks to Rabbi Mordechai Rosenberg for his kind support. As always, thank you to my mentor, Rebbetzin Devorah Fastag, for her invaluable guidance in writing Isha Yiras Hashem at substack. Who knew that a little book of Jewish Mother Goose could lead to such wonderful discoveries?
Wise people say that the perfect is the enemy of the good. In that spirit, I've created a website where you can download the PDF for free, if I have set it up correctly.4
You should find yourself at theWEBSITE FOR FREE JEWISH WISDOM RHYMES PDF if you click me!!
The softcover version is on Amazon for $7.00. I recommend this edition, which has newer illustrations using DALL-E and Canva. While I won't be winning any art awards, I do think they have a certain charm!
Click me for Amazon softcover Jewish Wisdom Rhymes!!
There's also a 2.99 Kindle version, with an earlier, even less sophisticated set of illustrations. You can find it if you follow the Amazon link above.
Below are some sample pages.
Thanks, Hollander books!
As we know, there is no such thing as coincidence.
Website: https://www.chadishmedia.com
If not, let me know, and I can edit the website with my brand-new website making skills! If that fails, email me at ishayirashashem@gmail.com and I am happy to share it with you from Google docs.
https://ishayirashashem.substack.com/p/jewishwisdomrhymes
I found it on Amazon!!!
Thank you for this. Lovely!