He was known as the Ish Ha'emes (Man of Truth), the one who cringed from the slightest deviance from the straight and narrow. His daily
tefillos, recited with genuine tears and a powerful depth of emotion, were legendary. The intimate relationship he had with his Creator defies description.
He was Rav Shimon Schwab zt"l, one of the greatest gedolim of recent times. Though he passed away nearly twenty years ago, leaving a void of unimaginable proportions in the Torah world, Rav Schwab left behind a precious legacy - his writings, his sefarim, and his divrei Torah, all of which are as beautiful and as relevant today as the day Rav Schwab penned them.
In Rav Schwab on Chumash, readers are given a window into the brilliance and depth of Rav Shimon Schwab. This sefer includes both Rav Schwab's dazzling insights on the parshah, as well as many stories, vignettes, and lessons from the life and writings of the Rav that help illustrate various points brought out in the book.
Many of the chiddushei Torah in this volume were originally written in Rav's Schwab's magnum opus, Ma'ayan Beis Hosho'eivah, and have now been carefully selected, translated, and written over. Others are original chiddushim that have never been published before, which were heard from the Rav by his family and students. The anecdotes from the Rav's life and excerpts from his speeches and essays, which accompany most of the divrei Torah in this book, are all thought-provoking, stimulating, and profoundly inspiring.
A beautiful mini-biography of Rav Schwab's life as an opener to the book, as well as "The Rav and His Mission" at the close of the book, further complete the richness of this sefer, providing readers with an additional dimension of this holy tzaddik who lived in our midst just two decades ago.
For those looking to enhance their understanding of Chumash "and of life" by way of the insights offered by a venerable gadol hador, Rav Schwab on Chumash is the sefer to learn, to internalize, and to cherish.
By: Rabbi Myer Schwab