Haftara Handbook: Lessons from the Prophets for the Contemporary Jew

In today's world, a fast-paced era of culture, enlightenment, and technology, there would seem to be little purpose in reading the Haftara. Are ancient archaic words written thousands of years ago relevant to our day and age?

In an age of democracy where leaders are followers, true guidance is hard to come by. Opinions abound, but what is the absolute path of truth?

The answers are in the words of the prophets. Their divinely inspired teachings exhort us to adhere to the Torah. They guide us and inform us of what is right…and what is wrong. Chazal tell us that while over 1,200,000 prophets existed, only those prophecies that were needed for future generations were recorded. These words speak to us, in our time, and are applicable to every Jew within his or her unique circumstances.

The Haftara Handbook gives us a weekly insight into the holy words of the prophets. Compiled from classical and contemporary sources, each essay contains a summary of that day's Haftara, followed by the connections to the Parsha or the Yom Tov, and then explores profound messages pertinent to our lives.

Open it up, and let the prophets speak to you.