“Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History,” published by HarperCollins, has debuted on The New York Times bestseller list for the week of June 29.
This comes after skyrocketing to the top of both the Amazon and Barnes & Noble best-seller lists and completely selling out its first printing almost before it went on sale on June 10.
The “captivating portrait” of the Rebbe is described by its publisher as “the definitive guide to understanding one of the most vital, intriguing figures of the last centuries.”
As Jewish communities worldwide gear up to mark the 20th yahrtzeit anniversary of the Rebbe’s passing, on the third of the Hebrew month of Tammuz (July 1 on the Gregorian calendar), interest in Rebbe is expected to mount.
“It is rare to see so much interest in a new title so quickly,” said Katherine Beitner, director of publicity for HarperCollins Publishers. “The demand has been so great that we’ve already gone back to press a fourth time. Clearly, people all over the globe have been affected by the Rebbe’s message, which remains just as relevant and strong, if not stronger, 20 years after his passing.”
Critics, too, have given the 640-page book by Joseph Telushkin high marks.
Calling it “mesmerizing” and “accessible” for even “the non-Jewish or nonreligious reader,” The Wall Street Journal wrote a 2,000-word glowing review of ‘Rebbe,’ explaining that “it will appeal to those curious about the Rebbe’s influence on public life … [and also reveals] the Rebbe’s thoughts on subjects ranging from evolution to baseball.”
In her detailed analysis of both Telushkin’s ‘Rebbe’ and noted Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Even-Israel (Steinsaltz)‘s new book “My Rebbe” for the Journal, novelist Dara Horn finishes by declaring: “For all his immense achievements, the Rebbe’s power ultimately came from a simple message that anyone can appreciate. As Mr. Telushkin puts it: ‘Love your fellow, and not just those who agree with you.”
On New York 1’s popular Book Reader program, esteemed Wall Street Journal editor Bari Weiss urged listeners to “do yourself a favor and pick up this biography. You don’t need to be a Jew or even be a religious person to learn from this monumental man!”
And The Huffington Post gushed that “through his clear and unambiguous prose cultivated from many sources, Telushkin recounts how the Rebbe fundamentally transformed notions of human potential, as he believed individuals were capable of much more than we imagine for ourselves. Rebbe will be a staple of rabbinic biography for years come.”
Concurring, the New York Journal of Books asserts that ‘Rebbe’ “brings the great man alive and gives the reader powerful motivation to examine his or her own life and ask what obstacles need to be faced.”
As if adding to that, The Jewish Herald Voice declares, “Spend some time getting to know the Rebbe [with this book]. You’ll be glad you did.”
Rebbe is available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and bookstores throughout the United States.
The source of checking the locks is bruchshtat (who composed a couple of nigunnim) when something was stolen and he wrote to the rebbe about it
Rabbi Resnick Enough with the Chassidishe shtick, This book was not meant for you, But if you think this book wont help your Mekuravim your wrong, im not saying a Shiur Tanya wont do more then this book though.
Thank you.
If only people were as excited about a Sicha or a Maamer of the Rebbe…
R. Nissen z”l was the author’s grandfather
Joseph telushkin is the grandson of Reb Nisen Telushken.
last night (wed night) at the smicha graduation in LA, the Rosh blasted the books as being unsuitable for a chossid to read.
it’s good for outsiders but not for us.
He’s Rabbi Nissan’s grandson (and mentions this briefly in the introduction).
I read even-yisroels book and he humanizes the Rebbe. I read Millers book and he tried to psycho-analyze the Rebbe on what made the Rebbe who he is. I started reading Telushkins book and it really disturbed me. Coming in from the wrong slant, and too many pre-dsipositions/
I think Mendesohn needs to complete his book he started 20 years ago.
As a Chassid, none of these books do justice. If you want to give the book to a Friend of Chabad – I recommend even-yisroels book the best of these three.
Bottom line is we need the Rebbe back!
I read Shtensaltzs book, my feeling is that he fills this void masterly, a must to read !
Does anyone know what relation Rabbi Telushkin is (if at all) to Rabbi Nissan Telushkin – author of Taharas Mayim?
My perception of the REbbe MHM is thru stories of nissim I heard as a Lubavitcher girl growing up in a chassidisher home, going to a Lubavitcher school, the sichos and mamorim we as chabad chasidim learn and mostly the couple of years running to 770 each time the siren went off and anyone who was actually there and saw the rebbe mhm on the porch nodding with such vigor to yechi cannot tolerate reading a book written by someone so ignorant as to what was going on prior to gimmel tammus. I was told there are afew disturbing things… Read more »
Just the opposite.
before gimul Tammuz, there were chabad publications that printed moshiach can’t come from the dead.
Get your facts straight before you post
No?
With all the excitement – and there is what to be excited, Millions are getting exposed to the Rebbe in “DI GAZETTEN” –
let this not distract us from the main thing: “ZEN AROpRENGENN DEM REBBEN” as our Rebbe wrote to Reb Avrohom Pariz.
Lets use this as a springboard to get as much as people closer to the Rebbe.
LOMIR SHTUREMEN GANTZ SEIDER HISHTALSHELUS TO BRING OUR DEAR REBBE BACK!!
Any revolutionary ideas?
Does anone know what R. Shochet has said about this book?
WSJ Weekday Circulation 2,378,827 daily
(incl. 900,000 digital
Publishers get a week notice so they can prepare
Why is it important for people to know of the Rebbe now?
Haha, you’re right!
Didn’t think of that…
Exactly! Thanks for putting my thoughts into words!
Though you wrote it much more politely than how I would’ve written it…
And for someone who spent five years on this to still say that Chabad presetly has no Rebbe (interview with Prager)… Yup, Telushkin deffinitely missed the boat.
before gimmel tamuz the world was saying that moshiach cant come from the living and will be from the dead so therefore the rebbe cant be moshiach
and after gimmel tamuz suddenly moshiach cant be from the dead???
josef telushkin you should learn perek cheleck and more about moshiach before writing moshiach cant come from the dead!!!
Very well said. Completely agree
Kudos for your thoughts on the book. Didn’t know there were Bocherim in our midst that can articulate this well.
Your review encouraged me to order a copy so that I may see for myself the outstanding points you articulate so well.
Where did you/do you, go to Yeshivah? I want to send my son there.
It’s not on their best seller list!
It’s scheduled to be on the NY Times best-seller list the
week of June 29 according to the first paragraph of this piece.
Raleigh, well written!
I read the first few pages and got that feel too.
We will have to be happy that we get to share the Rebbe with so many others.
They will have to come and get the blessings themselves 😉
Fair criticism of Telushkins take on the Rebbe, I suggest you read Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s book to get a flavor of the Rebbe portrayed as a G-dly figure rather than posting someone else criticism here?
What are the odds that not one, not two, but three books should all be published at the same time, each one elaborating with incredible detail the Rebbe’s life, as both a physical and spiritual person and leader? Years of meticulous research invested into each one of them, each offering a distinct prospective into The Rebbe. It is certainly no coincidence, perhaps this is the Rebbe’s way of introducing himself to the world before the final Redemption!
This book is a book about the Rebbe. He offers a comprehensive glimpse into the Rebbe’s personality. He effectively melts the ice from outsiders so they will be willing to engage us and listen to our message. You can’t expect this book to be a substitute for shlichus. In my opinion we don’t want Telushkin doing that. He’s a conservative Rabbi and won’t due justice to the spiritual dimensions of the Rebbe. He addressed the Rebbe generically which is the best outcome.
You are looking at the old list. Wait until the list for the June 29 print edition is put on their site.
I dont see it on the nytimes website as a best seller?
Available at seforimdeals.com for only $19.99 with free delivery in Crown Heights. We also ship!
Huge fan of this book, yet I think all should read this. A review of the book that has topped Amazon’s x-ian leadership list for the past few days. How Telushkin Missed the Boat by: Raleigh Resnick The Rebbe’s sensitivity to every detail of life; his unfathomable work ethic, determination, laser vision, and unique ability to connect to individuals; a single human being whose influence in every sphere of life and on every continent simply boggles the mind; a charismatic visionary, pragmatic strategist, and brilliant scholar who fearlessly yet unpretentiously led a generation – all of these dimensions of the… Read more »
Excuse my ignorance. When you say sold out of it’s “4th printing” I would be more impressed if you would say each printing was a half a million copies.
When each printing might only be 1500 copies etc…….