Earlier today I had the pleasure and the privilege of meeting Rabbi Yaacov Haber, a fellow Pirkei Avot enthusiast. I discovered that he is the author of a work on Avot, the first part (covering perakim 1-3) has already been published and the second part of which is in the pipeline.
This book is
Lev Avot: the commentary is in two parts. There is a concise commentary, itself titled
Lev Avot, that provides an explanation based on classical sources. The second part,
Banim al Avotam, frames the mishnayot within the context of the Tannaim who authored them. It's a lovely little book which, so far, I have found both enjoyable and informative. I was however saddened by the fact that, in the world of Pirkei Avot, there are so many books that, if one does not stumble across them by chance, one will never find. I have been reading works on Avot for decades and deeply regret the absence of accurate and timely information concerning the availability of new titles. This problem is not confined to Avot and is found elsewhere in Jewish literature, but it speaks badly of our ability to spread the word and share our thoughts and ideas with one another. In secular fields like law, medicine and business studies, new books are soon discovered, publicized, reviewed and circulated. When we are dealing with books that have an impact on a person's life in this world and the next, should we not be equally efficient in spreading the relevant data?
***************************************
Part 1 of Lev Avot, by Rabbi Yaacov Haber, was published by TorahLab, Monsey, in 2007. ISBN 978-1-58330-967-4. It is available on Amazon here.
