Compiler: Rabbi Eli Friedman
Translator: Binyomin Kaplan

Both an exploration of the month of Tishrei and an introduction to the major themes of Judaism.

The pieces which make up each chapter range from Chasidic stories and aphorisms, explanations of nuances in the liturgy of each holiday, and expositions of the significance of the details pertaining to each custom and observance.  Time and again the analysis yields insight into the most sublime concepts of Judaism: The unity between the Jewish people and their creator and each Jew`s responsibility to sanctify the mundane world and make it a dwelling place for the Divine.
 

With days of solemnity, awe, fasting and then rejoicing, the month of Tishrei is a cross-section of the Jewish year, as the editor explains, sharing teachings of the most recent Lubavich Rebbe and his predecessors about each holiday, its customs and themes along with many stories and aphorism. What makes this book different is its emphasis on the mystical dimension. Its 16-page table of contents makes the book easily accessible.

A sample from Sefer Hasichot, 5705: Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, the Tzemach Tzedek, related on the eve of Rosh Hashanah: Once I met some Jewish soldies, who told me that they had the custom to say psalms while polishing the buttons of their uniforms for inspections. The buttons are polished with sand and water. Sand is the letters of the psalms. Water is cleansing tears. Everyone must purify himself by  means of saying psalms with tears from the depths of the heart, and simultaneously, with joy of the soul.