Shalom Aleichem!
I am a writer, translator and editor specializing in Torah texts. I have had over thirty books published, which include the following, listed below. Please go to "Author-Book Excerpts," "Translator-Book Excerpts" and "Editor-Book Excerpts" to read selections.
Author:
The Sefirot. Hasidic thought. (Jason Aronson, NJ 1996)
“Beautiful, poetic, and inspiring”
—Norman Lamm, President, Yeshiva University.
“An elegant and impassioned book that translates Jewish mystical wisdom into a contemporary idiom”
—Daniel Matt, The Essential Kabbalah and God and the Big Bang.
“Drawing on many different sources, Y. David Shulman has offered us a book
of ancient teachings that can enrich and elevate the modern soul”
—David Wolpe, The Healer of Shattered Hearts.
Reb Israel Salanter. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood, 1995).
“A superb biography....Lucid style and skilled scholarship”
—Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
The Gaon of Vilna. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1994).
The Rambam. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1994).
Rashi. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1993).
The Ramban. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1992).
The Maharal of Prague. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1992).
“I would like to thank you for the superb story of the king’s dream in The Maharal of Prague. Dreams are my hobby, but I’ve never come across anything with the clarity of this story”
—Nancy Nachum, Jerusalem.
The Chasam Sofer. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1991).
The Rema. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1991).
Little Psalms. Poetry. (Wings of the Morning Press, Monsey, NY 1987).
“I so much liked your perfect Little Psalms some of them so much in the spirit (and often the language-of-feeling) of Yiddish poetry. You've created a fine amalgam of the American tongue and its sensibilities, and your new/old yeshiva explorations”
—Cynthia Ozick, author of The Shawl,winner of the National Book Critics Circle for Criticism.
Translator:
The Noda Beyihuda, by Rabbi R. Weingarten. Historical biography. Translator and Editor. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1990).
The Fiftieth Gate: Likutey Tefilot, Volume Three, by Rabbi Nosson Sternhartz. Prayers. (Breslov Research Institute,
Jerusulem, 2010)
Chambers of the Palace: Teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. Hasidic teachings. Translator and Anthologist. (Jason Aronson, NJ, 1993).
Main Selection of The Jewish Book Club.
“For those seeking an entrance into the realm of Jewish spiritual and mystical teachings, there is no better guide than Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. Nor is there a better introduction to Rabbi Nachman’s teachings than The Chambers of the Palace. In this beautifully translated work, Shulman has selected the essential teachings from a vast library of writings and organized them into 42 primary categories”
—Howard Schwartz,three-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award, author of Leaves from the Garden of Eden, Tree of Souls, etc. St. Louis-Post Dispatch.
“A scholarly, well-researched, well-written contribution to Judaic studies”
--Wisconsin Bookwatch.
Mysticism and Madness: The Religious Thought of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, by Prof. Zvi Mark. Academic religious studies. Translator of second half of book. (Continuum Books, London 2009).
Learning from the Tanya: Volume Two in the Definitive Commentary on the Moral and Mystical Teachings of a Classic Work of Kabbalah, by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. Hasidic teachings. Translator of the second half of the book.
(Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA 2005).
Understanding the Tanya: Volume Three in the Definitive Commentary on a Classic Work of Kabbalah by the
World's Foremost Authority, by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. Hasidic teachings. (Josse-Bass, San Francisco, 2007).
Rav Lau on Pirkei Avos, three volumes, by Rabbi Israel Meir Lau (former Chief Rabbi of Israel). Popular Torah ideas. Translator and Editor. (Artscroll Mesorah,Brooklyn, NY, 2006-07).
Zichron Av, by R, Yekusiel Yehudah Grunwald, son of the Arugas Habosem. Ethical will. (Feldheim, Spring Valley, 2002).
Pathway to Jerusalem: Letters of Rav Ovadiah of Bartenura. Fifteenth century travel letters. (CIS Books, Lakewood, 1991).
An Angel Among Men,by Simcha Raz. Jewish thought. Translator of letters and selected teachings. (Kol Mevaser, Jerusalem, 2003).
“Yaacov Dovid Shulman is a master translator who is able to capture the language, the poetry and the beauty of Rav Kook’s Hebrew, which is often very difficult to read in the original, even by people who are very literate in Hebrew”
—Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, president of the Orthodox Union (OU).
"Mr. Shulman’s translations are accurate and clear, forthright and poetic”
—Prof. Howard Schwartz, three-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award, author of Leaves from the Garden of Eden, Tree of Souls, etc.
“Yaacov Shulman’s translations of Rav Kook are engaging and clear. He even succeeds in conveying a sense of the poetry of the original text—no mean feat”
--Rabbi Chanan Morrison, author of Gold from the Land of Israel and webmaster of ravkooktorah.org.
Experiencing the Divine--Bnai Machshavah Tovah, by R. Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, the Piaseszner Rebbe (published on the Internet).
Memoirs of a Yiddish Actress. The Yiddish-language memoirs of Cypora Glikson, a well-known Yiddish actress who lived in Poland as a young woman when the Holocaust began (privately published, New York, NY 1993).
“Yaacov David Shulman did a superb job in translating my mother's manuscript. His translation was authentic and extremely readable, and captured the exact sense and nuances of the original manuscript. In addition, I would note that he is extremely ‘interactive’ and a pleasure to work with”
—Dr. Jerry Glickson.
At the Window of My Life. The Yiddish-language memoir of Aliza Greenblatt, a well-known Yiddish-American poet and songwriter. This work has only been partially translated.
With Weeping Eyes: A Holocaust Memoir, by Rabbi Yehoshua Grunwald, rav of Chust (awaiting publication).
Editor:
Song of Teshuvah: A Commentary on Rav Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook's Oros Hateshuvah, by Rabbi Moshe Weinberger. Jewish thought. Editor of Rav Weinberger's text, and translator of Orot Hateshuvah. (Penina Press, Jerusalem,
2011).
Rebbe Nachman's Torah, by R. Chaim Kramer. Hasidic thought. (Breslov Research Institute, Jerusalem, scheduled for 2011).
Artscroll Commentary on Mishlei/Proverbs, Volume Two, by Rabbi Eliezer Ginsburg. Biblical commentary. (Artscroll Mesorah, Brooklyn, NY 2006).
Artscroll Commentary on Shmuel I/Samuel, Volume One, by Rabbi Eliezer Ginsburg. Biblical commentary. (Artscroll Mesorah, Brooklyn, NY 2005).
People of the Book, by Osher Chaim Levene. Biblical studies. (Feldheim, Jerusalem, 2008).
Gutta: Memories of a Vanished World, by Gutta Sternbuch. Holocaust memoir. (Feldheim, Jerusalem, 2005).
“Yaacov Dovid Shulman, editor par excellence, pulled extensive interviews together into a unified whole, engaged in historical detective work, and evinced sensitivity to the voice and style of Mrs. Sternbuch”
–Professor David Kranzler (prize-winning historian and author).
“I have just finished reading Memories From a Vanished World for the second time ... It is such an interesting book that
I could even read it a third time and a fourth”
–Dr. Sarah Kadosh, Holocaust historian in Jerusalem.
If you have a project that you would like to discuss with me, I look forward to hearing from you. Please contact me.
Author:
The Sefirot. Hasidic thought. (Jason Aronson, NJ 1996)
“Beautiful, poetic, and inspiring”
—Norman Lamm, President, Yeshiva University.
“An elegant and impassioned book that translates Jewish mystical wisdom into a contemporary idiom”
—Daniel Matt, The Essential Kabbalah and God and the Big Bang.
“Drawing on many different sources, Y. David Shulman has offered us a book
of ancient teachings that can enrich and elevate the modern soul”
—David Wolpe, The Healer of Shattered Hearts.
Reb Israel Salanter. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood, 1995).
“A superb biography....Lucid style and skilled scholarship”
—Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
The Gaon of Vilna. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1994).
The Rambam. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1994).
Rashi. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1993).
The Ramban. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1992).
The Maharal of Prague. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1992).
“I would like to thank you for the superb story of the king’s dream in The Maharal of Prague. Dreams are my hobby, but I’ve never come across anything with the clarity of this story”
—Nancy Nachum, Jerusalem.
The Chasam Sofer. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1991).
The Rema. Historical biography. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1991).
Little Psalms. Poetry. (Wings of the Morning Press, Monsey, NY 1987).
“I so much liked your perfect Little Psalms some of them so much in the spirit (and often the language-of-feeling) of Yiddish poetry. You've created a fine amalgam of the American tongue and its sensibilities, and your new/old yeshiva explorations”
—Cynthia Ozick, author of The Shawl,winner of the National Book Critics Circle for Criticism.
Translator:
The Noda Beyihuda, by Rabbi R. Weingarten. Historical biography. Translator and Editor. (CIS Books, Lakewood,1990).
The Fiftieth Gate: Likutey Tefilot, Volume Three, by Rabbi Nosson Sternhartz. Prayers. (Breslov Research Institute,
Jerusulem, 2010)
Chambers of the Palace: Teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. Hasidic teachings. Translator and Anthologist. (Jason Aronson, NJ, 1993).
Main Selection of The Jewish Book Club.
“For those seeking an entrance into the realm of Jewish spiritual and mystical teachings, there is no better guide than Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. Nor is there a better introduction to Rabbi Nachman’s teachings than The Chambers of the Palace. In this beautifully translated work, Shulman has selected the essential teachings from a vast library of writings and organized them into 42 primary categories”
—Howard Schwartz,three-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award, author of Leaves from the Garden of Eden, Tree of Souls, etc. St. Louis-Post Dispatch.
“A scholarly, well-researched, well-written contribution to Judaic studies”
--Wisconsin Bookwatch.
Mysticism and Madness: The Religious Thought of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, by Prof. Zvi Mark. Academic religious studies. Translator of second half of book. (Continuum Books, London 2009).
Learning from the Tanya: Volume Two in the Definitive Commentary on the Moral and Mystical Teachings of a Classic Work of Kabbalah, by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. Hasidic teachings. Translator of the second half of the book.
(Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA 2005).
Understanding the Tanya: Volume Three in the Definitive Commentary on a Classic Work of Kabbalah by the
World's Foremost Authority, by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. Hasidic teachings. (Josse-Bass, San Francisco, 2007).
Rav Lau on Pirkei Avos, three volumes, by Rabbi Israel Meir Lau (former Chief Rabbi of Israel). Popular Torah ideas. Translator and Editor. (Artscroll Mesorah,Brooklyn, NY, 2006-07).
Zichron Av, by R, Yekusiel Yehudah Grunwald, son of the Arugas Habosem. Ethical will. (Feldheim, Spring Valley, 2002).
Pathway to Jerusalem: Letters of Rav Ovadiah of Bartenura. Fifteenth century travel letters. (CIS Books, Lakewood, 1991).
An Angel Among Men,by Simcha Raz. Jewish thought. Translator of letters and selected teachings. (Kol Mevaser, Jerusalem, 2003).
“Yaacov Dovid Shulman is a master translator who is able to capture the language, the poetry and the beauty of Rav Kook’s Hebrew, which is often very difficult to read in the original, even by people who are very literate in Hebrew”
—Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, president of the Orthodox Union (OU).
"Mr. Shulman’s translations are accurate and clear, forthright and poetic”
—Prof. Howard Schwartz, three-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award, author of Leaves from the Garden of Eden, Tree of Souls, etc.
“Yaacov Shulman’s translations of Rav Kook are engaging and clear. He even succeeds in conveying a sense of the poetry of the original text—no mean feat”
--Rabbi Chanan Morrison, author of Gold from the Land of Israel and webmaster of ravkooktorah.org.
Experiencing the Divine--Bnai Machshavah Tovah, by R. Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, the Piaseszner Rebbe (published on the Internet).
Memoirs of a Yiddish Actress. The Yiddish-language memoirs of Cypora Glikson, a well-known Yiddish actress who lived in Poland as a young woman when the Holocaust began (privately published, New York, NY 1993).
“Yaacov David Shulman did a superb job in translating my mother's manuscript. His translation was authentic and extremely readable, and captured the exact sense and nuances of the original manuscript. In addition, I would note that he is extremely ‘interactive’ and a pleasure to work with”
—Dr. Jerry Glickson.
At the Window of My Life. The Yiddish-language memoir of Aliza Greenblatt, a well-known Yiddish-American poet and songwriter. This work has only been partially translated.
With Weeping Eyes: A Holocaust Memoir, by Rabbi Yehoshua Grunwald, rav of Chust (awaiting publication).
Editor:
Song of Teshuvah: A Commentary on Rav Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook's Oros Hateshuvah, by Rabbi Moshe Weinberger. Jewish thought. Editor of Rav Weinberger's text, and translator of Orot Hateshuvah. (Penina Press, Jerusalem,
2011).
Rebbe Nachman's Torah, by R. Chaim Kramer. Hasidic thought. (Breslov Research Institute, Jerusalem, scheduled for 2011).
Artscroll Commentary on Mishlei/Proverbs, Volume Two, by Rabbi Eliezer Ginsburg. Biblical commentary. (Artscroll Mesorah, Brooklyn, NY 2006).
Artscroll Commentary on Shmuel I/Samuel, Volume One, by Rabbi Eliezer Ginsburg. Biblical commentary. (Artscroll Mesorah, Brooklyn, NY 2005).
People of the Book, by Osher Chaim Levene. Biblical studies. (Feldheim, Jerusalem, 2008).
Gutta: Memories of a Vanished World, by Gutta Sternbuch. Holocaust memoir. (Feldheim, Jerusalem, 2005).
“Yaacov Dovid Shulman, editor par excellence, pulled extensive interviews together into a unified whole, engaged in historical detective work, and evinced sensitivity to the voice and style of Mrs. Sternbuch”
–Professor David Kranzler (prize-winning historian and author).
“I have just finished reading Memories From a Vanished World for the second time ... It is such an interesting book that
I could even read it a third time and a fourth”
–Dr. Sarah Kadosh, Holocaust historian in Jerusalem.
If you have a project that you would like to discuss with me, I look forward to hearing from you. Please contact me.
