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Perek Shirah - The Song of the Universe - Pocket Size
Attributed to King David, Perek Shirah is recited every day by more and more people - but never has it been presented as beautifully and clearly as in this magnificent book. In Perek Shirah, all components of Creation - natural phenomena, animals, birds, fish - sing their own praises of their Maker. In this beautiful full-color book, each page features a magnificent photo, accompanied by the text and a lyrical translation of that creation's song, and an incisive, stimulating comment by Rabbi Nosson Scherman - a comment that lets us "hear" and absorb the inner meaning of Perek Shirah. The stunning beauty of this book does justice to its contents. It will make your heart sing along with the universe - perhaps even join the growing numbers who make Perek Shirah part of their day - and it will be a treasured gift to every special family. This 4"x6" pocket size edition included Bircas Hamazon
- GenresJudaism
Hardcover
First published September 1, 2004
2 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Nosson Scherman
349 books15 followersNosson Scherman (Hebrew: נתן שרמן, born 1935, Newark, New Jersey) is an American Haredi rabbi best known as the general editor of ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications.
Scherman was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, where his parents ran a small grocery store. He attended public school, but in the afternoons joined a Talmud Torah started in 1942 by Rabbi Shalom Ber Gordon, a shaliach of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn. Rabbi Gordon influenced many of the 200 boys in his afternoon Talmud Torah to enroll in yeshiva, including young Nosson Scherman, who became a dormitory student at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas at around age 10. Afterwards, he studied in Beth Medrash Elyon in Spring Valley, New York
Scherman worked as a rebbi (teacher) for about eight years at Torah VoDaas of Flatbush, later known as Yeshiva Torah Temimah. Afterwards he was a principal at Yeshiva Karlin Stolin of Boro Park for six years. During his tenure as principal, he was recommended to Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, director of a high-end graphics studio in New York named ArtScroll Studios, as someone who could write copy, and they collaborated on a few projects of brochures and journals.
In late 1975, a close friend of Zlotowitz, Rabbi Meir Fogel, died in his sleep, prompting Zlotowitz to want to do something to honor his memory. As Purim was a few months away, he decided to write an English translation and commentary on the Book of Esther, and asked Scherman to write the introduction. The book was completed in honor of the shloshim (the 30-day commemoration of a death) and sold out its first edition of 20,000 copies within two months. With the encouragement of Rabbi Moses Feinstein, Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky, and other Gedolei Yisrael, the two continued producing commentaries, beginning with a translation and commentary on the rest of the Five Megillot (Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations and Ruth), and went on to publish translations and commentaries on the Torah, Prophets, Talmud, Passover Haggadah, siddurs and machzors. The name ArtScroll was chosen for the publishing company to emphasize the visual appeal of the books.
In its first 25 years, ArtScroll produced more than 700 books, including novels, history books, children's books and secular textbooks, and is now one of the largest publishers of Jewish books in the United States.
Selected bibliography:
Zlotowitz and Scherman are the general editors of ArtScroll's Talmud, Stone Chumash, Tanakh, Siddur, and Machzor series. They co-authored Megillas Esther: Illustrated Youth Edition (1988), a pocket-size Mincha/Maariv prayerbook (1991), and Selichos: First Night (1992). They have also produced a host of titles on which Scherman is author and Zlotowitz is editor.
Scherman contributed translations and commentaries for ArtScroll's Stone Chumash, the ArtScroll Siddurim and Machzorim, and the Stone Tanach. He served as general editor of the 73-volume translation Schottenstein edition of the Talmud from 1990 until 2005.
Scherman attributes his strong English language skills to the stronger general-studies departments that yeshivas had when he was a student, and his correspondence with two out-of-town high school classmates, Mendel Weinbach and Nisson Wolpin. He has said: "During the summers we used to write letters. Does anyone correspond today? We wrote to each other – that helped. We tried to outdo each other; we were big-shot teenagers. The only way to learn how to write is to write."
Scherman was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, where his parents ran a small grocery store. He attended public school, but in the afternoons joined a Talmud Torah started in 1942 by Rabbi Shalom Ber Gordon, a shaliach of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn. Rabbi Gordon influenced many of the 200 boys in his afternoon Talmud Torah to enroll in yeshiva, including young Nosson Scherman, who became a dormitory student at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas at around age 10. Afterwards, he studied in Beth Medrash Elyon in Spring Valley, New York
Scherman worked as a rebbi (teacher) for about eight years at Torah VoDaas of Flatbush, later known as Yeshiva Torah Temimah. Afterwards he was a principal at Yeshiva Karlin Stolin of Boro Park for six years. During his tenure as principal, he was recommended to Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, director of a high-end graphics studio in New York named ArtScroll Studios, as someone who could write copy, and they collaborated on a few projects of brochures and journals.
In late 1975, a close friend of Zlotowitz, Rabbi Meir Fogel, died in his sleep, prompting Zlotowitz to want to do something to honor his memory. As Purim was a few months away, he decided to write an English translation and commentary on the Book of Esther, and asked Scherman to write the introduction. The book was completed in honor of the shloshim (the 30-day commemoration of a death) and sold out its first edition of 20,000 copies within two months. With the encouragement of Rabbi Moses Feinstein, Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky, and other Gedolei Yisrael, the two continued producing commentaries, beginning with a translation and commentary on the rest of the Five Megillot (Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations and Ruth), and went on to publish translations and commentaries on the Torah, Prophets, Talmud, Passover Haggadah, siddurs and machzors. The name ArtScroll was chosen for the publishing company to emphasize the visual appeal of the books.
In its first 25 years, ArtScroll produced more than 700 books, including novels, history books, children's books and secular textbooks, and is now one of the largest publishers of Jewish books in the United States.
Selected bibliography:
Zlotowitz and Scherman are the general editors of ArtScroll's Talmud, Stone Chumash, Tanakh, Siddur, and Machzor series. They co-authored Megillas Esther: Illustrated Youth Edition (1988), a pocket-size Mincha/Maariv prayerbook (1991), and Selichos: First Night (1992). They have also produced a host of titles on which Scherman is author and Zlotowitz is editor.
Scherman contributed translations and commentaries for ArtScroll's Stone Chumash, the ArtScroll Siddurim and Machzorim, and the Stone Tanach. He served as general editor of the 73-volume translation Schottenstein edition of the Talmud from 1990 until 2005.
Scherman attributes his strong English language skills to the stronger general-studies departments that yeshivas had when he was a student, and his correspondence with two out-of-town high school classmates, Mendel Weinbach and Nisson Wolpin. He has said: "During the summers we used to write letters. Does anyone correspond today? We wrote to each other – that helped. We tried to outdo each other; we were big-shot teenagers. The only way to learn how to write is to write."
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July 5, 2023Perek Shirah ("selections of song") is a medieval Jewish classic, purporting to let 85 creations - from the Heavens down to scorpions - each recite a Biblical verse that somehow relates to some characteristic of the creation. And that's the bare bones of it.
But you probably want a copy with some commentary, something that explains the significance of the verse and the creation that recites it. You are in luck. PEREK SHIRAH: THE SONG OF THE UNIVERSE, with translation and commentary by Rabbi Nosson Scherman, published by Mesorah Publications, is a lavishly illustrated (with color photos) version, compact enough to fit in your pocket so you may, when you have a few moments, contemplate some of the verses. The original edition stopped at the prayer for the end of Perek Shirah, the newer edition (2004) adds the blessing after meals.
Once you have devoured Scherman's version, you may have the urge to read more commentary, and lucky for you there are more editions of Perek Shirah. Feldheim Publishers issues a version subtitled "The Symphony of Creation", with monochrome photos and somewhat longer commentary by Rabbi Daniel Worenklein. More and deeper commentary can be found in the Rabbi Natan Slifkin - an amateur zoologist - edition subtitled "Nature's Song" (2009); Rabbi Slifkin makes a point of trying to identify several animals whose Hebrew names are obscure. And a commentary soaked with detailed discussion of the Hebrew verses and relevant Talmudic quotations is Rebbetzin Shoshana Turgendhaft's thick book, Exploring Perek Shirah (2022) - but no pictures.
Perek Shirah is well worth reading and not just once.
But you probably want a copy with some commentary, something that explains the significance of the verse and the creation that recites it. You are in luck. PEREK SHIRAH: THE SONG OF THE UNIVERSE, with translation and commentary by Rabbi Nosson Scherman, published by Mesorah Publications, is a lavishly illustrated (with color photos) version, compact enough to fit in your pocket so you may, when you have a few moments, contemplate some of the verses. The original edition stopped at the prayer for the end of Perek Shirah, the newer edition (2004) adds the blessing after meals.
Once you have devoured Scherman's version, you may have the urge to read more commentary, and lucky for you there are more editions of Perek Shirah. Feldheim Publishers issues a version subtitled "The Symphony of Creation", with monochrome photos and somewhat longer commentary by Rabbi Daniel Worenklein. More and deeper commentary can be found in the Rabbi Natan Slifkin - an amateur zoologist - edition subtitled "Nature's Song" (2009); Rabbi Slifkin makes a point of trying to identify several animals whose Hebrew names are obscure. And a commentary soaked with detailed discussion of the Hebrew verses and relevant Talmudic quotations is Rebbetzin Shoshana Turgendhaft's thick book, Exploring Perek Shirah (2022) - but no pictures.
Perek Shirah is well worth reading and not just once.
May 20, 2025
This is a wonderful book that reminds and highlights the connectivity of everything Adonai created with His creations. Reciting the prayers, in English and Hebrew, drew me closer to the Creator God from many perspectives. I'll return to this book again and again!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews