“I believe the connection between the magical city of Tsfat and Rebbe Nachman has created an awakening in our generation.” ~R’ Moshe Weinberger
Tsfat was home to the very first Jewish printing press in the Holy Land in 1577 (5337), at a time when local scholars published their works in Constantinople, Salonica, and Venice—costly, complicated and even dangerous. This first printer managed to publish ten books in the same number of years before it was compelled to close down. It would take another 245 years until another printing press was established in the Land of Israel…again in Tsfat. Israel Bak, a master printer and engraver from Berdichev, Ukraine came to settle in Tsfat in 1831 (5591) bringing workers and the tools of his trade. After nine years, he took his press and moved to Jerusalem.
Reb Gedaliah Kenig once said, “In the future, a printing press will be the size of a little box that fits into a small room.” In today’s digital era, anyone with a Macintosh computer and an internet connection can easily imagine such a scenario.
HEBREW LANGUAGE
During his lifetime, Reb Gedaliah personally published a number of works and commentaries on Breslev chassidut, as well as an English translation of Rebbe Nachman’s stories. He also published his own classic, Chayei Nefesh, on the role of the tzaddik. After thirty years, Reb Gedaliah’s collected letters, Shaarei Tzaddik, have finally been brought to press by his sons. Still to be published are Reb Gedaliah’s commentaries on Likutey Moharanand Tikunei Zohar, as well as Sefer Erachin, an encyclopedia of fundamental concepts in Breslev literature.
TZADDIK PUBLISHING
The vision of Tzaddik Publishing is to restore Tsfat as a major publishing force in the Jewish world of educational, scholarly, and artistic works. To date, they have created print publications such as wall and desk calendars, cookbooks, new translations of Rebbe Nachman’s stories, and a magazine calledTzaddik sold on newsstands in the US, Canada, Europe, with worldwide circulation. In the digital realm, the magazine and other works are sold through the App Store on iTunes, and other major digital platforms including Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble.
