A SERIES OF ILLUSTRATED ANIMATED DRAMAS
Who are the real life heroes and role models who inspired and led the Jewish People during our 2,000 years of exile? What led them to greatness? What impact did they have on Jewish survival and destiny?
More information on the series
Two films in the series, plus their comprehensive Multi-Media Study Guides and Illustrated Children’s Books, have been produced.
RASHI-AN ACRONYM FOR RABBAN SHEL YISRAEL – RABBI SHLOMO YITZCHAKI.
The 11th century in France marked the beginning of the “Reign of Terror” – the Crusades. Rashi, one of the greatest and most beloved Torah sages of all time, guided the Jewish people through many of the trials of that time. A true Jewish hero, he defended the right of the Jews to learn Torah and live a life of spiritual freedom.
Rashi’s over 900 – year old commentaries open the door to the true meaning of the words and eve the letters of the Torah and Talmud. To this very day, Rashi is the most studied Biblical commentary in the world. Every student, from the beginner to the most knowledgeable sage, is enriched by his study of Torah with Rashi.
Without Rashi the Talmud would have remained the domain of the elite scholars alone. Rashi’s commentary on Tanach, and especially on the Bible, is the classic commentary of its kind. No one who studies Bible or Talmud today can do so without Rashi. He has, in his way, been the Teacher of all Israel for nearly one thousand years. See Preview
“FROM OUR TEACHER MOSHE (RABBEINU) TILL MOSHE (MAIMONIDES) THERE AROSE NO ONE THE EQUAL OF MOSHE (MAIMONIDES)”
The Rambam, Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, was born in Cordova, Spain, early in the 12th century. He was a man of remarkable ability and talent, whose influence and continued authority in Jewish religious and national life remains unmatched by few, if any Jews till today.
Known as the Nesher Gadol – The Great Eagle his soaring overview and insightful understanding of human nature, combined with his complete mastery of the Torah, helped him create a body of work that has forever set the standard for all later Torah scholarship, Jewish intellect and thought.
Perhaps no other Torah Scholar has helped us understand our relationship with God more than the Rambam has. He was a person of many sides, many personal experiences, great tragedies and great triumphs.
He lived in a time of crisis and upheaval. Exiled with his family from Spain, where he was born, he lived in Fez, Morocco, until life under fanatic Muslim rule became too dangerous for the Jews there. For a short time he lived in the Holy Land – Israel, until the threat of the Crusades forced him to finally settle in Fostat, Egypt. There he earned a living as a doctor and became physician to Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt.
Rambam was a holistic healer of both body and soul. His writings, both spiritual and medical ere read and respected, far and wide.
The legacy he left behind is astounding. His Torah and spiritual writings helped define Divine faith for his people. He wrote over 14 volumes on the laws of the Torah – a work entitled Mishnah Torah – before he was 30. Amongst his numerous works he wrote and defined Sefer Ha-Mitzvot (613 mitzvahs, commandments of the Torah), The Guide to the Perplexed a spiritual and philosophical treatise, and The Thirteen Principles of Faith.
The Rambam touched and continues to touch lives to this day. He is revered in Christian Spain as a national hero and treasure. But it is in the houses of study, the yeshivas, where his works and commentaries are studied continuously that his legacy endures for as long as the Jewish People endure – forever.
His story is an inspiration to all of us. See Preview
Both Rambam and Rashi have been approved by the New York State Board of Education and the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York.
IN DEVELOPMENT ARE THREE MORE FILMS:
ABARBANEL
Torah Scholar. Financial Advisor to Kings. Leader of Spanish Jewry at the time of the Expulsion and the Inquisition.
The script for the Abarbanel, written by Jesse Cogan and produced by Ashley Lazarus, has been completed. It requires funding to go into production…
See Synopsis
BA’AL SHEM TOV
Holy Tzaddik. Founder of the Chassidic Movement.
The script for the Baal Shem Tov, written by Robert J. Averech and produced by Ashley Lazarus, has also been completed. It requires funding to go into production.
See Synopsis
DONA GRACIA
Stateswoman. Banker to the Kings of Europe.
Initial research into her dramatic story has been done. A script for a film, or scripts for a mini-series, have yet to be commissioned.
See Synopsis
