Rabbi Shaya Sussman: Nach Daily — Navi Made Easy
An interview about his brand-new book making Nach accessible with bullet-point summaries of each chapter and introductions to every sefer
Author: Rabbi Shaya Sussman, LCSW, MA
Book: Nach Daily
Chazal teach that while there were thousands of prophets in the times of Tanach, only those messages that have enduring relevance — for us, now! — were recorded in Tanach to inspire and guide us. In fact, Chazal state that an ideal Torah scholar is “adorned by the twenty-four books of Tanach the way a bride is adorned by twenty-four pieces of jewelry.” However, such a goal is easier said than done. The books are long; the language of the prophets is poetic and unfamiliar; entire sections are even written in Aramaic.
Rabbi Shaya Sussman’s brand-new book, Nach Daily, is meant to help with that.
The book provides helpful introductions to every book in Nach, giving crucial context needed to fully understand the messages of the text. Every chapter is summarized in a series of easy-to-understand bullet points. In just a few minutes a day, you can make your way through the entire Nach, finally understanding the messages the prophets want us to hear.
1. Tell us a bit about your background.
My background is fairly colorful. I grew up in Staten Island, where my father was an “old school” Conservative rabbi. Even though he was more traditional, he sent me and my siblings to Modern Orthodox schools. I grew up alongside—but not fully within—the mainstream Orthodox community. School was always a challenge for me; I never did well academically and often felt behind.
In many ways, I grew up living between worlds—close enough to feel connected, yet far enough to see things differently. That in-between space became a quiet gift. It taught me to bridge gaps, to listen deeply, and to hold both the beauty and the challenges of the community with empathy and curiosity. It also sparked my own inner journey of seeking: Where do I fit? What does it really mean to belong? That lifelong questioning shaped how I approach people, Torah, and life itself—with a focus on connection, healing, and the search for deeper meaning.
After high school, I spent time learning in Eretz Yisrael, which was life-changing. It was there that I truly connected to Yiddishkeit and began to develop the skills I had been missing. I later continued my learning at Shor Yoshuv in Far Rockaway. After getting married, I returned to Israel and spent several years learning, where I earned my semichah and, just as meaningfully, discovered the depth and beauty of Penimiyus HaTorah.
Eventually, my wife and I settled in Inwood, in the Five Towns. There, I pursued my passion for helping others by becoming a licensed psychotherapist (LCSW) and earning a Master’s degree in Leadership. It was also during this time that I fell deeply in love with learning Nach, which led me to create the Nach Daily project—recording 5-minute audio classes that cover the entire Nach with summaries and insights for every sefer and perek of Navi.
About four years ago, we made aliyah and moved to Ramat Beit Shemesh. I currently run a private therapy practice and teach as a professor in the Sara Schenirer Wurzweiler Social Work Program.
2. How would you summarize your book?
It’s a pretty straightforward book, just like the name suggests: Navi Made Easy. The book contains bullet-point summaries of every perek in Nach, along with comprehensive introductions to each sefer offering color, context, and background to help the reader understand what the Navi is really about.
It’s written in a down-to-earth, accessible style to open up Nach for anyone who has always wanted to learn it but felt overwhelmed or never got around to it. It can also be used as a companion to your regular Nach learning, helping clarify and deepen what you’re already studying.
3. What piqued your interest in this topic?
When I moved back from Eretz Yisrael the first time, I took it upon myself to learn Nach as an act of gratitude to Hashem for the privilege of living in Eretz Yisrael. To be honest, I didn’t really know much about Nach, nor did I fully understand how learning it would express that gratitude. The first time through, I fumbled my way along, reading a lot of it in English. But I felt good about finishing what I had started and, in some way, felt I was giving back to Hashem.
It wasn’t until I learned Nach a second and third time that the deeper meaning really hit me. I realized the story of Nach could be summed up so simply, yet so powerfully: We were off the land. We were on the land. We were thrown off the land. And now we are back on the land.
That original act of gratitude—taking on Nach—ended up becoming the very thing that helped guide us back to Eretz Yisrael many years later.
4. What inspired you to write Nach Daily?
I wanted to share my passion and hope for everything connected to the healing journey of geulah and Eretz Yisrael—something that was cultivated and brought to life for me through learning Nach.
We all know the Torah ends with Moshe Rabbeinu’s passing, but the story doesn’t end there. Nach tells the ongoing journey of our people striving to fulfill their destiny in their homeland. The modern-day struggles we face as a nation are nothing new. The Nevi’im spoke to their generation, but their words still echo today, offering timeless guidance for navigating uncertainty, exile, and return.
As both a therapist and a teacher, I’ve seen how learning Nach has the power not only to teach history, but to bring healing, hope, and emotional well-being to individuals. The messages of emunah, resilience, and redemption in Nach speak directly to the human experience of struggle and renewal. Studying these texts gave me an inner strength and sense of purpose that I wanted to share with others.
The prophecies of the final geulah filled me with wonder and unwavering emunah. That personal journey transformed me. It made me realize how much light and clarity is waiting for anyone who opens these sefarim.
I felt a sense of mission: to make Nach accessible for those who never had a chance to learn it or felt intimidated by its depth. My hope is that this book becomes a bridge—not only to connect readers to the words of the Nevi’im, but also to offer comfort, inspiration, and even personal healing along the way.
5. What is one major misconception you've found people hold about learning Nach?
I think many people don’t realize how Nach fits into the larger picture of Torah learning. We have two essential parts of Torah: the Written Torah and the Oral Tradition. Much of the Oral Tradition—Mishnayos, Gemara, Halacha—focuses on the details and practical application of mitzvos, which is incredibly important.
But alongside that, we have the Written Torah, which reveals the big picture—the Ratzon Hashem, the overarching purpose and destiny of the Jewish people. Nach points us to the larger questions of Judaism:
Where are we headed?
What’s the purpose of all this?
What is our collective mission as a people and a nation?
I’ll admit, when I first started learning Nach, I didn’t fully appreciate this either. It was only after going through Nach in depth that I began to see how it connects all the pieces together.
Nach helps us see the forest from the trees. It doesn’t just focus on individual details, but gives us the grand, sweeping vision of Yiddishkeit as a whole. I truly believe every Jew deserves to experience that clarity.
6. Who would gain the most from reading this book?
This book is perfect for both beginners and intermediate learners who want to familiarize themselves with Nach and sharpen their understanding in a clear, approachable way.
It’s also a valuable resource for teachers and schools who are looking for a straightforward, uncluttered tool to help them teach a perek to their students without getting lost in too many details.
Whether someone is learning Nach for the first time or using it as a companion to deepen their ongoing study, the goal of this book is to make Nach accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
7. Can you share one idea from the book you find particularly inspiring?
Certainly, Nach is full of such ideas, but one that I find especially inspiring and underappreciated is the concept of prophecy as an inheritance of the Jewish People—not just the rare gift of a select few.
We know there were millions of prophets in ancient times. What many people don’t realize is that prophecy wasn’t meant to be something random or exclusive; it was part of our nation’s collective experience and spiritual DNA. The potential for prophetic connection lives within Klal Yisrael as an enduring legacy.
Although we don’t have prophecy in the same way today, Chazal teach that it will return in the future—and it will return specifically through us, the inheritors of this sacred capacity. I find that idea incredibly encouraging. I like to think of prophecy as a “dormant gene” within our people, waiting to be reawakened.
8. If you write another book, what will the topic be?
That’s a really good question. I would love to write in depth on each sefer, exploring and expanding the lessons, nuances, and subtle hues of each Navi. My focus would be to bring out the psychological, spiritual, and healing insights, while integrating Penimiyus HaTorah and connecting it all to the unique challenges and opportunities of the time we are living in.
9. Did you encounter any challenges while writing this book? How did you overcome them?
Writing the book was both a labor of love and, at times, a very tedious process. It’s one thing to write your own ideas where there’s room for interpretation, but when you are summarizing and representing the chapter breakdown of Navi, you want it to be fully accurate. That responsibility weighed on me throughout the process.
One of the biggest challenges was balancing accuracy with clarity. I constantly asked myself, “How can I make this easier for someone to learn without sacrificing the depth and precision of the text?”
Whenever possible, I chose simplicity over complexity. My goal was always to open the door for the reader, not overwhelm them. Staying focused on that purpose helped me push through the harder moments of writing.
10. What suggestions do you have for an aspiring writer?
For many years, I kept dreaming about working on this project. Then I finally started— and it took forever! But little by little, day by day, I kept moving forward. It’s still amazing to me to see it come to fruition.
Writing a book is a huge and humbling journey. My advice: Keep hope in your heart, be patient with yourself, and just keep showing up. If you work on it a little bit at a time, eventually you’ll get there—and it will be worth every step.
Link to order:
https://mosaicapress.com/product/nach-daily/?sld=tgb
For all of Nach: https://nachdaily.com/
YouTube: @ShayaSussmanCounseling/
Instagram: @shaya_sussman_lcsw/