By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Books for tweens
My original plan for this review was to group books in order by age (teen first, then tween, followed by picture books), but I couldn’t wait to write about “Max in the House of Spies” by Adam Gidwitz (Dutton …
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
A holy ecology
“The Song of Songs” is one of the most difficult biblical books to understand and interpret. Its poetry is so vague that readers not only debate who is speaking at any given time, but what those words actually mean. Over the centuries, the book…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
There’s a joke about Jewish holidays that says, “They tried to kill us; we won; let’s eat.” When thinking of recorded Jewish history, that statement could be changed to read, “They invited us to live there. We prospered, so they hated us and tried to destr…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Almost everyone has something in their past they would prefer not be made public. Sometimes it’s just a minor embarrassment, but other times, it’s a secret that not only affects their life, but that of their children. These secrets can cause deep misunderstandin…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Fictional works featuring Jewish folklore and mysticism are now considered part of mainstream Jewish culture, as are books that acknowledge queer Jewish culture. This combination works because people see many pathways to being Jewish – ones that might not have bee…
