By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Most of the women who appear in the Talmud weren’t considered important enough to be named or given distinguishing features. In her fascinating “The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic: Rereading the Women in the Talmud” (Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies/Maggie …
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Most scholarly works on the Bible focus on its composition, for example, how the book was written and/or who wrote it. Little thought has gone into the way the ancient rabbis actually read the text. According to Rebecca Scharbach Wollenberg’s fascinating, but diff…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Uptown German Jews vs. downtown Russian Jews, gangsters vs. reformers, and business owners vs. unions: these opposing groups were active in early 1900s New York City and form the core of Dan Slater’s impressive “The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Cri…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Readers might be excused for wondering if recently published thrillers about World War II could possibly offer anything new. After all, numerous thrillers are published every year: can there really be anything different to write about? Fortunately, the answer is yes…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Our lives often take us in unexpected directions. Even those who firmly believe their path is set can realize that something is missing in their lives, even if they can’t define exactly what that is. Two recent novels – “To and Fro” by Leah Hager Cohen (Bell…
