By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
“Confidential”
First novels can be tricky for short story writers, especially if their tales feel more like vignettes than complete works. However, Mikolaj Grynberg’s book “I’d Like to Say Sorry, But There’s No One to Say Sorry to: Stories” was so goo…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
When I skimmed through the press release from Ayin Press, I initially didn’t plan to ask for review copies of any of its new seasonal works because the books on my to-review piles seem to multiply on their own when I am not looking. However, there was a link to a …
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
“One Little Goat”
Dara Horn’s first graphic novel for tweens may surprise fans who are familiar with her other works. “One Little Goat: A Passover Catastrophe” by Horn and illustrated by Theo Ellworth (Norton Young Readers) is a surrealistic look at not o…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Many American Jews are unaware that in 1888 a group of New York City Orthodox congregations brought Rabbi Jacob Joseph from Europe to the United States to be the first and only American chief rabbi. This attempt to establish one leader for the entire Jewish Americ…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
The Talmud and other ancient Jewish writings contain halachic (legal) discussions and aggadah (stories) about the lives of the ancient rabbis. While most schools emphasize the works’ halachic aspects, the rabbinic tales can offer lessons for contemporary readers, …
