By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
In biblical times
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word jezebel refers to “an impudent, shameless, or morally unrestrained woman.” For readers of the Bible, Jezebel was the evil wife of King Ahab, ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel. She was…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
It’s difficult to write about some novels without giving away part of the plot. I don’t feel bad in this case because anyone reading the book jacket of “Stockholm” by Noa Yedlin (HarperVia) already knows what happens. In fact, it’s one of the novel’s se…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
At first glance, the two books in this review have little in common. After all, one focuses on rational Talmud study, while the other uses a variety of sources to identify miracles. Yet, “How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Ver…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Criminals or heroes? That’s the question I pondered while reading “Gangsters vs Nazis: How Jewish Mobsters Battled Nazis in Wartime America” by Michael Benson (Citadel Press). The work proved challenging, but not because of the writing or subject matter. In f…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Translated Jewish stories
Nora Gold has earned just praise for the Jewish online journal, JewishFiction.net, that she edits. According to the journal’s website, it is “the only English-language journal, either in print or online, devoted exclusively to the pub…
