By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
It should come as no surprise that I think books make great gifts. In my mind, the perfect Hanukkah gift for a Jewish tween/teen is a book featuring – drum role here – a Jewish tween/teen! I’m just saying that if you do eight nights of gifts, at least one nig…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Is the flow of history inevitable? At various points in time, the development of Judaism could have taken several radically different paths. It can be difficult to grasp these changes because what were once extremely different approaches to religious practice and t…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Some mysteries grab you from their opening lines. One example is “The Last Songbird” by Daniel Weizmann (Melville House), a gritty, alcohol- and drug-soaked noir that manages to be completely engaging. Its main character, 37-year-old Add…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
When reading the opening pages of Paul Goldberg’s first novel “The Yid,” I groaned because it seemed clear it was going to be so depressing. Instead, it turned into a crazy, joyous, wonderful ride. I wasn’t the only person to love the book: it was a finalis…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Sometimes an idea for a review doesn’t work out the way I planned. For example, I decided to discuss “Inside Information” by Eshkol Nevo (Other Press) and “The House of Love and Prayer and other stories” by Tova Reich (Seven Stories Press) in one review be…
