By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
“Going Home”
How to define a family is just one of the questions raised by Tom Lamont’s “Going Home” (Alfred A. Knopf). When 30-something Téo Erskine volunteers to babysit Joel, a toddler who is the son of his friend and former crush Lia, he doesn’t ex…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
The self-help trend is a popular one. It’s estimated that, in 2024, Americans spent more than $800 million on self-help books, with more than $45.7 billion being spent worldwide. That means many people are dissatisfied with all or part of their lives. Can Judaism …
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Reviewing a book by a political activist with one by a rabbi is not something I would normally contemplate: they obviously have different approaches to life. However, the latest works by Israeli author and political activist David Grossman and a French religious lea…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
A humorous history of the Jewish people? Seriously? Well, yes, actually, Jewish humor and Jewish history both have a dark side to them. But Jews have always had the ability to laugh – and complain – about our troubles. After all, our holidays have been described…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Missing facts: what someone doesn’t know can have a profound effect on their lives. Learning the truth can not only change how a person feels about the past, but the ongoing directions of their lives. Two recent novels show the way characters process secrets. While…
