
The Telling
How Judaism's Essential Book Reveals the Meaning of Life
کتاب های مرتبط
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
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نقد و بررسی

December 1, 2020
Gerson, an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and writer who opines on subjects ranging from religion to Frank Sinatra, here turns his attention to the book that guides celebrants through the Passover Seder, the Haggadah. He considers the Haggadah among the most important of Jewish writings, a book he calls ""the Greatest Hits of Jewish Thoughts."" Divided into three sections, this introduces the story of both the holiday and the Haggadah; describes preparations for the Seder; and addresses the ideas found within the Haggadah. Throughout, he links to other texts, primarily Torah; connects Passover traditions to other aspects of Judaism as well as the wider world; and offers ways to use the Haggadah to enlighten and provoke. The book touches on many topics from family and forgiveness to the futility of political wrangling. Some inevitably get short shrift, and others, like the sexual satisfaction of religious women, seem rather silly. But Gerson succeeds very well at his main objective: showing how to read the Haggadah at a deeper level. A fine book to bring to the table.
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December 21, 2020
Gerson (In the Classroom), host of the podcast The Rabbi’s Husband, provides a revelatory addition to the voluminous literature about the Haggadah. In discussing well-known sections of the text used on Passover—such as the four children or the 10 plagues—Gerson suggests the Haggadah isn’t just to be used during the seders. Instead, he argues that “all of modern life’s great questions are asked and answered in” the Haggadah, making it relevant year-round, to Jews and non-Jews alike. He buttresses that counterintuitive position with an analysis of the text’s core concepts, such as the universal message of the importance of freedom that the Exodus story exemplifies, the primacy of education, and what he terms the “greatest principle of the Torah”—to love the stranger. Gerson goes on to offer practical suggestions on how best to prepare for the seders, and ways to supplement the Haggadah, whose text is mostly silent on the actual telling of the exodus from Egypt. Even those who don’t accept the proposition that the Haggadah answers every question will find much to ponder in Gerson’s measured, persuasive outing.
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