A thoughtful elucidation of a common practice of Judaism.
In this work of religious scholarship, Golden explores ways that biblical passages are paired in Jewish religious practice.
According to millennia of Jewish tradition, the weekly reading from the Torah is followed by the haftarah, or a recitation from Prophets. The origins of the haftarah, however, are not well understood, nor is it known how (or why) each haftarah was paired with its parsha, or its portion of the Torah. With a dearth of external evidence available, Golden turns to the texts themselves to try to untangle this ancient mystery and “identify what each haftarah recited on the Shabbos tells us about its parsha.” For example, Golden examines how the first six chapters of Genesis are informed by chapters 42 and 43 of Isaiah; the first discusses the Creation of the world and the story of Adam and Eve, while the second also references God’s Creation before moving on to what God will bring to Israel as punishment for faithlessness. In addition to the mirrored language of Creation, Golden draws a parallel between the faithlessness of Israel and that of Adam and Eve, who defied God’s instructions not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. By excavating the texts side by side, the author discovers new layers of meaning and new insights into the minds of the ancient teachers who helped to shape the Jewish religion. Golden’s prose is sharp, and, though often dry, it displays a contagious admiration for the ancient wisdom: “We see in connection with this parsha and haftarah a remarkable continuity of thought over hundreds of years and great distances,” he notes, writing on the books of Leviticus and Ezekiel. This is primarily a book for those interested in the Old Testament, and Jewish interpretations of it, specifically; however, Golden does not include the texts themselves, so interested readers should keep their Tanakh handy.
A thoughtful elucidation of a common practice of Judaism.Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2022
ISBN: 9781957579337
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Mosaica Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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