Itemize Books Conducive To As a Driven Leaf
Original Title: | As a Driven Leaf |
ISBN: | 0874411033 (ISBN13: 9780874411034) |
Edition Language: | English |
Milton Steinberg
Paperback | Pages: 480 pages Rating: 4.12 | 2507 Users | 177 Reviews
Explanation In Pursuance Of Books As a Driven Leaf
The age of the Talmud is brought to life in a breathtaking saga. This masterpiece of modern fiction tells the gripping tale of renegade talmudic sage Elisha ben Abuyah's struggle to reconcile his faith with the allure of Hellenistic culture. Set in Roman Palestine, As a Driven Leaf draws readers into the dramatic era of Rabbinic Judaism. Watch the great Talmudic sages at work in the Sanhedrin, eavesdrop on their arguments about theology and Torah, and agonize with them as they contemplate rebellion against an oppressive Roman rule. But Steinberg's classic novel also transcends its historical setting with its depiction of a timeless, perennial feature of the Jewish experience: the inevitable conflict between the call of tradition and the glamour of the surrounding culture. In his illuminating foreword, specially commissioned for this edition, Chaim Potok stresses the contemporary relevance of As a Driven Leaf: This novel of ideas and passions... retains its ability to enter the heart of pious and seeking Jew alike. Synagogues everywhere are adopting As a Driven Leaf for group study.Mention Of Books As a Driven Leaf
Title | : | As a Driven Leaf |
Author | : | Milton Steinberg |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 480 pages |
Published | : | October 1st 1996 by Behrman House Publishing (first published 1939) |
Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Literature. Jewish. Religion. Judaism. Judaica |
Rating Of Books As a Driven Leaf
Ratings: 4.12 From 2507 Users | 177 ReviewsAssess Of Books As a Driven Leaf
This book is a timeless story about the unsuccessful search for truth. It takes place during the time of the Roman empire and tells the story about a religious Jewish man who lost his faith and went to search for truth using Euclid's method of reasoning only to find that even the laws and rules of mathematics are based on faith. His search led him back to his people, the same people he betrayed. He is neither hero or villain, just a desperate man who spent his whole life searching for somethingVery well researched and written book about historical people, places, times as the basis but fleshed out with believable fiction. Although I slogged through the middle and had to make the effort to finish it, I'm glad I read this book. Reading about how Jews might have lived amongst the Greeks and Romans was intriguing. Also the plot - that a learned, affluent, highly respected and pious Rabbi could reach a turning point in his life where he absolutely questions his religion and way of life -
Begins in 80 CE, 10 years after the destruction of the Temple, and goes on through the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian, covering the periods of the Diaspora and Bar Kokhba revolts. "There is no Truth without Faith. There is no Truth unless first there be a Faith on which it may be based." The paradox of the relatedness of Faith and Reason foreshadows the action which then comes full circle, as Elisha struggles not only with Faith vs. Reason, but also with the problem of evil, with loyalty vs.
I read this back in high school a thousand years ago, as all my friends did. Rabbi Elisha Ben Abuya is one of the most tragic and charismatic characters in historical Judaism. One of four legendary Mishanaic-era rabbis who undertook the study of Kabbalah, Elisha Ben Abuya was the one who became a heretic.(Of the other three, it is said that one went mad, one died, and one was the great sage Rabbi Akiva.) The novel begins in 70 CE, after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and ends with
A classic of American Jewish literature. Rabbi Steinberg takes the Talmudic tale of the 1st-century scholar Elisha ben Abuya ("the heretic," also called "Acher" = "the other") & turns it into a compelling & thought-provoking novel. Elisha ben Abuya was also one of the "four who entered Paradise."This was my second time reading this book.
A great read ... Elisha is a very sympathetic figure and for the most part the story is even handed, I think, though I was very troubled by the ending. I found his conflict to be eloquently expressed and extremely relatable. While I found the story to be mostly accurate I was irked by some of the modernizations and places where he clearly took liverties for the sake of fiction - Steinberg's prerogative, of course, but still a little unnerving. Did the tannaim really hang out as couples like
Fictional account of a Jewish rabbi questioning his beliefs in the first century Palestine . . . . yeah. I couldn't get through the book jacket without yawning. But, it was for my book club so I persevered. And - it really grew on me. Like mold. Actually, like in a way that it really made me think and think about it. In the end, I felt that it was a book that was definitely not a "page-turner" but one that I learned so much from. I liked how the author didn't take sides but just presented the
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