ashleycagan's review against another edition
2.0
A book that while I'm sure was useful at the time, does not stand up in modern day. There are better books on the various topics discussed. The sexism in the last bit was a wild ride.
jamesvw's review against another edition
3.0
This was my Yom Kippur reading and it was a fittingly evocative and, at times, infuriating. Unlike Kemelman's other Rabbi Small mysteries, this book reads as a Judaism 201 placed in the confines of a conversation between his most famous character and a young couple, one secularly Jewish and one interested in converting. It is a smart, complex look at Judaism from a Conservative perspective (though with sometimes smarting jabs thrown at both Reform and Orthodox beliefs and practices). However, it does suffer from being a bit dated as well as two pretty egregious sections. The first almost made me put the book down - it related to a brief conversation about Israel where the Rabbi makes the assertion that the occupation of the Palestinian territories is benevolent, saying that "much of the trouble in the occupied areas is due to the unusually kind and decent treatment given [the Palestinians]. It is so at variance with what they expected and what they would normally have received from their fellow Arabs in similar circumstances that they can't understand it..." (143). Thankfully, there is a painfully awkward transition away from discussing Israel and it hardly comes up until later.
The second contention, regarding the roles in traditional Jewish services that are reserved only for men, is equally as offensive - Kemelman makes the assertion that women are interested in different things than men and leading a service, reading from the torah, etc. is simply a push from feminists, not actually what women would naturally want to do. They are more inclined to nurse, teach and cook. Ugh...
Yom Kippur is all about forgiveness and so I moved on from these passages - overall, an enjoyable didactic read even if parts were irritating. Good for folks who are struggling with liberal Judaism and how it philosophically differs from liberal Christianity.
The second contention, regarding the roles in traditional Jewish services that are reserved only for men, is equally as offensive - Kemelman makes the assertion that women are interested in different things than men and leading a service, reading from the torah, etc. is simply a push from feminists, not actually what women would naturally want to do. They are more inclined to nurse, teach and cook. Ugh...
Yom Kippur is all about forgiveness and so I moved on from these passages - overall, an enjoyable didactic read even if parts were irritating. Good for folks who are struggling with liberal Judaism and how it philosophically differs from liberal Christianity.
stephang18's review against another edition
4.0
This book ranks with "The Nine Questions that People Ask about Judaism". My only cavil is with Kemelman's view of the afterlife in Judaism. He is plain wrong.
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