The Essential Jewish Stories
Collected, Anotated & Retold
Seymour Rossel
Hardcover Edition
If you could pass on the Jewish heritage from generation to generation using only stories, what stories would you choose?
The Essential Jewish Stories
Collected, Annotated & Retold
by
Seymour Rossel
More than 300 stories selected from every period of Jewish history and from every Jewish teaching tradition, including narratives, anecdotes, metaphors, analogies, folktales, and fantasies. Every story is elegantly retold to emphasize its relevance for our times.
The Essential Jewish Stories is arranged thematically for easy access. It includes three indices that make it conveniently simple to find just the right story, whether you are looking by occasion (holy days or life observances), by personality (people who told them or people the stories are about), or by values.
Sources are provided for every narrative and many are accompanied by special notes on their meaning, their origins, or their comparative place in world mythology.
Read The Essential Jewish Stories from cover to cover and enjoy the teachings of the sages through the ages; or open it to seek just the story you want for just the moment you need it.
The Essential Jewish Stories is perfect for clergy of all faiths, for teachers, for storytellers, and for parents -- for all who wish to initiate discussions of tradition and values with children, friends, and community -- and certainly for those of us who simply love to share a good story.
Praise for The Essential Stories
"Seymour Rossel has gathered a lifetime's knowledge and study of Jewish stories into one inspiring collection. He draws widely from rabbinic texts, kabbalistic teachings, and Hasidic tales. His notes and sources greatly assist the reader and enrich the book. This one belongs in every Jewish library."
~ Howard Schwartz, author of Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism
"Rossel presents a rich collection of the narratives of Judaism, a religion that tells the truth in narrative form. A whole new generation is invited to join the story-tradition."
~ Jacob Neusner, Distinguished Service Professor of the History and Theology of Judaism
"Through these stories we can understand the Jewish mind at work. This is a book for your bedside, for the classroom and synagogue, and above all for your soul. It is a book for all Jews, scholars and those beginning their Jewish journeys, young and old alike, and for those who would come close to the Jewish essence. You will be nourished for years to come."
~ Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman, Jewish Center of the Hamptons, NY; author of The Family Prayerbook
"For anyone who has ever asked 'what's the story?' Seymour Rossel's book is a God-send. It is filled with stories from the entire sweep of Jewish history -- tales that will move you to tears and to laughter. We have needed this deeply rich resource for quite some time. Rabbis, educators, cantors, parents and everyday Jews will find it a blessing."
~ Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, Temple Israel, Columbus, GA, author of Putting God On The Guest List: How To Reclaim The Spiritual Meaning of Your Child's Bar or Bat Mitzvah
Collected, Anotated & Retold
Seymour Rossel
Hardcover Edition
If you could pass on the Jewish heritage from generation to generation using only stories, what stories would you choose?
The Essential Jewish Stories
Collected, Annotated & Retold
by
Seymour Rossel
More than 300 stories selected from every period of Jewish history and from every Jewish teaching tradition, including narratives, anecdotes, metaphors, analogies, folktales, and fantasies. Every story is elegantly retold to emphasize its relevance for our times.
The Essential Jewish Stories is arranged thematically for easy access. It includes three indices that make it conveniently simple to find just the right story, whether you are looking by occasion (holy days or life observances), by personality (people who told them or people the stories are about), or by values.
Sources are provided for every narrative and many are accompanied by special notes on their meaning, their origins, or their comparative place in world mythology.
Read The Essential Jewish Stories from cover to cover and enjoy the teachings of the sages through the ages; or open it to seek just the story you want for just the moment you need it.
The Essential Jewish Stories is perfect for clergy of all faiths, for teachers, for storytellers, and for parents -- for all who wish to initiate discussions of tradition and values with children, friends, and community -- and certainly for those of us who simply love to share a good story.
Praise for The Essential Stories
"Seymour Rossel has gathered a lifetime's knowledge and study of Jewish stories into one inspiring collection. He draws widely from rabbinic texts, kabbalistic teachings, and Hasidic tales. His notes and sources greatly assist the reader and enrich the book. This one belongs in every Jewish library."
~ Howard Schwartz, author of Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism
"Rossel presents a rich collection of the narratives of Judaism, a religion that tells the truth in narrative form. A whole new generation is invited to join the story-tradition."
~ Jacob Neusner, Distinguished Service Professor of the History and Theology of Judaism
"Through these stories we can understand the Jewish mind at work. This is a book for your bedside, for the classroom and synagogue, and above all for your soul. It is a book for all Jews, scholars and those beginning their Jewish journeys, young and old alike, and for those who would come close to the Jewish essence. You will be nourished for years to come."
~ Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman, Jewish Center of the Hamptons, NY; author of The Family Prayerbook
"For anyone who has ever asked 'what's the story?' Seymour Rossel's book is a God-send. It is filled with stories from the entire sweep of Jewish history -- tales that will move you to tears and to laughter. We have needed this deeply rich resource for quite some time. Rabbis, educators, cantors, parents and everyday Jews will find it a blessing."
~ Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, Temple Israel, Columbus, GA, author of Putting God On The Guest List: How To Reclaim The Spiritual Meaning of Your Child's Bar or Bat Mitzvah