People of The Book
- Leann Shamash
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
#parshatshoftim #shoftim #peopleofthebook #devarim #seferdevarim #parshapoetry #wordshavewings #deuteronomy #reading #books #torah
Hi Everyone,
If you would rather read a poem rather than this week's post about Jewish books, please consider opening these past posts on Parshat Shoftim.
Be a Tree is one of my favorite posts and I would post it every year if I could!
The Gardener equates the qualities of a gardener with the qualities of a leader.
Since this post is about reading, there is a short story about my dad, may his memory be a blessing, called The World Was Upside Down: A Tale of Kindness.
Ok, now onto this week's post!
This week, as we read Parshat Shoftim, we find in the midst of laws concerning justice and the ethics of war, a piece that will never lose its relevance. It is a paragraph or two on the requirements of a king. Included in this list is the order that a king must write a Sefer Torah for himself and keep it by his side always, so that he remains humble, an important trait of a leader.
"When you enter the land that YHWH your God is giving you, and you possess it and settle in it, should you say: I will set over me a king like all the nations that are around me—you may set, yes, set over you a king that YHWH your God chooses; from among your brothers you may set over you a king, you may not place over you a foreign man who is not a brother-person to you.
Only: he is not to multiply horses for himself, and he is not to return the people to Egypt in order to multiply horses, since YHWH has said to you: You are not to return that way again!
And he is not to multiply wives for himself, that his heart not be turned aside, and silver or gold he is not to multiply for himself to excess.
But it shall be: when he sits on the throne of his kingdom,he is to write himself a copy of this Instruction in a record, before the presence of Levitical priests. It is to remain beside him,
and he is to read out of it all the days of his life, in order that he may learn to have-awe-for YHWH his God, to be careful concerning all the words of this Instruction and these laws, to observe them, that his heart not be raised above his brothers, that he not turn aside from what-is-commanded, to the right or to the left, in order that he may prolong [his] days over his kingdom, he and his sons, in the midst of Israel." Devarim 17:17-20
I wondered as I read these lines this week whether the phrase "people of the book" originated with this idea. I was surprised to see that the origins of this phrase originate in the Koran.
"The Jewish people often are referred to as “The People of the Book,” but this isn’t a name they gave themselves. Rather the term was coined by the Islamic tradition during the Middle Ages when Jews and Christians were referred to as “protected people” (ahlal‑dhimma or ahlal dhimmis) because they possessed a prior written revelation from God. As such, the People of the Book were permitted to live among Muslims, undisturbed, and to observe their faith without interference from the surrounding community."
Sara Sless JCC Association The People of the Book May, 2021
The People of the Book refers to Torah, to its many teachings and interpretations and a visit to any synagogue in any land gives a quick lesson in how reverence is shown to the Torah scrolls. Torah, though is the source, is just the beginning of a vast body of literature, both related to Torah, but also related to the Jewish experience. This arc sweeps far and wide over time and space.
Interstingly, in 2016, the author Adam Kirsch attempted to create a list of 18 books that give a sweeping overview of Judaism. The book is called. The People and the Books: 18 Classics of Jewish Literature, which gives the learner the opportunity to travel through space and time with a selection of Jewish literature, starting with the book we are currently reading, Deuteronomy.
Mr. Kirsch continues through Jewish history by examining a variety of books, including books of philosophy, rabbinic writings, Jewish mysticism, living in exile, women, prayer, Chasidism and literature.
Adam Kirsch is not the only person who has tried to create book lists that attempt to explain the Jewish experience. Others include the late Rabbi Sacks, My Jewish Learning , The Jewish Book Council and so many others that I won't even try to fit them on this page, but here is a Google Search link. Go and explore!
I would like to share, however, the books that my co-learners shared this week when I posed a question to them, "What is a Jewish book that changed your life in some way?" Here are their answers, and like every good book, each answer has a story that goes along with it. Each of these books open different doors to explore our texts and history. Each of the links leads you to a description of the book.
I and Thou by Martin Buber (philosophy)
We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder by Alan Morinis (Mussar)
Exodus by Leon Uris ( fiction about the creation of the State of Israel)
Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk (mid-century United States fiction)
Selected Stories of Sholom Aleichem by Sholom Aleichem (Early 20th Century Shtetl fiction)
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok (mid 20th century United States fiction)
The Jew in the Lotus by Roger Kamenetz (Late 20th century explorations non-fiction)
The New Jewish Wedding by Anita Diamant (Late 20th century United States non-fiction)
The First Jewish Catalog by Sharon Strassfeld (mid to late 20th century how to book)
As a Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg (fiction based on talmudic stories of Elisha ben Abuya)
My own choice for our class was a book by Hans Fallada, called Every Man Dies Alone. This Is book about two very ordinary people living in Nazi Germany who tried to make a difference, and this is a very Jewish lesson to me, although the book was not written by or about the Jews.
Now it is my turn to ask you this question.
What is a Jewish book that impacted your life?
Please take the time to let me know or put the book name in the comment section and go into this week's Parshah, Shoftim, with thoughts of books that you have read or intend to read going forward. Let's consider this week to be "People of the Book" week!
Let's get reading!
Shabbat Shalom,
Leann
וְהָיְתָ֣ה עִמּ֔וֹ וְקָ֥רָא
ב֖וֹ כּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֑יו
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