Jewish Tales of Reincarnation

Rating:
Summary: More Satisfying Than Comfort Food
Review: Excellent reference for those studying or interested in Jewish spirituality, Jewish mysticism, Jewish literature.

***

There's nothing as heartwarming and satisfying as a hot bowl of matzohball soup. A bit of herring afterward doesn't hurt, either. "Jewish Tales of Reincarnation" by Rabbi Yonassan Gershom hits the same spot but the satisfaction lasts much longer.

"Tales" is a compliation of Jewish folklore and teachings that deal with the difficult issues of death, rebirth, and the various meanings of why we come back and why we even came at all. Coming from deep in Jewish cultural and religious beliefs that have been long eschewed by all but a minority in the modern Jewish world, the concepts in these tales are penned by Y. Gershom with language that is clearly understandable to the modern reader, and with the author's gift for including numerous cultural facts and mores in a way that does not take away from the narrative flow, as well as in a way that never makes the reader feel that they have been patronized or spoon-fed.

The stories themselves are bracing in their simultaneous simplicity and profound meaning. Basic values of what makes one truly human, what brings the presence of G-d more richly into this world, are present in every tale. The sheer wonder and excitement of feeling like a child transfixed by a grandparent's storytelling overtakes you, and you're off!... Who knows where you'll land after the journey through these tales that transform the imagination and challenge one's heart. You'll definitely be asking for seconds.

Rating:
Summary: More Satisfying Than Comfort Food
Review: Excellent reference for those studying or interested in Jewish spirituality, Jewish mysticism, Jewish literature.

***

There's nothing as heartwarming and satisfying as a hot bowl of matzohball soup. A bit of herring afterward doesn't hurt, either. "Jewish Tales of Reincarnation" by Rabbi Yonassan Gershom hits the same spot but the satisfaction lasts much longer.

"Tales" is a compliation of Jewish folklore and teachings that deal with the difficult issues of death, rebirth, and the various meanings of why we come back and why we even came at all. Coming from deep in Jewish cultural and religious beliefs that have been long eschewed by all but a minority in the modern Jewish world, the concepts in these tales are penned by Y. Gershom with language that is clearly understandable to the modern reader, and with the author's gift for including numerous cultural facts and mores in a way that does not take away from the narrative flow, as well as in a way that never makes the reader feel that they have been patronized or spoon-fed.

The stories themselves are bracing in their simultaneous simplicity and profound meaning. Basic values of what makes one truly human, what brings the presence of G-d more richly into this world, are present in every tale. The sheer wonder and excitement of feeling like a child transfixed by a grandparent's storytelling overtakes you, and you're off!... Who knows where you'll land after the journey through these tales that transform the imagination and challenge one's heart. You'll definitely be asking for seconds.

Rating:
Summary: Author's reply to Robert Lehr's 1-star review (below)
Review: It was not my intention to "add anything new" to the topic of reincarnation. Nor is this supposed to be a case-history therapy book. My goal was to demonstrate that teachings about reincarnation do indeed exist in traditional Jewish circles. True, the book is primarily a collection of folklore, which is why it is entitled "Jewish TALES of Reincarnation" rather than "Jewish CASES of Reincarnation."

I beleive that the soul of a people is expressed through its stories. These are the teaching tales that Hasidim (and others) tell around the Sabbath table -- whether or not they are "superstitious" depends on your POV. However, having checked out Mr. Lehr's list of reviews and seen that he regularly 1-stars books with nasty comments, I will "consider the source" and not take his insults too seriously.

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom
author, Jewish Tales of Reincarnation

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: My attention was directed towards this book after I read Rabbi G. 's other 2 books that I had found. I didn't know about Jewish reincarnation theories/stories at all. The stories in this book are categorized but not treated in a scientific way. It is very easy readable, before you know it you are done with it and wishing there were more stories included. The book also has an excellent glossary of Jewish terms, a biographical index and a bibliography of related books that enables you to read more on this subject. I can absolutely recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: A confused mish-mash of stuff on reincarnation.
Review: This book should never have been written, as it contributes NOTHING to the literature on reincarnation.It is a confused mixture of tidbits from superstitious lore, mystic speculations, senseless stories, from which one can see the autor's general confusion on this whole topic. A waste of time, in every way.