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The Thirty Third Hour
by Mitchell Chefitz
Book #314 - Price $6.99
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Hardcover book is in
new condition, unread, dust jacket in like new condition. Dust jacket shows
no signs of wear on top and bottom of spine edges. Inside of book pages are
crisp and clean. Price stamp from bookstore on front of dust jacket.
Publisher: St Martins Press. ISBN 031227758X. 320 pages long. Approx. Size
9.5 by 6.5 x 1. Additional pictures of condition are always available.
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Brenda, a troubled, attractive
congregant in Rabbi Arthur Greenberg's sprawling Miami synagogue, has made
some extremely serious allegations against the iconoclastic teacher Moshe
Katan, the rabbi's colleague and ex-classmate. Having invited Katan to set
up a special program on family education at his temple, Greenberg has no
choice but to review the pile of evidence: hours of videotaped teaching
sessions, featuring Katan's highly nontraditional approach to Jewish
learning. Chefitz's second installment in the Moshe Katan series (after The
Seventh Telling: The Kabba'ah of Moshe Katan) is chiefly concerned with
lengthy swaths of Katan's innovative instruction and interactions. For the
remote, scholarly rabbi, the contrast between him and the earthy,
freewheeling Katan becomes painfully obvious. (Purim, the most boisterous
and joyous of Jewish commemorations, is the rabbi's "least favorite of the
holidays," the synagogue "filled with unruly children.") Katan's teaching
approach also cuts uncomfortably close to home, and the rabbi is forced into
a series of painful ruminations that touch on his own spirituality, his
marriage, the rocky relationship with his daughter and a family background
both unsavory and tangled. The teachings of Moshe Katan could be helpful for
those interested in an anecdotal approach to Jewish tradition. Instructive
as a teaching tool but parochial as a work of fiction, the novel's tone is
didactic, and the characterizations rarely rise above the level of clich‚. A
less lecture-like format would have made for a more engaging text.
At midnight on a Saturday, Rabbi Arthur Greenberg begins a 33-hour marathon.
He must review the tapes and journals of a new family education program to
decide whether a colleague, the program director, is guilty of sexual
misconduct. The woman who has made the accusations dresses provocatively,
and the program director spends a great deal of time with her autistic son.
Chefitz, a Jewish educator, puts readers right at the rabbi's side during
the process. They, in effect, become participants in the workshops and the
rabbi's deliberations. They will also learn some Torah and Kabbalah as they
consider the ethical dilemma and its consequences. Because the novel is so
engaging and will likely encourage discussion, it is an excellent choice for
book clubs. Independent readers interested in Jewish studies will enjoy it,
too.
A photo gallery of pictures from this book is shown below
as well as a description of the pictures. Any questions please
email me
aldergrove@ppowner.com
   
This site was last updated
05/17/09
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