David Fohrman

This is one of those books that I would never have gone looking for – not because the topic, Queen Esther, doesn’t interest me, but because I thought I knew all there was to know about her. And that is just the point that the author makes; because she is such a familiar character, whose story we read regularly each year, and whom we knew as children, we accept the whole story without question. Even if we don’t take it as literally true, we do not take a critical view of it as a piece of literature; it is what it is. Well Rabbi Fohrman soon makes you realize that it is not; it is much more.

It was recommended to me by the owner of a bookstore where I had gone to look for another book. As it happens, a casual question had come up among friends over dinner just after the annual Purim reading of the Book of Esther; why does the Book tell the story of the hanging of Haman’s ten sons twice? This was something that I had not even noticed before, and we had had a go at explaining this between ourselves. “Does the book explain the double hanging of the ten sons”, I asked the bookstore owner. “Yes, in chapter eight; but you have to read the whole book.” I was sold.

The book asks a lot of questions – not just about the ten sons - and provides many deep and thoughtful answers. It is written by an orthodox Rabbi, from within a framework of orthodox Jewish belief. But that should not deter any one of other persuasions from reading and enjoying the book; it is original, engaging, and thought-provoking.… (más)

NO OF PAGES: 0 SUB CAT I: Bible Study SUB CAT II: SUB CAT III: DESCRIPTION: We instinctively revere the Ten Commandments as the core symbol of Judaism - but honestly, how many of us turn to this document for guidance or inspiration in our daily lives? In this lecture, Rabbi David Fohrman examines the Ten Commandments, asking some basic but difficult questions: What rationale might there be for the Almighty selecting ten out of the 613 commandments in the Torah for some sort of special revelation on Mount Sinai? And: How can we understand why these ten were chosen, as opposed to any others?
In confronting these question, Rabbi Fohrman asks us to consider whether the Ten Commandments is simply a random selection of important laws, or whether the document has internal coherency and "hangs together" in some way as a whole. In the end, a surprising picture of the Ten Commandments emerges, revealing core principles of human conduct that are necessary for building lasting relationships with those around us and with the Divine.NOTES: Purchased from Artscroll. SUBTITLE: Guided Adventures in Jewish Text… (más)