Sholem Aleichem: Mythologist of the Mundane

Sholem Aleichem: Mythologist of the Mundane

On the Jewish holidays, every adult becomes a child again.  The joys of owning a precious ethrog, making a flag for Simhat Torah, gambling on Hanukkah, parading around town in a Purim costume, inviting a guest home for the seder—all these turn an ordinary day into a carnival. But by daring to dream the implausible dream, by entering the deep past with its miracles and promises, the adult-child also becomes vulnerable to disappointment and despair. This is the stuff of Sholem Aleichem’s Holiday Tales, which redefined the meaning of Jewish myth for modern times.

עוד בבית אבי חי