***** The Thirteen Petalled Rose by Adin Steinsaltz – History Should Remember This Work Fondly

After reading this book, I definitely have to concede that it deserves a spot among my top 10 most favorite books though admittedly it is not #1.  Steinsaltz is probably the Maimonides of his generation.  The words of The Thirteen Petalled Rose exude like a magnificent display of fireworks.  However, The Thirteen Petalled Rose is a very difficult book.  Adin Steinsaltz is not easy reading.  I would say that it is his precision that makes this work difficult to comprehend in the same way I felt The Essential Talmud was difficult to comprehend.  I guess that much does not need to be said, for those are the people who will purchase this book, take a crack at reading it, become frustrated, and put it down.  Given the popularity of Kaballah, that is how the author will get much of his funds.  However, I don’t believe that was his mission at all, for as we know, not all pennies are created equal.

I wanted a hard copy of this work because I knew from the other rave reviews of this work that I wanted to have a printed copy of it, rather than just an electronic book.  If someone spots this book on my shelf, and has heard of it, I think it seeing its presence will possibly spur great conversations.

That I was able to read it, and benefit from it is probably due to all those countless hours I have toiled in Tanya study.  Otherwise, I may have become overwhelmed.  Additionally, The Thirteen Petalled Rose should not take the place of daily Tanya study though it has some information that the Tanya does not, and it is key information, especially since I can’t consider myself frum from birth.

Review of Night by Elie Wiesel ***** A heart wrenching story of the mercy of Gd.

A heart wrenching story of the mercy of Gd.

What is mercy then, you may wonder?  Mercy is as the basket that a basketball player shoots at.  As it is with mercy, the width of the basket is greater than the width of the ball.  The forgiveness we know occurs when a shot is less than perfect, but good enough to score a point.  Mercy means that the shot need not be perfect, but that it only needs to be good enough.  If the ball does not go through the hoop, then no point is scored.  The score is restricted according to justice, remaining the same.  Win or lose, the game revolves around how many times the ball goes through the net.  Thus, it is such that where mercy abounds, so does lawlessness.  Shots may be less than perfect, but as a team can win a baseball game despite having fewer hits than the opposing team, it is the same way with mercy.

Gd gave us freewill.  Thus, there is an element of chance in life, and this arises from Gd, that is, freewill is gift of mercy from Gd.  Without mercy, the soul of a human is as that of a golem, an automaton.  In freewill, Gd gave us both the ability to forgive each other, and to forsake.  Consider the mercy of God when you read Night.  Does this mercy cause you to lose faith in Gd or to gain faith Gd?  It causes me to gain faith in Gd for I know that in the Torah, Gd gave me a blueprint of how I should act.  If the mercy of Gd is so great that Night could be true, then, how much more should our fear of Gd be if we do not act according to His ways?

I have also learned that this sort of mercy is the hellish version of mercy.  There is also a mercy that can completely be known as lovingkindness.  Thus, it is such that between justice and lovingkindness, a healthy harmony may be found.

Review of Inferno by Dante * Dated.

One of those classics that would not make it in today's world. There are some humorous parts, but the America ‘s so over the edge with its shock culture, such as shock rock, and shock news that it makes this book seem quite dated.