"And You Shall Tell Your Son": Identity and Belonging as Shaped by the Jewish Holidays

by Yitzhak (Itzik) Peleg

Overview

Explores the cycle of Jewish holidays, which reflects a sense of identity with, and belonging to, the Jewish people, while simultaneously shaping that identity and sense of belonging. Throughout the generations, observance of the holidays has developed and changed, thus enabling generations of Jews, in their various communities, to define their own national identity and sense of belonging.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781644698334
Publisher:	Academic Studies Press
Publication date:	09/06/2022
Pages:	204
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.43(d)

About the Author

Yitzhak (Itzik) Peleg is professor emeritus of Bible Studies at the Gordon Academic College, Haifa, Israel. In addition to publishing numerous articles, Peleg is the author of 'Go forth: ' the Forefathers' Journeys in Bible Stories (Resling, 2013), and of Going Up and Going Down: A Key to Interpreting Jacob's Dream (Bloomsbury, 2015). He has taught Bible to English-speaking students in Hebrew Union College, Institute of Religion, Jerusalem, and to English-speaking adult groups in Australia.

Nancy Rosenfeld is an emerita lecturer at Max Stern College of the Jezreel Valley, Israel. She has published numerous articles, and two books: The Human Satan in Seventeenth-Century English Literature ((Ashgate, 2008), and John Bunyan's Imaginary Writings in Context (Routledge, 2018). Rosenfeld belongs to the Israel Translators' Association.

Editorial Reviews

07/04/2022

Peleg (Going Up and Going Down), an emeritus professor of Bible studies at Gordon Academic College, Israel, studies the relationship between Jewish holidays and identity in this uneven outing. The author digs into the history behind numerous holidays and explains how they foster memory and belonging. For example, he contends that the tradition of reading the Book of Ruth on Shavuot likely began in the eighth century and promotes an inclusive vision of Judaism through its account of Ruth, a Moabite who joined the Israelites despite prohibitions against Moabites elsewhere in scripture. Peleg examines changes in how holidays are observed, noting that Rosh Hashana was a joyful celebration before the destruction of the temple changed the cultural needs of the Jewish community and transformed the holiday into a more contemplative affair. While there are some provocative ideas on how holidays might be updated for contemporary times, such as rethinking the number of fasting days and finding more opportunities to emphasize joy rather than mourning, not all are well-developed, making this more of a starting point for further discussion than a road map. Readers attuned to how Jewish holidays shape religious identity would be better off with Abigail Pogrebin’s My Jewish Year or Michael Strassfeld’s The Jewish Holidays. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly