'For Signs and for Seasons' is a natural sequel to its companion volumes, 'Holidays, History and Halakhah,' 'In Those Days,' 'At This Time,' and 'Sanctified Seasons.' Like those earlier books, this volume brings together a diverse collection of essays related to the cycle of Jewish holy days. Each chapter illustrates in a different way the interplay between the received teachings of the Torah and the vital impact of interpretations by diverse types of personalities, ideologies, historical events, and communal dynamics. The articles are written from a sympathetic but non-dogmatic perspective by an expert in the academic study of the Jewish religion. They were originally published as newspaper columns, are designed to entertain as much as to educate, and are accessible to a wide audience.
