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OverviewEcclesiastes, 'the greatest single piece of literature I have known' (Thomas Wolfe) continues to engage readers. The book is so controversial that some of the earliest rabbis sought to exclude it from the Bible in light of its self-contradictions and occasional near-heresies. Fortunately, the depth of thought won out. This commentary confronts the book from a perspective that is literary, while maintaining the highest academic standards. The volume is strikingly new, including the following central reconsideration's: Ecclesiastes was written with empowering the reader in mind. It is not a developed philosophy, but a short novelette, a story of one man's search for verifiable evidence of God's workings in this world (which he does not find). Strikingly, his principal consequent advice is: 'Enjoy'. The book is a retrospective collection, so one finds a plethora of voices from one person the young searcher, the poet, the teacher, the old man obsessed with death, etc. To these, the author adds the slightly dissenting voice of the one presenting the book. This variety turns the novelette into a parallel ongoing dialogue. The presentation as first person speech serves both to make the reader more sympathetic toward the speaker and yet less accepting of his contentions. Many of the 'contradictions' in Ecclesiastes are in fact evidence of growth and change, as observable in the text. The reader is left to judge these as maturity, as the weakness of age, or possibly as the confusions inherent in life. As the speaker turns ever more to advice on how to get along, ultimately recommending no more contemplation, the reader is nevertheless left with more questions than answers. This book does not seek to provide answers to all the challenges, but rather a challenge to all the answers. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Rabbi Benjamin J SegalPublisher: Gefen Publishing House Imprint: Gefen Publishing House Dimensions: Width: 17.00cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 24.00cm Weight: 0.520kg ISBN: 9789652298928ISBN 10: 9652298921 Pages: 160 Publication Date: 01 January 2017 Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Tertiary & Higher Education , Professional & Vocational Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In stock  We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately. Table of ContentsReviewsAuthor InformationBenjamin J. Segal is a rabbi, educator, lecturer and author now living in Israel. He has written on biblical, Talmudic, Zionist and educational issues. His books include Returning:The Land of Israel as Focus in Jewish History and the study text Midrash:The Search for a Contemporary Past. He is Director of the Gateways cultural festival in Jerusalem and a former President of Melitz Centers for Zionist Jewish Education, Jerusalem. He is now working on the development of a literary analysis of Psalms. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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