In this book, Rabbi Blau puts together Aggadot (non Halakhik texts) from all over the Talmud into many different essays on Jewish thought. He does this by carefully weaving together different sources to gather an eclectic view of how the Talmud views topics like interpersonal relations and leadership. The fear many people may have when picking up a book like this one, is that any book on the wisdom of Aggadah has to be full of fluffy homiletics. While Rabbi Blau does indeed draw messages from the sources, they are by no means unsubstantial. He brings a variety of sources to prove his points both from the Talmud and from philosophers such as Kierkegaard. He delves deeply into the sources, not only taking them at their surface value. He looks into different versions of the aggadah that sometimes appear either also in the Talmud or in the Ein Yaakov, a commentator that collected aggadot; many of which are not in the Talmud itself. What I found fascinating is the collection of aggadot that are presented. Apart from being a fantastic tool to look up sources that are separated into a variety of topics, Rabbi Blau gives great insight into many sources that many Jewish children are brought up upon. In his essay on optimism, Rabbi Blau opens up with the familiar aggadah of R Akiva laughing when he sees the Temple in its defilement for he now knows that the prophesy of the redemption must come. Rather than learning lessons that may seem self-evident from the aggadah right away, Rabbi Blau uses more esoteric aggadot to prove his point and explain the story we have heard from youth. In this way, Rabbi Blau shows how the learning of Aggadah can be both a deep and profound experience. In general, Midrash and Aggadah are viewed as lighter topics than Halakha, and while that still may be true, Rabbi Blau shows how learning Aggadah can be an extremely valuble and worthwhile endeavor. 
52 weeks, 52 books, and counting...
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Fresh Fruit and Vintage Wine by Rabbi Yitzchak Blau
In this book, Rabbi Blau puts together Aggadot (non Halakhik texts) from all over the Talmud into many different essays on Jewish thought. He does this by carefully weaving together different sources to gather an eclectic view of how the Talmud views topics like interpersonal relations and leadership. The fear many people may have when picking up a book like this one, is that any book on the wisdom of Aggadah has to be full of fluffy homiletics. While Rabbi Blau does indeed draw messages from the sources, they are by no means unsubstantial. He brings a variety of sources to prove his points both from the Talmud and from philosophers such as Kierkegaard. He delves deeply into the sources, not only taking them at their surface value. He looks into different versions of the aggadah that sometimes appear either also in the Talmud or in the Ein Yaakov, a commentator that collected aggadot; many of which are not in the Talmud itself. What I found fascinating is the collection of aggadot that are presented. Apart from being a fantastic tool to look up sources that are separated into a variety of topics, Rabbi Blau gives great insight into many sources that many Jewish children are brought up upon. In his essay on optimism, Rabbi Blau opens up with the familiar aggadah of R Akiva laughing when he sees the Temple in its defilement for he now knows that the prophesy of the redemption must come. Rather than learning lessons that may seem self-evident from the aggadah right away, Rabbi Blau uses more esoteric aggadot to prove his point and explain the story we have heard from youth. In this way, Rabbi Blau shows how the learning of Aggadah can be both a deep and profound experience. In general, Midrash and Aggadah are viewed as lighter topics than Halakha, and while that still may be true, Rabbi Blau shows how learning Aggadah can be an extremely valuble and worthwhile endeavor. 
