Rabbi Steinberg's portrayal of Elisha ben Abuyah, a talmudic rabbi who repudiates Judaism and turns to Greek philosophy in search of a rational basis for faith.
The magnificent work of modern fiction that brings the age of the Talmud to life. The characters include the well-known historical figures: Akiba, Yohanan, Joshua, Eleazar, Beruriah, and Elisha ben Abuyah, whose struggle to live in two worlds destroyed his chance to live in either. Foreword by Chaim Potok
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Takes you back to the time of the rabbis:
I literally could not put this book down - it effectively transported me back to Judea and Antioch in the time of the talmudic rabbis, after the destruction of the temple by the Romans. The author embellishes the story of the apostate Elisha ben Abuye in order to discuss the nature of faith, and contrast Greco-Roman culture with Judaism.
Don't Question Hashem!:
Because if you do, you're entire life will be messed up and you'll die miserable and alone.
Fantastic! If you are living in the modern world, this book is for you.:
After finishing the book, I went to check some reviews only to find so many of them to be absurd and laughable. Some people expect this book to be 100% historically accurate when Steinberg notes that the book is purposefully inaccurate in some places. Reviewers criticize Steinberg for not fully answering the "question." This is obviously a ridiculous criticism because if the book teaches us but one thing, we learn that truth, due to its ephemeral nature, must be a constant revelation renewed every day in... more info
Tradition and Reason:
As A Driven Leaf is loosely based on tale that appears in several places in classical rabbinic literature. In the classical texts, there are four people that enter paradise, only one of which enters returns in tact. This book is Rabbi Steinberg's version. In it, the main protagonist is confronted between by the tensions between the dogmatic claims of his religious tradition, his own rigorous logic, and his witnessing of tragedies that seem to be at odds with the just, all-powerful God of Judaism.more info
