Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Long-listed for the 2017 Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize"
"It's refreshing to read a Jewish book on death that does not presume to offer guidance, either through that dark portal, or around it. Instead, Hillel Halkin . . . has written a brief, pellucid account of the role death has played in Jewish texts, law, thought and lives--including his own."
---Esther Schor, Wall Street Journal"Halkin combines an accessible and trenchant exploration of Judaism's evolving concepts of death with his own struggle with understanding it. He leavens what could be a depressing read with humor. . . . Halkin's frankness about his own difficulties . . . help make this nuanced quest for meaning personal and affecting." * Publishers Weekly *
"Well-rounded and thoroughly readable."
---Jeff Fleischer, ForeWord"Deeply moving."
---Ray Olson, Booklist"A very user-friendly historical account of Jewish ideas about death . . . and how those ideas change. . . . [Halkin] is a master at 'popularisation' in the best sense of that term, bringing to a non-academic audience what are, in essence, some very complicated ideas."
---David Hillel-Ruben, Jewish Chronicle"Hillel Halkin, an American-born Israeli scholar and novelist, poignantly explores his own experiences while providing a history of Jewish thought."
---Amy Frykholm, Christian Century"Instructive and thought-provoking. . . . One would be hard-pressed to find a more knowledgeable or astute guide through the vast literature of Jewish thanatology than Hillel Halkin. . . . The Biggest of Mysteries being tackled by one of our best and brightest."
---Matt Nesvisky, Jerusalem Post"Learned and beautifully written." * Choice *
"At once scholarly and passionate, secular and religious, detached and autobiographical."
---Edward Alexander, Chicago Jewish Star"Charming, frankly vulnerable, and deceptively deep."
---Abraham Socher, Jewish Review of Books"In this important new book, Hillel Halkin explores Jewish attitudes towards death and the world to come. . . . A highly readable book which provokes reflection on an often uncomfortable subject. It would prove a valuable resource for all those involved in the field of pastoral care."
---Randall C. Belinfante, Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews
