Description
Top 5: Lists of Jewish Character and Characters
A collection of Dovid Bashevkin’s beloved columns in Mishpacha Magazine that highlight the comedic idiosyncrasies and nuances of Jewish life. In these pages, you’ll discover your favorite characters from shul, the subtle dilemmas of Jewish life, and the joy and fun throughout the Jewish calendar. A new appreciation for Yiddishkeit is just a Top 5 list away.
DOVID BASHEVKIN is the director of education for NCSY, the youth movement of the Orthodox Union. He has written several scholarly works about failure in Jewish thought. This is his first published work of narishkeit. When Dovid isn’t writing about failure, he’s trying to laugh about it. Dovid has been rejected from many prestigious fellowships and awards.
Author: Dovid Bashevkin
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781600918179
Length: 104
Media: Book
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781600918179
Length: 104
Media: Book
![Schottenstein Daf Yomi Ed Talmud English [#46] - Bava Basra Vol 3](https://judaica4kids.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Schottenstein-Daf-Yomi-Ed-Talmud-English-46-Bava-Basra-Vol-3-116b-176b-370x555.jpg)
LEH –
I vividly remember sitting in a college sociology class when the professor introduced us to the idea of “microsociology”, the study of the smallest of interactions. Someone piped up, “You mean like Seinfeld?” We all laughed nervously; perhaps this wasn’t an appropriate comment for a college class. But the professor put us at ease and grinned. “EXACTLY like Seinfeld,” he said. “Sociologists LOVE Seinfeld. He notices everything.”Well, if sociologists love Seinfeld, I’d like to extrapolate and say that Orthodox Jewish sociologists would love Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin. He too “notices everything” and casts a humorous light on the many small moments that make up Orthodox Judaism today.What do I mean? A small example. On the summer holiday of Tisha B’Av, as Jews are in mourning for the destruction of the first and second Temples, regular chairs are not used at synagogue at night and in the morning. Instead, Jews are instructed to either sit on the floor or sit on something less than 12 inches in height as a way of expressing their sadness.I remember once in synagogue on Tisha B’Av night, I saw someone walk in with a low beach chair. My first thought was, what a terrific idea! That had to be more comfortable than the floor. But then I started thinking… was a beach chair really within the spirit of the law, even if it was within the letter of the law? What was next – a yoga mat?You know who else notices this? Rabbi Bashevkin, in his “Top 5 Mourning Practices We Should Shelve” list. You’ll be laughing so hard your sides will hurt, while you’ll also be considering if perhaps there are some aspects of your own observance you might need to modify.Or another example: When Orthdox Jews go on day trips, they often have to bring their own food for the day as there is no kosher food to be purchased. So far, so good. But as Bashevkin notices… what is it about the plastic bags? Some people look like they’re bringing in their Kroger order from the car. Why put each item in its own bag? For some reason, this has become the practice. Maybe, like the beach chairs, we need to rethink this one.These are two examples in a book of roughly 50 such columns, grouped by topic and chronologically throughout the Jewish year. We could all use a little extra humor in this day and age. This book is it.