A Jewish Rip van Winkle? This first story was quite interesting. I myself have fantasized about sleeping for a long time, long enough to pass all the heartache and trials of life, but wake up to a kind of utopia like Rabbi Onias. I don't think this is right though, I feel like it would have been better to have faced the trails and even to have helped rebuild Jerusalem.
The story of "A king for three days" is interesting because it was much more modern (relatively) and deals with a more modern day example of Jewish folklore (i.e., real life historical figures). However, the premise seemed a little contrived, I don't think that it was very realistic for a hardened christian general to seek out the blessing (or curse) of a Rabbi.
The next story is actually one of my favorite funny little bible stories about Abraham and Sarah. In the Bible version, Abraham similarly lies to Pharaoh, but when he finds out, he is hurt and angry that Abraham deceived him. There is certainly no evil spirit, and there is a much closer bond implied between Pharaoh and Abraham in the Old Testament version.
In this version of the Golem story, Rabbi Lion creates what is at first a benevolent golem, but turns rebellious and causes problems for him. There are some similarities between this and Shelley's Frankenstein. I have heard of another version of this story where the golem fights for the Jewish, and I think I like that one better.
The final story, about the fairy frog, seems very similar to a couple of other fairy tales, where a humble couple does something sacrificial, and gets a great, even disproportional reward. I was reminded of the story of the golden goose.
Source: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919).
The story of "A king for three days" is interesting because it was much more modern (relatively) and deals with a more modern day example of Jewish folklore (i.e., real life historical figures). However, the premise seemed a little contrived, I don't think that it was very realistic for a hardened christian general to seek out the blessing (or curse) of a Rabbi.
The next story is actually one of my favorite funny little bible stories about Abraham and Sarah. In the Bible version, Abraham similarly lies to Pharaoh, but when he finds out, he is hurt and angry that Abraham deceived him. There is certainly no evil spirit, and there is a much closer bond implied between Pharaoh and Abraham in the Old Testament version.
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| Creating the Golem Source |
The final story, about the fairy frog, seems very similar to a couple of other fairy tales, where a humble couple does something sacrificial, and gets a great, even disproportional reward. I was reminded of the story of the golden goose.
Source: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919).
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