Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another

Peninnah Schram

• Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc.
• Year: 1996
• eBook ISBN: 9781461629214
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Jewish Theology

Peninnah Schram, widely regarded as one of the great Jewish storytellers of our generation, has collected and retold sixty-four delightful Jewish folktales to create Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another. Ms. Schram, who believes that stories form 'the link between the generations,' helps forge that link with this book, ensuring that these stories will continue to live and breathe in the modern world. The life force animating these tales is almost tangible. The printed words seem to vibrate, as if the author possessed the voices of various tellers and lent their lilting tones and ripe inflections to the printed page. Furthermore, the laughter, sobs, and delighted cries of countless listeners also echo in these pages. Schram, who has written a thoughtful, informative introduction for each story, demonstrates on every page her belief that the stories 'connect to our lives.' And when the lifelike characters woven into Schram's magic tapestry suffer or enjoy the fates they most deserve, we rejoice, secure in their storybook world?a world where justice, however incomprehensible, is always done, and where we attain happiness by living in accordance with Jewish law and in harmony with the world's natural order. Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another abounds in a gentle wisdom that presses itself upon our complex and often self-contradictory lives, infusing us with patience, tolerance, and hope. We identify with the kings and princes, fools and beggars, heroes and leaders, villains and witches of yesteryear because, though our lives are vastly different from theirs, we share their moral choices and experience their dilemmas. Schram joins Jewish storytellers throughout the ages, linking past to present and preserving an invaluable legacy for generations yet unborn.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Foreword - THE STORYTELLER’S PRAYER
• Preface and Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• My Storyteller’s Prayer
• The Bull’s Eye
• Elijah and the Three Wishes
• The Three Brothers
• Elijah’s Mysterious Ways
• Elijah the Builder
• The Princess and Her Beloved
• Solomon’s Way of Getting to the Truth
• Three Wise Sayings
• Solomon’s Gift
• The Boiled Eggs
• The Bird’s Wisdom
• Wisdom for Sale
• A Question of Sharing
• The Wedding Blessing
• The Bride’s Wisdom
• The Innkeeper’s Wise Daughter
• The Promised Betrothal
• The Magic Pomegranate
• The Iron Chest
• Zohara
• The Two Bridegrooms
• The Snake Son
• Her Wisdom Was Her Beauty
• The Clever Young Man
• The Fisherman’s Daughter
• The Dream Interpreter
• Kindness Rewarded
• Kindness Returned
• Laughter
• Miracles All Around
• A Companion in the World-To-Come
• The Promised Robe
• The Leopard and the Fox
• The Artist’s Search
• The First Shabbat
• The Scroll of Bereshit
• A Tall Tale
• The Dream and the Treasure
• The Rooster Who Would Be King
• The Woodcutter’s Riddles
• The King Who Wanted to Know the Fisherman’s Daughter’s Story
• The Great Debate
• A Question of Balance
• The Seven Lies
• The Demon in the House of Study
• The Mirror
• The Clever Midwife
• The Miser’s Keys
• The Nigun (The Melody)
• The Nigun: Two Variations
• The Nigun from England
• The Nigun from Habonim
• The Nigun from Galicia
• Krasavitza
• Children of the King
• The Red Slippers
• The Best Loved
• The Ten Sons
• The Clever Will
• Three Generations
• An Offspring’s Answer
• The Golden Watch
• The Cycle
• The Lullaby
• Interweaving Stories
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Pronunciation Guide
• Index
• About the Author