In Those Days, At This Time

Holiness and History in the Jewish Calendar

By Eliezer Segal
Categories: Religious Studies
Publisher: University of Calgary Press
Paperback : 9781552381854, 340 pages, December 2007
Ebook (PDF) : 9781552383711, 340 pages, December 2007

Table of contents

 

Introduction>

The Sabbath
You Have Mail!

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Dancing with Demons
Roman Holiday
Where to Draw the Line
Vanity, Emptiness and the Throne of Glory
Sins in the Balance
Atoning for Esau

Sukkot and Simhat Torah
Prince of the rain
Come Gather 'Round, People
The Mysterious Origins of Simhat Torah

Hanukkah
Getting a Handel on Hanukkah
Burning Issue
The Wicked Hasmonean Priest
A Megillah for Hanukkah
Assideans for Everyone

The Fifteenth of Sh'vat
Apples and Apocalypse
It Grows on Trees
Renewable Resource

Purim
Passing through Sushan
Troubles at Court
The Purim–Shpiel and the Passion Play
The Wise King Ahasuerus
Esther and the Essens
Remebering Harbona—for Good or for Bad?

Passover
Back to Egypt
"In Every Generation . . .": The Strange Omission in Rabbi Kalischer's Haggadeh
The Eggs and the Exodus
Dressing for Success
Hillel's Perplexing Passover Predicament
Old King, New King
Drip before You Sip
Those Magnificent Men and Their Matzah Machines
Freshly Baked: A Matza Mystery

The 'Omer Season
Counting the Days
Notes from the Underground
Just a Little Bit off the Top, Please
The Case of the Missing 'Omer

Israeli Independence Day
Gathering the Dispersed of Israel
That Old Blue Box

Shavu'ot
Honey from the Tablets
Crowning Achievement
When Mount Sinai Was Lifted Up
Renewing the Covenant and Qumran

Glossary
Index

Description

Eliezer Segal's approach to Jewish history and tradition is light-hearted and humorous. In Those Days, At This Time is a collection of entertaining short essays that explores the intricate framework of sacred days and times that make up the Jewish festival calendar. Each piece is devoted to an occasion in the cycle of sacred seasons. With such intriguing titles as "Getting a Handel on Hanukkah" and "The Eggs and the Exodus," these essays bring a touch of whimsy to a complex and deep-rooted religious tradition. Segal investigates the ways festival observances have been shaped over the generations, looking at different interpretations of their rituals, their symbolism, and their adaptation to changing historical circumstances.