Friends,
I’ve been working hard since July 1st to move into my new office. Having a work space that feels comfortable, well ordered, and peaceful is important to me—especially when it stands in comparison to my home in this season of life, which is lovingly “decorated” with dried-out markers, stuffed animals, and a seemingly endless number of tiny sharp toys that hide in the carpets, waiting for an ill-placed toe. This week was a big step in the move, as I transferred all of my books into new bookcases (which have a rolling ladder – living my Belle dream!) across the hall from my old office.
Being surrounded by books is such a joy for me. I keep them all logged (thanks Libib and $20 barcode scanner!) and organized (thanks, label machine!) and I take great pleasure in cultivating my ever-expanding rabbinic library. If you need a Jewish book, I’ve got it—just ask!
Moving and reorganizing my books this week allowed me to reacquaint myself with certain texts I hadn’t looked at in years, in particular, several that I came to love during my years as a rabbinical student. So many of these titles bring me back to a very particular time and place. Leafing through their pages was like a very quiet reunion with old friends.
I thought I might share just a few of these old friends with you—because as much as I love having a Jewish library, I would love for you to have one, too!
Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher by Laurel Snyder tells the story of sweet Baxter, a pig who just wants to be included—as a guest—in Shabbat dinner. I first encountered this book when I was living in Jerusalem as a first-year rabbinical student. What I loved most was the glossary at the end of the book which defines a rabbi as “a learned, generous Jewish leader who devotes time to reading, thinking, teaching, and helping people (and pigs!), who often tells wonderful stories, wears hats, and has nice laugh wrinkles.” As a first year student, only beginning to imagine what kind of rabbi I would come to be, I read that definition and thought, YES! *That* is exactly the kind of rabbi I want to be!
American Grace by Robert Putnam is a fascinating book on the sociology of religion in America, published in 2012. I read the book as part of the Tisch Fellowship during my third year of rabbinical school, and it was incredibly eye-opening; the secular study of religion, and the sociology of religion, was not something I had ever explored before. I was fascinated by the long-view historical explanations of the ways that Christianity has shaped our national ethos; it felt like I’d been handed the key to understanding the world around me in a totally new way. Nearly 15 years later, some of Putnam’s predictions have proven overly optimistic, but his explanation of the evolution of religious life in America, along with the role of religion in shaping many of the painful cultural divides we see today, still rings true.
To Bless the Space Between Us by John O’Donohue is a beautiful book of original blessings written by O’Donohue z’’l, who was a poet and an Irish Catholic priest. I have returned many times to his beautiful words, which are written for nearly every life situation. I learned about this book from a colleague during my chaplaincy internship at Weil-Cornell Hospital on the Upper East Side. My cohort was a multi-faith group of clergy-in-training, and much of my learning that summer came from our sharing of traditions and diverse perspectives on faith. My cohort-mate, a 19-year-old Irishman who was studying to become a priest, introduced me to this book. It is certainly not a Jewish source, but it really speaks to my Jewish heart.
What’s a book you love that takes you back to a particular time or place? I’d love to hear about it…
With wishes for a peaceful Shabbat –
With love from my family to yours –
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Klein
PS: If you are on the hunt for new books for your Jewish library, keep an eye out this fall for our relaunch of TSTI’s Little (Jewish) Libraries! There will be several in and around the building, including one on the Gellis Green Plaza outside the main doors. Happy reading to all!