A Mysterious Guest for Dinner

The second volume analyzing talmudic narratives, following upon The Snake at the Mouth of the Cave: Exploring Talmudic Narratives. Aggadic narratives speak richly about the lives of some of our greatest rabbis – Hillel, R. Yehuda HaNasi, Rav Sheshet, Rav Yannai, and many others – as they struggle to resolve the eternal dilemmas of the human condition. Should one make extreme sacrifices for the sake of a life of extreme holiness? Who does and who does not deserve charity during a time of great poverty, and what happens when a seemingly well-off person bursts in begging for food? If a marriage breaks down because a wife goes to a Torah lecture, who is responsible? And is it ever possible to meet the Messiah? A Mysterious Guest for Dinner, the second in a series on talmudic stories by Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol, closely examines the dialogues, ironies, reversals, and disputes that make up ten different talmudic narratives. Drawing on classical rabbinic commentaries, contemporary scholarship, and insights from psychology, literature, history, and philosophy, Rabbi Sokol demonstrates how these compact stories speak powerfully to all who seek the Talmud’s enduring wisdom.