This week, Jews around the world are celebrating the Jewish festival called Pesach - in English, usually, "Passover," the celebration of the biblical Exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. It seems to me as if this would be a good time to consider the merits of one fictional American rabbi who became the protagonist and detective in a very fine series of mysteries in the second half of the twentieth century. Rabbi David Small was the central character in more than a dozen books; I've already reviewed three of them on the Classic Mysteries podcast. Today, I want to look at the fourth book in the series, Monday, the Rabbi Took Off, written in 1972. You are welcome to listen to the complete original audio review by clicking here.
Rabbi Small is the spiritual leader of a small, Conservative (in the religious sense of the term, not political!) synagogue in Massachusetts. Right from the start, he shows himself to be a very good detective, often using precepts of Jewish law to find ways to resolve mysteries - including murder. However, he also finds himself up against some of the lay leaders of the congregation on many issues.
By the time of Monday the Rabbi Took Off, these irritants had become a major problem for him. As a partial solution, the rabbi decided to ask the synagogue’s board of directors for an unpaid leave of absence. And when the board agreed to give him what he asked for, Rabbi Small decided to travel to Israel for his sabbatical leave, along with his wife and their small son.
This was a busy and restless time in the Middle East. The book was written between two major wars – one in 1968, the other in 1973 – which largely changed the dynamics of Israel’s relations with some of its Arab neighbors. Readers will want to keep that in mind, as we will see Rabbi Small become involved in an investigation of a couple of deadly bombings, an investigation which will involve both Jerusalem’s police and the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal secret service. That investigation will draw Rabbi Small in, as he finds himself defending the college-student son of a friend. He also finds himself wondering if he and his family would be better off by staying in Jerusalem than by going back to the constant bickering that seemed to be a way in life at his Massachusetts synagogue.
As with the other books about Rabbi Small, Monday, the Rabbi Took Off manages to combine a good, moving mystery plot with some useful explanations about Judaism and some of the precepts involved and rituals observed. In that regard, this book is very much like the ones that preceded it in the series, and I’m looking forward to reading more of them.
Comments