LOVING RABBI KLEINMAN

 

 

I have read Gary Morgenstein’s new book with great interest. It is not always easy to enter into another person’s mind – but Loving Rabbi Kleinman certainly allows the reader to do so. And here you enter the mind of a man I see as lonely, disturbed, unhappy, but at the same time intelligent and fascinating. While you certainly feel great sympathy for the alienation and mental anguish of the protagonist, so much so that you sometimes wonder about his sanity, the book is so funny, so truly amusing, that misery merges with joy in the most delightful way. It brings the artistry of Charlie Chaplin to mind – the sad little person, whipped by life, yet emerging triumphant simply by being lovable.

 

I particularly appreciated the fluffy, effervescent style, imbibed with humor. It carries you from page to page, making it difficult to put the book down. And yet this is not all. There is tension here, there is strain, and sometimes even discomfort. At certain passages you feel a some apprehension, particularly in the sections describing the mad uncle who is seeing salvation only in the Diaspora and the elimination of the State of Israel as such.

 

Naturally, I did not agree with everything said in this book. A promiscuous female rabbi, the heavy stress of casual sex, the separation between the genders – I find these ideas quite disturbing. But reading the book objectively, rising above personal judgment of the writer’s ethics and morals and concentrating on his artistry and style, allow me to say that this is an extremely well written book. Provoking, yes. Irritating at time, no doubt. But I most certainly see here the making of a best seller.

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