Jewish Book Club discussion

Here's the place for your reviews or thoughts re this book!

"I have purposely chosen the book 'If All The Seas Were Ink' as the December read because the book is about one woman's journey with the 'Daf Yomi' - and the new seven-year cycle of Daf Yomi begins on January 5, 2020. I thought that if anyone is inspired to read the Talmud, after reading the novel, they might like to start the Daf Yomi journey from tractate one, in January2020.

If you have interest in learning Talmud, you might be interested in the Accidental Talmudist's site at: https://www.accidentaltalmudist.org "
--quote last year from moderator Shira Hoffman re this month's book (See the discussion "regrouping the group.")

I have it; now to find time to read it! Unfortunately, it has to get in line.

Planning to read this one - in fact right now. maybe I won't be the only one. Review to follow soon...

I read it- cant wait to see your review.

Amy wrote: "Planning to read this one - in fact right now. maybe I won't be the only one. Review to follow soon..."

👍

Its one of those mysteries, how this book survived multiple slashes to my TBR. I wouldn't have picked it up. I don't love memoirs, and really don't care for non-fiction. I find it tedious and hard to slog through. I would not have found the subject matter as enticing as it actually was. So for whatever the reason, it stayed on my TBR for a long time. When I heard at the beginning of 2019 that this would be the Jewish Book Club book for December I decided to join in.

About the Jewish Book Club, its actually a ghost story. Did you know it is moderated by a ghost? The moderator does not answer emails or even look at any of the threads. No one can get a response from her and its been four years. She turns up once a year to post the book of the month for the following year. Usually Jews love to argue and discuss - we rarely ghost. Not this lady. She refuses email and hasn't responded to folks who want to help moderate and get it going. Some folks are mad, some are trying to help. Some got frustrated and gave up. I actually think its a little funny. Life is too short to get crazy over anything. But the one thing about the group site.... I may be the only one who ever reads and reviews the book of the month, but I sure have made some great friends. Not to mention, there are some outstanding and well known Jewish Authors, like cream of the crop ones who are a part of this site. May I ask you, for those in the know of this kind of literature, who in the hell ghosts Maggie Anton? My friends's synagogue had her speak, and the cover charge was exorbitant and well worth the price. Its a privilege to have her visit the site. But ghosts do not care for such things. But this one does post books once a year. So I am reviewing it. At least two or three people saw that I was reading it and was curious what I thought - so here goes.

3.5 and for me with non-fiction that is a pretty high rating. So what is this book about? This memoir is about a woman in Jerusalem, who takes on the task of reading Talmud daily, and how that helps her in her daily life. For those of you who aren't in the know, what this means is, that Jews all over the world, when they are learning and studying, they are always on the same page - literally. If you are a Christian, your church sermon might be on sin, or loss, or on Matthew for Job, or who knows what. A particular prophet, or world or spiritual issue or Christian concept. But for the Jews, if you attend services every weekend, or read the torah from cover to cover as we do every year, (just after the High Holidays we have a holiday where we read the last lines of Deuteronomy, and begin again at Genesis. This holiday is called Simchat Torah (Celebration of the Torah) where we celebrate its completion and beginning and proclaim the holiness of the torah in our lives. Well The point I am making, is that if you go to France, or Egypt, or Spain, or Australia, and you walk into a synagogue, anywhere in the world, we Jews all over the world are reading the very same passage of Torah on shabbat. Each Shabbat is a different section of Torah and it takes a year to complete it. Well the same is true with the Talmud. That there is a 7.5 year cycle of daily learning to complete the entire set of tractates of early Jewish Law. And believe it or not, many religious people complete this level of study. Nowadays, you can call a phone line, and every hour on the hour, it will be a repeated lesson of the page of the day. There are religious men in New York City who group together on the morning train to learn, or use their train line to do the phone thing. Others have study partners or groups and some just learn on their own. Its a deep commitment, and our heroine of the memoir does all these things. She takes a daily class, she reads on her own, she meets with others, and still she runs, Walks all over Jerusalem, she shops, she works, she visits with others, she moves, she dates, she travels, and is a mom of three kids, including a set of twins. And she never misses a day. Why? Because the pearls she learns from learning Talmud are what get her through the most difficult times? It helps her look deeply inside. To think about relationships, and business and sexuality and compassion, and a whole lot of other things. I was actually surprised reading its contents how much Talmud I already knew over the course off years in bits and pieces. A whole lot of it was familiar. Its beautifully written actually, how much the tractates inspire her to think about herself and get through some dark and difficult life events and truths. Its beautiful written and shows you how one can truly live these tractates and how much they deeply apply to all of our levels of experience if we let it in in the way out author does. In fact, like many, she lives it, and when the 7.5 cycle is complete? She begins again, just like our culture does in October with the Torah.

Of course I was taken with the beauty of the writing and the story, but a few other things caught my attention. One was the diligence and perseverance to take on a practice of any kind every day. Now I am not talking about showering, brushing teeth, taking vitamins, walking the dog, doing the dishes, preparing meals. I'm not even talking about checking into Goodreads or Facebook, or checking one's email, something I do every day. I'm talking about an extra concentrated practice. Like prayer, meditation, yoga, or learning a language, or exercise, or writing. There are people who simply just do these things. Every day, never miss. Its a feeding of the soul, but also a commitment - and one not taken lightly. It made me think about this, how it must be to live in such a mindful dedicated practice. I try to do Duolingo every night for French. But it happens in spurts. I exercise in spurts, I diet in spurts. I sing often. But daily sure fire dedication of learning and prayer? That is life defining. So it was just fascinating to see a woman in a bad marriage, divorcing, being single, dating, getting married, having three kids, and still while all these life changes are happening, still devoted to this practice. That was incredible to see.

Lana is like us. She is a reader and lover of books. She hoards them, keeps them. Smells and feels their spines, and sees them as old friends and inspiration. She inserts and has self-instilled quotes from the great classics of all time. She is a lover of words and her job is in Hebrew English Translation and Publishing. To her, the Talmud Tractates are one set of books. But make no mistake, those books we each and all love and keep to heart? She too is an absolute lover of books. We all understand each other. For her Books are Prayer. Isn't that the same for all of us? And so, this book is a journey and a tribute and a prayer all wrapped into one, as she takes us into the living heart of a set of books that means so much to her. It was well worth the ride.

Well done!!!

Amy- I am happy to see you read the book. I also am not a fan of memoirs.
I am going to deviate from your review, but will go back to it in a moment.
I love your thoughts on how you have been involved in this JBC, have seen this group evolve.
And you are so right- that now, with almost 500 members, only a handful still make comments, and fewer read the books.
500 involved members could make such a fantastic, interesting, and fun group.
Complacency, if that- or boredom if you will, wont draw people or keep them involved. But what it does do, is suggest that members look for more energetic and cohesive group.
As you wrote about your feelings regarding "If All the Seas were Ink",
I couldn't help thinking about jewish culture; which I believe is the biggest point you make throughout your review. Coupled with Jewish continuity, it binds us together.
Regardless of language, personal knowledge, and level of observance, we know we can walk into any temple or synagogue around the world on a Friday night and Saturday morning, (etc) -knowing we are able to participate in the service, and sing the songs and the tunes we grew up with.
And then, when we recognize something familiar we thought we didn't know, its an Ah-Ha moment. :)
Lana is like us, but knows there is so much more one get out of practicing and studying jewish law and tradition.
Lana values her ritual study, with no intrinsic purpose, which I call part of her daily routine. Helps her through the day.
I did not know that the Talmud is studied, not read.
On to Maggie Anton.
In my opinion, she is a wonderful author and speaker. For those unfamiliar, Maggie has written seven books, the most famous being "Rashi's Daughters.
She grew up with very little Judaism, but now as an adult studies Talmud. Hence, her book "Fifty Shades of Talmud."
Your analogy regarding ghosting...I almost got it. I missed the part
of The Ghosting of Maggie Anton. ????
ooh -nice title for a book :)

I started If All the Seas Were Ink: A Memoir tonight -- in audio! Very nicely read, although someone else than the author. So glad I found a way to start it!

Doesn't matter to me if memoirs or not, so long as the book is good! That's what matters. And I love the way this one is starting.

Already on December 5th, (the 38th anniversary of my Bat Mitzvah), we have community and conversation and joint learning and sharing. And cause for Celebration! I see that Jan and Stacey have both become co-moderators and can take this platform into being the vibrant community, stimulating conversation, and deep connection that we have all envisioned. We are now in excellent hands and with excellent steering. What a lovely way to enter 2020! Glad you are reading it too, Jan.

Awh.... thank you Amy. What a flattering comment.
We found that Shira was and is extremely busy with school and her family; so much so that her hands quite full.
So, it may take some time, but worth it to get this group back.

Amy wrote: "Already on December 5th, (the 38th anniversary of my Bat Mitzvah), we have community and conversation and joint learning and sharing. And cause for Celebration! I see that Jan and Stacey have both ..."

Thank you, Amy! Already a few small improvements. 😅

And much love and good energy to Shira for her family, school, and work commitments, and any other endeavors.

Apropos of whatever, there's a cartoon in Liana Finck's new collection where the lady is saying, "If you don't want to see me again, please say so," and the guy says, "No, no, I insist on ghosting you." 😜

😁😛🤪

Amy wrote: "Its one of those mysteries, how this book survived multiple slashes to my TBR. I wouldn't have picked it up. I don't love memoirs, and really don't care for non-fiction. I find it tedious and hard ..."
Fantastic review, I just started the book yesterday.

Enjoyed the book!

See, we’re getting momentum already!

Too cute!!! xo

Cat Gray wrote: "Enjoyed the book!"

Thank you - we appreciate the feedback :)
Was there anything in particular that you gleaned from this book, or stands out?

I'm up to p. 60 now. Have audio + paperback, so I can go back and check the zingers. This is a nourishing book to read! Glad others are liking/liked it too.

looking forward to getting this book!

Just finished the book tonight! It was a pleasure to read, I cant wait to start daf yomi in January. This was the perfect pick for December.

Aside from inspiring me even more to study Talmud and dream of making Aliyah, I really appreciated the part where she shared about not eating meat and there being a hierarchy to her vegetarianism. I also don’t eat meat, and even though 98% of the time I eat no animal products, there are situations when I will. It’s not about perfection, it’s hierarchy. Being more strict about kashrut, its an intentional prioritization and it really spoke to me.

Love reading what everyone else has to say about the book, can’t wait for the next pick!

Hi. Glad you enjoyed the book.
I felt one of the topics was making a commitment, and by doing so for 71/2 years, Ilana melded together daily living with her interpretation of the Talmud.
Next month's book is "Button Man" by Andrew Gross.
He is a great writer in the mystery genre.
..I had heard he wanted to write jewish fiction. I believe his this his second book pertaining to jewish content.
We appreciate you commenting in this group.
Jan and I want to upgrade this group with more diversified choices of books, more discussions ,and of course, more members:)
So..again, thank you!

Stacey and Jan - I just wanted to say great job so far revitalizing the group. It’s nice to finally write a review and have other people read the book of the month to and to be able to talk together. You have done a mitzvah. Happy Hanukkah to everybody, and happy new year.

Amy...Thank you. It means alot.
We really haven't done too much yet, but we will take the compliment!!!
Waiting until after the 1st of the year, when its calm.
Happy Hanukka to you, and a very healthy and Happy New Year to you and family.
xoxox

Stacey wrote: "Hi. Glad you enjoyed the book.
I felt one of the topics was making a commitment, and by doing so for 71/2 years, Ilana melded together daily living with her interpretation of the Talmud.
Next month..."

Interestingly enough, my local book club is reading Button man as our next book--independent of this being next!! It was suggested at our last meeting by someone new to our group who read it where she previously lived... Odd but opportune !

Perfect timing!!
I just finished it last night.
Its one of two books he wrote that is basically jewish themed, and includes plenty of action, but speaks on many topics re jewish culture.
It is not his usual thriller genre -which I really like.
I can appreciate the "why" he wrote this book.
Andrew Gross pens a personal note after the book is finished.
It wont mean as much if one chooses to read it before reading the book.
Halfway through the note, I found myself silently weeping.
LMK!!!!!

I am not finished If All the Seas Were Ink and had the "obstacle" of a family vacation/get together last week. Back to enjoying the audio version today. The narration goes along at a good clip and with a little luck I'll make rapid progress. (And meanwhile can be making progress on another book at the same time!)

I love the way that she thinks about books and that at times any book study with someone else can be the Talmudic way. Also, I used to say that coming up in the early '60s, early rock'n'roll is "my Talmud" -- what I will quote from to illustrate points!

I am probably one of the few people in this group who really did not like this book. I found it to be a whiny version of Eat, Pray, Love.

And see, I loved Eat Pray Love! Not everybody did, but I thought it was very special. A New York brand of spirituality for sure! Hatoolah, Stacey and Jan are revitalizing the Jewish Book Group. Good to see you back. Just saw you on PBT. So glad you loved The T of T. Nice review and happy new year!

Hahtoolah wrote: "I am probably one of the few people in this group who really did not like this book. I found it to be a whiny version of Eat, Pray, Love."

I didn't read Eat, Pray, Love, but I did see other reactions like yours, Hahtoolah, when checking the reviews. So, you are not alone! 😉 What I like about All the Seas is that she was using other books as her canon, her Talmud, her Torah -- even before she got into the daf yomi (sp -- I'm listening so may mess up on the spelling!) That thing about using everything that way touches something in me.

2/3 the way through! 😃 I do enjoy the audio edition I have, as the reader is obviously educated Jewishly. But the narrator sounds a little too young for the book, which was written when the author was in her mid- to late-30s. Her voice is a little too high pitched and perhaps encourages listeners in the view that the book is somebody crying over romance, when it's so much more. It didn't turn me off. I like it despite this foible. But my husband had that reaction.

Amy wrote: "And see, I loved Eat Pray Love! Not everybody did, but I thought it was very special. A New York brand of spirituality for sure! Hatoolah, Stacey and Jan are revitalizing the Jewish Book Group. Goo..."

Amy, I have been in a bit of a reading slum recently ~ too much going on in my life. Hopefully, 2020 will be clear for more reading. I just put in my request at the public library for Button Man.

Hahtoolah... Welcome back!!!
Happy New Year.
Its been a long time. Hope you are well.
I enjoyed "Button Man".
I never read Eat, Pray, Love, so I cant compare.
I rated this book a three.
What I respected in the book "If All the Seas..." was the daily discipline of study Lana had, which formed a habit.

(Hey, everybody -- the discussion threads are up for Button Man. So please discuss it over there. Word to the wise.... 🤗 . If you can't find them, holler!)

Just read about a TV show that reminds me of If All the Seas Were Ink. About a young woman who starts knowing the thoughts and desires of others as expressed via popular songs. I don't hear the thoughts of others through songs (so far), but sometimes the early rock'n'roll I grew up with is so ingrained that I understand what somebody is trying to express in terms of that music. I wasn't studying Talmud. Instead I have a rock'n'roll Talmud.
I don't watch much TV, but maybe I'll check out the first episode!

Participating in the online Daf Yomi community, I have one ordered this book and can’t wait to plunge in!

Susan, I had no idea one could participate online.
Rather; I thought one needs a live group for interpretation purposes.
Not sure why I didnt assume =if one can get college credits online and graduate, why not almost anything else :)

I have ordered this book and can’t wait for it to arrive, especially since I’ve embarked on the virtual daf Yomi!

Stace, the website My Jewish Learning created a FACEBOOK group called Daf Yomi and there is also a Women Studying Daf Yomi as well. Every day, MJL sends out a summary of the daily page of Talmud, with a link to the Sefaria website where you can read the text, I know this is off topic but I didn’t know how else to fill you in. I mostly use Goodreads as a place to post reviews.

Susan wrote: "Stace, the website My Jewish Learning created a FACEBOOK group called Daf Yomi and there is also a Women Studying Daf Yomi as well. Every day, MJL sends out a summary of the daily page of Talmud, w..."

Susan, Stacey will probably reply soon (or even while I'm typing!). I just want to say your comment is on target. :) I'm still reading this book though nearing the end and seem to be getting more out of it as I go. I loved the section on prayer, which I recently read!

Susan wrote: "Stace, the website My Jewish Learning created a FACEBOOK group called Daf Yomi and there is also a Women Studying Daf Yomi as well. Every day, MJL sends out a summary of the daily page of Talmud, w..."

Susan- thank you so much for sharing that info with me.
As soon as Jan and I get the poll done, I will look for it.
Did you begin the book?

Stacey, no, I’ve not read the book. I’m trying to plow through my NetGalley virtual pile, study Talmud, prepare for upcoming Torah chanting, and clean and tidy my messy house!! A house which includes me, twelve cats, two rabbits, that has been neglected. And oh yes, prepare my garden and backyard meadow for spring, which here in Tucson is right around the corner.

But it’s at the top of my list. I just hope I don’t get Talmudically confused when reading it, because she doesn’t read the Talmud in order, which is what I and the Daf Yomi folks are doing. I did start it, though, and was impressed by the writing.

Busy lady!!! Don't overdue it!!!!

Finally finished, and I do like it.
Started out thinking the audio was too young-sounding although otherwise very good, but now I think that was just an over-reaction to the fact of being in "a woman's voice." Ended up feeling the audio was very valuable. I did have the book as well, and so I could check significant points and put in some notes and thoughts.

There's a new book reviewed in the Jewish Review of Books called Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law -- no doubt a more academic and intellectual book -- but per the review, it teaches how Halakhah is not just law, but it's a way of doing religion as well. I happened to read that review just when I was finishing If All the Seas Were Ink, and it strikes me this book is really bearing out what that scholar is saying.