Customer Reviews

In My Fathers Court

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I am a big fan of I. B. Singer's. To me, he is the greatest short story writer of the 20th Century. His stories often tell the tale of the Jewish communities in Poland in the 100 years prior to WWII. As a result of Hitler's demonic policies, it is a society, a culture, that no longer exists. Singer's short stories are a master study of individuals; their eccentricities and struggles in that society. He has written of the present and he has written some excellent novels and novellas but his best work is in the Jewish communities in Poland. In this autobiographical work, Singer gives us some more insights into that world through the eyes of a young boy observing his Rabbi father. We start out with a number of recollections of individuals and their problems that were brought before his father. These would easily fit within the short story motif that Singer excels in. As the book get a bit past the midway point, the autobiographical nature comes to the fore-front and we eventually follow Isaac B in his early development into a young man. This is interesting and very helpful to the student of Singer. Its' shortcoming results from Singer's practice of keeping his own character, whenever present, in the background or as the story-teller. When, in the final chapters, he is the main character, the quality of writing seems to drop a notch and suddenly, the book comes to an end. First time readers of Singer might do better to start with one of his collections of short stories or, ironicaly, the sequel to this book, "More from My Father's Court". Singer is always great but he is usually greater that he was in this book.

The book is set in early 20th century Poland. It's about how the writer spent his childhood in his fathers rabbinate. Great book, very highly recomended, much better than other (still pretty good) works by Singer I've read.

Forewords of I.B.Singer's "In My Father's Court" (slightly tacky translation from Finnish):

"This book is about a family and a rabbinate which were so close to each other that it was difficult to tell where one ended and other started. Rabbinate, beth din, is an ancient institution among the jeweish people. [...] Beth din is at the same time kind of court of law, synagogue and place for study. [...] Even though beth din is about to disappear I'm certain that it will revive and will develope into an universal institution. The basic principle is that [...] the best justice is the kind which both sides can accept. Beth din is opposite to all institutions that use force, wether they are left wing or right wing."

Beth din seems to be completely decentraliced justice system, based on competing rabbinates and their interpretions on Tora. Rabbinate can be established by anybody as long as he gets acceptance from the local people (=gets customers). Rabbies get paid for their juridical and seremonial services, they don't live out of charity or taxes. The judges who are known and respected for their knowledge and reasonable intepretions of Tora get more customers and become more succesful. Participation on beth din trial and acceptance of it's sanctions are completely voluntary but refusing justice can lead to excommuniation.

Some links:

I.B.Singer:
http://www.nobel.se/literature/laureates/1978/singer-bio.html

In My Father's Court/www.amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0374505926/qid=1075724621/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-1905207-7099150?v=glance&s=books

Beth din today:

Beth-Din Rabbi Gavriel Cohen:
http://www.beth-din.org

Beth Din of America:
http://www.bethdin.org/default.htm

Chigaco Rabbinical Council:
http://www.crcweb.org

Rabbinical Council of California:
http://www.rccvaad.org/beis-din.htm

The London Beth Din:
http://www.unitedsynagogue.org.uk/lbd.html

Signed decisions by various Rabbi's and Beth Din's and their contradictions:
[...]

Jewish Law:
http://www.jlaw.com

Discussion:
http://anti-state.com/forum/index.php?board=3;action=display;threadid=14016

Observing through the eyes of a young child we are led through life in the jewish community of Warshaw. Many different figures appear in the house of the boy's father, the rabbi, to ask for his advice and judgement, decisions in religious or worldly matters. Behind all that we feel the deep love of the author, not only for the chracters depicted in the many stories, but for all human beings. It is one of the books that, despite telling stories of times past, makes us aware of ourselves and our own existence, our desires and weaknesses alike.

Isaac Singer in this work tells the story of his childhood war. He focuses on the court of his father, on the many characters who came to receive his father's help. He gives a loving portrait of his parents and his childhood world. This work may not be on the level of Singer's greatest stories but it does have the vitality and the emotional richness which characterize Singer's work. And it should be of special interest to anyone who wishes to know more about this great writer.

So of course I told him to jump in the lake. Why read something like this written in a dead language about a world swept away by war and slaughter. Ugh. Of course, shortly after the old man died, I picked up Father's Court and breathed in every word as though it were oxygen and Singer was offering new life. So what are you going to do?

When I first chose this book at the book store I had no idea how important it would be for me. I just wanted to complete my "record" of Bashevis - Singer books that I had started as mandatory reading in high school and kept reading as I got hooked.

Unfortunately, on my recent trip to Israel I had to say goodbye to my grandmother who passed away. My grandmother was of Polish-Jewish decent, and although she came from an affluent Polish family, she also came from a chassidic family and reading this book was like reading my grandmother's memoir.

Up until World War 2 she never suffered hunger but it seemed like she grew among the same people Bashevis-Singer is skillfully depicting in his short stories of half reality and half fiction.

She and her family wore the same clothing, they ate the same types of food, struggled with the same questions about faith and the face of the Jewish community in the diaspora.

After my grandma's passing I didn't read the book, I swallowed its words with unbelievable thirst.

I started understanding many aspects of my grandma that were enigmatic to me before.

I enjoyed this book tremendously and was extremely sad when I took in the last word.