The Temple of Hashem [Paperback]

Hyam Yona Becker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

Not since Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz has a novel, infused with so much religious fervor, tackled the post-nuclear threat. Written with a profound sense of humor, the author fuses the story of Noah with the plot of the classic science fiction title, The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs. When Israel is awarded a tiny sliver of Antarctica, it turns to former archaeologist and current Torah student, Shlomo Tzadok, to head up an expedition to their new possession. With Enki the Eskimo, who wears a Star of David under his furs, a multi-ethnic team sets off and survives the dangers of the harsh trek across the mile-thick ice cap. In a hidden canyon, they find more than just the greatest scientific discovery of all time. They discover undeniable proof that the Torah had existed for a millenium before Moses came down from Mt. Sinai. The Temple of Hashem combines the suspense of classic science fiction with the laws of the Torah and will be greeted by readers, Jews and non-Jew alike, with delight.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Excellent book: coherent and involving storyline. The characters are interesting and consistent." -- The Henriksen Parallax, May 2006

"This is a good book, and I hope that it's one that will get a decent readership." -- Alien Online by Steve Mazey, May 2006

you don't have to be observant, or even Jewish to fully appreciate and enjoy this masterful work of science fiction. -- Rochelle Caviness, The Jewish Eye, http://www.largeprintreviews.com/hyamyona.html

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Gefen Books (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9652291560
• ISBN-13: 978-9652291561
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,842,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Temple of HaShem, September 16, 2007

By 

Joseph S. Maresca "Dr. Joseph S. Maresca CPA,... (Bronxville, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Temple of Hashem (Paperback)

The author, Hyam Yona Becker succeeds in presenting a story
which could be embraced by an interfaith constituency. Fortunately,
the volume contains an extensive glossary of Hebrew terms to
instruct non-Jews. Important terms are Chumash, kipa,
minchak, mitzvah and others. With the glossary, an interfaith
readership is able to review the book and understand its contents.

The book opens in the midst of the main character dreaming of a
great escape from a squad of Palestinian commandos.
The main character, Shlomo Tzadok is an archeology professor at the
University of Tel Aviv who is contemplating Torah research on a full
time basis. The government calls upon him to join a small
expedition to an Israeli-partitioned part of Antarctica. Originally,
Tzadok is reluctant; however, he agrees to do so in order to help
a Jewish Eskimo named Enki. The Jewish Eskimo is described as
probably the only native born Inkachu, Eskimo to be circumcised in
all of Greenland. Ultimately, the team finds Enki
who leads them through ice caps into a hidden canyon where they
discover the Temple of HaShem.

Numerous passages describe the Temple of HaSham. i.e.

"He looked up at this magnificent structure, the Temple of HaShem,
which the Nfm clones had built for the Kilian religion during the past
4000 years. Its ivory towers sparkled in the late morning sun. "

[Library of the Temple]
" Unused for centuries and covered thick with dust an ancient archive
of scrolls lay upon rows of shelves awaiting his 20th century
archeological analysis...
Tzadok cautiously unrolled one of the parchments. These were
certainly much older than the Dead Sea Scrolls, yet better preserved."

The work has a touch of science fiction. i.e.
" What was your original mission? Just that. To plant the seed of
Torah in earthlings. "

The author succeeds in transcending other stories not far from these
themes. i.e. Chariots of the Gods, Raiders of the Lost Ark
I'm not certain whether or not he should have introduced science fiction into the book. Science fiction is best done by a specialist in the area ; such as, Isaac Asimov.

Nonetheless, the author succeeds in creating an interesting story
in the belles lettres style of writing. He succeeds in creating
enough adventure and suspense in the presentation to satisfy the
thirst of the readership. The Yiddish vocabulary enrichens the
presentation for non-Jews.

The work would be perfect for a general readership. The author
should attempt to get the book onto high school or collegiate required reading lists in order to increase sales and exposure of Israeli literature to non-Jews.

by Dr. Joseph S. Maresca