The Thirty-third Hour: A Novel [Paperback]

Mitchell Chefitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2003

The Thirty-third Hour opens at midnight Saturday, in the study of Rabbi Arthur Greenberg, the leader of the largest synagogue in Miami. The Rabbi has until 9 a.m. Monday morning, thirty-three hours, to investigate a sex ethics charge brought against one of his colleagues by a member of the congregation, Brenda, an attractive widow and the mother of an autistic son.

That colleague, Moshe Katan, an associate from Arthur's seminary days, has been leading an experimental family education program at the synagogue, bringing together parents and children to explore the stories of the Bible in new and challenging ways. Now, piled on Arthur's desk are the video and audio recordings of these sessions and Brenda's journal, which he has to review in a desperate attempt to avoid a disastrous scandal. The reader becomes judge and jury as Arthur seeks to find out what happened and, in the process, undergoes a spiritual transformation himself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brenda, a troubled, attractive congregant in Rabbi Arthur Greenberg's sprawling Miami synagogue, has made some extremely serious allegations against the iconoclastic teacher Moshe Katan, the rabbi's colleague and ex-classmate. Having invited Katan to set up a special program on family education at his temple, Greenberg has no choice but to review the pile of evidence: hours of videotaped teaching sessions, featuring Katan's highly nontraditional approach to Jewish learning. Chefitz's second installment in the Moshe Katan series (after The Seventh Telling: The Kabba'ah of Moshe Katan) is chiefly concerned with lengthy swaths of Katan's innovative instruction and interactions. For the remote, scholarly rabbi, the contrast between him and the earthy, freewheeling Katan becomes painfully obvious. (Purim, the most boisterous and joyous of Jewish commemorations, is the rabbi's "least favorite of the holidays," the synagogue "filled with unruly children.") Katan's teaching approach also cuts uncomfortably close to home, and the rabbi is forced into a series of painful ruminations that touch on his own spirituality, his marriage, the rocky relationship with his daughter and a family background both unsavory and tangled. The teachings of Moshe Katan could be helpful for those interested in an anecdotal approach to Jewish tradition. Instructive as a teaching tool but parochial as a work of fiction, the novel's tone is didactic, and the characterizations rarely rise above the level of clich‚. A less lecture-like format would have made for a more engaging text.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

At midnight on a Saturday, Rabbi Arthur Greenberg begins a 33-hour marathon. He must review the tapes and journals of a new family education program to decide whether a colleague, the program director, is guilty of sexual misconduct. The woman who has made the accusations dresses provocatively, and the program director spends a great deal of time with her autistic son. Chefitz, a Jewish educator, puts readers right at the rabbi's side during the process. They, in effect, become participants in the workshops and the rabbi's deliberations. They will also learn some Torah and Kabbalah as they consider the ethical dilemma and its consequences. Because the novel is so engaging and will likely encourage discussion, it is an excellent choice for book clubs. Independent readers interested in Jewish studies will enjoy it, too. Chefitz is also the author of The Seventh Telling [BKL Ja 1 & 15 01]. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (January 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312303238
• ISBN-13: 978-0312303235
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,928,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mystery wrapped in a jewish learning course(or vice versa), March 2, 2002

By 

V. Silver "vas2fl" (Miami, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Thirty-third Hour: A Novel (Hardcover)

A great read - both intriguing and instructive. The mystery keeps the pages turning, and before you know it you've been through a Torah course taught in a very unique way.

But beyond that is a new philosophy on the form and future of jewish life and learning - some ideas that really make you think.

It's rare to get so many "benefits" from one book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A heady blend of mystery, midrash & spirituality, February 14, 2002

By 

BK "BookDoc" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Thirty-third Hour: A Novel (Hardcover)

Unlike anything I've read. A rabbi sits sleepless in his study, watching videos and reading journals in a desperate attempt to discover why a colleague -- another rabbi! -- so betrayed his trust that the whole congregation is threatened. As mystery, the apparent betrayal generates only mild heat. but mystery (THIS mystery, in any case) is not the main point here. Rather, "Thirty-third Hour" looks at the deeper mysteries of how people relate to one another, their religious traditions and texts, and the nagging uncertainties of existence. Chefitz's book is a wonderful, insightful and provocative exploration of mysticism and midrash. Not only was I unable to put the book down, but I immediately integrated some of the material into a course I teach. What's more, the very day I finished it, I bought two copies as gifts for friends.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the BEST, February 4, 2002

By 

sarahleah hankes (Mercer Island, wa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Thirty-third Hour: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book is FABULOUS. I couldn't put it down, a real page
turner. I thought I knew the familiar Old Testament stories, but
The Thirty-third Hour puts them into a brand new light. This is a must read for
anyone who thinks there's only one approach to the Bible. PLUS it is a great mystery, with an amazing ending.