Customer Reviews

The White Ram: A Story of Abraham and Isaac

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In this midrash from the story of the binding of Isaac, God sends a ram to take Isaac's place on the alter. Even though "the evil one," depicted as a horned devil, tries to prevent the ram from reaching Abraham, God intervenes, stopping Abraham from sacrificing his son. The ram is slaughtered instead and his soul flies up to heaven and becomes part of the Temple alter, the foundation of Jerusalem, the harp of Kind David, and the cape of the prophet Elijah. The sophisticated language of Gerstein's retelling, the complex themes, and the scary illustrations limit the audience to older readers already familiar with the story of the Akeda. But, the book is a wonderful way to spark a discussion of midrashim, the role of animals in our world, and the Jewish values of obedience to God and saving human life (pikuach nefesh). As with other biblically based books by Mordicai Gerstein (The Shadow of a Flying Bird, Jonah and the Two Great Fish, Queen Esther, the Morning Star, and Noah and the Great Flood), the text reads fluidly aloud and the fanciful illustrations include many intricate and hidden details such as the hands and face of God in the clouds.

One of the most difficult stories in the Bible is that of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22). The tale is familiar to Christians, Jews, and Muslims, and people of faith have wrestled for thousands of years with how God could ask a man to kill his son. Isaac was spared, of course, once Abraham demonstrated his willingness to obey God in all things, and God then provided a ram as a substitute sacrifice.
This complex tale seems an unlikely subject for a picture book. Yet author-illustrator Gerstein has crafted a beautiful and reverent presentation. His narrative is based on a Jewish Midrash, or legend about the Old Testament story. This version begins on the last day of Creation, when God makes a white ram, places him in the garden of Eden, and says, "Wait here until I call you."
Through the ages, the ram waits patiently until God says, "Today is the day." And then the little ram runs out of the garden, over rocky mountains, across thirsty deserts, through dark swamps and tangled jungles, resisting the temptations of "the evil one" who tries to stop him. The ram's death is delicately handled: no blood, only the ram's soul leaping joyfully into God's hands. The story doesn't end here, however, but allows Abraham to question God and recounts the many blessings that followed because of his--and the ram's--faithfulness.
Gerstein, a Caldecott Award winning artist, used pen and ink, oil paint, and colored pencil to create amazing art: childlike in its apparent simplicity yet with a subtle sophistication that rewards close study. Each page turn reveals new wonders. The devil appears in several guises, tempting and menacing at the same time. According to Jewish tradition, God may not be pictured, so the artist has instead used the empty spaces between the clouds in the sky to suggest images of His hands and even His face.
Faithful to the Bible text, this account cannot avoid the distressing fact that Abraham was prepared to kill his own son. This may well raise uncomfortable questions for the child who has never heard the original story. A child already familiar with Genesis, on the other hand, will cherish The White Ram not only for its unforgettable illustrations but for its affirmative emphasis on promises kept and hope fulfilled.

The gorgeous cover illustration of this book depicts a plaintive white ram in mid-leap, bounding out of paradise on his way to his mission of self-sacrifice. That sad-eyed, heroic ram spoke to me from between the loving "hands" of God, who made him "on the last day of the Creation, in the twilight of the first Sabbath". And there he is again, on the book's opening page, nestled within God's hands, floating above the newly created world, waiting for his moment.

In the peaceful beauty of the Garden of Eden, the lonely ram waits. Adam and Eve and all the other creatures have left the garden, and ages have passed, but still he waits for God to wake him and tell him that his time has come. When he is finally called upon by God, he runs from the garden and encounters the "evil one" in a variety of forms including a red devil, a field of inviting green grass, a cool, sparkling fountain, and a fierce lion. Each time the ram encounters this "evil one" he is not dissuaded from his goal: "I must save the child!", he repeats, and the tension builds. When the ram arrives at the sacred mountain, he sees a "child tied and bound on an altar, and a weeping man." "Wait!", the ram cries, "I am here! Take me!" Then God asks Abraham to remove his son from the altar, and God says, "I wanted the whole world to see your love and your trust in me, so that all people might follow your example." Abraham then frees the struggling ram, who is caught in the brambles, and the ram leaps onto the altar and speaks. "Abraham", says the proud but doomed ram, "On Rosh Hashanah, blow through one of my horns, and God will hear the sound and remember Isaac and me, the white ram that took his place. And He will forgive the sins of Isaac, and his children, and his children's children's children, always, till the end of time." We then turn to the amazing two-page spread of the sacrificed ram, in shadow on the altar, as his soul flies " into God's hands."

Gerstein has included depictions of God (and especially, God's hands) within the illustrations of the sky. If this is an issue for Jewish readers, it is addressed in the author's note as follows: "In the illustrations, following the Jewish tradition that God may not be pictured, I used the empty spaces between clouds to suggest images of His hands, and even His face. See if you can find them." I found this artistic vision to be particularly comforting, especially the "hands" of God cradling the lone white ram on his first day of life.

Is this story too sad for children? I would guess that for some, the idea of the beautiful white ram sacrificing himself on the altar while Abraham clasps his weeping, relieved son to his breast would certainly be a problem. But not all illustrated books for children are for all ages. Biblical stories contain mighty themes, and many parents would never consider the Akedah story to be suitable for young children. But in Gerstein's version of this midrash, the ram's selfless act of sacrifice contributes to subsequent Jewish history: his ashes are made into the mortar for the altar of the Temple, his innards are made into the ten strings of David's harp, and his hide provides Elijah's cape. Lastly, two brightly illustrated seraphim are depicted blowing the two shofars that were made from his horns. The author writes, "One was blown when Moses received the Ten Commandments. And the other will call the children of Israel home."

This book is about the act of remembering. It is about how thankful we are for those who have sacrificed for us, whether they are parents, children, teachers, friends, or even beloved and devoted animals that have served us so faithfully. The story would be appropriate for all religious faiths. The pacing of the text is perfect, and the moving illustrations, done in pen and ink, oils, and colored pencil, are beautiful. This book has received much praise and many starred reviews in the secular children's press. What a pleasure it is to see a book based on a Jewish midrash get that kind of recognition! The author has mastered a perfect combination of story and illustration and we are truly thankful for his efforts.
Reviewed by Lisa Silverman.

This is one of those rare children's books you'll keep no matter how old you and your children get. The illustrations are beautiful. Rarely is God depicted visibly with such sensitivity (can you see the the subtle form of His hands in the clouds on the cover?) The devil looks evil but is unlikely to scare little ones. The story of a ram eager to provide a substitionary sacrifice could not be more precious.

I had the privilege to meet the author at a writer's conference. Mr. Gerstein spoke on his desire to illustrate God for children without making an image of Him. He has succeeded as no other children's author I've seen, with imagination, faithfulness, and beauty.

Hear an interview with The White Ram author/illustrator Mordicai Gerstein on The Book of Life podcast's September 2007 episode "Seeing Through New Eyes" at www.bookoflifepodcast.com!

Gerstein, Mordicai. The White Ram, A Story of Abraham and Isaac. New York: Holiday House, 2006. 28pp. $16.95. ISBN 0-8234-1897-9
Mordicai Gerstein is the author of many excellent children's picture books, among them The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, which won the Caldecott award in 2004. He is also the author/illustrator of many stories from the Tanach, where his approach is both playful and spiritual. The White Ram, A Story of Abraham and Isaac is his latest. It is a large size, full color, imaginative book that presents an opportunity for great storytelling and discussion. The question is: Who is the book's audience?
In this book, Gerstein tells a midrash about a certain white ram created by God on the 6th day, for the sole purpose of saving the future Abraham from sacrificing his son, Isaac. After God creates him, the white ram waits patiently in the Garden of Eden for eons, and when called upon, he leaves Eden and travels to the mountain where he will serve as the scapegoat and be sacrificed in Isaac's place. On the way to his destiny, the white ram is repeatedly tempted to turn aside from his task by the evil one who appears disguised as an ugly Satan, a devilishly smiling field of grass, a garish fountain, and a forbidding bush of brambles. But the ram, faithful to his calling, does God's will, and Isaac is released.
At first reading, The White Ram seems to be an attractive picture book for young children from 5 - 8. It has a great plot, a good guy (the ram), a bad guy (the evil one), and a child and father in great distress, (Isaac and Abraham). It has many playful and expressive paintings of all kinds of creatures. But this is a difficult story of child sacrifice, and of the persistence of evil, of temptation and of fidelity. Midrashim are the stories written by adults for adults, to explain problematic happenings in the Tanach. The story of Abraham and Isaac continues to challenge its readers, and has been wrestled with by Rabbis and commentators for generations. Gerstein also addresses the presence of God in this story, by suggesting large overarching hand forms and a partial image of a celestial face in the empty spaces between clouds. Adults will appreciate this as a pictorial metaphor, but young children may be more literal, and confused.
(Gerstein made use of this imagery for God's presence in another picture book about the death of Moses, Shadow of a Flying Bird, A Legend From the Kurdistani Jews.)
Picture books are no longer for young children only. Gerstein's inspired book should find its audience among older children, ages 9 -12, their teachers and parents. Besides being a great story, it may provide discussion material for both children and adults, and inspiration for any who may need to write a d'var Torah or create their own midrashim. Recommended for children's collections in Jewish school libraries, synagogue libraries, and public libraries.
Naomi Morse, AJL Newsletter