El gólem i els fets miraculosos del Maharal de Praga

by Yudl Rosenberg

El rabí Judà Loew, més conegut com el Maharal de Praga, amb l’ajut del seu servicial assistent, afaiçona una figura de fang de forma humana, Yossele el gólem, que ha de protegir la comunitat hebrea dels antisemites més furibunds, encapçalats per l’avorrible capellà Tadeus. Pacífic, contingut i obedient, el gólem resulta absolutament indispensable per preservar els jueus de les arremeses, les falses acusacions i les persecucions que els amenacen tothora. I aquesta història increïble, juntament amb les grans dosis de fantasia, misteri, aventura, humor i tensió que recorren el llibre de cap a cap, farà les delícies del lector intrigat.

Genres: Fiction, Jewish, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Judaica, Short Stories

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1909

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a translation from the original manuscript written by Yudl Rosenberg in 1909.
It was a response to the terrible blood libels which had gained credence in the 1890s and was leading to greater attacks on Jews. Rosenberg relies on age-old Hassidic hagiography and folklore to create this folk tale of Rabbi Liva and his creation through kabbalah of the Golem, a manlike creature made from dust and ashes, that Rabbi Liva uses to perform great miracles and to save the innocent and punish the evil.
He uses the Golem to frustrate the evil designs of the spiteful and malicious anti-Semite Father Tadeus. A young Jewish girl is kidnapped and forcibly converted to Christianity before being rescued by the Golem, and forgeries of the blood libel are disproved through the Golem's deeds and the evildoers aiming to frame the Jews unmasked.
The tragedy of a brother (who was swapped at birth) and sister marrying each other, is averted, amidst much supernatural and metaphysical phenomena.
This is a tale of Jewish folklore, fantasy and kabbalah and is both glorious and intriguing.
It is also a commentary, on the fate of the Jews through the ages.

[Erik Champenois · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd never even heard about the concept of the golem before reading this book. The golem is a being of Jewish folklore, created out of clay to serve for a specific purpose. In this 1909 story, the golem is created by the Maharal, the 16th century rabbi of Prague, to protect the Jews against anti-Semitic attacks and accusations of blood libel. The golem stories in this book are entertaining and sometimes even humorous - but the anti-Semitic accusations and persecution that serve as a backdrop to the stories make for a more tragic background, as ten years prior to the publication of the book Prague experienced a blood libel case, and pogroms had been recurring in Eastern Europe generally in that period, as they had been many times before. A lighthearted book in a difficult, depressing historical context, these golem stories contain elements of mysticism seemingly not kosher to more orthodox Judaism. Very entertaining and highly recommended.

[Abi (The Knights Who Say Book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice little collection -- lots of inspiration to make me want to write my own Golem story. Plus the whole backstory of how the real author faked the book's provenance is very amusing and interesting.

[Alexa Duchesneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether these stories are real or not (with or without the golem), it was so timely and inspiring to read about a superhero standing up for injustices against the Jewish people.

I loved these stories, and I loved all of the interwoven Kabbalah.

[Noah Lederman Greis]

Formative, interesting and beyond influential... Some of this is surprisingly raw stuff for the time and subject matter as well. Did not expect that many kids to get straight up killed.

[Leylamaría]

Yossele <3

[Miquel Codony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Llegit amb sensibilitat moderna és un llibre molt curiós. El recomano als interessats en aquestes coses i en la creació de mites populars. Té un to solemne que xoca amb algunes de les barbaritats que explica com si res.

L'he de processar. D'aquest en vull fer ressenya per Fantastik.cat i no serà fàcil no dir bajanades.

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book--mostly because it is the root of the Golem myths I've read about for so long. Can't wait for Prague next year to visit the synagogue of the Maharal of Prague.