Yentl the Yeshiva Boy and Other Stories: including Short Friday

by Isaac Bashevis Singer

First published as Short Friday and Other Stories, Singer's 1965 collection presents a profoundly gifted writer who can deftly immerse the reader in a rich sensory experience of both bygone and modern life. The collection features some of Singer's most provocative early stories, including "Blood," "Taibele and Her Demon," "The Last Demon," and "Yentl the Yeshiva Boy," which was later adapted for the screen by Barbara Streisand. One moment the reader has goosebumps, the next her heart is inspired to the heights of human inspiration, as each story takes its twists and turns to offer new insights into the richness of life and its wonders.

Genres: Short Stories, Jewish

231 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 7, 2021

About the author

Isaac Bashevis Singer was a Polish American author of Jewish descent, noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978.
His memoir, "A Day Of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw", won the U.S. National Book Award in Children's Literature in 1970, while his collection "A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories" won the U.S. National Book Award in Fiction in 1974.

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Barbra Streisand, quite a few people are familiar with the titular “Yentl the Yeshiva Boy,” the story of a girl who passes herself off as a boy in order to study Torah and live freely. It’s one of the better ones in this collection of short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer that is more uneven than most.

I found “Jachid and Jechidah” the most interesting: an exploration of life, death and free will that turn all three concepts on their heads. “Alone” (an old man on Miami Beach discovers that the solitary life isn’t as enjoyable as it sounds), “Esther Kreindel the Second” (a family matriarch protects her family from the grave) and “Under the Knife” (a one-eyed drunk seeks revenge against the wife who rejected him), and, of course, “Yentl the Yeshiva Boy,” although it wasn’t my favorite. In truth, I liked “Jachid and Jechidah” the most, and even it wasn’t a five-star read.

In the interest of full disclosure, Singer was a something-or-other in residence at the University of Miami when I was a student there; I even saw him once, a wizened old man renowned as a needy curmudgeon with a bad temperament. I never read a single thing by him until this book, and I don’t think my thin knowledge of him affected this review at all.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book after reading Barbra Striesand's biography, mainly because I was curious to read the short story on which her movie was based. It was a mixed experience for me. On one hand, it offered a window into European Jewish culture, which was obviously interesting. I was subconsciously drawing parallels with communities in India, especially since I have been reading quite a few short story collections translated from regional languages this year. I also found the stories about supernatural beings and mysterious occurrences quite fascinating, because something similar seems to exist in most traditional communities.
However, many of the short stories made me feel quite uncomfortable, because I was reading them through a feminist lens and it was no pleasant reading about the restrictions on women, how they are judged for the slightest transgressions and of how even seemingly normal men harbour thoughts of sexual and physical violence against women who they feel slighted them.
I am glad the collection ended with "Short Friday", because that was one of the few stories where there was genuine respect and affection between the rather pious couple.

[Lydia Hedelin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know how to feel about this book, it's well written and has a deep meaning but some parts of it just throws me off. I read this book as course literature and had a big focus on "the short friday" as well as "yentl- the yeahiva boy" but some parts just came across weird for me. Like the ones with Hansa in the yeahiva boy. Overall it's well written but not my type of book.

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of these stories range from hilarious to heart wrenching to thought provoking. Truly enjoyed all of these short stories!!

[Duane Andersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Besides Yentl, my favorite stories were "A Wedding in Brownsville," "Under the Knife," and "Short Friday," but not a bad one in the lot.

[Laurel Curley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yentl the Yeshiva Boy by Isaac Bashevis Singer
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Singer presents a wonderful collection of Jewish short stories. While I’m not Jewish, I was interested in reading these stories to gain better understanding of the religion and culture. Recognizing that there has been lots of conflict between Israel and Palestine these past few months, I decided to read this to understand Judaism outside of the hateful image such conflict has created. I have always believed religion is peaceful whilst greedy people manipulate religion to create violence and conflict. I can only hope that there will soon be peace where both Islamic and Jewish people can live in harmony.

With each story, Singer presents moral lessons and legends to teach the reader about how their religious devotion affects their luck and lives. His poetic language captures the reader as he presents both funny and scary tales. Overall an interesting read! ✡️🕎