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Yentl the Yeshiva Boy
English, Yiddish (translation)
58 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
8 people are currently reading
835 people want to read
About the author
Isaac Bashevis Singer
554 books1,102 followersIsaac 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
February 8, 2023
**A wonderful story about a young Jewish woman who, aggravated at being denied access to books and theological teachings, successfully disguises herself as a man and enrolls in a yeshiva to undertake rabbinical studies. And it’s there she falls in love, still disguised, with an awesome male student.
April 23, 2021
Its a fun little short story. I recently watched the movie Yentl again for the first time since I was a little girl (a little yeshiva girl, actually). I took for granted that I could freely pursue a Jewish education and study Torah. I disliked my yeshiva and struggled academically. I wound up abandoning my Judaism in my late teens, and rediscovering it again in my late 20's. Now that I'm 40, in an interfaith marriage and raising a child, I have embraced Unitarian Universalism, which allows me to pursue my Jewish roots in a safe space, free of restriction and judgment. I have embraced Buddhism in my practice as well.
Watching Yentl as a grown woman, I fell in love with the passion this young woman felt towards pursuing her own path and journey in her studies and her faith. At the end of the credits, I saw that it was based on a short story. I had to order it from my library, as it was hard to find.
This story is straight to the point, and much sadder . There is less character development but it succinctly lays out the story of this woman born with a "man's soul".
As is usually the case, the book is different from the movie as that it ends tragically, but there is a teeny glimmer of hope at the end.
It's a quick read, and well worth your time!
Watching Yentl as a grown woman, I fell in love with the passion this young woman felt towards pursuing her own path and journey in her studies and her faith. At the end of the credits, I saw that it was based on a short story. I had to order it from my library, as it was hard to find.
This story is straight to the point, and much sadder . There is less character development but it succinctly lays out the story of this woman born with a "man's soul".
As is usually the case, the book is different from the movie as that it ends tragically, but there is a teeny glimmer of hope at the end.
It's a quick read, and well worth your time!
March 3, 2020
So glad I've finally read the original story! I've seen Yentl the movie-musical several times, and of course there's so much gender play to unpack there, you could watch it a hundred times and have something new to talk about each time. But reading the story is a whole new area to analyze. It's so much less detailed in many areas (of course, the movie has to flesh it out a lot to get it to two hours), but in some places has details that were totally excised from the movie (all the women in town have crushes on Anshel; Avigdor names his son after Anshel) or completely changed (in Yeshiva Boy, Anshel finds a way to have some kind of un-described sex with Hadass, while in the movie Anshel just entirely avoids sleeping together; Yentl has a happy ending for everyone while in Yeshiva Boy Avigdor and Hadass are not entirely happy in their marriage, as both of them, you could argue, are still in love with Anshel/Yentl).
It's interesting to see the ways in which the film worked to cis-normalize the story and yet in other ways, preserved the queerness of the story and allowed new ways to do queer readings. For example, the film takes Yeshiva Boy's ending, in which Anshel intends to continue dressing as a man to study in yeshivas, and turns it into Yentl heading to America to study as a woman. This is an ending that throws out some of the story's ambiguity and unapologetic queerness in favor of, one might charitably say, a feminist ending, or one might say uncharitably, a cisnormative ending.
Yet in other ways, because it is a film and the nature of telling a story through people's subjective body language and voice rather than objective words on a page, I think Yentl the movie is easier to read as Anshel genuinely being in love with Hadass, rather than Yentl the Yeshiva Boy, which is more insistent that Anshel does not have those feelings.
I'm not of Singer's opinion that the movie has no merit. I love Yentl's music and emotionality (the story is more distant), and I think I'll always love it. But I do prefer Yeshiva Boy's ambivalence and ambiguity to the movie's Hollywood polishing and tying up of loose ends.
It's interesting to see the ways in which the film worked to cis-normalize the story and yet in other ways, preserved the queerness of the story and allowed new ways to do queer readings. For example, the film takes Yeshiva Boy's ending, in which Anshel intends to continue dressing as a man to study in yeshivas, and turns it into Yentl heading to America to study as a woman. This is an ending that throws out some of the story's ambiguity and unapologetic queerness in favor of, one might charitably say, a feminist ending, or one might say uncharitably, a cisnormative ending.
Yet in other ways, because it is a film and the nature of telling a story through people's subjective body language and voice rather than objective words on a page, I think Yentl the movie is easier to read as Anshel genuinely being in love with Hadass, rather than Yentl the Yeshiva Boy, which is more insistent that Anshel does not have those feelings.
I'm not of Singer's opinion that the movie has no merit. I love Yentl's music and emotionality (the story is more distant), and I think I'll always love it. But I do prefer Yeshiva Boy's ambivalence and ambiguity to the movie's Hollywood polishing and tying up of loose ends.
July 10, 2016
Um conto sobre uma mulher que não sabia costurar e cozinhar; nem tinha paciência para aturar as tagarelices das outras mulheres e muito menos suportar as ordens da sogra. Queria estudar, ser livre. Quando o pai morre, corta o cabelo, veste-se de homem e abandona a aldeia.
Não apreciei muito o conto porque o facto de ter visto o filme obstou o elemento surpresa do enredo e o de imaginar o rosto e figura das personagens - Yentl é indissociável de Barbara Streisand. Como a escrita não tem grandes "flores" (afinal é um conto) esta leitura foi "chochita".
Normalmente, não leio um livro de que vi o filme nele baseado, mas como já passaram décadas pensei... quer isto dizer que tenho boa memória. Valha-me isso...
Não apreciei muito o conto porque o facto de ter visto o filme obstou o elemento surpresa do enredo e o de imaginar o rosto e figura das personagens - Yentl é indissociável de Barbara Streisand. Como a escrita não tem grandes "flores" (afinal é um conto) esta leitura foi "chochita".
Normalmente, não leio um livro de que vi o filme nele baseado, mas como já passaram décadas pensei... quer isto dizer que tenho boa memória. Valha-me isso...
February 28, 2022
A story written story, a little different then the movie. Although some Jewish words and customs were hard to understand for a not Jewish person still I really enjoyed reading this story. Not a bad read from the thriftstore.
July 1, 2017
I snuck the Barbra Streisand movie past my parents (g-d knows how, I have no idea) when I was 12-13 ish, and it was Formative for me as a baby transmasculine NB, so this was nostalgic for me. I definitely read it with a forgiving eye, seeing as it was written in the 60s. It has a couple of key failings that aren't terribly out of the ordinary for its age: the queer characters' endings are bittersweet at best, and Singer refers to Anshel as "she" throughout the book.
That said, where the Streisand movie characterizes Yentl/Anshel as a cis woman pretending to be a man to gain access to education that sexism would otherwise deny her, the original story is pretty clear that Anshel is not cis, not a woman, and is very much loved and loving and trying their best to be a good and worthy person. And I really liked that.
That said, where the Streisand movie characterizes Yentl/Anshel as a cis woman pretending to be a man to gain access to education that sexism would otherwise deny her, the original story is pretty clear that Anshel is not cis, not a woman, and is very much loved and loving and trying their best to be a good and worthy person. And I really liked that.
March 25, 2019
I just re-watched the movie, Yentl, which I love. I looked up the screenwriting and found the short story. What a radical story! I love the movie for its complexity, the music (of course) and Yentl's desire to learn and develop a personal relationship with God. There is so much complexity displayed over divine male and female roles. The short story was told in a no-nonsense way, with very minimal characterization and different motives (more selfish) than in the movie version. Interesting read.
September 29, 2023
it's interesting how on just 50 pages the book manages to create characters more well rounded and poignant than the 2 hour movie (which İ enjoyed a lot, but still)
December 15, 2018
Una ragazza destinata al matrimonio per le regole della società in cui vive alla morte del padre si traveste da maschio per poter realizzare il proprio sogno: studiare, in particolare le discipline della propria religione, fatto negato al genere femminile. Le varie vicissitudini che si troverà a vivere le faranno capire chi è e cosa vuole.
Un racconto breve di Isaac B. Singer, autore Yiddish premio Nobel 1978, divenuto così noto da aver preso forme teatrali e cinematografiche. Queste ultime grazie alla regia ed alla interpretazione di Barbra Streisand, in cui l'eterna questione della ricerca di se stessi viene accompagnata dalla magnifica voce della cantante newyorkese.
Un racconto breve di Isaac B. Singer, autore Yiddish premio Nobel 1978, divenuto così noto da aver preso forme teatrali e cinematografiche. Queste ultime grazie alla regia ed alla interpretazione di Barbra Streisand, in cui l'eterna questione della ricerca di se stessi viene accompagnata dalla magnifica voce della cantante newyorkese.
June 2, 2024
"On Sabbath afternoons, when her father slept, she would dress up in his trousers, his fringed garment, his silk coat, his skullcap, his velvet hat, and study her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a dark, handsome young man."
First read for Pride month. Yentl/Anshel trans bisexual icon i love you.
"Yentl you have the soul of a man."
"So why was I born a woman?"
"Even heaven makes mistakes."
First read for Pride month. Yentl/Anshel trans bisexual icon i love you.
"Yentl you have the soul of a man."
"So why was I born a woman?"
"Even heaven makes mistakes."
January 16, 2024
Reading this short story was easy and fun, filled with twists and turns. Yentl the Yeshiva Boy resonated with me in its exploration of the complex human desire for life, connection with oneself, God, and others, and the lengths we go to meet these desires/goals. Yentl's life, set in a world far more restrictive than anything I could comprehend today, is a daily negotiation of her thoughts, feelings, and ambitions.
However, Yentl's choices leave me a bitter aftertaste. Each decision she makes is accompanied by the author's emphasis on Yentl's awareness of the harm her actions cause, both to herself and others.
"Only now did Yentl grasp the meaning of the Torah’s prohibition against wearing the clothes of the other sex. By doing so, one deceived not only others but also oneself."
"Lying with Hadass and deceiving her had become more and more painful. Hadass’ love and tenderness shamed her. The devotion of her mother- and father-in-law and their hopes for a grandchild were a burden."
These examples, recurring throughout the book, bring out a theme of self-inflicted pain and deception. I looked for characters who evolve and learn from their life experiences. While Yentl faces consequences, the author seemed to gloss over the true depth of pain that should stem from her actions. Avigdor's surprisingly generous response to Yentl's lies, and the story's naturally getting the reader to want to root for Yentl, took away from the realism of life’s consequences. The story concludes with Yentl leaving, having impacted the lives of her companions negatively, which feels like an evasion rather than a resolution. (Still loved it but supports my point made above.)
Was Yentl brave and courageous? Undoubtedly, yes!
But was she kind, just, honest, or wise? In my view, no!
After discussing the story with my husband my relationship with the book is a blend of love and frustration. The core story and plot are captivating, yet I found Yentl's mindset and her justifications less compelling. Initially, I rated the book 3 out of 4 stars, but upon reflection, I've decided to increase it to 4 out of 5 because for a short story, it is exceptionally engaging.
Plot: 18/20
Characters: 16/20
Creativity: 20/20
Writing: 17/20
Pace: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Total: 91/100 (A-)
Star Rating: 4/5
However, Yentl's choices leave me a bitter aftertaste. Each decision she makes is accompanied by the author's emphasis on Yentl's awareness of the harm her actions cause, both to herself and others.
"Only now did Yentl grasp the meaning of the Torah’s prohibition against wearing the clothes of the other sex. By doing so, one deceived not only others but also oneself."
"Lying with Hadass and deceiving her had become more and more painful. Hadass’ love and tenderness shamed her. The devotion of her mother- and father-in-law and their hopes for a grandchild were a burden."
These examples, recurring throughout the book, bring out a theme of self-inflicted pain and deception. I looked for characters who evolve and learn from their life experiences. While Yentl faces consequences, the author seemed to gloss over the true depth of pain that should stem from her actions. Avigdor's surprisingly generous response to Yentl's lies, and the story's naturally getting the reader to want to root for Yentl, took away from the realism of life’s consequences. The story concludes with Yentl leaving, having impacted the lives of her companions negatively, which feels like an evasion rather than a resolution. (Still loved it but supports my point made above.)
Was Yentl brave and courageous? Undoubtedly, yes!
But was she kind, just, honest, or wise? In my view, no!
After discussing the story with my husband my relationship with the book is a blend of love and frustration. The core story and plot are captivating, yet I found Yentl's mindset and her justifications less compelling. Initially, I rated the book 3 out of 4 stars, but upon reflection, I've decided to increase it to 4 out of 5 because for a short story, it is exceptionally engaging.
Plot: 18/20
Characters: 16/20
Creativity: 20/20
Writing: 17/20
Pace: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Total: 91/100 (A-)
Star Rating: 4/5
December 17, 2023
"Yentl- you have the soul of a man."
"So why was I born a woman?"
"Even Heaven makes mistakes."
I just finished Blue Eye Samurai and since the show is partially based on this story I wanted to read it as well.
I loved this story, as a transmasculine jewish person it was just a very fitting niche. The story explores gender and sexuality in a very interesting way. I‘m glad I read this without previously watching the Yentl movie, as from what I hear it portrays Anshel solely as a cis woman in a disguise. This book has a more nuanced take, saying that the protagonist has the soul of a man in a woman’s body. Even in the end, given a chance to be the wife of the man they love, Anshel declines, because they don’t want to be a wife. The ending is bittersweet with Avigdar naming his son after Anshel.
This book has some really solid quotes that made me go a little insane, here they are:
"Yentl-you have the soul of a man."
"So why was I born a woman?"
"Even Heaven makes mistakes."
Do you want to know the truth?" asked Avigdor. "It's like the story of Jacob and Benjamin: my life is bound up in your life."
"Then why did you leave me?"
"Perhaps for that very reason."
"If I were a woman and married to you," said Anshel, "I'd know how to appreciate you."
"Well, but you aren't."
Avigdor sighed.
Though their bodies were different, their souls were of one kind.
A great love for Anshel took hold of Avigdor, mixed with shame, remorse, anxiety.
The longer Anshel talked, the less Avigdor understood. All Anshel's explanations seemed to point to one thing: she had the soul of a man and the body of a woman. Anshel said she had married Hadass only in order to be near Avigdor.
"You could have married me," Avigdor said.
"I wanted to study the Gemara and Commentaries with you, not darn your socks!"|
"So why was I born a woman?"
"Even Heaven makes mistakes."
I just finished Blue Eye Samurai and since the show is partially based on this story I wanted to read it as well.
I loved this story, as a transmasculine jewish person it was just a very fitting niche. The story explores gender and sexuality in a very interesting way. I‘m glad I read this without previously watching the Yentl movie, as from what I hear it portrays Anshel solely as a cis woman in a disguise. This book has a more nuanced take, saying that the protagonist has the soul of a man in a woman’s body. Even in the end, given a chance to be the wife of the man they love, Anshel declines, because they don’t want to be a wife. The ending is bittersweet with Avigdar naming his son after Anshel.
This book has some really solid quotes that made me go a little insane, here they are:
"Yentl-you have the soul of a man."
"So why was I born a woman?"
"Even Heaven makes mistakes."
Do you want to know the truth?" asked Avigdor. "It's like the story of Jacob and Benjamin: my life is bound up in your life."
"Then why did you leave me?"
"Perhaps for that very reason."
"If I were a woman and married to you," said Anshel, "I'd know how to appreciate you."
"Well, but you aren't."
Avigdor sighed.
Though their bodies were different, their souls were of one kind.
A great love for Anshel took hold of Avigdor, mixed with shame, remorse, anxiety.
The longer Anshel talked, the less Avigdor understood. All Anshel's explanations seemed to point to one thing: she had the soul of a man and the body of a woman. Anshel said she had married Hadass only in order to be near Avigdor.
"You could have married me," Avigdor said.
"I wanted to study the Gemara and Commentaries with you, not darn your socks!"|
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2022
After having seen the Yentl movie by and with Barbra Streisand I resd the short story it is based on. I was surprised by its simplicity: short sentences, simple dialogues but still it has depth.
Yentl wants to study the Talmud so badly she commits sin and betrayal, by dressing and acting as if she were a man. Eventually this leads to her own misfortune when it comes to love. But her love for the books of the Talmud is bigger, and she'd rather sacrifice her own happiness for the sake of her beloved's, and I love that.
PS I did a try in Yiddish but 50% understanding ist just not enough, unfortunately.
Yentl wants to study the Talmud so badly she commits sin and betrayal, by dressing and acting as if she were a man. Eventually this leads to her own misfortune when it comes to love. But her love for the books of the Talmud is bigger, and she'd rather sacrifice her own happiness for the sake of her beloved's, and I love that.
PS I did a try in Yiddish but 50% understanding ist just not enough, unfortunately.
January 4, 2022
Een verzameling verhalen uit de joodse cultuur, geschreven rond 1960. Eén ervan is Yentl, over een joods meisje dat niets met het huishouden heeft en als jongen verkleed naar de Talmoedschool gaat. Het verhaal is verfilmd met Barbra Streisand, maar het origineel is toch wat anders. De andere verhalen zijn vergelijkbaar, sprookjesachtig, volksvertellingen, maar ook fantasy over demonen en dergelijke. Wijze lessen haalde ik er niet uit, maar het zijn wel prachtige sfeertekeningen uit het vooroorlogse Polen en het naoorlogse Amerika. Auteur Singer won in 1978 de Nobelprijs voor de literatuur.
March 2, 2024
I have yet to see the film, but I recently finished Barbra Streisand's autobiography and was pretty fascinated with her interest in this story, and especially meeting Isaac Bashevis Singer. She described him as a bit of a misogynist, and I think she is correct. This is a wonderful plot, yet women are constantly referred to in negative terms, where men are treated the same.
And considering that the story is about Yentel, what happened to her? It's not clear in the story.
Still, the writing is strong and the story held my interest. Glad I finally read it.
And considering that the story is about Yentel, what happened to her? It's not clear in the story.
Still, the writing is strong and the story held my interest. Glad I finally read it.
July 4, 2023
It’s a fun short story, for a quick read!
March 5, 2024
Una obra cuyo público objetivo son judíos bisexuales.
Por mi parte, 10/10.
Por mi parte, 10/10.
June 13, 2023
Okay, we just watched the movie, so I decided to read the short story - sometimes the same, sometimes very different.
November 6, 2022
A bit different from the movie with Barbara Streisand. I would suggest you read the short story and watch the movie as an interesting comparison.
June 14, 2023
Found a volume of Singer's stories on our shelves, and was curious enough to read it. Liked the story, except for the casual misogyny (although was that the author's, or rather the author's depiction of the culture of that time and place, and of Yentl's own mindset?). Too bad about the film.
March 16, 2023
Mmmmm that nonbinary+trans shtetl energy!! It's really astonishing -- though perhaps it shouldn't be -- how precisely the language around nbness and transness mimics current discourses on those topics, when after all the aim of the book is not to talk about gender transformation per se but about the possibility of homosexual love. And it ends up being so wild and eclectic in all it touches upon, plus of course misogynistic. It's almost similar to the way Yitzy here had to kind of make up halakha for all these wild situations -- do they divorce? was the marriage consummated? -- and it ends up fully accidentally being sort of Reconstructionist. Good for Yentl/Anshel escaping heterotemporality and vanishing into the great blue yonder, honestly; that's the happiest ending possible for 'em.
Funny to see Yitzy testing out the "love polygon where the baby replaces the disappeared side" formula he uses again in Enemies, A Love Story.
The woodcuts were also lovely. By the way, everyone should check their translations against the original to see what the translators did about the pronouns, because mine CHANGED THEM to use "she" and "her" when the Yiddish was using "es" and "im." So weird. With mine I have to wonder if it was a kind of misguided 1960s feminism.
It was also very, very interesting to read this alongside Esther Kreitman's The Dance of the Demons -- because Esther, or Hinde, was in many ways the inspiration for Yentl, and that semi-autobiographical book is equally as much about gender, except it's a horror story, and Yentl is a comedy/problem play. Given the substantial documentary evidence that exists about how Kreitman's brothers barely bestirred themselves to help her out of the patriarchal prison of their family and social lives, it's kind of nutty to read Yentl as this… vaguely sympathetic, creative story about someone rather like her, while Kreitman's version is one long scream.
Funny to see Yitzy testing out the "love polygon where the baby replaces the disappeared side" formula he uses again in Enemies, A Love Story.
The woodcuts were also lovely. By the way, everyone should check their translations against the original to see what the translators did about the pronouns, because mine CHANGED THEM to use "she" and "her" when the Yiddish was using "es" and "im." So weird. With mine I have to wonder if it was a kind of misguided 1960s feminism.
It was also very, very interesting to read this alongside Esther Kreitman's The Dance of the Demons -- because Esther, or Hinde, was in many ways the inspiration for Yentl, and that semi-autobiographical book is equally as much about gender, except it's a horror story, and Yentl is a comedy/problem play. Given the substantial documentary evidence that exists about how Kreitman's brothers barely bestirred themselves to help her out of the patriarchal prison of their family and social lives, it's kind of nutty to read Yentl as this… vaguely sympathetic, creative story about someone rather like her, while Kreitman's version is one long scream.
February 13, 2012
Had a "driveway moment" outside of Target with an interview on NPR about an adaptation of Yentl as a new musical, and how the actual story was very different than the Streisand musical film (and that Singer hated the Streisand version, anyway).
This was a quick read, and I ripped through it in an evening. It was at once touching and also held me (the reader) at arms length. Interesting questions of gender are explored here, with Anschel (Yentl's name for herself as a yeshiva student) still being referred to as 'she' in the text. The NPR story talked about this being a story about a trans person, which was very intriguing. Anschel talks about her gender and sexuality in a very interesting way, both connected and disconnected to both of them.
Still thinking about this book, which I consider to be a mark of a good one. Definitely encourage other folks to read this, especially local friends, so we can talk about it!
This was a quick read, and I ripped through it in an evening. It was at once touching and also held me (the reader) at arms length. Interesting questions of gender are explored here, with Anschel (Yentl's name for herself as a yeshiva student) still being referred to as 'she' in the text. The NPR story talked about this being a story about a trans person, which was very intriguing. Anschel talks about her gender and sexuality in a very interesting way, both connected and disconnected to both of them.
Still thinking about this book, which I consider to be a mark of a good one. Definitely encourage other folks to read this, especially local friends, so we can talk about it!
February 7, 2009
This is a great story that tells a story of what it was like to grow up as a girl in a Jewish culture where she was expected to marry and have kids and nurture them, rather than study and discuss religion with the men. She would rather follow a spiritual journey, so she cuts off her hair, dons her father's clothes and leaves her town to find a yeshiva where she can (as a boy) follow her dream, but only by breaking religious laws. This book also has marvelous woodcut illustrations that help to "age" the story and give it the appearance of an ancient text. We really enjoyed reading this story together.
December 4, 2016
Once you say "A," you must say "B." Thoughts lead to words, words lead to deeds. Reb Alter Vishkower gave his consent to the match.
I.B. Singer is gentle with us. We are a little scared for what might happen, but we read on and we are not wounded.
This remains a great little story, nominally about gender, but actually about the tragedy of the human condition, in which we can see realities that cannot become real. Sometimes lovers miss forever. Sometimes there is no true happiness to be had, only conventional happiness. True happiness is out there, wandering the world, somewhere, a possibility missed.
I.B. Singer is gentle with us. We are a little scared for what might happen, but we read on and we are not wounded.
This remains a great little story, nominally about gender, but actually about the tragedy of the human condition, in which we can see realities that cannot become real. Sometimes lovers miss forever. Sometimes there is no true happiness to be had, only conventional happiness. True happiness is out there, wandering the world, somewhere, a possibility missed.
November 15, 2011
Sweat is it about Singer that always saves him from a Fiddler on the Roof sentimentality? There is always a perverse lightning crack of genius running through his books. They get creepy around the edges. I like that in a writer. The characters behave in unexpected ways; I get the feeling they surprise the author from time to time. They are that alive.
April 8, 2025
#Binge Reviewing all my past Reads:
Yentl the Yeshiva Boy by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Yentl the Yeshiva Boy is a poignant and provocative tale that explores identity, gender, and the thirst for knowledge in a world bound by tradition. Set in an Orthodox Jewish community, the story follows Yentl, a young woman with an unquenchable desire to study Torah — a pursuit forbidden to women. After her father’s death, she cuts her hair, dresses as a man, takes the name Anshel, and enters a yeshiva to follow her intellectual calling.
Singer unfolds Yentl’s inner turmoil with masterful restraint. Her disguise grants her access to sacred texts, but it also entangles her in emotional and moral conflicts — especially when she forms a bond with a fellow student and becomes engaged to a woman. The tale becomes a meditation on freedom and deception, where the lines between self-realization and self-denial blur.
Singer does not offer easy answers. Instead, he invites us to consider the cost of defying boundaries — religious, societal, and personal. Yentl emerges as both rebel and exile, driven by a noble yet lonely pursuit of truth.
Layered with irony, compassion, and existential depth, Yentl the Yeshiva Boy is a quietly radical story that remains hauntingly relevant in its questions about who we are and who we are allowed to be.
Give it a go. One of the finest short stories ever penned.
Yentl the Yeshiva Boy by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Yentl the Yeshiva Boy is a poignant and provocative tale that explores identity, gender, and the thirst for knowledge in a world bound by tradition. Set in an Orthodox Jewish community, the story follows Yentl, a young woman with an unquenchable desire to study Torah — a pursuit forbidden to women. After her father’s death, she cuts her hair, dresses as a man, takes the name Anshel, and enters a yeshiva to follow her intellectual calling.
Singer unfolds Yentl’s inner turmoil with masterful restraint. Her disguise grants her access to sacred texts, but it also entangles her in emotional and moral conflicts — especially when she forms a bond with a fellow student and becomes engaged to a woman. The tale becomes a meditation on freedom and deception, where the lines between self-realization and self-denial blur.
Singer does not offer easy answers. Instead, he invites us to consider the cost of defying boundaries — religious, societal, and personal. Yentl emerges as both rebel and exile, driven by a noble yet lonely pursuit of truth.
Layered with irony, compassion, and existential depth, Yentl the Yeshiva Boy is a quietly radical story that remains hauntingly relevant in its questions about who we are and who we are allowed to be.
Give it a go. One of the finest short stories ever penned.
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December 6, 2023I watched Yentl the movie a long time ago and loved it so much. I only discovered in the past year or so that it was based on a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer. This beautiful little volume is hardbound in hot hot pink and illustrated with woodcuts. It looks amazing, as an object I adore it.
I finished the story itself this morning and loved it just as much as I expected to. It's funny and strange and touching and serious like all of Singer and now I am even more jazzed to rewatch the movie, which I've been itching to do for ages!! But am definitely doing as part of a Streisand-thon come January.
Very nice, very nice. Good world, good timing, thank you.
Also if you haven't read Rachel Syme's profile of Streisand in the most recent New Yorker, get thee to a newsstand. A real pleasure, that profile.
I finished the story itself this morning and loved it just as much as I expected to. It's funny and strange and touching and serious like all of Singer and now I am even more jazzed to rewatch the movie, which I've been itching to do for ages!! But am definitely doing as part of a Streisand-thon come January.
Very nice, very nice. Good world, good timing, thank you.
Also if you haven't read Rachel Syme's profile of Streisand in the most recent New Yorker, get thee to a newsstand. A real pleasure, that profile.
November 23, 2023
Even though I prefer the film, I think this short story is really good on its own. I don't think Barbra Streisand misunderstood the meaning of the book as some critics write, but she changed the story to convey some other points that are very valid and very important as well. Isaac Bashevis Singer had his own ideas of what the story should portrait and his version, even when it is so short, is quite complex. Both stories are queer, just in different parts. Both of them can be read as feministic, though the film fortunately drops some of the misogynistic things from the book. Both of them are much deeper than a single issue story about gender, about queer or hetero love, about cultural norms, about the thirst for knowledge.
July 27, 2025
Judaism is a religion of laws. Isaac Bashevis Singer is secular, but his knowledge of the religion is extraordinary, as he grew up in a religious environment. I think he makes a point here: not all women are created equal, some are more on the male side of things. Interest in religion is habitually confined to males especially in traditional central european, Polish Jewish practice. Yentl differs in this, as she is very interested in religion, but also in her habit of emulating male ways of interaction with the outside world. This leads her into a contradiction with her religious and cultural roots, the central theme of Bashevis Singer here.
October 6, 2025
Que história! No Letterboxd alguém escreveu "Mulan para Judeus", é literalmente isso kkkkkkkkk. Quando assisti o filme me encantei e aqui não foi diferente. Achei que teriam partes um pouco chatas e desinteressantes sobre estudos mas, felizmente, me enganei. Amei o conto, muito rapidinho e provocante. Me faz pensar que as histórias hoje em dia estão looooongas demais, são necessárias apenas algumas páginas para contar o início, meio e fim de uma história marcante e caso você não concorde comigo, basta ler Yentl.
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