These ancient stories whisper truth to your soul.

Great stories have the power to draw the heart. But certain stories have the power to draw the heart to God and awaken the better angels of our nature. Such are the tales of the rabbis of the Talmud, colorful, quirky yarns that tug at our heartstrings and test our values, ethics, morality—and our imaginations.

In this collection for people of all faiths and backgrounds, Rabbi Burton Visotzky draws on four decades of telling and teaching these legends in order to unlock their wisdom for the contemporary heart. He introduces you to the cast of characters, explains their motivations, and provides the historical background needed to penetrate the wise lessons often hidden within these unusual narratives.

In learning how and why these oft-told tales were spun, you discover how they continue to hold value for our lives.

1 / Elijah the Prophet 1
2 / The Cast of Characters 13
3 / A Story Well Told Is Worth Retelling 31
4 / On Loan 40
5 / The Woman of Valor 48
6 / How a Boy Became a Rabbi 55
7 / Meanwhile Back at the Ranch 65
8 / Road Trip with Fireworks 74
9 / Anything He Can Do, I Can Do, Too 82
10 / I Had a Dream … I've Been to the Mountaintop 88
11 / Paradise Ain't All It's Cracked Up to Be 95
12 / The Siege 104
13 / Comic Relief 111
14 / The Rabbi Confronts Caesar, or the Three Wishes 118
15 / The Gnat’s Revenge 130
16 / Rainmaker 137
17 / Nicodemus and Buni—Uncensored! 146
18 / Rainmaker—The Sequel 157
19 / The Rabbis’ Rip Van Winkle 169
20 / Pretty Woman 1 and 2 176
21 / Pretty Woman 3, 4, 5 187
22 / The End: We Hope 196
Appendix 1: The Complete Texts 204
Appendix 2: Who’s Who 231
Glossary 235
Suggestions for Further Reading 239

These ancient stories whisper truth to your soul.

Great stories have the power to draw the heart. But certain stories have the power to draw the heart to God and awaken the better angels of our nature. Such are the tales of the rabbis of the Talmud, colorful, quirky yarns that tug at our heartstrings and test our values, ethics, morality—and our imaginations.

In this collection for people of all faiths and backgrounds, Rabbi Burton Visotzky draws on four decades of telling and teaching these legends in order to unlock their wisdom for the contemporary heart. He introduces you to the cast of characters, explains their motivations, and provides the historical background needed to penetrate the wise lessons often hidden within these unusual narratives.

In learning how and why these oft-told tales were spun, you discover how they continue to hold value for our lives.