Rabbi Emanuel Feldman is the former editor of Tradition: The Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought as well as the author of nine books, including “Tales Out of Shul” and “On Judaism.” Rav Aharon Feldman, rosh yeshiva of Ner Yisroel, is his younger brother.
What books are currently on your nightstand?
Occasionally my night stand resembles a small book case, but here are some of my favorite bedtime readings: two fine books on chassidus by Immanuel Etkes – Rav Shneur Zalman of Liady and The Besht; Ruth Wisse’s excellent No Joke: Making Jewish Humor; and David Berlinski’s The Devil’s Delusion: Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions.
None of these books helps me fall sleep…
What’s the best book on Judaism you’ve ever read?
Rav Dessler’s books are uniformly excellent for a thoughtful reader.
What kind of reader were you as a child? Your favorite books and authors?
I was an avid reader and a regular patron of Baltimore’s main library. I loved Zane Grey’s Westerns, John R. Tunis’ books on sports, and lots of short-story collections.
If you had to name one book that made you who you are today, what would it be?
I cannot name any one book. My main influences were humans: parents, yeshivos, rabbis, teachers, and friends.
As a former pulpit rabbi who has interacted with many non-Orthodox Jews over the years, what books do you think ideal to give to someone interested in traditional Judaism?
The late Chaim Donin’s To Be a Jew is excellent; Herman Wouk’s This is My God remains a classic and is powerful; and, in all modesty, there is also On Judaism, written by Emanuel Feldman, which has influenced some people.
Of all the books you’ve written, which is your favorite or the one you take most pride in?
My Tales Out of Shul is far and away the most widely read book I ever wrote. I still re-read it myself to remember what the pulpit rabbinate was like. I also very much like my Shul Without a Clock and Tales Out of Jerusalem. But I treat all my books equally: they are all my children, each one the happy result of labor pains.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, many rabbanim opposed reading novels, arguing that they were a waste of time. Do you read novels? Or just non-fiction?
I rarely read novels, unless they have something serious to say, and then only on long overseas plane trips. But I do not think a serious novel by a serious author is necessarily a waste of time. Sometimes top writers offer deep insights into human nature; nevertheless, I prefer non-fiction.
Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?
Dara Horn’s novel A Guide for the Perplexed was the last book I didn’t finish. I got off the plane at my destination, and never returned to the book – though she writes very well and very insightfully.
What books might people be surprised to find on your bookshelves?
Classic books by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Shakespeare’s sonnets, which are even better than his plays. But a confession: I have not opened any of these in a long time.
What book hasn’t been written that you’d like to read?
Serious non-hagiographic, uncensored biographies of classic gedolei Yisrael showing their human traits and human weaknesses, and how they struggled successfully to overcome them and become truly great and inspirational leaders. Gedolim are not born, they are made – through dedication, hard work, and intense personal discipline.
