Making the rich narrative world of Talmud tales fully accessible to modern readers, renowned Talmud scholar Jeffrey L. Rubenstein turns his spotlight on both famous and little-known stories, analyzing the tales in their original contexts, exploring their cultural meanings and literary artistry, and illuminating their relevance. Delving into both rabbinic life (the academy, master-disciple relationships) and Jewish life under Roman and Persian rule (persecution, taxation, marketplaces), Rubenstein explains how storytellers used irony, wordplay, figurative language, and other art forms to communicate their intended messages. Each close reading demonstrates the story's continuing relevance through the generations into modernity. For example, the story "Showdown in Court," a confrontation between King Yannai and the Rabbinic judges, provides insights into controversial struggles in U.S. history to balance governmental power; the story of Honi's seventy-year sleep becomes a window into the indignities of aging. Through the prism of Talmud tales, Rubenstein also offers timeless insights into suffering, beauty, disgust, heroism, humor, love, sex, truth, and falsehood. By connecting twenty-first-century readers to past generations, The Land of Truth helps to bridge the divide between modern Jews and the traditional narrative worlds of their ancestors.

"Published by the University of Nebraska Press as a Jewish Publication Society book."

Spells and prophecies sew havoc in the fight for humankind in the 4th novel of the #1 New York Times bestselling author’s epic fantasy series. Having taken his rightful place as Lord Rahl, ruler of D’Hara, Richard must once again postpone his wedding to Kahlan Amnell in order to face the fearsome Imperial Order in a fight for the New World and the freedom of humankind. But while Richard has the brave people of D’Hara at his command, Emperor Jagang of the Imperial Order has a significant advantage: he doesn’t fight fair. Jagang invokes a prophecy that binds Richard and Kahlan to a fate of pain, betrayal, and a path to the Underworld. At Jagang’s behest, a Sister of the Dark gains access into the fabled Temple of the Winds and unleashes a plague that sweeps across the lands like a firestorm. To stop the plague, Richard and Kahlan must risk everything they have—and everything they’ve hoped for.

Winner of the 2003 Trillium Book Award "Stories are wondrous things," award-winning author and scholar Thomas King declares in his 2003 CBC Massey Lectures. "And they are dangerous." Beginning with a traditional Native oral story, King weaves his way through literature and history, religion and politics, popular culture and social protest, gracefully elucidating North America's relationship with its Native peoples. Native culture has deep ties to storytelling, and yet no other North American culture has been the subject of more erroneous stories. The Indian of fact, as King says, bears little resemblance to the literary Indian, the dying Indian, the construct so powerfully and often destructively projected by White North America. With keen perception and wit, King illustrates that stories are the key to, and only hope for, human understanding. He compels us to listen well.

The book features an appendix including the original Hebrew/Aramaic texts for the reader's reference.

As recently seen on ABC's Nightline, channeler Paul Selig presents the second work in his acclaimed Mastery Trilogy. The Book of Truth casts your relationships--and what they reveal about you--in a dramatic and radical new light. The channeled literature of Paul Selig--who receives clairaudient dictation from unseen intellects called the Guides--has quickly become the most important and celebrated expression of channeling since A Course In Miracles rose to prominence in the 1970s. Selig's previous trilogy of channeled wisdom--I Am the Word, The Book of Love and Creation, and The Book of Knowing and Worth--won a large following around the world for its depth, intimacy, and psychological insight. The first book of his new Mastery Trilogy, The Book of Mastery, likewise attained popularity and praise. Now, Selig continues the "Teachings of Mastery" with the widely anticipated second volume in his new series: The Book of Truth.

Will Hamelin be summoned again? Hamelin suspects that his friend Layla is the lost princess from the Land of Gloaming. As he describes his daring adventures to trusted friends at the children's home, an intricate tapestry of stories emerges. Layla admits that she has had dreams - or are they memories? - of another world with faded light. The orphan boy is not alone in his struggle to learn the truth, search for family, and question the Ancient One's purposes. Meanwhile, dangerous forces continue to pursue the boy of both worlds, but the evil Chimera gives his agents an additional task: find the fourth princess, the missing daughter of Carr, and stop her. She must never return home.