Leaves from the Garden of Eden: One Hundred Classic Jewish Tales

From the Publisher

"The cast of characters alone is stunning: Moses and Elijah, David and Solomon, angels and demons, wonder-working rabbis and evil sorcerers, princes and peasants, even Jewish versions of Snow White and Cinderella...This book is a big, beguiling gem, changing colors as you tilt it toward the light. From one angle, it's a world of inventive adventures that children will love; from another angle, a collection of religious allegories that will engage and challenge adults; from yet another angle, a shimmering record of Jewish dreams."
--JBooks.com

"Looking for tales about demon marriages or angel encounters, magic spells or epic quests? They're all right here, and then some."
--Jerusalem Post

In the learned introduction to "Leaves From the Garden of Eden," Schwartz performs the admirable feat of dissecting how and why these tales have lasted so long without allowing the spotlight he shines on them to reduce their ability to delight. ...With Schwartz as their guide through this Garden of Eden, [readers] will find not only enchanting stories but a new understanding of a heritage that lives on, strongly.

Four years after Tree of Souls took our breaths away with myths of the Jewish tradition, three-time National Jewish Book Award winner Howard Schwartz now brings us a reference pulsing with one hundred magical, miraculous, and spiritual Jewish stories. ...Comprehensive notes and commentary root each story and draw its ties to Jewish tradition. The five appendices are crowning jewels, which also define and index the tales by source, story cycle (of, about, and by key protagonists), countries of origin, specialized subject types, and Arne-Thompson tale types."
-- ewish Book World

Library Journal

In this remarkable collection of Jewish tales spanning 1500 years and many different countries, Schwartz (ed., Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism) has gathered pieces from his previous collections; two of the stories here are being published for the first time. Divided into four sections, the book presents fairy tales, folktales, supernatural tales, and mystical tales. All of the great heroes of Jewish life are here: Moses, Rabbi Adam, Elijah, the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Nachman, David, Solomon, Rabbi Loew, the 36 just men, and Rabbi Akiba. The enemies of Jewish life-Lilith, the Queen of Sheba, evil sorcerers, demons, dybbuks, and wizards-are fought with magic stones, angels, rabbinic courts, amulets, the Talmud, and the Torah. Schwartz's helpful introduction, notes, and appendixes cover the sources, main heroes, countries of origin, and tale types. He includes wonderful examples of Jewish tales from "The City of Luz," about a place where no one dies, to "The Golem," about a creature who protects the Jews, as well as "Lighting a Fire," the great Hasidic tale about storytelling. Recommended for Jewish studies collections.
—Gene Shaw