The Melody by Oded Burla

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Translator: Ilana Kurshan
Illustrator: Assaf Benharroch

This seems to be a simple story of a melody in search of a singer, but look a little closer and you will find echoes of an ancient Jewish tale. According to a two-thousand-year-old commentary on the Bible, God offers the Torah, the Hebrew Bible, to all the people of the ancient world. Each nation decides not to accept the Torah because it cannot abide by its laws. But when the Torah is presented to the Jews on Mount Sinai, they welcome it. Ever since then, the Torah has been the song of the Jewish people, and in every generation its melodies are sung by new voices.

Year first published: 2022