As A Driven Leaf

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Story
Review: I don't have much to add to what the other reviewers said. I found this book to be one of the best that I've ever read, and it deals with some of the most fundamental issues in life - like how we can ever be sure that our religion is correct. "As A Driven Leaf" is extremely thought provoking - fundamentalists (Orthodox Jews and some Christians) will be challenged to rethink why they believe in the doctrines of their religions without proof, and agnostics will be challenged to rethink the notion that everything can be demonstrated on the basis of logic alone. I am a Modern Orthodox Jew...

Rating:
Summary: My own personal reading may not be the right one
Review: I had heard and read much about this work when I enthusiastically began to read it. It in the beginning swept me up, and I felt myself going through a true reading and intellectual adventure. Elisha Ben Abuya (Acher) the one who entered the Pardess of Jewish Mystical learning and came out a heretic, seemed at first a heroic and tragic figure of great intellectual courage. But as I read on, and the number of his involvements and adventures increased and as I began to wait for counter- arguments to his lack of faith, I began to lose patience .And in time I also began to lose sympathy . And this because I had the sense that Elisha Ben Abuya ' lost it' in a deeper sense than losing his ' faith' I had the sense he lost something even more fundamental in Judaism his goodness and kindness to other human beings. In other words the harassed and persecuted intellectually Elisha ben Abuya should it seems to me have found a way to ' care more for those he hurt and damaged in his own community and people' In this sense as I read he turned in my mind and heart more and more from being a hero to being a betrayer.
And in time I lost patience with him .And instead of the book connecting me more strongly with the Jewish Tradition as I had hoped it left me with the sadness of abandonment.
My own personal reading may not be the right one, but as great as was the hope in beginning the work so the disappointment in reading to its end.


Rating:
Summary: No Less than a Masterpiece!
Review: I have rarely felt as limited as I do now with being forced to put emotions into words! If you even have enough interest to read this review, you must read the book! Steinberg has given me something I'll never forget in the form of "As a Driven Leaf!"

Rating:
Summary: A Philosophical Journey
Review: I highly recommend "As a Driven Leaf" to anyone (Jewish or not) who is in search of truth, or who questions "established" truths.

A Catholic considering conversion to Judaism, I identified with Elisha's struggle and came away from the novel with a great sense of hope, and a realization that truth not only requires a leap of faith, but that it is not absolute. Instead of getting caught up in proving theories, it is important to choose a path and walk on it.

Rating:
Summary: Good for Non-Jews, too.
Review: I knew nothing about the four sages of the Talmud until I read the other reviews for this book. I picked it up out of curiosity and as a lover of historical fiction (Mary Renault for example). The struggle of Elisha is one that is not reserved for Jews, but for anyone of scientific bent who would like to reconcile that with a faith. Flat-out loved this book.

Rating:
Summary: Why faith, without proof behind it, is a wonderful idea
Review: I read this book a few years ago when I was troubled over the "accuracy" of religion- was all that stuff true? It seemed wrong to believe in what wasn't proven. AS A DRIVEN LEAF showed me, through the journeys of one man, Elisha ben Abuya, why faith is okay, and even necessary to live a full and meaningful life. It allowed me to love Judaism for reasons that I had never seen before, and to stop worrying about whether the Red Sea had really split. I apply what this book has taught me to many areas of life, and being Jewish is certainly not a prerequisite for appreciating this book.

Rating:
Summary: Why faith, without proof behind it, is a wonderful idea
Review: I read this book a few years ago when I was troubled over the "accuracy" of religion- was all that stuff true? It seemed wrong to believe in what wasn't proven. AS A DRIVEN LEAF showed me, through the journeys of one man, Elisha ben Abuya, why faith is okay, and even necessary to live a full and meaningful life. It allowed me to love Judaism for reasons that I had never seen before, and to stop worrying about whether the Red Sea had really split. I apply what this book has taught me to many areas of life, and being Jewish is certainly not a prerequisite for appreciating this book.

Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I read this book because so many people recommmended it to me and I wanted to make them stop but after two pages I was hooked. It was possibly the saddest book I've ever read but it was so beautiful and true, especially about today's Jewry. The parts that were from the Gemara were mostly accurate and I had fun recognizing them. Read it.

Rating:
Summary: The Search for Absolute Truth
Review: If you've ever wanted to find absolute truth that can be proven scientifically, this book is for you. If you've gotten worked up and decided to learn Hebrew, Greek, and Latin in order to examine original documents for yourself and come to your own conclusions, this book is for you. If you're someone searching for truth and which religion to choose, this book is for you.

As a Driven Leaf is a story woven from the very few facts available on Elisha ben Abuya, a man who actually lived thousands of years ago in Palestine. Elisha's search for the truth and his "struggle to live in two worlds destroyed his chances to live in either" (from the back of the book).

The story is fast reading, with a plot that keeps moving. The ending made me bawl. The characters are very real. The moral is significant. A very good, well written read that is worth the time.

Rating:
Summary: A true "theatre of the mind" listening experience.
Review: Milton Steinberg's As A Driven Leaf is the explosive, touching story of Elisha Ben Abuyah, the real-life Talmudic sage who experienced a crisis of faith in the face of political tyranny and terrible human suffering. A ground breaking historical novel, As A Driven Leaf offers an unparalleled view of the conflicts between Judaism and the pagan world, from the brilliant legal debates of the Sanhedrin to the bloody gladiatorial contests of the Roman arena. By effectively utilizing First Century characters, Steinberg is ably to vividly illuminate the pervasive tensions between Jews a world of gentiles. George Guidall's talented narration in this complete and unabridged audiobook edition does full justice to Milton Steinberg's superbly crafted story and brings the listener into a world of revolution, change, and conflict with the engaging intimacy of a true "theatre of the mind" experience.