Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: About me: I am an orthodox jewish woman, not from a chassidic community or lifestyle.The title of this book led me to believe that this was non-fiction, and I was looking forward to reading about life in different chassidic communities from the women's point of view.
Instead, this is either a work of fiction or real people have been fictionalised. A group of women collects around Sarah's table for words of Torah and wisdom, a break from their struggles of the week. The characters and their situations are believable, but the dialogue is poorly written, as if for a play. This group apparently breaks into applause when one of their members says something they approve of - does that happen around YOUR table? I found Sarah's continuous stream of optimism and platitudes annoying and unrealistic.She always had an answer; I wanted to tell her to stop comforting and explaining and just let people BE. I found her explanations of Torah over-simplified. I also didn't agree with all the conclusions the characters drew from the Torah - which is okay, there are many different ways to learn the same verse, but the explanation was presented as The Truth, as opposed to A Truth. Read this for enjoyment, but not for enlightenment.
Rating: 
Summary: Wisdom, sisterhood and lasagna
Review: Around Sarah's Table is a set of 10 vignettes about Lubavitcher Hasidic women in modern American society. The ten women featured in this book are participants in a shiur (Torah class) held at lunchtime on Tuesdays in Sarah's home within Borough Park in Brooklyn. These women read a weekly parsha (portion), containing one or more quotations from the Torah and some commentary, and then discuss the lesson. Shaina is a convert to Hasidic Judaism from a Reformed family and has not had much contact with other Hasidic women. She and her husband have adopted two Down's Syndrome children and Shaina is running herself into the ground trying to do everything for her children. Shaina is a writer of children's stories and Reva, her publisher, strongly suggests that she spend some time away from her children, so Shaina arranges for a sitter so that she can attend the shiur. Reva started a small publishing house to provide stories suitable for instructing her own children in Hasidic values and has since expanded to an international operation. Her husband has always encouraged her efforts, but lately he has been much troubled by his diabetes. His condition is serious enough to require shots and other medical assistance and the burden of his care has fallen mainly on Reva. She is feeling overwhelmed by her responsibilities. Tamar is a mother and homemaker who is concerned about a husband for her daughter Abigail. Her older children have been successfully married to compatible mates, but Abigail has not yet met a man that suits her. Moreover, a suitable mate for her younger son Ephraim has been found, but it is not appropriate for a young man to be married before his older sister. Rachel is a resident of Williamsburg, the oldest Jewish community in Brooklyn. Her husband is a world-renowned authority on mikvahs (pools for ritual immersion). Rachel travels with him and teaches simple matters to young women who know little about mitzvahs (commandments). After years of performing such teaching, she suddenly realizes that there is much more that she can do to educate these young women. Glika was born and raised in the only Torah home in Milan, Italy. Hasidic Jews from all over the world stayed with their family when visiting Milan. Due to this exposure, Glika's name and character were known to many people in many places. When it came time for her to marry, her family chose a man from Toronto, Canada, and she went to live with him in that city. They were happy and had many children, but one day the family business failed and they had to move to New York. Glika feels helpless and wonders what she can do to help her family. Levana is a good wife to her husband, mother to her children, and daughter to her mother. Lately she is being overwhelmed by the demands put on her by her family, but she feels that she should try to do as much a possible for them. Her friends tell her that she should let them do more for themselves and she wonders if she should take this advice. Klara is an exile from her homeland, Russia, having gotten out well before the first wave of immigrants arrived. She becomes a lawyer and eventually starts her own practice. Although she can usually set her own hours, sometimes circumstances cause scheduling conflicts. She wishes that she had more time with the grandchildren, but she has responsibilities. Erica was widowed with a young daughter. She marries again to a divorced man and becomes the step-mother to two boys. She is moving from their old house in Borough Park to a larger one in Lawrence, Long Island, where the boys will have a large yard in which to play. She is pleased with the new house, but she feels uncertain as to her role in the new community. Ora had a life-threatening illness in her twenties and she has since been determined to make the best of her opportunities. She has been teaching young Russian women their heritage as Jews and looks upon them as her own spiritual children. She also writes poems, not very great poetry yet uplifting, and sends them to friends that she thinks could use some brightness in their lives. She believes that she is a lamplighter, but doesn't believe that she is a courageous woman. Sarah is the leader. Unlike other Hasidic women, she accidentally meets her future husband on an airliner, they fall in love, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe gives special permission for them to marry. Her husband becomes the principal of Beth Jacob Schools for Girls in Brooklyn. At first Sarah is caught up in a whirlwind of activity, but then she begins to lose energy and can't do anything right. She and her husband take some time away from work and children to discuss her problem and, after this discussion, she resolves to start a shiur for women. These ten vignettes are beautifully written and depict a wide variety of events and circumstances in the lives of Hasidic women, including death, divorce, and illness. Since these stories are written as extensions of the Torah lessons, they always end with an answer or resolution. Thus, these are not stories of tragedy and major crises, but the everyday problems of normal human beings. This book contains many Hebrew and Yiddish terms, but most are immediately explained, are understandable from context, or can be ignored. A glossary is provided at the back for other terms, but it is probably better to ignore this appendix the first time through so as to maintain the flow. However, it is handy for perusal when re-reading the book. Since I am not Jewish, this book answered some questions, but also opened up many more. It does seem to be a good starting point for study of Hasidic Judaism and contains a bibliography of more scholarly works. Recommended for anyone who is curious about the role of women in Lubavitcher Hasidic Judaism.
Rating:
Summary: Wisdom, sisterhood and lasagna
Review: Around Sarah's Table is a set of 10 vignettes about Lubavitcher Hasidic women in modern American society. The ten women featured in this book are participants in a shiur (Torah class) held at lunchtime on Tuesdays in Sarah's home within Borough Park in Brooklyn. These women read a weekly parsha (portion), containing one or more quotations from the Torah and some commentary, and then discuss the lesson. Shaina is a convert to Hasidic Judaism from a Reformed family and has not had much contact with other Hasidic women. She and her husband have adopted two Down's Syndrome children and Shaina is running herself into the ground trying to do everything for her children. Shaina is a writer of children's stories and Reva, her publisher, strongly suggests that she spend some time away from her children, so Shaina arranges for a sitter so that she can attend the shiur. Reva started a small publishing house to provide stories suitable for instructing her own children in Hasidic values and has since expanded to an international operation. Her husband has always encouraged her efforts, but lately he has been much troubled by his diabetes. His condition is serious enough to require shots and other medical assistance and the burden of his care has fallen mainly on Reva. She is feeling overwhelmed by her responsibilities. Tamar is a mother and homemaker who is concerned about a husband for her daughter Abigail. Her older children have been successfully married to compatible mates, but Abigail has not yet met a man that suits her. Moreover, a suitable mate for her younger son Ephraim has been found, but it is not appropriate for a young man to be married before his older sister. Rachel is a resident of Williamsburg, the oldest Jewish community in Brooklyn. Her husband is a world-renowned authority on mikvahs (pools for ritual immersion). Rachel travels with him and teaches simple matters to young women who know little about mitzvahs (commandments). After years of performing such teaching, she suddenly realizes that there is much more that she can do to educate these young women. Glika was born and raised in the only Torah home in Milan, Italy. Hasidic Jews from all over the world stayed with their family when visiting Milan. Due to this exposure, Glika's name and character were known to many people in many places. When it came time for her to marry, her family chose a man from Toronto, Canada, and she went to live with him in that city. They were happy and had many children, but one day the family business failed and they had to move to New York. Glika feels helpless and wonders what she can do to help her family. Levana is a good wife to her husband, mother to her children, and daughter to her mother. Lately she is being overwhelmed by the demands put on her by her family, but she feels that she should try to do as much a possible for them. Her friends tell her that she should let them do more for themselves and she wonders if she should take this advice. Klara is an exile from her homeland, Russia, having gotten out well before the first wave of immigrants arrived. She becomes a lawyer and eventually starts her own practice. Although she can usually set her own hours, sometimes circumstances cause scheduling conflicts. She wishes that she had more time with the grandchildren, but she has responsibilities. Erica was widowed with a young daughter. She marries again to a divorced man and becomes the step-mother to two boys. She is moving from their old house in Borough Park to a larger one in Lawrence, Long Island, where the boys will have a large yard in which to play. She is pleased with the new house, but she feels uncertain as to her role in the new community. Ora had a life-threatening illness in her twenties and she has since been determined to make the best of her opportunities. She has been teaching young Russian women their heritage as Jews and looks upon them as her own spiritual children. She also writes poems, not very great poetry yet uplifting, and sends them to friends that she thinks could use some brightness in their lives. She believes that she is a lamplighter, but doesn't believe that she is a courageous woman. Sarah is the leader. Unlike other Hasidic women, she accidentally meets her future husband on an airliner, they fall in love, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe gives special permission for them to marry. Her husband becomes the principal of Beth Jacob Schools for Girls in Brooklyn. At first Sarah is caught up in a whirlwind of activity, but then she begins to lose energy and can't do anything right. She and her husband take some time away from work and children to discuss her problem and, after this discussion, she resolves to start a shiur for women. These ten vignettes are beautifully written and depict a wide variety of events and circumstances in the lives of Hasidic women, including death, divorce, and illness. Since these stories are written as extensions of the Torah lessons, they always end with an answer or resolution. Thus, these are not stories of tragedy and major crises, but the everyday problems of normal human beings. This book contains many Hebrew and Yiddish terms, but most are immediately explained, are understandable from context, or can be ignored. A glossary is provided at the back for other terms, but it is probably better to ignore this appendix the first time through so as to maintain the flow. However, it is handy for perusal when re-reading the book. Since I am not Jewish, this book answered some questions, but also opened up many more. It does seem to be a good starting point for study of Hasidic Judaism and contains a bibliography of more scholarly works. Recommended for anyone who is curious about the role of women in Lubavitcher Hasidic Judaism.
Rating:
Summary: Warm and Sweet, like a good cup of tea
Review: From the very first page, I felt as though I actually "entered into" the lives of these women, and was a part of Sarah's Table. What a privilege to peek into the minds and hearts of these good people. Each has her own baggage to carry around, like the rest of us, yet their weekly meetings give support, love and the appropriate words of Torah to lighten their load. I cannot recommend "Around Sarah's Table" enough!
Rating:
Summary: ok, but not great
Review: i agree with one of the other reviewers...the dialogue was horrible... overall, the book was ok...not great. all of the women were interesting characters, and i enjoyed reading their individual stories, but sometimes the womens' connections to The Torah portion of the week (there are 10 women, each women's story connects somehow to the weekly portion, or tries to), and to Sarah's table is strained.
Rating:
Summary: ok, but not great
Review: i agree with one of the other reviewers...the dialogue was horrible... overall, the book was ok...not great. all of the women were interesting characters, and i enjoyed reading their individual stories, but sometimes the womens' connections to The Torah portion of the week (there are 10 women, each women's story connects somehow to the weekly portion, or tries to), and to Sarah's table is strained.
Rating:
Summary: GRIPPING!
Review: I did NOT want to put this down! Really truly an interesting and enlightening view of Hasidic Judaism. As a Christian, the insight is invaluable. READ THIS!
Rating:
Summary: GRIPPING!
Review: I did NOT want to put this down! Really truly an interesting and enlightening view of Hasidic Judaism. As a Christian, the insight is invaluable. READ THIS!
Rating:
Summary: A look into the lives of Hasidic women
Review: I read this book because I was curious about the lifestyle of Hasidic women. I found this book interesting, sometimes humorous, and even somewhat educational.. since I am not Hasidic.
Rating: 
Summary: Modern Problems-Traditional Perspectives
Review: Ten women deal with a variety of modern problems, all of whom are Hasidic Jews. They gather together once a week for a session of learning Torah (Genesis) while they grapple with the committments that keep them from attending. One woman has two children with Down's sysndrome, another has recently faced a severe financial setback, another grapples with the demands of her religion v.s. her personal desire to be viewed as a modern woman, and many other issues are raised. Each woman places her personal problem in the context of the weekly Torah learning. The juxtaposition is great. I really felt a kinship for all of the women involved. The only time I was left wanting was the woman who felt that she was being selfish by not subsuming her desires under the desires of her family and parents. I felt that she needed a more feminist perspective. All of the other women I felt were making healthy choices, even if they were not choices that I would make for myself.
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