The Talmud and the Internet, in which Jonathan Rosen examines the contradictions of his inheritance as a modern American and a Jew, is a moving and exhilarating meditation on modern technology and ancient religious impulses. Blending memoir, religious history and literary reflection Rosen explores the remarkable parallels between a page of Talmud and the homepage of a web site, and reflects on the contrasting lives and deaths of his American and European grandmothers.

Praise

“Rosen’s wise and heartfelt book is a home page with links to infinity.” —Anne Fadiman, author of Ex Libris

“The Talmud and the Internet is a lyrical meditation about the quest to illuminate what has come before us in order to live wisely...(it) is a journey, not only between two worlds but among the great questions and the great souls who have considered life’s purposes amid often horrifying evidence.”—Nessa Rapoport, Los Angeles Times

“We are moved and enlightened...Others have raised the felt contradictions between the tragic and luminous Jewish heritage and the ahistorical comforts and complacencies of American life. Few have managed to do so with such a mix of the searching, the modest and...with such charm.”—Richard Eder, The New York Times

About the Author(s)

Jonathan Rosen

Jonathan Rosen is the author of the novel Eve’s Apple. He created the Arts & Letters section of The Forward, which he edited for ten years. His essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The American Scholar, and several anthologies. He lives in New York City.

photo: Abigail Pope