The Blood Libel Legend: A Casebook in Anti-Semitic Folklore Book

It is impossible imagining a world where I give Heschel less than four stars. This was my least favorite and most challenging of anything I've read from him. The book is a deep and wisdom-filled look at the Jewish people and the physical land of Israel. As usual, it is beautiful and poetic in its writing and does not disappoint in that regard.

I had to keep reminding myself that this book was written at a particular point in history (1967). This is critical to understanding the context that moves Heschel to write what he does. I had to keep disconnecting the content from the current socio-political setting of today. I am very confident that if Heschel were writing a similar book today, he would not have written this one.

Having said that, the book is full of rich, rich ideas and imagery. He talks about the importance of the land and the necessity of hope. The final few chapters are fantastic and especially helpful on his thoughts on Christians (ancient allegorical readings that shaped Christian theology) and the interaction with the Text.

In my opinion, not Heschel's best, but definitely reading one of the greatest Jewish thinkers of our era when you read this book.