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If you like ancient history and the world of the Talmud, this is a great book to read! As A Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg is a fictional piece based on Jewish History in the Ancient Near East. This book takes place during the time of the Great Sanhedrin and highlights famous Rabbis from that time. Reading this book, you will get an insight into Steinberg's interpretation of the great Jewish thinkers of this time, such as Rabbi Akiba and Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah.

In this book, Steinberg based much of the story on historical documents that scholars have been researching for years. He takes a look at a turning point in Jewish history and flips it on its head entirely, following the fictional story line of a Rabbi in the Great Sanhedrin struggling with his faith. I say fictional only because it is not historically proven, but it is completely possible that this happened with various Rabbis at this time. At this time, the Jews were facing the pressure of Rome and the influence of search for worldly knowledge that juxtaposed to the devotion of the Sanhedrin to searching Godly knowledge. Steinberg does a wonderful job of taking a fictional perspective and making it seem historically accurate. As a historian, even I found it hard to discern between the parts of this novel which are historically accurate and those which are twisted by Steinberg's perspective and character development.

For lovers of ancient history, this book is a true page-turner that keeps you wanting more. It brings you into the ancient world of Israel and the life of the Jews during the time of the Talmud. It weaves in historical truths with fictional assumptions. If you are a Jewish Studies major, this is a must-read!

Thanks NicoleD404. I'm not Jewish, but that faith/culture has had a tremendous influence on western cultures. It seems that this would be a very interesting read for me - good review.

-- 23 Jan 2016, 13:15 --

I just finished As a Driven Leaf. Milton Stein's writing style offers a smooth flow of words. I found reading this book an enjoyable ride as in a Buick upon a straight freeway – as apposed to a ride in a Jeep along a dirt road.
“There is no Truth without Faith. There is no Truth unless first there be a Faith on which it may be based.” That excerpt, from the beginning of this book, describes the theme of this story. It is an expression I can appreciate as it is very easy to philosophically fall into infinite regressions that cause one to question the basis on which we perceive reality.
When Rabbi Joshua said to Elisha, “You would be surprised at what interesting animals, insects and plants we will discover on those hills. To observe them is also the study of the Law. For God's will is written not only in words, but also in nature.”, I believe it a statement which often leads to highlighting areas in religious dogma that starts to break down.
I appreciated Elisha's dilemma as he struggled to deal with the loss of his faith. As I understand the story, he attempted to define a philosophical method with which to define reality so that all mankind would have a united system of values. The cruelty of death, and the inspiration he found in a geometry book set him on this obsessive quest. Although the story is set in a Jewish theme, I can't help but think of it in terms of human experience – regardless of culture and faith.
It was interesting to think of Rabbis as being part of a legal system. In this period, Rabbis were like lawyers and judges – an interesting glimpse into the life of a Jew during that time. To example the conflict, Jewish law placed limits on how a slave was to be treated. They had the right to refuse work, but under Roman law, slaves had no rights. Since Roman law superseded Jewish laws, Jewish litigants, not satisfied with their own jurisprudence, would petition Rome which would negate any influence Jews had within themselves. Their very identity was threatened by Rome. It isn't hard to think of other cultures that face the same problem even today.