Contributed by Sharon Aubrey
Dr. Kerry M. Olitzky, rated by Newsweek as one of the fifty most influential rabbis in the US, partnered with Relevant Publishers LLC of Sutton to launch his latest children’s picture book, A Whale of a Tale: A Sabbath Summer Solstice Story. Rabbi Olitzky has authored more than a hundred books on Judaism and Jewish living. In his new book, he explores the difficulties of telling time for the Jewish Sabbath during the long Alaskan summer solstice.
Dr. Olitzky wanted to help children living in far northern or southern hemispheres understand there are a few different methods used to calculate a Sabbath day. Yet, in spite of how the Sabbath is calculated, having extra time to reflect on the gifts it brings is a blessing. Traditionally, Sabbath (called Shabbat in Hebrew) is determined in Israel a few minutes before the sun sets on Friday evening until Saturday, when one sees three stars in the sky night. In Alaska and other countries where we live closer to the north or south pole, children never see a sun set or stars in the sky around the summer solstice. They often wonder how they can tell when one day ends and another begins?
Through the adventures of Tova who travels to Alaska during solstice and speaks to the animals, young children everywhere can explore how to know when the Sabbath day begins and ends. A Whale of a Tale: A Sabbath Summer Solstice Story continues to receive wonderful reviews from many inspiring Jewish teachers and authors.
“All we need is Shabbat - time out to fully engage with those we love and the magical world around us. Simply told and beautifully illustrated, 'A Whale of a Tale' is a book for the whole family.”
—Moyra Irving, author of Amelie Trott & The Earth Watchers
“Though children can learn much about the laws of the Sabbath, what the book captures is even more basic - the essence of its meaning. Set at the time of the summer solstice, the Shabbat experience is both extended and enhanced in a way which will touch every parent and child who reads A Whale of a Tale.”
—Rabbi Norman J. Cohen, Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion
ISBN 978-1953263087 paperback, $15.99
