Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is an extremely beloved and popular writer in Israel. His translation of the Talmud in Israeli Hebrew was a surprise hit. For years, I tried to start and complete his The Thirteen Petalled Rose – a work about Jewish mysticism that is also immensely popular. This book never connected with me, despite starting it many times; but I decided to read it for Shavuot.
I must admit, there is still a lack of connection. His books are written in Hebrew, and translated into English, so perhaps that is part of the disconnect. There was a time when few religious Hebrew writing/writers tried to reach secular Israelis. Steinsaltz did, with favorable results. But The Thirteen Petalled Rose contains nothing that cannot be found in many places in English. There is nothing new here. I kept asking myself, why is there nothing new here?
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