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Harry Kemelman
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Monday the Rabbi Took Off (The Rabbi Small Mysteries) Kindle Edition

by Harry Kemelman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 829 ratings
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A bomb plot draws Rabbi Small into international intrigue while he’s vacationing in the Holy Land in this New York Times–bestselling novel

David Small has spent 6 years as the rabbi of Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts, and every year his job has been in crisis. In desperate need of time away, he embarks on a 3-month trip to Israel. He expects a relaxing, soul-nourishing stay, but wherever Rabbi Small goes, murder follows.
 
A bombing disrupts his vacation and the rabbi finds himself thrust into a world of terrorism and political discord in the divided city of Jerusalem. He teams up with an Orthodox Israeli cop to hunt down the terrorists before they can attack again. Dispensing Jewish wisdom as he employs his astute detective skills, Rabbi Small might be the only one who can crack this explosive case.
 
Previous page
  1. Book 4 of 12
    The Rabbi Small Mysteries
  2. Print length
    329 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller
  6. Publication date
    August 4, 2015
  7. File size
    3480 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Rabbi David Small on a private exodus to Israel for a much needed rest. But as usual, trouble follows the Rabbi. While his congregation at home is busy plotting his dismissal, the Rabbi is up against the Wall -- in an international incident involving a young American student, Israeli intelligence, and a group of Arab terrorists with murder on their minds . . .

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ZJZH5D6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (August 4, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 4, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3480 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 329 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 829 ratings

About the author

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Harry Kemelman

Harry Kemelman

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
829 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

BLLingg
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2023
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As usual, I enjoyed it. The insights into Life in Israel was very helpful. Especially now (November 2023) in light of what is happening in Israel & Palestine because of the Hamas Terrorists. Not a lot, but every little bit helps.
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Barry Melius
4.0 out of 5 stars May I age as well as this book
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2019
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As the book opens Rabbi Small finds himself discouraged by the actions of his temple's board of directors who haven't bothered to offer him a renewal of his six year contract and he decides to take the bull by the horns and make a extended trip to the Holy Land. A temporary replacement is hired and while some unfriendly members of the board plot Rabbi Small's permanent removal the Rabbi is settling into life in Jerusalem taking walks, making friends, and praying and attending worship when he feels like it not when he feels he is supposed to. He and his wife even contemplate moving to Israel permanently. Side plots gradually converge and once again the Rabbi's agile brain and practical morality will prove to be a godsend to the people around him. When Harry Kemelman first released, Monday the Rabbi Took Off, in 1972, Richard Nixon was president, Northern Ireland was bloody, the Volkswagen Beetle started selling big, and as peace talks were going on in Paris the War in Vietnam was entering its final stages. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then and most books of that era would appear hopelessly dated to the modern (and perhaps, spoiled reader). For some reason the Rabbi Small books haven't lost their flavor. The fact that Kemelman concentrates on the characters which are drawn adroitly helps as human nature changes more slowly than the world around us, but what makes his books a winner for me is their gentle but not saccharine view of the world. Rabbi Small is not some idealistic holy man but a person that operates in the real world while at the same time bringing compassion and understanding to it. The more simplified pace of the world back then merely adds to the charm of the series as an excellent way for me to wind down after a challenging day.
$6.15/book price divided by Amazon typical read time of 5 hours, 49 minutes = $1.06/average hourly reading cost
10 people found this helpful
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Patto
5.0 out of 5 stars The rabbi goes to Israel
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2013
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We open these pages to find all the usual temple politics brewing. Rabbi Small's contract is up for renewal. The old guard love him, but the new board members hanker for a more rabbinical rabbi, someone impressive and forward-thinking. Where does Rabbi Small stand? He ignores the politics and announces he's taking a three to four month leave of absence to go to Israel, a lifelong dream.

This book is great fun. On the one hand we watch the growing popularity of the substitute rabbi, who gives short snappy sermons and curtails the prayers. Will the temporary rabbi succeed in usurping Rabbi Small?

And then there are the fascinating scenes of the Smalls' day-to-day life in Jerusalem, complete with a very managing aunt who looks after them. We visit the Wall with the rabbi, and are privy to his somewhat quixotic opinions. And we get involved with the rabbi in a mystery surrounding a terrorist bombing.

The rabbi's discussion with a police inspector who doubts his orthodoxy is quite amusing. Can the rabbi solve a case in unfamiliar territory by sheer rabbinical logic?

The Rabbi Small mysteries are very low-key, like the rabbi himself. This is their charm. And they also give an engaging picture of Judaism and Jewish communities.

The rabbi's methods of solving puzzles are purely cerebral, rather like Sherlock Holmes. Much as I enjoy modern thrillers and police procedurals, the Rabbi Small books are a refreshing change. I'm wending my way through the whole series with great pleasure.
8 people found this helpful
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EEE
3.0 out of 5 stars When the Rebbe's away, The Mensches will Play
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2021
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Rabbi Small takes an extended vacation to Israel, gets mixed up in some terrorist bombings, runs into a lot of people he knows directly and indirectly, and helps solve a crime. Meanwhile, back at home, the new synagogue board thinks it knows what it's doing and gets it horribly wrong. Not one it the better entries in the series, but it's an interesting change of pace.
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Bruceb
4.0 out of 5 stars Another homerun
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2023
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Rabbi Small is just so calm all the time, and it seems he just can't be pressured. When questioned by the police he just answered by asking a more difficult question.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating glimpse of Israeli life in the 1970s
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2012
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I found this book absolutely fascinating. I am a long time fan of Kemelman and am now re-reading him chronologically on my Kindle.

This book with the double setting is perhaps the best one yet. The usual temple politics in Bernard's Crossing is in the background, while Rabbi Small himself is in Israel on a personal sabbatical.

I found the tensions the rabbi perceived among the various residents of Israel insightful. It is true that the terrorist angle is not fully pursued and is something of a red herring. It reminds me of the way Dan Brown lost one of the key threads of his Davinci characters once he came close to the solution. Once the rabbi solves the mystery of the old auto broker 's death, the terrorists are forgotten.

Aunt Gittel is a fascinating character who fits well into the Golda era. I loved this book. It is best read after one reads the prior three in order to understand how the rabbi comes to the point of having to decide his future and to explore the pull that Israel has for a committed Jew. Enjoy this unusual novel!
3 people found this helpful
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K K Schwartz
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, clean reading
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2021
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This is a very interesting mystery novel. If you’re Jewish, it will bring back memories of Shul, if you’re not, you’ll learn about a different religion all while Rabbi Small is using logical thought to solve the crime.
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Top reviews from other countries

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loretta
5.0 out of 5 stars My take
Reviewed in Canada on April 1, 2023
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This book is an easy interesting read. The people come alive in every chapter. Shows how difficult being a Rabbi really is.
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miznat
5.0 out of 5 stars Great series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2013
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Great service, great packaging, lovely easy book to read...they don't all have to be heavy..lol or complicated, good funny insight into Jewish life
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Eine absolut lesenswerte Krimi-Reihe!
Reviewed in Germany on March 28, 2013
Verified Purchase
Seit drei Generationen sind die "Rabbi Small"-Krimis von Kemelman in unserer Familie äußerst beliebt. Intelligente Kriminalfälle in Verbindung mit einigem HIntergrundwissen über das Judentum - die Krimis ersetzen kein Judaistik-Studium, aber sie geben einen sehr guten ersten Einblick in jüdisches Denken und jüdische Tradition!
Auch in der Kindle-Edition ist es ein Vergenügen diese zu lesen - nur schade, dass noch nicht alle Bände für den Kindle verfügbar sind. Vielleicht hat der Verlag "Mitleid" mit treuen Fans und bald sind auch die noch fehlenden Titel "online".
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Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good
Reviewed in Germany on July 7, 2015
Verified Purchase
Just as good as the other Rabbi Small stories. You also get a glimpse into Israeli society and have some of rabbi's pilpul.
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Sr A. M. House
4.0 out of 5 stars A peep into Jewish life and practice
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2012
Verified Purchase
Harry Kemelman' s novels about Rabbi Small offer an insight into Jewish life; as a Gentile, I find the insights fascinating and attractive . Here, David and Miriam Small make a visit to Israel, and a locum tenens supplies for the rabbi in Barnard's Crossing. David is amazed at the Sabbath in Jerusalem, and the peaceful atmosphere; he is not, as in the USA, having to maintain a counter-culture on this day of rest. Meanwhile, his locum puts on a Friday-evening liturgy which is impressive, and sets the Rabbi-Small-critics plotting against Small's return. The necessary detection element is slipped neatly in to the narrative. This book, with its reflective atmosphere interspersed with comic moments, is to me the best of the Rabbi Small series. Shalom, Harry Kemelman.
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