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CHAPTER 4 pFolkloreP SEE ALSO CHAPTERS ON THE BIBLE, HOLIDAYS, AND ISRAEL AND ZIONISM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction No literature better reflects the beliefs, history, and values of the Jewish people than our folk literature, whether it originates in the Bible, Talmud, or Midrash or from less canonical sources. And no type of literature written for children is more able to convey profound truths. The setting may be strange or unfamiliar, the characters magical or mysterious, but the story is always meaningful because it imparts fundamental truths—truths that transcend time, place, and individual circumstance. The child psychologist, Bruno Bettelheim, asserts that folktales “… answer the eternal questions: What is the world really like? How am I to live my life in it? How can I truly be myself? ”10 And while the tales have lessons to teach, they do so by suggestion, by example—without preaching. They set children’s imaginations free to become “… a magic mirror, which reflects some aspects of our inner world, and of the steps required by our evolution from immaturity to maturity. For those who immerse themselves in what the fairy tale has to communicate, it becomes a deep, quiet pool, which at first seems to reflect only our own image; but behind it we soon discover the inner turmoil of our soul—its depth, and ways to gain peace with ourselves and with the world, which is the reward of our struggles.”11 What makes a folktale Jewish? Jewish folklore has much in common with that of other cultures and has freely borrowed, adapted, and transformed the oral traditions of peoples with whom Jews have interacted. In Jewish tales, we encounter shtetl Cinderellas, wizards, tricksters, simpletons, wise fools, children no bigger than a thumb, witches and goblins, flying carpets, talking animals, and magical journeys to other lands. The eminent Israeli folklorist, Dov Noy, asserts that, “The Jewish character of a Jewish folktale derives from the identity of the narrator and his audience and the setting in which the tale is told …” and he suggests that a model for the Jewish tale contains four main elements: time, place, character, and message.12 Jewish time could mean a story about the Sabbath, such as Schwartz and Rush’s The Sabbath Lion. A Jewish place might be a synagogue, the setting of Davis’s Bagels from Benny. Jewish characters could range from the lamed vavnik (a humble, righteous person) found in Prose’s You Never Know, to the fools of Chelm. But the most distinguishing feature of the Jewish tale is its moral message: an unshakable belief in the God of Israel and an emphasis on ethical behavior—doing the right thing. As Jose Patterson observes, “The writers of Jewish tales rarely missed an opportunity to point a moral lesson, to offer consolation and hope, and above all to inspire their readers with a pride in their people and an implicit trust in God.”13 Because Jewish folklore originates with the Bible, it isn’t surprising that biblical figures are prominent in it, especially King Solomon and the Prophet Elijah. But even revered authorities, like learned rabbis, have to watch their step, since another prime characteristic of the Jewish folktale is that humor and wit are often employed to cut the mighty or selfimportant down to size. 95 Folklore is an also an academic discipline, and there is more written about it than any other genre of Jewish children’s literature. Adults wishing to learn more or to expand their repertoire of tales have a wealth of material to choose from. Nathan Ausubel’s A Treasury of Jewish Folklore (Crown, 1948, 1989) and Ellen Frankel’s The Classic Tales (Jason Aronson, 1989) are good places to begin. In addition to her books for children, Peninnah Schram’s anthologies of Jewish tales include Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another (Jason Aronson, 1987) and Chosen Tales: Stories Told by Jewish Storytellers (Jason Aronson, 1995). Among Howard Schwartz’s compilations of Jewish tales intended primarily for adults are Leaves From the Garden of Eden (Oxford, 2009), Tree of Souls (Oxford, 2004), Gabriel’s Palace: Jewish Mystical Tales (Oxford, 1992), Miriam’s Tambourine (Seth Press/Free Press, 1986), and Elijah’s Violin and Other Jewish Fairy Tales (Harper and Row, 1983). The Jewish Publication Society has published the first two volumes in a projected five volume set entitled Folktales of the Jews, edited by Dan Ben-Amos. Volume one contains Sephardic tales, and volume two, tales from Eastern Europe. The full set promises to...

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