In the late 1970s, authors David Wallechinsky, Irving Wallace, and Amy Wallace published The Book of Lists, which featured hundreds of lists on unusual or obscure topics. I was reminded of the book and other books of this genre while perusing 100 Wonders in the World of Torah by Zev T. Gershon.
The subject matter covered by Gershon is, of course, of a more serious and substantive nature, but, just like The Book of Lists, readers can look through Gershon’s list of wonders in no particular order and read whatever piques their interest.
Most of the entries in the book are of a midrashic or aggadic nature, including topics such as giants in the Torah, Balaam’s donkey, King Solomon’s throne, Miriam’s well, mermaids, demons, witchcraft, and werewolves. Each entry is no more than a page and includes footnotes indicating the sources at the bottom of each page.
Looking through the sources
The author notes instances where there is a difference of opinion among the sources. For example, in the entry on the Tree of Knowledge, Gershon points out that there is a dispute among the sages as to the type of fruit that Adam and Eve ate, with some suggesting that it was grapes, while others say it may have been a fig, wheat, or an etrog (citron). Yet another opinion indicates that it was a combination of all of the Seven Species of the Land of Israel – wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranate, olive, and date.
Before reading this entry, I was generally familiar with the fact that there were several possibilities as to which fruit it was. However, I was not aware of several other midrashic traditions regarding the tree.
Gershon writes that according to Yalkut Reuveni, a 17th-century Kabbalistic work, when Adam was banished from the Garden of Eden, the tree was also sent away, and eventually Noah brought the tree onto the ark. In addition, he quotes an obscure opinion that wood from the Tree of Knowledge was used to build the gallows used to hang Haman.
There are other entries of little-known stories, oddities, and details such as “Inanimate Objects That Spoke,” “Clothes That Grew or Shrunk,” and “A Sin Detector.”
The author's research
In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that the author and I live in the same community and attend the same synagogue, and he has long been known as one who possesses an uncanny command of a vast array of midrashic sources on the Chumash. While the author notes the numerous online and computerized sources available that make this type of research easier, such as Otzar Hachochma, Hebrewbooks.com, Sefaria, and the Bar Ilan Responsa Project, the collection and compilation of this material undoubtedly was a laborious and time-consuming project that took many years.
Gershon cites numerous sources – some well known, but many which readers may not recognize. Brief biographical information about the sources cited would have made the book more valuable, as readers would immediately know the era and location of each source.
How does one approach the midrashic and aggadic citations quoted in this book?
There are those, undoubtedly, who take a literal approach to all midrashic and rabbinic explanations of the Torah and take them at face value. Other perspectives place greater importance on the value and meaning of these accounts and may not accept them as literal interpretations of the actual events.
Regardless of one’s approach, 100 Wonders in the World of Torah is an impressive achievement that those seeking unique midrashic interpretations of the Torah will value.
100 WONDERS IN THE WORLD OF TORAH
By Zev T. Gershon
Targum Press
150 pages; $20