As the warm summer weather beckons everybody outdoors, avid readers often go on the hunt for new and enthralling titles to enjoy while soaking in the sun.
This year, their search will be easier with the release of “The Sultan’s Trap & Other Miraculous Tales Of Faith & Wonder.”
A fascinating collection of forgotten Jewish stories written by Chabad publisher Zalman Goldstein of The Jewish Learning Group, the packed 260-page book brings together many of the stories remembered from our youth, yet lay in the mists of our memories beyond our reach.
“There were so many mesmerizing stories that I heard in camp and in school,” says Goldstein, who also publishes the Shabbat Table Companion and the Story Time With Uncle Yossi series.
“I remember soaking up every word of these riveting adventures, and the dreadful disappointment when story time ended. Decades later, finding myself straining to remember many of them to pass them to my own children, I decided to recapture them in writing for everyone to enjoy,” he says.
For over a year Goldstein worked on tracking down many of these classic but forgotten tales (THE FOUR CHOCHMOS; YOSSEL AND THE ICE WALL; SHABBOS ISLAND; etc.), covering 2,000 years of thrilling adventures, mystery, fascinating personalities, ingenuity, prayer and unshakable faith.
Thanks to friends and family, some who had old audio cassettes of some of the stories, and recently published Hebrew collections of ancient stories, slowly many lost and forgotten details emerged enabling the stories to be reconstructed accurately and in all their suspenseful glory.
“I was pleasantly surprised to find after much digging several of these stories in old Yiddish and Hebrew books. These helped tie up loose ends and provided additional nuances,” continues Goldstein, who lives with his family in Monsey, NY.
“My hunt for the origins of the stories enables me to provided sources at the end of each story. I am certain readers will enjoy reading the stories as much as I have enjoyed collecting them!”
The beautifully designed, handsome book, artfully finished with ancient manuscript looking rough edge and pillowed cover, will definitely look great on your reading table as well as satisfy your appetite for quality kosher entertainment.
‘The Sultan’s Trap’ is available at your favorite bookstore and online at ZalmanGoldstein.com. It is also available on Amazon.com (book and Kindle) and Apple iTunes (iBooks).
a great read for all ages!
On Pesach afternoon giving out macroons- in the upstairs Zal of 770 – and the Shabbos Minyan on Eastern Pkwy…my favorite memories of yesteryear…… This kinda dates me….
I read it over shabbos, super collection of obscure stories exactly as advertised. Wonderful genre. My kids are fighting over who’s reading it next…
Thank you Rabbi Goldstein. Something about Apple and tree đŸ˜‰
All ages!
What age group is this recommend for?