Ilana Kurshan

After an unexpected divorce, Conservative rabbi's daughter Ilana decides to embark on Daf Yomi--the cycle of daily Talmud study. Over the next 7 1/2 years, she completes the Talmud, embarks on a new relationship, marries, and has children. The memoir is organized by the tractates of the Talmud, and like that work, the organization in each chapter is a little loose as she dips between discussion of the tractate, her life, and other religious and literary digressions. But she's a good writer, and the detours are interesting.

(I also realized she's from my hometown, which was funny.)… (mehr)

Ilana Kurshan's memoir recounts the seven and a half years she spent doing daf yomi, the cycle of reading the 37 volumes of the Talmud, and how that experience interwove with the other events that happened in her life during that time. Kurshan begins studying in the wake of her divorce to her husband of only a year when she is feeling at a loss, uncertain about her life in Israel (which she moved to for her ex-husband) and her career. By the end of the study cycle, Kurshan is in a different job, married, and has three young children. Observing her journey and the insights to her faith she gains through reading the Talmud was fascinating for this reader and I enjoyed immersing myself in the life of someone whose experiences are so different from my own.… (mehr)

Full disclosure: I've met the author and sometimes I sit next to her husband in shul (Hello, Daniel!).

I loved this, both as a memoir about learning daf yomi and as a book about someone who loves books. It reminded me of Anne Fadiman's essay collection [b:Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader|46890|Ex Libris Confessions of a Common Reader|Anne Fadiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435782351s/46890.jpg|1468318] as the author chooses a life surrounded by and informed by literature and reading. I had one glorious moment when she referenced a Wendy Cope poem and I reached out without moving from where I was sitting to pick up a copy of [b:Two Cures for Love: Selected Poems, 1979-2006|7191103|Two Cures for Love Selected Poems, 1979-2006|Wendy Cope|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347418419s/7191103.jpg|7769327] that my mum bought us, to read the poem in full.

That alone would have been enough for me, but the core of the book is not just reading, it's learning. The commitment to knowing more, doing better, relentlessly striving for better understanding of self, of context, of place is astonishing and inspiring.

Frank, funny and fabulous. Like I said, I loved this.… (mehr)

What a wonderful book for those interested in Jewish or Religious Studies. The author is a graduate of Harvard, writes beautifully and has a wide comprehension of Judaism. After moving to Israel, she decides to join a study group of Daf Yomi, the daily review of the Talmud, the Jewish laws and ethics with Rabinnical commentaries. When she completes this after seven years she writes this book to share how it impacted her life and that of her family. I was sad for this book to end and totally enjoyed reading it! I highly recommend it! I hope she continues to publish!… (mehr)