David Frishman (1861-1922) was one of the first major writers of modern Hebrew literature. Born near Lodz, Poland, he began as a satirist, and moved on to write short stories dealing with the theme of Jews coming into conflict with the mores of traditional Jewish society.
Frishman empathized with the Jew who was caught between the values of his traditional society and those of the outside world. His writing is rooted in classical Jewish sources, such as Torah, Mishnah and Midrash. Every story is an attempt to struggle with some of the most difficult passages in the Torah: The dance around the golden calf; "Sorer u'moreh" - the rebellious son; or the Shabbat wood gatherer and his penalty.
David Frishman wrote his stories in a beautiful renascent Hebrew, helping to create a body of modern Hebrew literature. Only a few of his stories have been translated into English. We will study his work using Rabbi Tina Grimberg's original translations.
