Rabbi Harvey Rides Again

Ages: 

Jewish Content and Values: 

Positive Role Models:

Content Advisory:

What the Book is About:

Jewish Content and Values

• "Turn it and turn it, for everything is in it" (Hafoch ba hafoch ba, de'kula ba in Aramaic) - this quote from Ethics of the Fathers suggests that all the wisdom of the world can be found in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). As sheriff of Elk Spring, Rabbi Harvey uses Jewish wisdom to deliver justice, demonstrating the ageless (and practical) value of Jewish ideas.

Positive Role Models

• Rabbi Harvey is a likeable leader who is always ready to use his wit and wisdom to keep the peace.

Content Advisory

Topics to Discuss

• Conflict resolution. In the chapter, "Bad Bubbe Tries Again," Rabbi Harvey cannot figure out who is telling the truth and who is lying without a young girl's help. If two friends or siblings came to you, both claiming to have won a game, what would you do? How would you try to figure out who was telling the truth? 

More for You

Teshuvah (Repentance): At a rabbinical conference, Rabbi Harvey enters a contest to find the most valuable object in the world. He ends up bringing the teardrop of a criminal who wishes to change his ways. This teardrop is symbolic of the power of teshuvah, which comes from the Hebrew root for "return" (shuv).  The idea behind teshuvah is that each person is created in the image of God and is therefore essentially good. Life situations and circumstances can sometimes lead a person down the wrong road, but we all have the power to return to our best selves.