Quick read is perfect chance to laugh at ourselves

In the land where aging generations of Jews call home, a new book of the Torah was found, nearly forgotten for years. With its unearthing, we Jews have finally regained the knowledge held within it, knowledge that could change our course of life forever.
The land is Boca Raton, Fla. The book is “The Book of Murray.” And nothing in the above paragraph is factual.
“The Book of Murray,” released through Harmony Books this month, is a fictional account of a “forgotten book of the bible.” Luckily, after reading this witty, sarcastic and often laugh-out-loud funny Torah satire by David M. Bader, you won’t soon forget it.
The book tells the tale of Murray Silverman, a Moses-level prophet of biblical times. When his parents finally brought him into the world, Bader writes, “they called him ‘Murray,’ meaning ‘he whose parents have planned his life without consulting him.’ And they were sad no more.”
Written in a mock-bible style (use of thee, thou and thy abound) and mixed with cutting Jewish humor, this quick read is perfect for a chance to laugh at ourselves.
When Murray recites the Lord’s commandments to a crowd, he says, “I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, where I sent thee to be enslaved in the first place. Be grateful and don’t ask questions,” as well as “Honor thy father and thy mother but screen thy calls” and “Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not embezzle if thou art a Hassidic rabbi, for that looks especially bad.”
“The Book of Murray” won’t actually change the course of history, but it sure does make for a chuckle-filled afternoon.

(Justin Jacobs can be reached at justinj@thejewishchronicle.net.)

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