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Enchantress:
A Novel of Rav Hisda's Daughter
Fantastic tales of demons and the Evil Eye, magical incantations,
and powerful attractions abound in Enchantress, a novel
that weaves together Talmudic lore, ancient Jewish magic,
and a timeless love story set in fourth-century Babylonia.
One of the most powerful practitioner of these mysterious
arts is Rav Hisda’s daughter, whose innate awareness
allows her to possess the arcane skills men lack. With
her husband, Rava--whose knowledge of the secret Torah
enables him to create a “man” out of earth and
to resurrect another rabbi from death--the two brave an
evil sorceress, Ashmedai the Demon King, and even the
Angel of Death in their quest to safeguard their people,
even while putting their romance at risk.
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Rav
Hisda's Daughter, Book I: Apprentice: A Novel of Love,
the Talmud, and Sorcery
Hisdadukh, blessed to be beautiful and learned, is the youngest child of Talmudic sage Rav Hisda. The world around her is full of conflict. Rome, fast becoming Christian, battles Zoroastrian Persia for dominance while Rav Hisda and his colleagues struggle to establish new Jewish traditions after the destruction of Jerusalem's Holy Temple. Against this backdrop Hisdadukh embarks on the tortuous path to become an enchantress in the very land where the word 'magic' originated.
But the conflict affecting Hisdadukh most intimately arises
when her father brings his two best students before her,
a mere child, and asks her which one she will marry. Astonishingly,
the girl replies, “Both of them.” Soon she marries the older
student, although it becomes clear that the younger one
has not lost interest in her. When her new-found happiness
is derailed by a series of tragedies, a grieving Hisdadukh
must decide if she does, indeed, wish to become a sorceress.
Based on actual Talmud texts and populated with its rabbis
and their families, Rav Hisda's Daughter: Book I – Apprentice
brings the world of the Talmud to life - from a woman's
perspective. |
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