Traces into middle age the career of a rabbi from New York who marries the daughter of a Protestant minister, and tells of his varying degrees of success in his calling.

Chava, a golem brought to life by a disgraced rabbi, and Ahmad, a jinni made of fire, form an unlikely friendship on the streets of New York until a fateful choice changes everything.

Crime-solving Rabbi Small retires from the synagogue only to find himself hard at work on a beguiling murder case After three decades of dealing with temple politics and getting involved with more than a handful of murder investigations, Rabbi David Small is ready to retire from his synagogue in the cozy Boston suburb of Barnard's Crossing. For years, his secret desire has been to permanently take up teaching, but when he finally leaves the synagogue...

Rabbi Small returns in this New York Times–bestselling novel to investigate a mysterious death on the Day of Atonement The day before Yom Kippur, the synagogue sound system is on the blink, the floral arrangements are in disarray, and a member of Rabbi David Small's congregation-in the Massachusetts town of Barnard's Crossing-is terribly concerned with how much a Torah weighs. The rabbi is determined not to let these mundane concerns ruin his day...

Congregation Beth Abraham expected their newest rabbi to "sing some songs and go to an environmental rally." But Vivian Green has other ideas. She wants her flock to engage meaningfully with their city-special mayoral elections, interfaith breakfasts, fights for affordable housing and all. Also, she would like just one night off to go dancing in the leather boots that make her look like her finest gay self. Taking on the city's old boys' club is...

Rabbi Small finds himself in trouble with the law and his congregation when a woman's body is discovered outside the temple and her purse inside his car.

"In this third encounter with a murder case, the New England rabbi detective is faced with pot being pushed locally to tempt the young people of the temple; a feud among the middleaged lay leaders that threatens to tear the temple apart; and-in one brisk encounter with an antagonistic Negro-a touch of black anti-Semitism."

A pharmaceutical mishap draws Rabbi Small into a murder investigation in this New York Times bestseller   New Age thinking has come to Barnard's Crossing, Massachusetts. The recently elected president of Rabbi David Small's synagogue is intent on using temple money to build a meditation retreat. The congregation is practicing yoga, buying crystals, and reciting chants. When a troubled young man returns to the town after spending time in a controversial...

Rabbi Benjamin's congregation presents him with a special holiday vest--and cooks him so much food that soon its buttons pop off. Includes glossary, notes on Jewish holidays, and recipes for special foods associated with them.