Here's a place for all of us to share stories that move us. Everyone Tells Stories
An old man felt compelled to enter the palace if only once before he died, if only to stand in the throne room to admire the king and all his hosts. To his dismay, he found guards stationed at the palace gate blocking the way. Day after day he returned to sit beside the gate, waiting. Finally, he approached the capt
ain of the guards to express his frustration. “Will I ever be permitted to enter the palace?” “You?” the captain asked, incredulous. “Don’t you know? We guard this gate to prevent anyone but you from entering. You yourself have always been welcome.”
Jewish stories guard the gate to the throne room. You yourself are always welcome to enter. This collection of Jewish stories grew organically. I began teaching in Jewish afternoon schools in my teens and soon discovered that my students not only enjoyed stories but also remembered them. As a camp counselor, I learned the kind of stories best for campfires as distinguished from the kind best for launching discussions. Before long, I was able to help others learn to use stories in diverse settings. Throughout my career in writing, teaching, and publishing, I scrutinized Jewish stories as jewelers evaluate diamonds beneath a loupe—one beautiful specimen after another, each unique and each potentially the centerpiece of a stunning setting. The result is this collection, called *The Essential Jewish Stories*. You can find real reviews and real-time ratings on Amazon at http://amzn.to/2CKT5Tu. If you are a leader, speaker, preacher, teacher, camp counselor, parent, or student, you will want a copy of the best Jewish stories for telling that I could assemble. If you buy it in paperback, it includes three indices to make the stories easy to find. If you buy it in Kindle, you can search easily through your “Find” box. Either way, this collection will end up serving you.
