For Signs and for Seasons

'For Signs and for Seasons' is a natural sequel to its companion volumes, 'Holidays, History and Halakhah,' 'In Those Days,' 'At This Time,' and 'Sanctified Seasons.' Like those earlier books, this volume brings together a diverse collection of essays related to the cycle of Jewish holy days. Each pithy chapter illustrates in a different way the interplay between the received teachings of the Torah and the vital impact of interpretations by diverse types of personalities, ideologies, historical events, and communal dynamics.


The essays are written from a sympathetic but non-dogmatic perspective by an expert in the academic study of the Jewish religion. They were originally published as newspaper columns, and are designed to entertain as much as to educate a wide audience. The author is known for his wit and insight into matters that appeal to those interested in history, Judaism, and the Old Testament of the Bible, and its relation to modern legend, practice, and culture. His popular writings are accessible to a broad and diverse readership. How did Coca-cola ever become kosher if its secret recipe is secured in a vault in Atlanta?


Eliezer Segal is a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Calgary.