The Orchard

Written by Yochi Brandes

Narrated by Dara Rosenberg

This spellbinding historical novel by celebrated Israeli author Yochi Brandes tells the story of the venerated yet enigmatic Rabbi Akiva, placing him in the context of his contemporaries, the Sages of Jewish tradition and of early Christianity. Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Ishmael, Rabban Gamaliel, Paul of Tarsus, and many others become flesh and blood in this stunning interweaving of biblical and Talmudic lore.

At the heart of the novel is Rabbi Akiva and his complicated relationship with his wife Rachel, who meets him as a forty-year-old illiterate shepherd, marries him against her father's wishes, and compels him to study until he becomes the nation of Israel's greatest sage. Rabbi Akiva's innovative method of interpreting Scripture provides his people with a life-giving elixir after Rome's destruction of the Second Temple, but also fuels the lethal Bar Kokhba Revolt, with disastrous consequences. The Orchard offers a brilliant narrative solution to the fascinating story of four sages who entered a metaphysical orchard: one died, one lost his mind, one became a hater of God, and one-Rabbi Akiva-made it out unscathed. Or did he?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Translator: Daniel Libenson
• Release date: Nov 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781705247181

Yochi Brandes

Yochi Brandes was born in 1959 in Haifa to a family of Hassidic rabbis. Earning her BA in biblical studies and an MA in Judaic studies, Brandes taught bible and Judaism for many years. She is the author of novels and essays on biblical women-all of them best-sellers in Israel. She has been awarded the Book Publishers Association's Platinum Book Prizes for seven of her books, including Kings III (2008), and the Steimatsky Prize for Akiva's Orchard (2013). She lives outside of Tel Aviv.

Reviews for The Orchard

[jmbranum · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best audiobooks I read and sometime I highly recommend it particularly for anyone who is interested in the life of the early stages, transition from phariseeism to rabbinic judaism, and the complicated history of Jews and Christians particularly during these early days.

The translation is good and I think the translator captures a lot of the spirit of the Hebrew original text but anyways that make sense. This is a book that will be definitely of interest to those who already know a great deal about this subject but for the most part it will also be very understandable for those who are not.

Lastly, without spoiling anything, I will mention of this book does a great job of showing the often an attributed but substantial influences of women in early Judaism.