by R. Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron Translated by R. Yitzchok Tendler R. Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron served as the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel 1993-2003. He passed away this past April. R. Yitzchok Tendler serves as Executive Director of Congregation Beth Jacob in Atlanta, GA. He frequently lectures on topics related to Jewish History and modern Israel. הכל מעלין לירושלים Hakol Ma’alin Le’Yerushalayim Rabbi ...

R Yitzchok Tendler / It comes as no surprise that America’s writers and poets of the 19th century touched heavily on Biblical themes. They were, after all, overwhelmingly Christian. Far more surprising, and scarce, are instances of their references to Rabbinic Literature. In this regard, a relatively obscure short story by Edgar Allan Poe, A Tale of Jerusalem, stands entirely in a league of its own. The breadth of familiarity with Rabbinic Literature and Temple protocol, the extent to which this narrative is so replete with abstruse Talmudic references, is, frankly, astounding. Poe goes far beyond mere Talmudic reference; he actually adopts its idiom and syntax, employing free use of Hebrew and Aramaic to color his characters.