Ancient adventure teaches about life in early years of Hebrew nationhood

Written by Atara Beck

Tuesday, 06 January 2009

TORONTO – A new work of historical fiction set in the land of Israel in biblical times is more than an exciting adventure. It also educates the reader about life in the early years of Hebrew nationhood and provides insight into Judaism’s strong code of ethics and high regard for learning. According to Torah law, if a life is taken unintentionally, the perpetrator should flee to an Ir Miklat – city of refuge. City of Refuge, as the novel’s title indicates, involves an accidental murder. The book is replete with passion, romance, drama and lessons in human nature. Although its details about day-to-day life in ancient times are realistic, the storyline includes an incredible turn of events in order to produce a positive ending – as they say, ‘only in the movies.’ Indeed, author Valerie Farber created a highly suspenseful work of fiction that has all the right ingredients for a great action film. Also apparent are her passion for the land of Israel, strong Judaic knowledge and intense historical research, as well as an understanding of metallurgy, which she gained along with a Master’s of Science degree from MIT. Born and raised in the US, Farber, a technical writer by profession, has been living for several years with her family in the settlement of Hashmonaim in the southern Samarian hills. “Historical novels are my favourite genre of books,” she told the Jewish Tribune. “Coming on aliyah was a catalyst for writing City of Refuge. I went to yeshiva day school and studied Torah, Navi [Prophets] and Talmud, but until I came to Israel, all that knowledge was just book [knowledge]…. I had no appreciation of the land, agriculture or climate…. I began to think: what if I lived 3,000 years ago, and all the water I had was in a brackish cistern at the end of the summer? “I have often learned passages in the Torah and wondered what that was like. What did it feel like to be a refugee running to an Ir Miklat?” Farber also speculated about most of the low-tech applications used many centuries ago. “Bat Shachar [the female protagonist] spun with a spindle,” she said. The spinning wheel was not invented until centuries later. “In Mishnaot Ketuvot, 5:5 [a Talmudic source], we learn the tasks a woman is supposed to do for her household. She must spin wool regardless of how many servants she brings to the marriage. Mishna 7:2 in Masechet Shabbat mentions the weaving activities done by Bat-Shachar…. I visited the antiquities authority to understand how the warp-weighted loom works. Masechet Kelim 24:7 mentions the wax tablet used by the students [in the novel]. Research I did supported use of wax tablets at the time of City of Refuge.” Bat-Shachar’s father, a highly respected priest, was excessively strict with her to the point of completely disregarding her feelings and ignoring any possibility that she could enjoy intellectual pursuits. In fact, even today there are some among the ultra-orthodox who discourage women from attaining a higher education and becoming worldly. Asked whether such an attitude could backfire, as it initially did in the case of Bat-Shachar, Farber explained that the protagonist’s “sole exposure to religion is salting the meat…keeping the rules. She learns only by overhearing her father’s lessons. It does not occur to her father to take her to Shiloh to experience the aura of her own religion. She is mesmerized by the pagan ceremonies because she has never had a public religious experience.” Many scholars understand the Torah law regarding cities of refuge to have been made in consideration of the emotional impact of such tragedies on the victim’s family and the natural desire for revenge, an issue that Farber tackles well in her captivating oeuvre. City of Refuge (25.99 CDN) is available in the GTA at Israel’s Book & Gift and outside Toronto through amazon.com and cityofrefugenovel.com.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 January 2009 )