Rabbi Small

Young and unassuming Rabbi David Small sorts through puzzling pieces of mysteries with logic straight from the Talmud. In Friday the Rabbi Slept Late, a shocking discovery on the temple grounds threatens to ruin both the diligent rabbi and the entire Jewish community at Barnard’s Crossing. Unaware that his congregation is grumbling about his rumpled appearance and absent-minded manner, Rabbi Small spends long hours poring over scholarly books.

As Rabbi Small and his temple congregation solemnly prepare for Yom Kippur, a non-practicing member is found dead behind the wheel of his car - in his own garage. The police call the death an accident, and the insurance company insists that it’s suicide. But Miriam, Rabbi Small’s wife, believes the mishap could only be cold-blooded murder. With his congregants splitting over the possible cause, the young rabbi must discover the truth, or forfeit all hope for peace in the temple.

Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home portrays the unassuming Rabbi Small joyously preparing to celebrate Passover. However, the holiday season is marred when local violence, racism, and misplaced pride run amok. Miffed over the sanctuary’s new seating policy, several families are secretly planning to start their own temple in an unoccupied mansion in the country. When some teenagers break into the house for a party - and one ends up dead - the temple plot is interrupted.

In Monday the Rabbi Took Off, an exhausted Rabbi David Small searches for relaxation in Israel, only to find himself in the midst of an explosive international incident. After six years of leading a challenging congregation, Rabbi Small is taking his dream vacation: three months in Jerusalem without any rabbinical duties. He is finally getting the rest he needs - until a new acquaintance is found dead after a bombing. Suddenly the savvy young Rabbi is up against the formidable Israeli intelligence and faceless Arab terrorists with murder on their minds.

On Tuesday, Rabbi David Small takes a break from the Barnard’s Crossing pulpit to teach a course on Jewish Thought at a small community college. But he soon discovers that all is not idyllic behind the ivy-covered walls. When a bomb goes off in the dean’s office, the peaceful campus mood is shattered. Soon everyone - from professors and students to the indefatigable rabbi himself - is suspected of murder.

One of the world’s most unusual sleuths, Rabbi David Small captivates mystery fans with his chutzpah and unparalleled logic. When he investigates some non-kosher behavior by his congregation, he finds himself in water way over his head. While a destructive hurricane pummels Barnard’s Crossing, an elderly temple member dies suddenly after taking his newly-prescribed antibiotic. Soon one member of the Jewish community after another falls under suspicion for drug tampering.

The adventures of Harry Kemelman’s unassuming hero have been hailed by critics and fans alike. Kemelman is celebrated for his absorbing plots and his warm and knowledgeable depiction of Jews and Judaism. Rabbi David Small must step into action when Barnard’s Crossings’ most notorious anti-Semite is found dead, and several members of his congregation are suspected. The murder victim is a cantankerous curmudgeon who has offended many members of this close-knit Jewish community.

The beloved president of the temple is resigning. A new president is chosen: a prominent businessman who is used to being obeyed. It’s not long before the rabbi’s adherence to tradition clashes with the new president’s requests. Meanwhile, a young man in Rabbi Small’s congregation has been arrested in a fatal hit-and-run accident. Can the rabbi maintain his position in the temple while helping the young man? Much depends on good luck.

In One Fine Day the Rabbi Bought a Cross, a vacation to the Holy Land quickly becomes another opportunity for the rabbi to utilize his cool-headed wit. As a favor, the rabbi looks in on Jordan Goodman, son of Barnard’s Crossing’s favorite grocers. Jordan has adopted the beliefs of a fundamentalist Jewish group, and before long, he is the only suspect in a local murder.

For nearly 25 years, Rabbi Small has maintained an uneasy relationship with his congregation. He sees his role as that of a teacher, while they often look to him as more of a spiritual leader. Now, just as his congregation is set to reward him for his long service, the rabbi has decided to explore new options with his life. To make things more complicated, the recent murder of a college professor has the Barnard’s Crossing police baffled. Can the rabbi’s quiet introspection offer insights the police may have overlooked?

Harry Kemelman concludes his best-selling Rabbi Small mystery series with a delightful blend of Talmudic lore and quirky sleuthing. After leaving his Barnard’s Crossing Temple, Rabbi David Small launches a Judaic studies program at nearby Windermere College. He soon enthralls his students with dynamic discussions on the history, customs, and practices of Judaism. But when the body of a Windermere professor turns up in a snow bank and suspicion falls on the temple’s new rabbi, Rabbi Small feels compelled to investigate this suspicious death.

Faced with performing an emergency conversion, the rabbi must bring his celebrated tenacity and intuition to bear on a different kind of problem. Joan Abernathy has asked Rabbi Small to convert her so she can marry a Jew. The couple’s quandary prompts him to delve deep into the philosophy and history of Judaism. As he answers their difficult questions, Rabbi Small realizes it is not Joan whom he must convert.