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Monday the Rabbi Took Off
- A Rabbi Small Mystery, Book 4
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Series: Rabbi Small, Book 4
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery
Non-member price: $35.53
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Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet
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- By: Harry Kemelman
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
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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.
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Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red
- A Rabbi Small Mystery, Book 5
- By: Harry Kemelman
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
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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.
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Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out
- A Rabbi Small Mystery, Book 7
- By: Harry Kemelman
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home
- A Rabbi Small Mystery, Book 3
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- Narrated by: George Guidall
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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.
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Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac is known for three things: pâte de fois gras, truffles, and prehistoric remains. The little village, in fact, is the headquarters of the prestigious Institute de Prehistoire, which studies the abundant local fossils. But when a pet dog emerges from a nearby cave carrying parts of a human skeleton - by no means a fossilized one - Chief Inspector Lucien Anatole Joly puts in a call to his old friend, Gideon Oliver, the famed “Skeleton Detective.”
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The Dutch Shoe Mystery
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When Abigail Doorn was wheeled into the operation room at the Dutch Memorial Hospital, her face was strangely blue and bloated. A wire had been tightly wound around her neck. The strongest suspect, because he stood to benefit by the death of this wealthy old woman, was her protégé, the famous Dr. Janney. Just before her death he received a strange caller - one whose name he would not divulge. Ellery Queen, having come to the hospital to visit his old friend Dr. Minchen, had been present during the time of the murder.
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Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet
- A Rabbi Small Mystery, Book 6
- By: Harry Kemelman
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
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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.
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Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red
- A Rabbi Small Mystery, Book 5
- By: Harry Kemelman
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
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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.
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Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out
- A Rabbi Small Mystery, Book 7
- By: Harry Kemelman
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home
- A Rabbi Small Mystery, Book 3
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- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
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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.
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Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac is known for three things: pâte de fois gras, truffles, and prehistoric remains. The little village, in fact, is the headquarters of the prestigious Institute de Prehistoire, which studies the abundant local fossils. But when a pet dog emerges from a nearby cave carrying parts of a human skeleton - by no means a fossilized one - Chief Inspector Lucien Anatole Joly puts in a call to his old friend, Gideon Oliver, the famed “Skeleton Detective.”
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- By: Harry Kemelman
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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.
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Publisher's Summary
Popular author Harry Kemelman combines baffling crimes, fascinating characters, and rich Jewish tradition to create his best-selling mystery series. 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. With Harry Kemelman’s dramatic flair, you will feel as if you are walking the colorful streets of Jerusalem alongside the perceptive Rabbi Small. George Guidall - personally approved for this unabridged recording by the author’s estate - skillfully breathes life into the ordinary people caught in extraordinary situations.
What listeners say about Monday the Rabbi Took Off
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- MidwestGeek
- 11-12-2015
Interesting mystery, almost incidental to story.
The Rabbi takes a leave of absence to spend 3 months in Jerusalem. The book was publshed in 1972, so was written in the period between the 6-day war (1967) and the Yom Kippur War (1973). This was around the time I first visited Israel, so I experienced a certain nostalgia in the listening. Among other things, the story dramatizes the tension between the sabras and non-religious Jews and the strictly observant Hasidim and other religious sects, a tension that has only become more exacerbated with time, especially in Jerusalem and environs. In this story, it is dramatized mostly by conflicts between parents and children. The mystery itself concerns the murder of an auto trader, apparently by a terrorist bomb. As usual, the Rabbi eventually solves the crime for the police, seemingly by logic, although I found it hard to believe he could have discerned all that he told just by a careful examination of some of the evidence. Despite my disappointment, I don't regret the time spent listening. The narration by George Guidall is excellent, as usual.
3 people found this helpful
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- Jan
- 14-02-2021
Some sabbatical!
cultural-exploration, cultural-heritage, Israel, Jewish, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, church-politics, investigation, family-dynamics, friendship, situational-humor*****
Originally published January 1, 1972, this story is timely for 2021 just as it was then. After six years without a vacation Rabbi Small really needs to take his family with him and take a sabbatical in Israel to recharge his batteries and gain a new perspective on the politics within his congregation. A retired Rabbi is brought in temporarily and (if you believe in coincidences) the wife's brother and his son are in Israel and run afoul of authorities there. Excellent observations and critical thinking are required for sleuthing and infinite patience is required at the home synagogue. Very well done!
George Guidell is the calm narrator with a wry sense of humor.
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- Lea Anne Stadelmaier
- 26-09-2020
Eretz Yisrael
Monday the Rabbi Took Off is one of my 2 favorite Rabbi Small books. The performance is excellent.
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- Rands
- 20-09-2019
Terrorists and Murder in Israel
A fascinating insight into Israel in the late 1960’s. Rabbi Small takes a three month visit to Jerusalem to contemplate what he wants to do with the rest of his life. While there we get to see the ups and downs of the county. We meet Arabs and Jews. We meet terrorists and bomb makers and murderers. We meet policemen and security agents. Civil servants and doctors. And normal people just living their lives. The story and the narrator made me feel like I was there. And of course the rabbi solves the murder and proves the innocence of the wrongly accused young suspect.
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- Mark
- 19-08-2014
disappointing
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
less trivia and some mystery or detective content
Would you ever listen to anything by Harry Kemelman again?
no thanks
What about George Guidall’s performance did you like?
good reader, boring book
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
no thanks
Any additional comments?
very misleading, the book was described as a mystery but it is so full of irrelevant interpersonal conversations and trivial details that have nothing to do with a crime or mystery, it is a waist of time
1 person found this helpful
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- Mary Carnegie
- 15-11-2016
Fascinating classic mystery
The Rabbi's sojourn in the Holy Land isn't all milk and honey, how could it be? Quite apart from the intrigue of the crime, it is instructive to look back a few decades (to a time I remember as a teenager) on the world tensions, politics, trouble in the Middle East of those days and compare with today's situation! I went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land a few years ago, so I found particularly interesting to note developments in Jerusalem and elsewhere-some good, some not at all good- and to hear the impressions of other, earlier visitors as expressed by the Smalls, the journalist and his student son, and a couple of Barnard's Crossing's unsubtle businessmen.
The narration is well done, and fortunately the entire series has the same reader, thus maintaining continuity.
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