The Ne’ilah at the End of This Book - Neilah 5780
The Ne’ilah at the End of This Book Neilah 5780 I’m going to confess something that I think will make some of you annoyed with me. I’m sort of banking on the fact that it’s late into the fast and that you won’t have the energy to boo me away from the shtender. I’m not exactly doing teshuvah here (partaking in repentance), because I don’t have any intention of changing. Here’s my confession: I usually start reading a book at the end. I know, I know. I read a lot of books, fiction and non-fiction, and I start at the end of both. In non-fiction books, I like to start in the index. I love a good index (and yes, I’m aware of how painfully nerdy that sounds). I like to see what’s going to come up multiple times and in multiple places. It’s like a taster. Oh, I see you’re going to quote Levinas and talk about the Leviathan, the giant sea-monster, right - sold! I also sometimes read the Conclusion early, especially if I’m not impressed by the Introductio