The Same…but Different

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times ran an piece on Otis Chandler, founder of Goodreads. For the uninitiated, Goodreads is a social media site for bibliophiles. And the article explored the viability of brick-and-mortar stores in the internet age as well as the ways his site functions as an advertising platform for publishing houses.

Which got me to thinking…

What is it that Frume Sarah likes about Goodreads?

In addition to keeping track of the books that I have read, it shares my reviews and thoughts about the books with my social network. And while that not seem like a big deal, it has (a) given me insight into my friends and (b) led to some very interesting discussions.

Take Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Imagine my surprise when one of my friends left me a comment, demanding an explanation for my rating of two stars. Two stars = “it was OK.” It’s not the lowest score. But it was an honest one. M’s comment forced me to consider why I had felt that it was only OK.

I was in the 11th grade. That’s my excuse. I was too young to have really appreciated it for anything other than a classic piece of literature. Midsummer Night’s Dream was more my speed at the time 😉

A dialogue continued and we learned just a little more about our sixteen year old selves. I also moved it back onto my to-read list. M’s comments made me see that, like Torah, I needed to reread it. I need to return to the story as my adult self and see what I missed all those years ago.

And here’s another way that Shakespeare is like Torah; sometimes you just have to see it to really get it. Like this week’s parasha, Ki Tavo. The whole Gerizim/Ebal business becomes a lot clearer when it’s animated, don’t you think?

Parshat Ki Tavo from G-dcast.com

More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com