Lilith's Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural

In my own ignorance and prejudice, I always associated Jews with holocaust stories and boring Biblical stuff. So, being completely ignorant of anything Jewish, I bought this book out of curiosity. And I'm glad I did. It opened a door to a whole new world of literature that I had no idea it existed. This antology of short stories are beautiful and entertaining. The general introduction, comments and notes are very interesting and useful for putting the stories in context.

Fascinating book. A good mix of spooky and interesting stories. The commentary and explanations from the author are also very interesting. Very readable

One of the most entertaining books I have ever read!

It is not often that a serious academic work is an engrossing read enjoyed by adults of all backgrounds, even requested by children as the book of preferred bedtime "scary stories" they want you to read them. This book easily sits alongside the darkest Gothic tales, yet it is a firm work of anthropology-cum-cultural history.This book is infectious. You can delve into the scholarly reference notes, exploring the rich background of Jewish cultural myth, or read it for the thrill of the fantastic narrative, jumping back and forth between often spooky tales.(I keep buying copies to give as gifts to friends, and has it increased my popularity.)

Lots of variety of tales. If you like supernatural this is the book

Die geschichte sind interrasant.

Si te gustan las historias sobrenaturales poco corrientes este libro es perfecto.Intenté buscarlo en español pero no hubo suerte, he de decir que mi nivel de ingles es un B2 y me costó un poco leerlo debido al vocabulario y a la construcción de las frases.El libro está dividido en 50 cuentos de diferentes autores.

This book is a gem. I received it as a gift when it first came out in 1988, and remains one of my favorite books. Be warned, the themes are often mature and so this book is best for readers 14 and up. It is a diverse anthology of Jewish supernatural folklore, with stories spanning over one thousand years and originating from France to Persia. Lilith's Cave also has an insightful Forward, written by Howard Schwartz, which analyzes many recurring times through a socio-historical perspective, offering readers a provocative angle from which to view these stories. For example, Lilith was a female demon referenced in ancient texts, and she is the opposite archetype of Eve because of her assertiveness and dominance. We see her trying to snatch the life from human infants, but being thwarted by wise midwives. Some stories show "good" demons (similar to European pagan fairies) interacting with humans. Occasionally, humans in conflict with demons set up a trials to decide the outcome of a the dispute, humans vs. demons, based on Jewish Law. I learned many aspects of Jewish culture, religious beliefs, and practices throughout the ages, as well as their occasional Christian influences, through this edgy book. This material is further supplemented by detailed references at the end. This hardcover version contains beautiful illustrations that complement the stories.

Whether you are well educated in Lilith mythology and folklore or just starting out, this is a great book for any Lilith enthusiast. The stories are presented in an easy to read format. Many of them are short enough to read if you have a spare five minutes. What a great collection!