Q&A: Literature
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Literature
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Do you recommend reading literature? Like Tolstoy, Hugo, Grossman, and the like? What does it give you if I don’t really enjoy the reading itself that much (a movie is much more enjoyable)?
Answer
I think literature makes an important contribution to personal development and to various human insights, and also to familiarity with the culture you live in. But if it makes you miserable, there’s no point in forcing yourself.
Discussion on Answer
It seems to me that definitely yes. The contribution of literature is not only the content and plot of the book, but also the style of writing and presentation, etc. And even in terms of content, a film does not include everything.
Does literature contribute something to a person beyond what a film does, say in a case where the film is based on a book?
And why?