“The Sense of Smell”

This story is one of Agnon’s most self-reflective on his own writerly craft and the meaning of reawakening (what some called reviving) the Hebrew language as a tool for modern literary expression. First published in 1937, it presages themes he would explore three decades later upon accepting the Nobel Prize, which was understood as much as an award for modern Hebrew and the nation who had returned to its native Holy Tongue.

This series takes place IN PERSON at Agnon House, 16 Klausner Street, Jerusalem (no Zoom broadcast).

Rabbi Jeffrey Saks is director of research at Jerusalem’s Agnon House.