God, Torah, and the Meaning of Life: Musings on the Things That Matter

This collection of Leff's self-selected greatest written hits%E2%80%94almost all of which are sermons he delivered%E2%80%94represents his philosophy and theology, but proves to be nowhere as interesting as the author's life, which included two decades as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and trips to Germany, Thailand, and Iran. Part of the problem is repetition. Too many concepts recur too often, while his choice to present the sermons as written works, complete with scheduling information about synagogue activities, is an unfortunate one. In addition, many of Leff's homilies end in a way that undercuts the case he's making for particular religious practices. Oddly, some entries, including a prayer he wrote for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, are unaccompanied by an explanatory preface. Readers are left to wonder why Leff felt Katrina merited its own prayer, but September 11 did not. Ultimately, the book suffers%E2%80%94and will most likely not reach a wider audience%E2%80%94because Leff's rich intellectual curiosity is not given enough room to flourish.