A Chagall painting brought to life, the novel traces the episodic journey of an orphaned 18th-century cobbler in search of the legendary Jewish rabbi and miracle worker, the Baal Shem Tov.
 
"Seamlessly blends Jewish folk tales and mysticism with the universal quest for life's meaning... clever, tragicomic and highly imaginative." Allison Carb Sussman, New York Times, 1994
 
"A true original... extravagant, charming, and deeply serious in its matter-of-fact mingling of moral history, prophecy, and magic." Kirkus Review, 1993