The Walls of Jerusalem
by . Knopf, $6.95. An accurate description of Mr. Raphael’s “excursion into Jewish history” would be reflections (by the author) on commentaries (by generations of rabbis) on a commentary (poetical lament) on a remote historic event (the fall of Jerusalem). It sounds discouraging, but the book is attractive, learned, personal without becoming idiosyncratic, and highly relevant to the present day.