There is the familiar story of three people looking at the same thing. One sees a pile of bricks. The second sees a wall. The third -- the wisest of the three -- sees a part of a sacred building.

What you see depends on who you are. History can be a muddle of unrelated events, or it can be a template, a pattern that enables one to understand not only the past, but the future. It depends on the person, on his wisdom and perceptiveness, and on the tradition through which he filters events.

Rabbi David Cohen, spiritual leader of Congregation Gvul Yaabetz in Flatbush, is one of the most distinguished and respected rabbinic leaders and halachic authorities of the Orthodox community. His knowledge, his judgment, his ability to relate seemingly unrelated laws and events to form a coherent pattern are dazzling.

In this brilliant study, Rabbi Cohen looks at Jewish history through the lens of the Rabbinic principle that “the deeds of the forefathers are portents for their offspring.” The lives of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs -- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Sarah, Rebeccah, Rachel, and Leah -- are “ templates,” i.e., patterns for the future history of the Jewish people. The classic Biblical commentators have themselves been the “templates” for applying this principle. Thus, for example, Ramban traces the Egyptian exile through the footsteps of Abraham and Sarah, as they leave the famine of Canaan for the abundance of Egypt. Ramban looks at the wells of Isaac and the antagonism of his Philistine neighbors and sees the future Holy Temples in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Cohen follows in the footsteps of the classics. In this book he takes us on a fascinating tour of Jewish history, using the road map of the Torah. Drawing on his encyclopedic knowledge of Talmudic and Midrashic sources and his complete familiarity with the history they portend, he shows how countless events and epochs of the past are foreshadowed in the Torah.

This volume is incredibly informative and enriching. Its endless revelations are eloquent testimony to the depth of the Torah and to the brilliance of its author.