Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friday the Rabbi Slept Late | 1964 | Harry Kemelman | Buy |
| 2 | Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry | 1966 | Harry Kemelman | Buy |
| 3 | Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home | 1969 | Harry Kemelman | Buy |
| 4 | Monday the Rabbi Took Off | 1972 | Harry Kemelman | Buy |
| 5 | Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red | 1973 | Harry Kemelman | Buy |
| 6 | Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet | 1976 | Harry Kemelman | Buy |
| 7 | Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out | 1978 | Harry Kemelman | Buy |
| 8 | Conversations with Rabbi Small | 1981 | Harry Kemelman | Buy |
| 9 | Someday the Rabbi Will Leave | 1985 | Harry Kemelman | Buy |
| 10 | One Fine Day the Rabbi Bought a Cross | 1987 | Harry Kemelman | Buy |
| 11 | The Day the Rabbi Resigned | 1992 | Harry Kemelman | Buy |
| 12 | That Day the Rabbi Left Town | 1996 | Harry Kemelman | Buy |
The Rabbi Small Mysteries by Harry Kemelman follow Rabbi David Small, a thoughtful and sometimes stubborn rabbi serving a Conservative Jewish congregation in Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts. The series ran from 1964 to 1996, covering more than three decades of Small’s life and rabbinate.
The first seven books carry day-of-the-week titles, beginning with Friday the Rabbi Slept Late and ending with Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out. After completing the weekly cycle, Kemelman continued with titles like Someday the Rabbi Will Leave and One Fine Day the Rabbi Bought a Cross. Throughout the series, Small’s friendship with Police Chief Hugh Lanigan provides both a window into interfaith relations and a mechanism for drawing the rabbi into criminal investigations. The books offer a mix of fair-play mystery plotting and warm observations about Jewish-American life in a New England town.