Milton Steinberg, a great American rabbi and writer, served as the rabbi of the prestigious Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City from 1933 until his early passing in 1950. Steinberg became renowned for his thought-provoking sermons that combined contemporary philosophical ideas with insights into traditional Jewish texts.

In addition to his widely popular novel As a Driven Leaf, Steinberg published The Making of the Modern Jew, A Partisan Guide to the Jewish Problem, and Basic Judaism. He also wrote a series of theological essays before his passing. His unfinished second novel, The Prophet's Wife, was published posthumously in 2010.