The Magic Barrel is a 1958 collection of thirteen short stories written by Bernard Malamud and published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

Many of the individual stories collected in The Magic Barrel depict the search for hope and meaning within the bleak enclosures of poor urban settings.

The title story focuses on the unlikely relationship of Leo Finkle, an unmarried rabbinical student, and Pinye Salzman, a colorful marriage broker.

After Salzman convinces him to meet Lily Hirschorn, Finkle realizes his life is truly empty and lacking the passion to love God or humanity.

When Finkle discovers a picture of Salzman's daughter and sees her suffering, he sets out on a new mission to save her.