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Top Ten Jewish Practice Books
inspirational and
practical books to deepen your knowledge and enjoyment of the practical
aspects of Judaism
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1.
The Jewish Book of Why Alfred Koltach £10.00
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| This book is for Jews and Gentiles alike, offering an encyclopedic compendium of concise, cogent explanations of Jewish rituals and practices. Kolatch, a rabbi and author of Great Jewish Quotations, treats every facet of Jewish religious observance, including births, weddings and funerals, sabbath and synagogue, holidays from Passover to Purim and the intricacies of the Jewish calendar. He teases apart the variations that distinguish different Jewish communities and denominations, and carefully notes whether a practice derives from the Torah, the Talmudic law or custom. While there are alternatives to some of the explanations offered here, Kolatch writes in an erudite but straightforward style, providing an intelligent, loving introduction to Jewish tradition and culture.
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2. Embracing
Judaism
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| Embracing Judaism is a book that speaks to the heart, from its title to its warm, lucid, and inclusive tone. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the values and practices of Judaism -- meaning everyone who cares about Jewish life
today.
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3.
Basic Judaism
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| anyone looking to gain a basic understanding of the tenets of Judaism would be unlikely to do better than this work.
Rabbi Steinberg lays out who the Jews are, what Judaism is, and some of the various interpretations of the faith using clear, concise language and a well-laid out chapter structure that walks the reader through the history and conceptions of Judaism as it has grown over the centuries.
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4.
To be A Jew: a guide to Jewish observance in contemporary life
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| To Be a
Jew, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin's classic guide to Jewish life, philosophy, and law has guided generations of Americans, Europeans, and Israelis to discover the treasures of their own religious traditions. First published in 1972, the book still stands as a reliable, practical and versatile resource for everyone from young girls preparing for bat mitzvah to old men returning to their spiritual roots. The book begins with an overview of Judaism's basic credo (including chapters on Israel's people, land, God, and Torah), moves on to describe the laws governing Jews' daily lives, the Jewish calendar, and "The Special Occasions of Life" from birth to death and mourning. One great strength of To Be a Jew is its blending of folk wisdom and scholarly learning. Rabbi Donin not only describes what right belief and righteous action look like but provides a rationale for these observances that engages and embraces the basic conditions of modern life.
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5.
How To Run A Traditional Jewish Household
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What impresses most in this classic book is the high regard which even the most mundane tasks receive in the traditional Jewish household. Most everyday activities have a blessing ascribed to them, and this elevation of the mundane to the divine causes one to reflect upon daily life as a worshipful experience. In addition, the female-centered nature of Jewish life is made clear. The wife/mother is no bystander in the religious household but a vital actor as the drama of life plays out. Mrs. Greenberg explores and explicates traditional values without being judgmental or "writing down" to her reader. She sprinkles her work liberally with selections from Torah, the prophets, and the sages, grounded in anecdotes of her own family's experiences. |
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6. The Jewish Way : Living the Holidays Irving Greenberg £11.99
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| Rabbi Irving Greenberg explains and interprets the origin, background, interconnections, ceremonial rituals, and religious significance of all the Jewish holidays, including Passover, Yom Kippur, Purim, Hanukkah, Holocaust Remembrance Day and Israeli Independence Day. Giving detailed instructions for observance - the rituals, prayers, foods, and songs - he shows how celebrating the holy days of the Jewish calendar not only relives Jewish history but puts one in touch with the basic ideals of Judaism and the fundamental experience of life.
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7. This
is My God: The Jewish Way of Life Herman Wouk £10.99
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| Herman Wouk blends Jewish history, Jewish practice, and personal experience in a wonderful tour for Judaism, appropriate for nonJews, Jews, and even those who think they know it all.
While his discussions of Shabbat, Hanukah, and other observances are fine reading, Wouk reaches his peak when discussing his own and his family's experiences--his grandfather, whom he obviously admired a great deal, his father, who spent an immense sum of money (for the times) to buy the honor of reading the book of Jonah on Yom Kippur afternoon.
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8.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism (Complete Idiot's Guides) Rabbi Benjamin Blech £12.99
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| From the teachings of the Torah to the meaning of the holidays, this work offers an introduction to Judaism. It offers an account of Judaic history from the time of the Pharaohs through painful events like the Holocaust and triumphant ones like the creation of modern-day Israel. Among the topics included are features on the concerns facing Judaism - the role of women within the religion, gay rabbis, interfaith marriages and genetic engineering. Gazing into a crystal ball, the book asks whether the present followers of Judaism can preserve the religion. Other chapters ask whether Israel makes it harder or easier for Judaism to survive while other debates centre around the differences between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.
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9. The
Sabbath Abraham Joshua Heschel £9.95
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| Elegant, passionate, and filled with the love of God’s creation, Abraham Hoshua Heschel’s The Sabbath has been hailed as a classic of Jewish spirituality ever since its original publication in 1951–and has been read by thousands of people of many faiths seeking meaning in modern life. In this brief yet profound meditation on the meaning of the Seventh Day, Heschel introduced the enormously influential idea of an “architecture of holiness” that appears not in space but in time. Judaism, he argues, is the religion of time: it finds meaning not in space and the material things that fill it but in time and the eternity that imbues it, so that “the Sabbaths are our great cathedrals.”
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10.
Understanding Judaism: Origins, Beliefs, Practices, Holy Texts, Sacred Places Carl S. Ehrlich £9.99
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