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 | | The Everything Judaism Book: A Complete Primer to the Jewish Faith-From Holidays and Rituals to Traditions and Culture (Everything Series) by Richard D. Bank ISBN-10: 9781580627283 ISBN-10: 1-58062-728-5 ISBN-13: 9781580627283 ISBN-13: 978-1-58062-728-3 Paperback 2002-10-01 Adams Media Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description Shalom! and welcome to the joys and wonders of this fascinating religion! Judaism has survived for four millennia-and many of its customs, laws, and traditions have remained exactly the same today as in the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Everything® Judaism Book explains the major precepts of this robust religion in language anyone can understand and appreciate. From High Holy Days, such as Passover and Yom Kippur, to symbols and objects, such as the Star of David and the tallis prayer shawl, Jews and non-Jews alike will gain new understanding and insights into the rich diversity and seemingly endless complexity of Jewish practices and culture. Authoritative and thought-provoking, The Everything® Judaism Book has been exhaustively reviewed for accuracy by Orthodox Rabbi Jacob Rosenthal and Reform Rabbi Robert Leib. Among the questions discussed: -How do Jews study the Torah (the five books of Moses)? -Why do Jews keep kosher? -Is there an afterlife? -What are the differences between Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and Hasidic Judaism? -What do the mezuzah, the yarmulke, and the menorah symbolize? -How can you tell a good bagel? The Everything® Judaism Book is a terrific introduction if you’re learning the religion for the first time, a great way to brush up on facts you may have forgotten from Hebrew school, and the perfect mitzvah (good deed) gift for a friend or relative. | ||
Reviews | ||
Very Helpful and Informative! Others have reviewed The Everything Judaism Book as being a bit of a flop. I was surprised by that because I thoroughly enjoyed the book. However, I am not Jewish and so the material in this book that may be lacking is not apparent to me. I will be sure to check out the other title one of the reviewers mentioned, to help me learn more. Aside from that, in my opinion, this book offers a refreshing change from dry college textbooks! It covers the basics of Jewish beliefs, what the Torah is and what it means to Jewish life and practice, differences between Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Restructionist, and Hasidic Judaism, meaningful symbols of Judaism, important elements of Jewish culture, as well as a wonderful education in major Jewish holidays and festivals from historical importance to modern day practice. Bank offers an easy-reading reference chock full of information and side notes from Jewish history, language, and culture. Considering the focus of the book is to just give a broad spectrum of Judaica exposure to the reader, I think it is well presented and organized to provide you the basics of need-to-know Judaism for the non-Jew. It will give you a good introduction to Judaism while perking your interest into further Jewish study and thought. At the finish of this book, I was given a better understanding, warm respect, and further interest in the Jewish people and their faith. | ||
Not Quite Enough I found it frustrating to read an "informational" book on Judaism and the author provided no prounicaiton guides. Although he used lots of words, the explanations were still lacking. I use the part on the Dreidel as a case in point: A half page "explanation" and he never did say what the object was or how it was played. The book, "What is a Jew?", by Kertzer is much, much better. | ||
Save your money - Surf the web The author of this book knows very little about Judaism. He "researched" the book by surfing the web and paraphrasing a few websites. He admitted this at a book signing I attended after his lack of personal knowledge became obvious to the audience. Imagine his surprise when someone in the audience said she knew one of the webmasters he "borrowed" from! | ||