Living Judaism

Provides a survey of the Jewish faith, people, literature, and tradition from the Reformed to the Conservative to the Orthodox, including a timeline of Jewish history

Rabbi Berel Wein once again exhibits his admirable talent for clear, lucid explanation in this highly informative work. Though each chapter is brief, the sweep of the book is broad - exploring life-cycle events from birth through death, the Jewish view of family life and values, character refinement, Sabbath, holidays and specific religious practices. An enriching reading experience, Living Jewish enables every reader to find deeper meaning in Jewish traditions and reconnect with the ancient values that have found new

Living Judaism Around the World explores the highs and lows of Jewish communities around the world. The author's candid writing lends a personal approach to this fascinating subject. Informative and entertaining, Living Judaism Around the world takes a fresh look at Jewish history and culture in the most extraordinary and unusual places.

"This definitive guide is a complete source on Reform Jewish practice. This accessible compendium covers the full range of Jewish living, including worship, holidays, life-cycle events, tikkun olam, and everyday Jewish living. The author understands Reform Judaism as a modern development of two millennia of Jewish thinking, and in so doing he draws upon traditional Jewish texts and sources, as well as on the Reform literature that has emerged as a response to that tradition, to create a modern classic"

"In his 1935 treatise on divine sovereignty, the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber introduced the idea of an 'anarchic soul of theocracy.' A decade before, the German jurist Carl Schmitt had coined the term 'political theology' in order to designate the Christian theological foundations of modern sovereignty and legal order. In a specular and opposite gesture, Buber argued that the covenant at Sinai established YHWH as the King of the Israelites and simultaneously promulgated the principle that no human being could

In The Book of Jewish Values, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin has combed the Bible, the Talmud, and the whole spectrum of Judaism's sacred writings to give us a manual on how to lead a decent, kind, and honest life in a morally complicated world. Telushkin speaks to the major ethical issues of our time, issues that have, of course, been around since the beginning. He offers one or two pages a day of pithy, wise, and easily accessible teachings designed to

"Well, clearly, and articulately written, Living Letters of the Law is among the most important books in medieval European history generally, as well as in its particular field."—Edward Peters, author of The First Crusade

In the Plea Rolls of the Exchequer of the Jews, Trinity Term 1277, Adrienne Williams Boyarin finds the case of one Sampson son of Samuel, a Jew of Northampton, arrested for impersonating a Franciscan friar and preaching false Christianity. He was sentenced to walk for three days through the centers of London, Canterbury, Oxford, Lincoln, and Northampton carrying the entrails and flayed skin of a calf and exposing his naked, circumcised body to onlookers. Sampson's crime and sentence, Williams Boyarin argues,

For two millennia calling oneself a Jew and confessing Jesus-Christ was perceived as nonsense. This is no longer the case. Jewish believers in Christ - "Messianics", Catholics, Orthodox, and so forth - are now reclaiming their Jewish identity. Jewish Church is about imagining what their home in the Church would look like.

Jewish tradition is a gift and a challenge. "Living a Jewish Life" is your guide to the cultural and spiritual treasures of Judaism, explained in ways that address the choices posed by modern life. From hanging a mezuzah to celebrating a wedding, from lighting Sabbath candles to choosing a synagogue that's right for you and your family, you will find "why-to's" and "how-to's" in these pages, which are tuned to both the realities of the modern world and the timeless,

"'A covenantal vision of life, with mitzvah (divine commandment) as the central organizing principle in the relationship between Jews and God, liberates the intellect and the moral will. I seek to show that a tradition mediated by the Sinai covenant can encourage the development of a human being who is not afraid to assume responsibility for the ongoing drama of Jewish history. Passive resignation is seen not to be an essential trait of one whose relationship to God is mediated