Being Jewish [Hardcover]

An advantage of Being Jewish is the more specific examples of how the different denominations practice some of the customs of Judaism. The book has a very modern appeal and that is a plus.

However, the author does tend to cite a few times too many that there are people who vary the practice of Judaism to their own needs. To paraphrase the author, there are six million jews and six million interpretations. Whereas some Jews alter their beleifs somewhat, I would say its a bit extreme to say that Judaism can be catered to the individual. Goldman eventually does focus in on the core foundations of each custom, holiday, etc.

And its the history behind each ceremony that makes this book stand tall. Goldman really gives a very good account on the history of the Brith noting the rise and the fall of its prominence in today's society. He also gives a nice history of the first Bat Mitzvah and how this trend has caught the attention of the Jewish Community. Some good summaries from the Bible are included to illustrate such points of marriage and keeping kosher. Even issues of vegatarianism are discussed as a part of the stories of Noah and Adam.

Some good summaries exists at the end of each chapter which make for easy learning. One can utilize the Bibliography as a guide for suggested readings even if it is not too extensive.

A good guide for those intersted in pursuing Judaism further. It provides a good hsitorical point of view while adding a modern touch.

What I found disappointing was the narrowness of the focus. The subtitle of the book is "The Spiritual and Cultural Practice of Judaism Today," but it really should have been "The Practice of Orthodox Judaism Today." Although Goldman notes in passing where Conservative and Reform (and, very occasionally, Reconstructionist) Judaism differ from Orthodox practice, he plainly considers Orthodoxy to be the "real" Judaism. He claims that "you don't have to do it all" (26) and that he intends to show that all idiosyncratic practices (such as the man who eats his non-kosher ham and cheese sandwich on matzah during Passover) are "efforts to reach for the holy" (32). Yet what he is really asking is "why don't these people do more?" And his "hope" is to make (Orthodox) ritual more accessible, so that more people will make more of it part of their lives. (32-33) I don't mean to suggest that there is anything wrong with this goal; it's just that both the subtitle and the book jacket are misleading to the extent they suggest that this book celebrates the variety of spiritual experiences and practice within Judaism.

"Being Jewish" is also somewhat lacking in the "spiritual" aspect advertised in the subtitle. Given the amount of territory Goldman covers in only 280 pages, it's probably not surprising that the mechanical details of the rituals predominate. But only a few chapters (particularly those on the Sabbath and prayer) gave me any sense of the spiritual experience that one might find in these rituals.

Last but not least, I remain troubled by a statement in the last chapter of the book, concerning the study of Torah. Goldman describes the Orthodox approach as treating both the Written and the Oral Torah as the revealed word of God, and the act of studying as an act of devotion. He then describes the "historical and critical" approach to the texts taken by the non-Orthodox rabbinical seminaries, and concludes that "You cannot both critique and fully revere texts at the same time." (259-60) (To be fair, Goldman also notes that the "faith-based approach" often flies in the face of historical fact.) This conclusion, that critique and reverence are fundamentally at odds, seems to me to be symptomatic of Goldman's attitude throughout the book. If you define "fully revere" as "accept uncritically," then of course reverence and critique are mutually incompatible. What Goldman fails to acknowledge (here and elsewhere) is that there may be other ways to "fully revere" the text (or to respect traditions and rituals) that have the same spiritual impact for particular individuals as traditional observance plainly has for Goldman.