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Product Description
Product Description
What does it mean to be a Jew? How does one begin to answer so extensive a question?
In this insightful and completely updated tome, esteemed rabbi and bestselling author Joseph Telushkin helps answer the question of what it means to be a Jew, in the largest sense. Widely recognized as one of the most respected and indispensable reference books on Jewish life, culture, tradition, and religion, Jewish Literacy covers every essential aspect of the Jewish people and Judaism. In 352 short and engaging chapters, Rabbi Telushkin discusses everything from the Jewish Bible and Talmud to Jewish notions of ethics to antisemitism and the Holocaust; from the history of Jews around the world to Zionism and the politics of a Jewish state; from the significance of religious traditions and holidays to how they are practiced in daily life. Whether you want to know more about Judaism in general or have specific questions you'd like answered, Jewish Literacy is sure to contain the information you need.
Rabbi Telushkin's expert knowledge of Judaism makes the updated and revised edition of Jewish Literacy an invaluable reference. A comprehensive yet thoroughly accessible resource for anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of Judaism, Jewish Literacy is a must for every Jewish home.
About the Author
A widely known spiritual leader and scholar, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin is the author of eleven influential Jewish books, including A Code of Jewish Ethics; Words That Hurt, Words That Heal; Biblical Literacy; and four novels. He lives in New York City and lectures throughout the United States.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Biblical Literacy,
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This review is from: Jewish Literacy Revised Ed: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History (Hardcover)
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in religion. It is a book you don't want to put down! It is very well written and easy to understand!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Really Useful Introduction To Jewish Thought And Philosophy,
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This review is from: Jewish Literacy Revised Ed: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History (Hardcover)
This is a very informative introduction to Jewish history, thought and philosophy, both religious and secular.For anyone interested in the history of western Judeo Christian thought, this book is full of interesting information. As one example of many, Protestatnt Christians take one of the Commandments as "Thou shall not kill"; Jewish (and Roman Catholic) translations interpret the same Commandment as "Thou shall not murder." The distinction between "kill" and "murder" leads to many profound philosophical implications. Well worth reading.
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4.7 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews) 21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Worthwhile Survey of Judaism,
By Ronald W. Satz - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Jewish Literacy Revised Ed: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History (Hardcover)
This volume is commonly given to Jewish Confirmands, and with good reason. It covers, in a compact and well-written fashion, Jewish history, religion, and culture. There are 15 parts: 1) Bible, 2) The Second Commonwealth, the Mishna, and the Talmud, 3) Early Medieval Period: Under Islam and Christianity, 4) Late Medieval Period, 5) Modern Period--Western and Eastern Europe, 6) Zionism and Israel, 7) The Holocaust, 8) American-Jewish Life, 9) Soviet Jewry, 10) Antisemitism, 11) Jewish Texts, 12) Jewish Ethics and Basic Beliefs, 13) The Hebrew Calendar and Jewish Holidays, 14) Life Cycle, and 15) Synagogue and Prayers. This volume is much easier to read than an alphabetically-organized encyclopedia.The author is a member of the Modern Orthodox movement (which combines traditional Talmud study with secular study). His work treats quite fairly the three largest denominations of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform), but the section on Mordecai Kaplan and Reconstructionist Judaism is rather weak--a much better summation is given by Emanuel S. Goldsmith in the Preface to Dynamic Judaism (pp. 15-30). Humanistic Judaism isn't treated at all. The typography is very good; I found just two typos (p. 345, "statue" instead of "statute"; p. 364, "Orthodox rabbits" instead of "Orthodox rabbis"). The index is fine, but there is no glossary of terms. One glaring omission in the history section is a table of famous, accomplished Jews in the areas of mathematics, science, engineering, business, philosophy, music, and sports. (The history section is really very gloomy and disturbing; it ignores the lives of many high-achieving and happy Jews.) Leon Trotsky is covered, but Ayn Rand isn't! The section on theodicy discusses supernaturalism and atheism, but not transnaturalism. The section on afterlife fails to compare and contrast bodily resurrection versus reincarnation (held by many Jewish thinkers, beginning with Philo). There are sources and further reading at the end of each topic, but there is no bibliography at the end of the work. Other than these few minor issues, there isn't much to complain about--the book is recommended to both Jews and non-Jews. 10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
good revision of already excellent research book,
By Ronald Hulting "grandfather" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Jewish Literacy Revised Ed: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History (Hardcover)
The original version was a well-acclaimed research book, and the revision adds some updating material that was missing from the original. It is not as good as others regarding Jewish holidays, but its other aspects more than compensate. It is helpful for both Jews and non-Jews regarding Jewish life, Jewish history, and Jewish religion.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A remarkable book that stands the test of time,
By therosen "therosen" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Jewish Literacy Revised Ed: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History (Hardcover)
This book brings Jewish education alive. The title and size of the tome are intimidating, the reading is not. The book is an easy read that can be the either the basis of a Jewish self-education program, or easy answers to random questions about Judaism. Rabbi Tehushkin successfully makes Judaism's essence come alive. This is no mean feat, as most readers come to the book trying to undo years of sleeping through religious school.It's a fantastic addition to the library of any Jew or student of religion. |
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