Synopses & Reviews
A valuable resource for anyone seeking a basic understanding of what being Jewish is all about.
Judaism is full of different opinions. In fact, no single definition of Judaism is acceptable to all Jews. And Judaism is not simply a series of beliefs; it is a practice and a way of life. Judaism, therefore, consists of a religion, and a culture, and a people.
What Do Jews Believe? explores the variety of ways in which Jews live their lives: religious and secular, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, Jews in Israel and Jews who live in the diaspora. Kessler asks what Judaism means and what it means to be a Jew, and explores the roots of a religion that goes back some four thousand years and was a major influence on the creation and development of both Christianity and Islam. And he examines how and why such a small number of peopleamazingly the total worldwide Jewish population is estimated to be only between twelve and fifteen millionhave played such a significant role in the worlds history. What Do Jews Believe? looks at the roots of anti-Semitism and delves into the Zionist movement and the struggles with Palestine and Arab neighborsstating objectively the unvarnished and sometimes painful facts of these difficult issues.With a useful chronology of Jewish history from 1800 B.C. to the present, a glossary of terms, a calendar of Jewish festivals, a list of Web resources, and a recommended further reading list. Edward Kessler is the founder of the Center for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations, and writes widely on Judaism and Jewish-Christian issues. Among his many publications is Jews and Christians in Conversation. Judaism is full of different opinions. In fact, no single definition of Judaism is acceptable to all Jews. And Judaism is not simply a series of beliefs; it is a practice and a way of life. Judaism, therefore, consists of a religion, and a culture, and a people. What Do Jews Believe? is a valuable resource for anyone seeking a basic understanding of what it means to be Jewish.
What Do Jews Believe? explores the variety of ways in which Jews live their lives: religious and secular, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, Jews in Israel and Jews who live in the diaspora. Kessler asks what Judaism means and what it means to be a Jew, and explores the roots of a religion that goes back some four thousand years and was a major influence on the creation and development of both Christianity and Islam. And he examines how and why such a small number of peoplethe total worldwide Jewish population is estimated to be only between twelve and fifteen millionhave played such a significant role in the worlds history. What Do Jews Believe? looks at the roots of anti-Semitism and delves into the Zionist movement and the struggles with Palestine and Arab neighborsstating objectively the unvarnished and sometimes painful facts of these difficult issues. The book contains a useful chronology of Jewish history from 1800 B.C. to the present, a glossary of terms, a calendar of Jewish festivals, a list of Web resources, and a recommended further reading list. "Offers just over 100 pages of tightly formatted highlights of the history, significance and practice of the [faith] and concludes with suggestions for further study . . . well-indexed . . . offer[s] more than facts . . . Kessler begins his chapter on Jewish beliefs about God by saying that 'for many Jews, myself included, the encounter with God is more than an acceptance of an intellectual proposition. I believe God cares about humanity and I believe in a personal God.'"Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA Today "Offers just over 100 pages of tightly formatted highlights of the history, significance and practice of the faiths and concludes with suggestions for further study . . . well-indexed . . . offer[s] more than facts . . . Kessler begins his chapter on Jewish beliefs about God by saying that 'for many Jews, myself included, the encounter with God is more than an acceptance of an intellectual proposition. I believe God cares about humanity and I believe in a personal God' . . . a structure that seems suitable for one of Kessler's stories about Rabbi Hillel, one of the rabbis who kept Judaism alive after the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70 by restructuring religious practice on the Torah, the Hebrew Bible. A prospective convert challenged Hillel, 'Teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot.' And Hillel replied, 'Do not do unto others as you would not wish to be done to yourself; this is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary, go and learn it.'"Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA Today
Review
"This is an excellent text for personal reading, for classroom study, or living room study groups. Whoever reads it will be stimulated, inspired and enriched."—Jewish Media Review
Review
"A volume easily read, Judaism's Great Debates whets the reader's appetite with a desire to dig deeper into where we've been as a way of understanding some of the most important issues facing us today."—Ellis Shuman, Times of Israel
Synopsis
A valuable resource for anyone seeking a basic understanding of what being Jewish is all about.
Judaism is full of different opinions. In fact, no single definition of Judaism is acceptable to all Jews. And Judaism is not simply a series of beliefs; it is a practice and a way of life. Judaism, therefore, consists of a religion, and a culture, and a people.
What Do Jews Believe? explores the variety of ways in which Jews live their lives: religious and secular, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, Jews in Israel and Jews who live in the diaspora. Kessler asks what Judaism means and what it means to be a Jew, and explores the roots of a religion that goes back some four thousand years and was a major influence on the creation and development of both Christianity and Islam. And he examines how and why such a small number of people--amazingly the total worldwide Jewish population is estimated to be only between twelve and fifteen million--have played such a significant role in the world's history. What Do Jews Believe? looks at the roots of anti-Semitism and delves into the Zionist movement and the struggles with Palestine and Arab neighbors--stating objectively the unvarnished and sometimes painful facts of these difficult issues.With a useful chronology of Jewish history from 1800 B.C. to the present, a glossary of terms, a calendar of Jewish festivals, a list of Web resources, and a recommended further reading list.
Synopsis
Thanks to these generous donors for making the publication of this book possible: David Lerman and Shelley Wallock; D. Walter Cohen, Wendy and Leonard Cooper; Rabbi Howard Gorin; Gittel and Alan Hilibrand; Marjorie and Jeffrey Major; Jeanette Lerman Neubauer and Joe Neubauer; Gayle and David Smith; and Harriet and Donald Young.
Ever since Abrahams famous argument with God, Judaism has been full of debate. Moses and Korah, David and Nathan, Hillel and Shammai, the Vilna Gaon and the Baal Shem Tov, Spinoza and the Amsterdam Rabbis . . . the list goes on. Jews debate justice, authority, inclusion, spirituality, resistance, evolution, Zionism, and more. No wonder that Judaism cherishes the expression machloket lshem shamayim, “an argument for the sake of heaven.” In this concise but important survey, Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz presents the provocative and vibrant thesis that debate and disputation are not only encouraged within Judaism but reside at the very heart of Jewish history and theology. In his graceful, engaging, and creative prose, Schwartz presents an introduction to an intellectual history of Judaism through the art of argumentation.
Beyond their historical importance, what makes these disputations so compelling is that nearly all of them, regardless of their epochs, are still being argued. Schwartz builds the case that the basis of Judaism is a series of unresolved rather than resolved arguments.
Drawing on primary sources, and with a bit of poetic license, Schwartz reconstructs the real or imagined dialogue of ten great debates and then analyzes their significance and legacy. This parade of characters spanning three millennia of biblical, rabbinic, and modern disputation reflects the panorama of Jewish history with its monumental political, ethical, and spiritual challenges.
About the Author
Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz is the director of The Jewish Publication Society in Philadelphia and the spiritual leader of Congregation Adas Emuno in Leonia, New Jersey. He is the author of the acclaimed textbook Jewish Heroes, Jewish Values and several other works. Judaisms Great Debates is also available in a student edition by Behrman House, Inc.