Synopses & Reviews
A publishing sensation long at the top of the best-seller lists in Israel, the original Hebrew edition of
Maimonides and the Book That Changed Judaism has been called the most successful book ever published in Israel on the preeminent medieval Jewish thinker Moses Maimonides. The works of Maimonides, particularly
The Guide for the Perplexed, are reckoned among the fundamental texts that influenced all subsequent Jewish philosophy and also proved to be highly influential in Christian and Islamic thought.
Spanning subjects ranging from God, prophecy, miracles, revelation, and evil, to politics, messianism, reason in religion, and the therapeutic role of doubt, Maimonides and the Book That Changed Judaism elucidates the complex ideas of The Guide in remarkably clear and engaging prose.
Drawing on his own experience as a central figure in the current Israeli renaissance of Jewish culture and spirituality, Micah Goodman brings Maimonidess masterwork into dialogue with the intellectual and spiritual worlds of twenty-first-century readers. Goodman contends that in Maimonidess view, the Torahs purpose is not to bring clarity about God but rather to make us realize that we do not understand God at all; not to resolve inscrutable religious issues but to give us insight into the true nature and purpose of our lives.
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“Its very good. I like Pirke Avot a lot, but its never been better than it is in this commentary by Berkson.”—Reform Shuckle Reform Shuckle
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“I have collected scores of commentaries on Pirke Avot over the years, and I find this to be one of the best—for its broad outlook, its combination of Jewish and secular thought, and for its inspiring application to modern life.”—Jewish Media Review Jewish Media Review
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“Besides the accessible translation, Berkson makes three contributions: he focuses on the authors intent; places the authors teaching in an historical perspective; and compares the ancient though with contemporary psychology, religious attitudes, and ethical notions.”—Jewish Eye Jewish Eye
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“William Berkson provides a fresh, insightful, and exciting approach to this central and compelling classical Jewish ethical text. He, with the assistance of Menachem Fisch, provides a clear and comprehensible translation of the tractate, and his historical commentary draws insightfully on the sources of Jewish tradition for its explication of its sayings. Most significantly, Berkson brings the ideas found in Avot into conversation with a wide variety of philosophical, psychological, and religious perspectives so that the reader can drink deeply from the wellsprings of wisdom that Avot offers for contemporary persons—Jews and non-Jews alike. This book is a most important contribution to Jewish conversation in our time!”—Rabbi David Ellenson, President Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Rabbi David Ellenson
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“Out of a passionate conviction that Pirke Avot is not merely an honored ancient text but one that has much to teach us still, William Berkson has fashioned a unique and deeply thoughtful book. Moving smoothly between ancient, medieval and modern thinkers from Jewish and other traditions, and incorporating the insights of psychology as well, he shows how Avot can serve as a profound springboard for leading an ethical life in todays complex and conflicted world. An illuminating guide to the issues raised in text and in life."—Everett Fox, Allen M. Glick Professor of Judaic and Biblical Studies, Clark University Everett Fox
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“There is great wisdom gracing the pages of this warmly toned and highly readable work. Being both a psychologist and a religious gentile, this book speaks to me on many levels—all of them containing meaning and joy. William Berkson has accomplished something remarkable here in blending the right amount of history, respect for humanity, psychological insight, and discussion of modern concerns.”—Scott M. Stanley, author of The Power of Commitment, University of Denver Scott M. Stanley
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"Berkson's new Pirke Avot is fascinating and fun to read at the same time. It is perfect for personal use or as a way to encourage family discussions around the Sabbat table."—Jewish Book World Jewish Book World
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"Mining the vast troves of Jewish legendry and midrashim, Salkin expands and deepens knowledge and understanding of the biblical Abram."—Ray Olson, Booklist
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"Smoothly weaving together contemporary scholarship, midrashic elaborations of scripture, and meditation on the key symbols that evoke his central issue, Rabbi Salkin provides a map of Judaic meaning. By comparing and contrasting Abraham’s breaking of his father’s idols with the breaking of the first set of tablets by Moses, he opens up a investigative mode that has far-reaching consequences for the world Jewish community, both present and future."—Phillip K. Jason, Jewish Book Council
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"Salkin's work—combining biblical texts, archaeology, rabbinic insights, Hasidic texts (some never before translated), philosophy, history, poetry, contemporary Jewish thought, sociology, and popular culture—is nothing less than a journey through two thousand years of Jewish life and intellectual endeavor."—Dov Peretz Elkins, Jewish Media Review
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"The text is filled with quotations from throughout Jewish history; Talmud and Midrash, medieval sages and modern scholars have all had important things to say about this small vignette. Salkin has skillfully woven them into a useful and comprehensible tapestry."—Fred Issac, Association of Jewish Libraries Review
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“Jeffrey Salkin takes us on a magical journey through Jewish history and texts, showing us how a simple, ancient postbiblical tale is essential for our understanding of the totality of the Jewish experience. It is full of insights that will challenge how we as readers view modern society and the idolatries that are inherent in it.”—Norman J. Cohen, rabbi and professor of Midrash at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, New York, and author of Masking and Unmasking Ourselves
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"A welcome step in encouraging Jews of all stripes to engage with texts that hold values we wish to live by, and to find those values there."—Beth Kissileff, Tablet Magazine
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"Calderon's interpretation of classic Talmudic literature is like a breath of fresh spring air clearing out the cobwebs and is sure to be enjoyed by scholars and anyone interested in learning more about the rich Jewish heritage."—Sandy Amazeen, Monsters & Critics
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“Calderons retelling of tales of the Talmud will be healing for those who have felt pushed to the Talmuds margins and exciting for those who have loved the Talmuds gift for a good story.”—Rabbi Jill Hammer, author of Sisters at Sinai and The Jewish Book of Days
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“A Bride for One Night is a treasure and made me eager to study more Talmud.”—Edgar M. Bronfman, president of the Samuel Bronfman Foundation
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and#8220;With imaginative insight, Jerry Rabow has placed a human face and heart onto the persona of this biblical drama of love, loyalty, and intrigue. The author endows this ancient romance with empathic contemporary relevance.and#8221;and#8212;Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis, author of Conscience: The Duty to Obey and the Duty to Disobey and founder of the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous andand#160;Jewish World Watch
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"A Bride for One Night highlights Ruth Calderon's remarkable skill in bridging the cultural gap between the rabbis and contemporary readers and the significant contribution she has made to demonstrating the relevance of rabbinic legends in the 21st century."—David C. Jacobson, Jewish Review of Books
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"Calderon has indeed realized her goal to teach and to promulgate the creative cultural traditions of the Talmud."—CJ magazine
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"Heartfelt, philosophical, imaginative, and religious, these stories offer new ways to read text."—Sharon Elswit, Jewish Book Council
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"Calderon's work offers seventeen gates to a richness of heart-in-mind–and, as the Talmud points out, the Holy Blessed One demands the heart."—Daniel Rosenberg, H-Judaic
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"A Bride for One Night is a book that lovers of Talmud must buy."—Jay Michaelson, Jewish Daily Forward
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“Micah Goodmans inspiring book is an important and profound contribution to the comprehension of the greatest, most complex work in the history of Jewish philosophy.”—Moshe Halbertal, Gruss Professor of Law at New York University School of Law and John and Golda Cohen Professor of Jewish Philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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“Maimonides and the Book That Changed Judaism presents an exciting and relevant possibility: freeing the mind from the habits of religious discourse and returning the concept of God to the intellectuals thoughts.”—Ruth Calderon, author of A Bride for One Night, member of the Israeli Knesset, and founder of Alma: Home for Hebrew Culture
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“One of Israels brilliant next generation thinkers, Dr. Micah Goodman is an intellectual powerhouse. From academic settings to popular television lectures he makes lofty ideas accessible and relevant to contemporary life. While others discuss pluralism, Micah lives it, bringing secular and observant young Israelis together through the Ein Prat Midrasha in studying texts and living Jewish commitments such as Tikkun Olam. At the Shalom Hartman Institute I have been nourished by his electrifying lectures illuminating modern dilemmas through the minds of rabbinic sages and contemporary philosophers.” —Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism
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andquot;The Lost Matriarch is a thorough examination of the story of Leah.andquot;andmdash;Fred Reiss, San Diego Jewish World
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“With his characteristic skill and insight, Micah Goodman guides us through the beauty of Jewish philosophy, uplifting us from perplexity to enlightenment.”—Shimon Peres, former president of the State of Israel
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“After more than eight centuries Maimonides’s Guide for the Perplexed remains the Everest of Jewish thought, majestic and challenging at the same time. Micah Goodman, one of the brightest of contemporary Jewish thinkers, has provided a superlative introduction to this work. It is engaging, lucid, and a delight to read, enabling Maimonides’s masterpiece to speak compellingly to our perplexities. An outstanding achievement.”—Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, emeritus chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth
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andquot;This new treatment of the Biblical matriarch Leah is a well researched and a refreshing new look at an old story.andquot;andmdash;Barbara Andrews, Jewish Book Council
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“One of Israel’s brilliant next generation thinkers, Dr. Micah Goodman is an intellectual powerhouse. . . . I have been nourished by his electrifying lectures illuminating modern dilemmas through the minds of rabbinic sages and contemporary philosophers.” —Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism
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"As Americans show increased interest in Jewish religion and culture in Israel, this English edition is likely to have great appeal."—Publishers Weekly
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"Goodman’s book, a guide to The Guide, is an astonishing achievement. There can be no Maimonides for Dummies, and thus Goodman’s presentation will challenge his readers mightily. It is a challenge very much worth taking."—Philip K. Jason, Jewish Book Council
Synopsis
The great Jewish ethical tradition through a contemporary lens
In this new edition of the well-known Jewish classic, Berkson helps us see that Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) is more than just a fundamental religious text; it is also a compelling, contemporary ethical guide.
Berkson looks at the individual sayings, or mishnayot, through the interpretations of the great Jewish commentators and also within the broader context of Western thought—through views found in the Bible, the ancient Greeks, the Enlightenment, Buddhism, Confucianism, and American culture today.
The books most important and innovative feature is its exploration of the relationship between the beliefs of the ancient Sages and modern psychology, particularly the key to good relationships: ethical conduct. The result is a book that goes far beyond the plain meaning of the sayings to explore their ethical, psychological, and religious significance for us today.
Included are an extensive index and the full text of Pirke Avot in English and Hebrew on facing pages.
Synopsis
The story of Abraham smashing his fathers idols might be the most important Jewish story ever told and the key to how Jews define themselves. In a work at once deeply erudite and wonderfully accessible, Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin conducts readers through the life and legacy of this powerful story and explains how it has shaped Jewish consciousness.
Offering a radical view of Jewish existence, The Gods Are Broken! views the story of the young Abraham as the “primal trauma” of Jewish history, one critical to the development of a certain Jewish comfort with rebelliousness and one that, happening in every generation, has helped Jews develop a unique identity. Salkin shows how the story continues to reverberate through the ages, even in its connection to the phenomenon of anti-Semitism.
Salkins work—combining biblical texts, archaeology, rabbinic insights, Hasidic texts (some never before translated), philosophy, history, poetry, contemporary Jewish thought, sociology, and popular culture—is nothing less than a journey through two thousand years of Jewish life and intellectual endeavor.
Synopsis
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Ruth Calderon has recently electrified the Jewish world with her teachings of talmudic texts. In this volume, her first to appear in English, she offers a fascinating window into some of the liveliest and most colorful stories in the Talmud. Calderon rewrites talmudic tales as richly imagined fictions, drawing us into the lives of such characters as the woman who risks her life for a sister suspected of adultery; a humble schoolteacher who rescues his village from drought; and a wife who dresses as a prostitute to seduce her pious husband in their garden. Breathing new life into an ancient text, A Bride for One Night offers a surprising and provocative read, both for anyone already intimate with the Talmud or for anyone interested in one of the most influential works of Jewish literature.
Synopsis
The Lost Matriarch offers a unique response to the sparse and puzzling biblical treatment of the matriarch Leah. Although Leah is a major figure in the book of Genesis, the biblical text allows her only a single word of physical description and two lines of direct dialogue. The Bible tells us little about the effects of her lifelong struggles in an apparently loveless marriage to Jacob, the husband she shares with three other wives, including her beautiful younger sister, Rachel. Fortunately, two thousand years of traditional and modern commentators have produced many fascinating interpretations (midrash) that reveal the far richer story of Leah hidden within the text.
Through Jerry Rabowand#8217;s weaving of biblical text and midrash, readers learn the lessons of the remarkable Leah, who triumphed over adversity and hardship by living a life of moral heroism. The Lost Matriarch reveals Leahand#8217;s full story and invites readers into the delightful, provocative world of creative rabbinic and literary commentary. By experiencing these midrashic insights and techniques for reading and#8220;between the lines,and#8221; readers are introduced to what for many will be an exciting new method of personal Bible interpretation.
About the Author
Ruth Calderon has a doctorate in Talmud from Hebrew University and was elected to the Israeli Knesset in January 2013. She became a national celebrity when she taught a page of Talmud in the Israeli parliament, arguing that the text was the heritage of the entire Jewish people. She is founder and former director of Elul Beit Midrash in Jerusalem and founder and chair of Alma: Home for Hebrew Culture in Tel Aviv.
Ilana Kurshan is the books editor of Lilith magazine. She is the author of Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights? as well as several articles about Talmud, literature, and Jewish life.