Reviews (20)

A modern Torah
I am very impressed with this Torah overall.While I would have never myself spent $60 on a Torah, I am very pleased that my mom did so just before she dropped out of Torah study class,
A Missed opportunity
The original 1981 edition of the Plaut commentary on the Torah marked a dramatic improvement over the fundamentalist Hertz Torah commentary (The Pentateuch and Haftorahs: Hebrew Text English Translation and Commentary by Joseph H. Hertz) which it replaced in Reform Jewish congregations. It attempted to give both a traditional Jewish and a modern historical view of the text. In this connection, the frequent references to the widely recognized sources (J, E, D, P) is particularly welcomed in a Jewish study Pentateuch.However, it did have a number of weaknesses only some of which have been addressed in this new edition. These weaknesses included:
An Example of Good Biblical Scholarship
The eidtors of THE TORAH: A MODERN COMMENTARY, REVISED EDITION did a credible job in producing this Torah commentary.This reviewer was skeptical due to concerns of "political correctness" vs. accuracy precision.When perusing this book, this reviewer was pleasantly surprised that changes were made in favor of accuracy.
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Subjects:  1. Bible - Commentaries - Old Testament    2. Bible - Study - Old Testament    3. Bible.    4. Commentaries    5. Haftarot    6. O.T.    7. Pentateuch    8. Religion    9. Religion - Biblical Studies   

Reviews (32)

Breathtaking
The Sabbath is an awesome book to read for both Jews and Christians alike. Heschel's discussion of time, space and posessions is inspiring, and transforming. As a Christian, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and found it to be a very enlightening description of Jewish heritage. It challenged me to think about what time I observe with God, and for what reasons; what are my priorities; and how effective am I in living out my faith.

The most beautiful book of all time
The wisdom contained in this book is incredible. It is a must read for all people who think our society is too focused on materialistic achievement. Heschel's call for a day of rest is desperately needed. My favorite book.

Great Old Testament perspective!
Really helped me understand the Old Testament view of
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Judaism - General    3. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    4. Religion    5. Religion - Judaism    6. Religion - Socialissues    7. Sabbath   

Reviews (19)

I Like It
I think this is a great book for the kosher cook, and the price is fantastic - the lowest I've seen. The recipes are great, and the book is really beautiful. Would make a great gift for anyone who keeps kosher.
Excellent cookbook - the best there is
Great tasting easy to make and beautiful recipes! Total delight!

Mediocre recipes with intensive preparation
The recipes in this book are not in the least unique:there is nothing in these books not found in the standard modern cookbooks such as the New Joy of Cooking or Silver Palette.What differentiates these recipes is the superfluous use of packaged foods, such as boxed Italian dressing powder (which is basically salt and common spices), which actually makes them less friendly to the kosher cook since they may not be available supervised.Fishbein puts all her energy into the Design of the food, for instance suggesting that you buy individual pumpkins for each of your 16 sukkot guests in which to serve soup, or that you serve your Shavuot meal entirely out of flowerpots, or that you have different set of dishes for each of the holidays.These little tips do make amusing reading, but for that you can check the book out from the library. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Jewish    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Jewish cooking    5. Regional & Ethnic - Jewish & Kosher   

Editorial Review

It's been 50 years since a Bedouin youth named Muhammed edh-Dhub went looking for a stray sheep and instead found the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the intervening decades, the scrolls have been enveloped in a storm of controversy and bitter conflict: the scholars entrusted with translating and editing the texts sat on many of them instead, creating suspicions that escalated to conspiracy theories about supposed cover-ups of sensitive, even damaging material. Geza Vermes, a former professor of Jewish studies at Oxford and a noted authority on the scrolls, marks the 50th anniversary of Muhammed edh-Dhub's find with his book Read more

Reviews (15)

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls In English
Unfortunately I have not had the time to really read through this book, but I needed it for a 2-week early Judaism course.What I have been able to read has been beneficial to my education regarding the history of the Jewish people and Jewish religion.

Rifts In Interpretation
Dissertations that devote themselves almost wholly and completely to discussing the Nag Hammadi and Gnostic Gospels, or the New Testament should probably be dismissed out of hand, as they are only marginally related to the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls have nothing in common with any Gospels or New Testament works, except that the DSS are antecedent to them. The Gospels were to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Biblewhat New Age is to Quantum Physics. The Dead Sea Scrolls ended very close in time to when the first Gospels or New Testament works began to appear. Perhaps Jesus knew or visited the Essenes; perhaps He was a card carrying member. He certainly was a contemporary to Qumran's final few decades, minus about 30 years. But, the Essenes were not Christians.There are a good many DSS fragments that are antagonistic to men who proclaimed themselves to be the Sons of God, as it was conservative Jewish thinking then, and remains so today. Also, Vermes does not make any connection whatsoever between the Teacher of Righteousness, a completely different personality who lived somewhere earlier than about 130 B.C.E., to Jesus. Reviews that go on at length about that so-called connection are an indication that the reviewer has not read "The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls In English".
Literary Armageddon
Nearly all knowledgeable Biblical scholars realize there have been a wide range of writings attributed to Jesus and his Apostles..... and that some of these were selected for compilation into the book that became known as the Bible.....and that some books have been removed from some versions of the Bible and others have been re-discovered in modern times.
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Subjects:  1. Antiquities & Archaeology    2. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - General    3. Classics    4. Fiction    5. Judaism - Sacred Writings    6. Literary    7. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    8. Religion - Judaism    9. Judaism    10. Religion / Judaism / Sacred Writings    11. Sacred texts   

Editorial Review

Benny adores helping out his Grandpa at the bagel bakery, the best in town. The young Jewish boy loves his grandfather's bagels so much, he wants to thank God for them. But how? One morning, he asks his Grandpa if he could pay him for his work with a big bag of bagels. So equipped, he heads for the synagogue, takes a deep breath, opens the big wooden cupboard that is the Holy Ark, and places the steaming bag inside: "King of the Universe," he whispered. "I brought You some bagels. I know You make them. But You never taste them, because Grandpa sells every last one." Benny keeps this up week after week until he discovers, to his dismay, that a poor man in a tattered coat has been eating his bagels, and not God. How will God know he is thanking Him if someone else is eating the bagels? Grandpa reassures him that by making the world better, he is indeed thanking God. Dusan Petricic's expressive, cross-hatched illustrations, each one as round and warm and brown as a freshly baked bagel, illuminate all of the story's best moments with humor and emotion. This simple, touching Jewish folktale from Spaintranscends Judaism as a story of human kindness and generosity of spirit that will resonate with all children. Read more

Reviews (4)

Great for Christians as well
I am not Jewish but feel this book is wonderful for all children who are trying to grasp the concept of God and for parents who want to impart this important lesson - God wants us to help others.My 7 year old checked this book out from the public library and had me read it to him over and over again.He related to Benny and especially loves the part when the Grandfather is initially horrified with what Benny is doing with the Bagels.This book is a true classic and I am disappointed that I don't find it available in my local bookstores.

Delightful New Twist on an Old Story
_Bagels from Benny_ is a retelling of an old Hasidic Jewish tale (Hasidism is the mystical branch of Judaism).The tale is retold through the eyes of a young child, Benny.Benny helps his Grandfather in his bakery everyday.One day a customer thanks the Grandfather for putting such "love" in his bagels.Benny's Grandfather brushes off the thanks and says that the thanks really belong to God.Benny like most children is earnest in his desire to get the his thanks to God.Benny's dilemma is how to be sure that God "received" the thanks.Benny decides to share some of the bagels with God and places a bag full of bagels in the Holy Ark (a closet in the synagogue that holds the Torahs [5 Books of Moses]).When Benny next goes to synagogue with his family on Saturday (the Jewish Sabbath),Benny is delighted to see that the bagels are gone.He, of course, decides that God ate the bagels and decides to bring some every week for God.After a few weeks Grandpa gets suspicious, what is a little boy doing with all of those bagels?Grandpa follows Benny and like most adults is appalled to find out what Benny is doing and why.But what is happening to the bagels?Where are they going?That is the delightful end to the story and it shows how Benny is thanking God by making the world a better place.
Meaningful
I shed a tear when I read this one.I can't wait to buy it and read it to our Religious School children.It is touching, poignant and meaningful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bagels    2. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Folklore    5. General    6. Grandfathers    7. Jews    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Juvenile literature    10. Religious - Jewish    11. Social Issues - Values    12. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (3)

Expansion of understanding of the practice of Jewish Spiritual Direction
Editors, Addison and Breitman's "Jewish Spiritual Direction" bring together an extraordinary group of writers and thinkers who present ideas, perspectives and learnings within the growing field of Jewish Spiritual Direction.This book explores from a Jewish perspective universal themes about seeking the Holy and seeking meaning for everyday lives.The writers delve into and give expression to the particular ways that the tradition prays, questions, teaches about God. Essays exploring Jewish texts inform and expand the understanding of a Jewish perspective of spiritual direction and ground it within the tradition. The glossary of terms increases the accessibility of the material for all.
A complete and "user-friendly" guide that draws upon both ancient and contemporary Judaic sources
Jewish Spiritual Direction: An Innovative Guide From Traditional And Contemporary Sources, knowledgeably compiled and expertly co-edited by Rabbi Howard Avruhm Addison and psychotherapist Barbara Eve Breitman is an in-depth study of Jewish theology and Judaic spiritual philosophy. Deftly presenting the symbolic, scriptural, and ritual complexities of Jewish practice and custom, Jewish Spiritual Direction offers commentaries and contributions by sixteen learned men and women on such issues as the vocabulary of Jewish spiritual direction; spiritual direction as a contemplative practice; contemplation and social action; cultivation of a hearing heart; spiritual types; community for spiritual direction; and so much more. A core addition to any personal, synagogue, or academic library's Judaic Studies reference collection, Jewish Spiritual Direction is very strongly recommended as a complete and "user-friendly" guide that draws upon both ancient and contemporary Judaic sources.
A brilliant series of teachings on the current Jewish search for God
This book is a deep exploration of the newly emerging practice of Jewish spiritual direction. In rich, evocative prose, the various writers place spiritual guidance and the Jewish yearning for a direct experience of the divine in a clear historical context, exploring its roots in Torah, rabbinic sources and hasidic writings while acknowledging its profound relation to contemplative Christianity. The editors have included essays by a wide range of brilliant thinkers in the field who explore the relation between personal piety and social justice, using the prayerbook as a template for the spiritual journey, and bringing poetry, art and dance into spiritual direction...among many other fascinating topics. The editors are unfailingly courageous in their approach. They seem to anticipate the concerns that inevitably arise...Is this really Jewish? How can I distinguish between the voice of God and the voice of my own ego? How does contemplative Judaism mesh with the more familiar setting of communal prayer? At each juncture, the questions are raised and considered without giving in to the temptation to provide easy answers. This book is a treasure that somehow manages to address difficult questions without being arcane. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Jewish way of life    2. Judaism    3. Judaism - General    4. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    5. Religion    6. Religion - Judaism    7. Spiritual direction    8. Spirituality - General   

Reviews (24)

Personal attacks are not science
Chapters 4 and 5 in this book are very interesting, a good survey of archaeology in Israel. The preceeding 100 pages amount to little more than scathing personal attacks on other researchers coupled with some brief and basic arcaological theory. Though it is tempting to get into the post-modernism bash, the personal attacks exhibited on those researchers are in poor taste. And I'm not downplaying this, he lists their names and then gives several paragraphs explaning why their biases prevent them from being good scholars. I sincerely hope this isn't reflective of archaeological scholarship in general. From other books I've read (Finkelstein, Mazar, Stern, and Cline), I've noticed that Dever is the only one to resort to personal attacks.
Highly recommended.
While the polemic against the minimalists gets a little excessive at times, I have to say that it is necessary, as they are very vocal these days.There is no need to debate fundamentalists because they've made up their mind already (as Michael Freeman's review shows).
A prize-winner!
Dever deserves a blue ribbon for the most cumbersome title in many years.He should also garner an award for his blistering assessment of "postmodern" historians.While he has contested "minimalist" academics elsewhere, this book is an excellent compendium of the issues and evidence regarding the historical validity of the Hebrew Bible.Although the arena of biblical history is small, the issues dealt with are important.His conclusions will have lasting impact not only in biblical history, but archaeology and other disciplines.Although a serious subject, Dever's piercing wit keeps this book a lively and captivating read.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Antiquities & Archaeology    3. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - Old Testament    4. Bible - Study - General    5. Judaism - History    6. Religion    7. Religion - Biblical Studies    8. Archaeology    9. Biblical studies, criticism & exegesis    10. History of religion    11. Judaism    12. Old Testament   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (77)

A Delightful Journey
The reader will travel with the author throughout the Middle East, following the steps of the patriarchs through the beginnings of the conquest by Joshua, in source of a connection with history and ultimately a divine spark. This author is very easy to read and provides colorful descriptions of his surroundings that allow the reader to be there. Throughout the book is an undercurrent of "Why can't we just all get along!"
A Wonderful Guide to the Lands of the Bible for People of all Faiths
I've been a fan of Bruce Feiler's writing after watching him on C-Span's Book TV talk about his first book about Abraham. This must have been about four or five years ago now. I went out to purchase ABRAHAM and discovered a treasure. Feiler brings many gifts and talents to writing, particularly religious writing. First of all he writes about issues regarding faith from the point of view of one who practices his faith. Like many of his readers, his journey to faith has not been a straight path which seems to give him a good perspective on the questions people are asking. He also has a fluid writing style and is able to weave personal memoir, always interesting and at times moving stories, geography, history, and theology together to create a great read.
Succeeds despite itself...
Walking the Bible is not among the better travel writing I've read primarily because it focuses more on the author than the locations he visited.Feiler did get around:from Turkey to Egypt, from the Negev to the Sinai, from Jerusalem to Jordan, but he minimizes the narrative elements one typically associates with good travel writing for a seemingly endless array of personal epiphanies. Despite it's subtitle, Walking the Bible is more a journey by catharsis through Bruce Feiler's mind than a journey by land through the five books of Moses.Thus, beyond his ubiquitous food metaphors, a descriptive presence is often found wanting.
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Subjects:  1. Antiquities & Archaeology    2. Bible    3. Bible - Study - Old Testament    4. Bible.    5. Description and travel    6. Feiler, Bruce S    7. Feiler, Bruce S.    8. Geography    9. Middle East    10. Middle East - General    11. Museums, Tours, Points of Interest    12. O.T.    13. Pentateuch    14. Religion    15. Travel    16. Travel - General    17. Journeys    18. Religion / Antiquities & Archaeology    19. Essays & Travelogues    20. Judaism - History   

Editorial Review

At first glance, Read more

Reviews (31)

Do you always want to have a good day and great life?
What if you can prosper, be safe, be loved, meet your soulmate, or have a soulmate relationship with your current partner or not ever head for the bad things to get rid of stress?What if you create world peace? What if you are excited about your life everyday, no matter what happens? What if you have no chaos in your life?Read the Power of Kabbalah by Yehuda Berg and work hard for the joyous, amazing, life transforming unbelievable awesome makes you write it down life!Every answer you need is here -

MustRead
This book is good...it stops and makes you think....it helps you understand... how you can make your life better...just by understanding the cause and effects of what you do.This books opens your mind...

A wonderful book!!!

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Subjects:  1. Alternate Spirituality    2. Cabala    3. Inspiration & Personal Growth    4. Judaism    5. Judaism - Kabbalah & Mysticism    6. Mysticism    7. Religion    8. Spiritual life    9. Spirituality - General    10. Body, Mind & Spirit / Spirituality / General    11. Mind, Body, Spirit   

Reviews (3)

False advertising?
When I first read about this "translation" of Mikra'ot Gedolot, I thought to myself: it can't be true.Chavel's English translation of RaMBaN's (Nachmanides) commentary on Shemot (Exodus) alone contains 626 pages of text. How in the world could all of that plus the other classical commentaries plus the original biblical text in Hebrew plus two translations of the biblical text all fit into a 349 page volume? The answer is that they don't.Just by checking the sample page available on the JPS website, I immediately saw that much of Ibn Ezra was missing.For all I know, this may be a very useful volume. However, if you think that it really offers translations of all the materials that appear in a real Mikra'ot Gedolot - think again.

Finding Your Way Through Exodus Was Never So Easy
This new translation of Miqra'ot Gedolot - Exodus is wonderful.The format is easy to read, the translations are very accessible, and the page of commentaries comes alive for those who are (yet) unable to read the original in Hebrew.This translation opens up a whole new world for the student of Torah and Bible - hearing the voices of the commentators respond to each other... and now the reader is invited to join the conversation.Looking forward to all five books of Torah.. and beyond.

Let It Go Medieval On You
Compiled by Michael Carasik, a teacher of Bible at the University of Pennsylvania, Miqra'ot Gedolot (or "large format bible") is now available in an understandable English edition.It was first published 500 years ago (the second edition was published in 1525 by Rabbi Yakov ben Hayyim) as the "Rabbinic Bible." The format is a Hebrew text from the bible in the middle of the page.On top of this Hebrew box is a Targum, or translation(s) in English; surrounding the passage are medieval commentaries from Rashi (RAbbi SHlomo ben Yitzhak, 1040-1105, Northern France), Rashbam (RAbbi SHmuel Ben Meir, 1085-1174, grandson of Rashi, Northern France) , Ibn Ezra (Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra, 1089-c1164, Muslim Spain/Italy/France/England), and Nachmanides / RambaN (RAbbi Moshe BenNahman, 1195-c1260, Spain/Israel) in new, more understandable, English translations.Other commentators are included when appropriate, including "Masorah (or c1000 traditions)", Bekhor Shor (12th Century France), Rabbi David Kimhi (RaDaK, c1160-c1235, Provence),Hizkuni, Gersonides/Ralbag, Abarbanel (15th Century Inquisition/Spain/Portugal, Italy),and Sforno (Italy, 1470-1550).Abarbanel provides the main question.The biblical passage is translated using BOTH the 1917 (Old JPS) and 1985 (New JPS) JPS English translations, since great scholars wrote them in each period, and nuggets of insight can be derived from each one, even if they are not parallel. The beauty of reading medieval commentaries on Exodus is that they find connections and contradictions that lay readers in English may miss from the more modern bibles.Also, since the commentators lived at different times in different circumstances, the reader can see how the biblical passage spoke to various scholars over time.It also is more raw than the Hertz bibles' (U.K. Chief Rabbi J. H. Hertz), that were used in many synagogues, and written to gloss over "primitive" Hebrew practices.The editor recommends that you follow one particular commentator through an entire story; compare different commentators; compare the two differing English translations and try to understand why they differ;read an entire chapter in the Old JPS translatoin and then in the New JPS translation and see what insights you can find; and/or ponder whether the questions you ask on the text are the same questions that Abarbanel and others felt were the glaring issue.Go and Learn. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - Commentaries - General    3. Bible - Commentaries - Old Testament    4. Bible.    5. Bibles - Hebrew    6. Commentaries    7. Judaism - Sacred Writings    8. O.T    9. O.T.    10. Pentateuch    11. Religion    12. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    13. Religion - Judaism    14. Biblical concordances & commentaries    15. Books of the Old Testament    16. Hebrew   

Editorial Review

Rarely does a book come along that tackles a perennially difficult human issue with such clarity and intelligence. Harold Kushner, a Jewish rabbi facing his own child's fatal illness, deftly guides us through the inadequacies of the traditional answers to the problem of evil, then provides a uniquely practical and compassionate answer that has appealed to millions of readers across all religious creeds. Remarkable for its intensely relevant real-life examples and its fluid prose, this book cannot go unread by anyone who has ever been troubled by the question, "Why me?" ... Read more

Reviews (94)

Kushner Non-Academic Video
If you are looking for the academic lecture video by this same title (the one hour lecture delivered at UNC), this isn't it. This is a shorter video, with a pragmatic focus on individual persons and families dealing with catastrophic loss. A good primer for health care workers, but does not have the broad academic, philosophic, and theological applications that the earlier lecture video has.

Listen to this book BEFORE reading mumbo jumbo
I wish more people could see that their humanity in the world rather than try to be God, or relentlessly seek answers when none exist. This is a brilliant discourse on the sadder parts of the human experience. Rather than try to alleviate pain by trying to find out why a tragedy happened, etc ... it is often more healing to also see the humanity of an event when no real explanation is possible. Bad things happen to good people and vice-versa. This world is complex and simple at the same time. But most of all, this book is a blessing against the current wave of New Age blame game mumbo jumbo...
Simple, well done and thoughtful
This book is an easy and enjoyable read about a difficult philosophical topic.It deals with the practical reality of the exisence of evil and ties it to a combination of random chance and people's free will.That is the underlying thesis and deep philosophical arguments are avoided.
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Subjects:  1. God (Theology)    2. Inspirational    3. Inspirational - General    4. Jewish Theology    5. Judaism - General    6. Judaism - Theology    7. Kushner, Harold S    8. Pastoral counseling    9. Pastoral counseling (Judaism)    10. Personal Growth - General    11. Religion    12. Suffering    13. Theodicy    14. Religion / Inspirational   

Reviews (8)

stretching further than Mr. Fantastic!
Here is an excerpt of a review written about this book by Peter Sanderson."Mr.Weinstein is single-minded. He attempts to connect everything he finds in comics to Judaism. He tells us that the Fantastic Four is a family, and then notes that family is an important concept in Judaism. What religion or culture doesn't value families? Weinstein brings up the Justice League, and says that the Bible preaches the pursuit of justice. What holy book doesn't? He mentions the Flash, and then informs us that "Believe it or not, the notion of super speed is rooted in biblical lore." The original Flash wore a winged helmet and had wings on his boots like the god Mercury. Isn't he the more likely source?"
Fun & Interesting
This book is fun to read and chock full of interesting information that makes it a treasure trove for comic book lovers and even only those who are peripherally interested in comic books! A great insight into Jewish culture and how it intersects with comic book culture.

With Great Thought Comes A Great Book
Who would've thought Bruce, Peter and Clark were jewish names? Simcha Weinstein handles the subject matter of connecting comic book superheroes with their biblical and judaic origins with profound thought, wit, and a healthy dose of humor.
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Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. General    3. Graphic Novels    4. History & Criticism    5. History: World    6. Judaism - General    7. Literary Criticism    8. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. Cooking / Wine    2. Regional & Ethnic - Jewish & Kosher   

Reviews (25)

(Almost) Everything You Wanted to Know About Judaism
I love love love this book. I am Jewish, but this book really helped explain a lot of things to me that I never knew before or never thought of before. Harold Kushner is so articulate (a quality which I envy!), and he knows how to explain things or present them in a simple to understand way. I recommend this easy to read book to everyone who ever asked me about Judaism, and certainly anyone who is interested in conversion (I meet quite a few people in my line of work who approach me about that). If you want to know more (hence, the ALMOST), visit your local synagogue or look for some websites on the internet (I like aish.com, and I am NOT an orthodox Jew).

A great book for me at this time in my life
I am in the infant stages of my conversion to Judaism, and this book really cemented my conviction that this is the right decision for me.I felt that Rabbi Kushner clearly explained what Judaism is all about to him and, in many instances, to me as well.The chapter dealing with the dietary laws I found particularly helpful and enlightening, as this is one of the most intimidating factors for me in converting to Judaism and living as an observant Jew.Rabbi Kushner's explanations helped me understand the dietary laws in a different way, as allowing the sacred to enter into mealtimes -- which takes the focus off food -- and I immediately began "keeping kosher" to an extent.
An insightful book
This book was written in a conversational style, and it is made clear by the author that he is writing his opinions and thoughts based on a lifetime of studying religion.
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Subjects:  1. Jewish way of life    2. Judaism    3. Judaism - General    4. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    5. Religion    6. Religion - Judaism    7. Religion / Judaism / General    8. Spirituality   

Reviews (2)

Only Buy when you are ready for Life Transformation
Hello Seeker.