Judaism Books

God in Search of Man : A Philosophy of Judaism

Abraham Joshua Heschel

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Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism is among Abraham Joshua Heschel's most comprehensive studies of the Jewish religion. It is a work of impeccable scholarship conveyed with absolute clarity, in a spirit of utmost reverence and compassion. "Religion is an answer to man's ultimate questions," Heschel declares on the book's first page. Religion that forgets its roots in humanity's lived experience, religion that inadequately addresses the earthly realities of life, Heschel says, is false religion. And yet, Heschel asserts that religion is not a vehicle by which humanity draws closer to God; it is always God who reaches out to humanity through religion. "Judaism is God's quest for man. The Bible is a record of God's approach to His people. More statements are found in the Bible about God's love for Israel than about Israel's love for God."

God in Search of Man is almost as exhausting as it is exhaustive. Detailed analyses of "Awe," "Wonder," and "Glory" stand alongside discourses on religion and time, the nature of prophesy, and the problem of evil. Heschel's encyclopedic knowledge of and omnivorous interest in the nature of Judaism is, for most readers, more productively taken in small doses than swallowed whole. The book's table of contents, however, will get a considerable workout over the years, as readers return again and again to find Heschel's opinions about various aspects of spiritual life. --Michael Joseph Gross

10 Conversations You Need to Have with Your Children

Shmuley Boteach

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Subjects -> Parenting & Families -> Parenting -> Babies & Toddlers -> Child Development

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Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Why do I have to repeat everything? Why does every conversation end in an argument?

Communicating with our children. Conversing. Connecting. When did it become so difficult? And how do we begin to change it for the better?

This book was designed to help parents answer these important questions, and it is based on two fundamental ideas: The first is that there are no bad children, and no deliberately bad parents -- but that sometimes, despite the best of intentions on both sides, there can be bad relationships between parents and children. The second is that, as parents, we must do everything we can to save those relationships, to reach out and really communicate with our children, because it is only through talking to them that we can create an environment for inspiration and change.

In this compelling book, Shmuley Boteach, passionate social commentator and outspoken relationship guru, walks you through the critical conversations, including: cherishing childhood; developing intellectual curiosity; knowing who you are and what you want to become; learning to forgive; realizing the importance of family and tradition; being fearless and courageous. As a father of eight, Rabbi Shmuley speaks from a wealth of experience. He has written a book for parents of children of all ages, from toddlers, who are just beginning to become aware of the world around them, to adolescents, who must learn to navigate all sorts of tricky social and academic pressures.

10 Conversations will help you stay connected to your children so that they develop the kind of strong moral character that leads to rich, meaningful lives.

The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition

of Alexandria Philo

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Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

While it would not be correct to say that Philo's works have been "lost"—scholars have always known and used Philo—they have essentially been "misplaced" as far as the average student of the Bible is concerned. Now the translation of the eminent classicist C. D. Yonge is available in an affordable, easy-to-read edition, with a new foreword and newly translated passages, and containing supposed fragments of Philo's writings from ancient authors such as John of Damascus. The title and arrangement of the writings have been standardized according to scholarly conventions.

A contemporary of Paul and Jesus, Philo Judaeus, of Alexandria, Egypt, is unquestionably among the most important writers for historians and students of Hellenistic Judaism and early Christianity. Although Philo does not explicitly mention Jesus, or Paul, or any of the followers of Jesus, Philo lived in their world. It is from Philo, for example, that we learn about how, like the Gospel of John, Jews (and Greeks) in the Greco-Roman world spoke of the creative force of God as God's Logos. Philo, too, employs interpretive strategies that parallel those of the author of Hebrews. Most scholars would agree that Philo and the author of Hebrews are drawing from the same, or at least similar, traditions of Hellenistic Judaism. With these kind of connections to the world of Judaism and early Christianity, Philo cannot be ignored.

Man Is Not Alone : A Philosophy of Religion

Abraham Joshua Heschel

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Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

an explanation of religion 5 out of 5 stars.
30 of 30 people found this review helpful.

Heschel's book is a description of faith rather than an argument for faith: not an attempt to persuade the faithless, but an explanation of how the religious person thinks. I especially liked his discussion of prayer and ritual; Heschel explains, for example, that set written prayers exist to help us think about our faith as we read them. MUCH easier to read than his more famous book "God In Search Of Man"; I wish I had read this book first.

Editorial Review:

Man Is Not Alone is a profound, beautifully written examination of the ingredients of piety: how man senses God's presence, explores it, accepts it, and builds life upon it. Abraham Joshua Heschel's philosophy of religion is not a philosophy of doctrine or the interpretation of a dogma. He erects his carefully built structure of thought upon foundations which are universally valid but almost generally ignored. It was Man Is Not Alone which led Reinhold Niebuhr accurately to predict that Heschel would "become a commanding and authoritative voice not only in the Jewish community but in the religious life of America." With its companion volume, God in Search of Man, it is revered as a classic of modern theology.

A Code of Jewish Ethics: Volume 1: You Shall Be Holy

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A Code of Jewish Ethics, Volume 1: You Shall Be Holy is the initial volume of the first major code of Jewish ethics to be written in the English language. It is a monumental work on the vital topic of personal character and integrity by one of the premier Jewish scholars and thinkers of our time.

With the stated purpose of restoring ethics to its central role in Judaism, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin offers hundreds of examples from the Torah, the Talmud, rabbinic commentaries, and contemporary stories to illustrate how ethical teachings can affect our daily behavior. The subjects dealt with are ones we all encounter. They include judging other people fairly; knowing when forgiveness is obligatory, optional, or forbidden; balancing humility and self-esteem; avoiding speech that shames others; restraining our impulses of envy, hatred, and revenge; valuing truth but knowing when lying is permitted; understanding why God is the ultimate basis of morality; and appreciating the great benefits of Torah study. Telushkin has arranged the book in the traditional style of Jewish codes, with topical chapters and numbered paragraphs. Statements of law are almost invariably followed by anecdotes illustrating how these principles have been, or can be, practiced in daily life. The book can be read straight through to provide a solid grounding in Jewish values, consulted as a reference when facing ethical dilemmas, or studied in a group.

Vast in scope, this volume distills more than three thousand years of Jewish laws and suggestions on how to improve one’s character and become more honest, decent, and just. It is a landmark work of scholarship that is sure to influence the lives of Jews for generations to come, rich with questions to ponder and discuss, but primarily a book to live by.

Way of G-d: Derech Hashem (Torah Classics Library)

Moshe Chaim Luzzatto

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Veritable Classic 4 out of 5 stars.
22 of 22 people found this review helpful.

"The Way of God" is not a modern book, but one that has become something of a classic in systematic expositions of Jewish thought from a Kabbalist's viewpoint. Written by Rabbi Luzzatto, a Master of Kabbalah himself, "The Way of God" has become available in English thanks to Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan.

Let me say from the beginning that the book is one of the best introductions to a living faith within a Kabbalist framework that I have read. The book is written in a turn of phrase that is relatively easily understood, which is a welcome change in terms of books connected with Kabbalah sometimes. "The Way of God" presents things in such a way that people can grasp the concepts with some degree of ease. At times, words specific to Kabbalah are used, though these are usually explained in some detail. Luzzatto rarely just assumes something. The book also contains both the Hebrew and English texts side by side.

The book is also very logically and clearly set out in parts that are divided into a few chapters. The parts are:

1. Fundamentals, covering The Creator, Man, Human Responsibility, and more.
2. Providence, covering Providence in General, Individual Providence, How Providence Works, Israel and the Nations, and more.
3. The Soul, Inspiration and Prophecy, with The Soul and Its Influence, Theurgy, The Prophetic Experience, Moses as a Prophet and more.
4. Serving God, with Study of Torah, Love and Fear of God, Prayer, Seasonal Commandments, and more.

Reading this book has also cleared up some issues that I have had from reading other books and been confused about. In this sense, I would agree with another reviewer that the book is "vital". It is indeed a worthy addition to someone seeking insight into Kabbalah.

Some points I felt raised some questions and more issues that are difficult to resolve without further reading on my own part. One in particular is Luzzatto's teaching that nothing happens without God's knowledge or will on this earth, which made me ponder on how this impacts on the tragic history of the Holocaust. While I have not read any Jewish responses to this issue, the book certainly raises some interesting questions that are worth studying.

Just lastly, if you are looking for a starting point in Kabbalah and Jewish thought, "The Way of God" is hard to go past. Despite the expense of getting it, it is worth the extra cost in being far superior to many other books that could leave you more confused. "The Way of God" really does get rid of a lot of the unnecessary complications.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book for both its informative discourse and also the inspiration that it presents to the reader. If you are thinking about it, take my advice: go on! I am sure there will be no regrets.

Editorial Review:

Explores Divine regulation of the world. With Rabbi Yosef Begun's marginal notes. Vowelized, facing Hebrew and English texts.

Persecution and the Art of Writing

Leo Strauss

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An excellent source for readers of philosophy 5 out of 5 stars.
21 of 22 people found this review helpful.

An excellent text, Strauss explicates on his views of how philosophers in times of persecution will "hide" their most stunning and important ideas "between the lines" of their works. In this way, the authors avoid death, and also provide the deepest insight to only those intelligent enough to find it in the texts. Pay special attention to Strauss's chapter on the "Guide for the Perplexed:" not only is it an interesting read, but one can see Strauss himself using some of the same techniques that he claims authors of the past used. It's all a matter of trying to understand what he truly wants to tell us.

Contra the Neo-Cons... 3 out of 5 stars.
14 of 39 people found this review helpful.

Now that certain of his followers have risen to such unpredictably high prominence and stuck around, Leo Strauss is getting more attention. This is good. Strauss is a good reader of good books (esp. Spinoza and Aristophanes), but his legacy is more ambivalent than one might expect. He is more than simply the intellectual architect behind Reaganism. Here are some observations that give an idea of what I mean in Persecution and the Art of Writing:

First, something to like about Strauss: He proceeds from the beginning of this study with the assumption that knowledge has a social basis, that social factors produce "truth." This position actually puts Strauss much closer to Foucault, the Frankfurt School, and the Cultural Studies crowd than to, say, Paul Wolfowitz and others who seek to engineer social circumstances by force if necesary to meet their proclaimed truths; thus, "freedom" must be "spread" to Iraq. Strauss was not stupid, like these saps. (We'll leave non-Senator Alan Keyes out of this.)

In fact, Strauss saw the right-wing shouters and their exercise of free speech at the expense of everyone else's coming: "What is called freedom of thought...for all practical purposes consists of--the ability to choose between two or more different views presented by the small minority of people who are public speakers or writers." (23). Nuance be damned. "We made the right decision on Iraq." "Ignorance is strength..."

Second, a disturbing view. Strauss assumes that the suppression of ideas by those in power and the persecution of dissenters and intellectuals is okay. Why? "Persecution...cannot prevent independent thinking. It cannnot prevent even the expression of independent thought" (23), never mind that this contradicts the statement Strauss makes above that independent thinking doesn't really exist anyway unless you have an AM talk radio show. Strauss's thesis: "Persecution cannot prevent even public expression of the heterodox truth, for a man of independent thought can utter his views in public and remain unharmed, provided he moves with circumspection. He can even utter them in print without incurring any danger, provided he is capable of writing between the lines" (24). What follows from this? Because the savvy socialist can write allegorically, then, it's alright to oppress socialists, or feminists, or any other kind of grownup. One can also argue from Strauss that religious minorities may also be persecuted, since they ought to find a way to "behave" between the lines. This is disgusting, obviously.

History teaches us the danger inherent in this attitude. The case of Walter Benjamin is a good place to start inquiring, if you're interested. I'd rather find a way to do without persecution at all. A more productive vision might be: Free Inquiry and the Art of Listening.

May Allegory Strike Back, and "fit audience find, though few."

Editorial Review:

The essays collected in Persecution and the Art of Writing all deal with one problem—the relation between philosophy and politics. Here, Strauss sets forth the thesis that many philosophers, especially political philosophers, have reacted to the threat of persecution by disguising their most controversial and heterodox ideas.

Every Person's Guide to Jewish Philosophy and Philosophers

Ronald H. Isaacs

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Editorial Review:

This book provides the reader with an introduction to important philosophical ideas of Jewish philosophers throughout history.

On Jewish Learning (Modern Jewish Philosophy and Religion)

Franz Rosenzweig

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Franz Rosenzweig is one of the greatest contributors to Jewish philosophy in the twentieth century and is, with Martin Buber and Abraham Heschel, one of the Jewish thinkers most widely read by Christians. On Jewish Learning collects essays, speeches, and letters that express Rosenzweig’s desire to reconnect the profound truths of Judaism with the lives of ordinary people. An assimilated Jew and scholar of German philosophy, Rosenzweig was on the point of conversion to Christianity when the experience of a Yom Kippur service in 1913 brought him back to Judaism, and he began to study with philosopher Hermann Cohen. Seeking how to be an observant Jew in the modern world, Rosenzweig refused to characterize the traditions of Jewish law as mere rituals, customs, and folkways. His aim for himself and for others was to find Judaism by living it, and to live it by knowing it more deeply.

The Wisconsin edition is not for sale in the British Commonwealth, the Republic of Ireland, or South Africa.

Peace of Mind: Insights on Human Nature That Can Change Your Life

Joshua L. Liebman

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Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Peace of Mind by Rabbi Joshua Loth Liebman 5 out of 5 stars.
22 of 22 people found this review helpful.

This is a complete work on the behavioral aspects of the human
condition. The author describes the good life, mastering
passions, personal unity, the true self and acceptance of
personal imperfections. The author believes that we must learn
to love or perish. He points to simple human needs consisting
of acceptance, approval and companionship. Democracy is
defined as tolerance in political relations. Insecurity is seen
as a manifestation of prior and perhaps continuing
inadequacies. The work encourages us to accept ourselves and
others with limitations and imperfections. The author
defines the inner human core of the soul, nervous system,
mind and an inner strength which binds the various
components. Finally, he encourages us to remove inner
insecurities by buttressing our individual and collective
self esteem. This is an important work in promoting
successful human relations.

Editorial Review:

"It may seem strange for a man to write a book about peace of mind in this age of fierce turmoil and harrowing doubts. I have written this book in the conviction that social peace can never be permanently achieved so long as individuals engage in civil war with themselves."

"In this book I try to present some answers that have proved helpful to me about the universal human dilemmas of conscience, love, fear, grief, and God-- crucial problems that present themselves in every kind of society, and, I believe, will present themselves as long as man is man." --Joshua Loth Liebman