Best of
Judaism

1983

I Asked For Wonder: A Spiritual Anthology


Abraham Joshua Heschel - 1983
    He addresses and challenges the whole person, portraying that rarest of human phenomena—the holy man.

The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol. 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments


James H. Charlesworth - 1983
    Some of these sources may be lost forever, but many have come to light in modern times. Known as the pseudepigrapha, they are made available here in English translation.

Halakhic Man


Joseph B. Soloveitchik - 1983
    It is a profound excursion into religious psychology and phenomenology, a pioneering attempt at a philosophy of halakhah, and a stringent critique of mysticism and romantic religion.

Why the Jews?


Dennis Prager - 1983
    Why have Jews been the object of the most enduring and universal hatred in history? Why did Hitler consider murdering Jews more important than winning World War II? Why has the United Nations devoted more time to tiny Israel than to any other nation on earth? In this seminal study, Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin attempt to uncover and understand the roots of antisemitism—from the ancient world to the Holocaust to the current crisis in the Middle East. Why the Jews? offers new insights and unparalleled perspectives on some of the most recent, pressing developments in the contemporary world, including: -The replicating of Nazi antisemitism in the Arab world -The pervasive anti-Zionism/antisemitism on university campuses -The rise of antisemitism in Europe -Why the United States and Israel are linked in the minds of antisemites Clear, persuasive, and thought-provoking, Why the Jews? is must reading for anyone who seeks to understand the unique role of the Jews in human history.

If you were God / Immortality and the soul / A world of love


Aryeh Kaplan - 1983
    Three of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's notable essays: If You Were G-d, Immortality and the Soul, and A World of Love.

Elijah's Violin and Other Jewish Fairy Tales


Howard Schwartz - 1983
    Drawn from sources as diverse as Morocco and India, Spain and Eastern Europe, Babylon and Egypt, the stories are characterized by their infusion of traditional Jewish characters with the archetypal forms found in all fairy tales, or by their treatment of Jewish religious themes. The book combines the playfulness of fairy tales with the author's depth of knowledge of the historical origins of the tales. Throughout one can find the quests and riddles of the traditional fairy tale along with the divine intervention that characterizes the Jewish fairy tale.

Made in Heaven: A Jewish Wedding Guide


Aryeh Kaplan - 1983
    Written to give couples an insight into the depth and spiritual power of the Jewish wedding ceremony, and of Judaism as a whole.

Harper Study Bible-NRSV


Anonymous - 1983
     In-text book outlines Book introductions Study notes on every page Index to study notes Cross-references 14 maps and charts Concordance Family record pages 8 pages of color maps Shrink-wrapped 2,112 pp.

A Land of Two Peoples: Martin Buber on Jews and Arabs


Martin Buber - 1983
    In his voluminous writings on Arab-Jewish relations in Palestine, Buber united his religious and philosophical teachings with his politics, which he felt were essential to a life of public dialogue and service to God. Collected in ALand of Two Peoples are the private and open letters, addresses, and essays in which Buber advocated binationalism as a solution to the conflict in the Middle East. A committed Zionist, Buber steadfastly articulated the moral necessity for reconciliation and accommodation between the Arabs and Jews. From the Balfour Declaration of November 1917 to his death in 1965, he campaigned passionately for a "one state solution.With the Middle East embroiled in religious and ethnic chaos, A Land of Two Peoples remains as relevant today as it was when it was first published more than twenty years ago. This timely reprint, which includes a new preface by Paul Mendes-Flohr, offers context and depth to current affairs and will be welcomed by those interested in Middle Eastern studies and political theory.

The Aryeh Kaplan Reader: Collected Essays on Jewish Themes from the Noted Writer and Thinker


Aryeh Kaplan - 1983
    Essays on a variety of topics, from biography to Kabbalah, contemporary movements to cosmic speculation.

Yentl the Yeshiva Boy


Isaac Bashevis Singer - 1983
    When he dies, Yentyl feels that she no longer has a reason to remain in the village, and so, late one night, she cuts off her hair, dresses as a young man, and sets out to find a yeshiva where she can continue her studies and live secretly as a man.

The Slayers of Moses


Susan A. Handelman - 1983
    She defines current structures of thought and patterns of organizing reality, clearly distinguishes them from previously reigning Hellenic modes of abstract thought, and connects them with important elements of the Rabbinic interpretive tradition. Hers is the first comprehensive treatment of the undeniable, and undeniably significant, influence of Jewish religious thought on contemporary literary criticism. Dr. Handelman shows how they provide a crucial link among several of the most influential modern theories of textual interpretation, from Freud to the Deconstructionist School of Lacan and Derrida, as well as current literary theorists who revive Rabbinic hermeneutics, such as Harold Bloom and Geoffrey Hartman.

The Soncino Chumash: The Five Books of Moses with Haphtaroth (Soncino Books of the Bible)


Abraham Cohen - 1983
    The Hebrew text is presented in full, with a lucid English translation and commentary digest based on the classical Jewish commentaries. Included are fascinating midrashic, philosophical, literary and mystical interpretations by such commentators as Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, Nachmanides, Sforno, Kimchi and Gersonides. This translation has been acclaimed by Rabbis everywhere and is used worldwide.

There's No Such Thing as a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein


Susan Sussman - 1983
    . . . With his wisdom and love, the grandfather widens the child's understanding, as Sussman does for the reader of her endearing story.--Publishers Weekly.

Ezekiel 1-20


Moshe Greenberg - 1983
    This is the first of two volumes on the prophetic book of Ezekiel. It includes:A new translation of the book, followed by textual notes that give readings from such ancient translations as the Greek and the Syrian and from medieval Hebrew manuscripts.Sections titled  "Comment," offering clarification of grammar,  context, and other details, and "Structure  and Themes," a more general literary discussion  following each section of  translation.Adherence to the Masoretic (traditional  Hebrew) text and extensive use of Rabbinic  literature.A holistic interpretation showing  how many features of the text are interwoven and  integrated.

Life of Adam and Eve


Anonymous - 1983
    It recounts the lives of Adam and Eve from after their expulsion from the Garden of Eden to their deaths. It provides more detail about the Fall of Man, including Eve's version of the story. Satan explains that he rebelled when God commanded him to bow down to Adam. After Adam dies, he and all his descendants are promised a resurrection.The ancient versions of the Life of Adam and Eve are: the Greek Apocalypse of Moses, the Latin Life of Adam and Eve, the Slavonic Life of Adam and Eve, the Armenian Penitence of Adam, the Georgian Book of Adam, and one or two fragmentary Coptic versions. These texts are usually named as Primary Adam Literature to distinguish them from subsequent related texts, such as the Cave of Treasures that includes what appears to be extracts.They differ greatly in length and wording, but for the most part are derived from a single source that has not survived, and contain (except for some obvious insertions) no undeniably Christian teaching.[clarification needed]Each version contains some unique material, as well as variations and omissions.While the versions were composed from the early 3rd to the 5th century, the literary units in the work are considered to be older and predominantly of Jewish origin. There is wide agreement that the original was composed in a Semitic language in the 1st century AD/CE.

First Steps to a New Jewish Spirit: Reb Zalman's Guide to Recapturing the Intimacy & Ecstasy in Your Relationship with God


Zalman Schachter-Shalomi - 1983
    The classic born-again experience is a sudden, discontinuous event. For a person growing with God in daily practice, there is likely to be less drama. The experience will be more gentle, natural, and easier on your immediate family.... If you stay with this work, you have every reason to trust the adage, "When the pupil is ready, the teacher appears."--from First Steps to a New Jewish Spirit This extraordinary spiritual handbook is a compassionate call to reconnect with your spiritual roots and nourish your relationship with God. Breaking free from ways of Jewish worship that no longer inspire, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi--one of the most important Jewish spiritual teachers since Abraham Joshua Heschel--guides you through practical exercises for enriching the most important aspects of everyday life--physical health, work, marriage, family, prayer--and empowers you with contemporary ways to satisfy your modern spiritual hunger.Whether refreshing your soul with a midday mini-Sabbath or improving your relationships by refining your awareness, Reb Zalman will introduce you to new models of practicing Judaism. In doing so, he will challenge you to embrace your faith as both spiritually and emotionally enriching, and will awaken you to innovative, inspiring ways for leading a meaningful Jewish life.

Our Gang: Jewish Crime and the New York Jewish Community, 1900-1940


Jenna Weissman Joselit - 1983
    Jenna Weissman Joselit traces the origins, nature, patterns, location, and impact of Jewish crime from the early years, when it was inextricably bound up with the East Side community as a whole, with criminals living among the more or less law-abiding citizens they preyed upon, to the post-World War I period and the gradual assimilation and absorption of Jewish crime into the mainstream of the American underworld.Parallel with this theme is a broader one: the New York Jewish community's reaction to Jewish crime, evolving from disbelief to denial to concern and the establishment of a network of correctional and preventive agencies, and finally--as the nature of Jewish crime changed, and as the community itself felt a growing sense of security--a sort of acceptance.

The Disputation At Barcelona


Charles Chavel - 1983
    

From a Ruined Garden: The Memorial Books of Polish Jewry


Jack Kugelmass - 1983
    FROM A RUINED GARDEN gathers some 77 sections from the nearly 1,000 memorial books published. The texts describe daily life in the shtetl as well as everyday life during the Holocaust and the experiences of returning survivors. 26 photos.