Best of
Judaism

2002

The Pity of It All: A Portrait of the German-Jewish Epoch 1743-1933


Amos Elon - 2002
    Now, in this important work of historical restoration, Amos Elon takes us back to the beginning, chronicling a period of achievement and integration that at its peak produced a golden age second only to the Renaissance.Writing with a novelist's eye, Elon shows how a persecuted clan of cattle dealers and wandering peddlers was transformed into a stunningly successful community of writers, philosophers, scientists, tycoons and activists. He peoples his account with dramatic figures: Moses Mendelssohn, who entered Berlin in 1743 through the gate reserved for Jews and cattle, and went on to become "the German Socrates;" Heinrich Heine, beloved lyric poet who famously referred to baptism as the admission ticket to European culture; Hannah Arendt, whose flight from Berlin signaled the end of the German-Jewish idyll. Elon traces how this minority-never more than one percent of the population-came to be perceived as a deadly threat to national integrity, and he movingly demonstrates that this devastating outcome was uncertain almost until the end.A collective biography, full of depth and compassion, The Pity of It All summons up a splendid world and a dream of integration and tolerance that, despite all, remains the essential ennobling project of modernity.(less)

Here There Is No Why


Rachel Roth - 2002
    Joseph Mengele’s answer to Roma, the author, and to millions of Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Written to fulfill a promise made in the darkest moment of human history, this simple and eloquent story is unique in that it spans the geography of the Nazi’s Final Solution. Rachel (Roma in Polish), the teenage daughter of a journalist, relays to us the experiences of a schoolgirl and her classmates under the German occupied Warsaw Ghetto. She is a witness and participant in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. After the Nazis smoke her out of hiding, she bravely faces the reality of the gas chambers and concentration camps in Poland and Germany. Originally written in Polish, this is an eloquent and unforgettable account of survival.

Like Birds In Black and White


Miriam Raz-Zunszajn - 2002
    LIKE BIRDS IN BLACK AND WHITE is the narrative of a young Jewish girl from the village of Wereszczyn, Poland. At the same time, LIKE BIRDS IN BLACK AND WHITE is a very painful human story, about the spark of goodness that exists – even in the depths of evil, and motivates us to be humane. Miriam Raz-Zunszajn-Winograd was born in 1933 on a small farm, in the village of Wereszczyn, located in Western Poland. She spent the duration of the Holocaust in the region where she was born, and she is the sole survivor of her family, as well as from the Jews of Wereszczyn. With her farewell to her readers, at the completion of her journey-story of torment, Miriam asks to tell us the lesson that is so very important to her: “I learned that in every place – even in the case of the most evil – there is always a handful of righteous people ready to endanger their own lives for the good of others. I never forget these righteous people that I encountered in my path to survive. They were my hope and my light in the darkness.” Miriam live today on Kibbutz and can be reached at miryamr@gan.org.il

The Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations


Jonathan Sacks - 2002
    By its end, the phrase that came most readily to mind was 'the clash of civilizations.' The tragedy of September 11 intensified the danger caused by religious differences around the world. As the politics of identity begin to replace the politics of ideology, can religion become a force for peace?The Dignity of Difference is Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's radical proposal for reconciling hatreds. The first major statement by a Jewish leader on the ethics of globalization, it also marks a paradigm shift in the approach to religious coexistence. Sacks argues that we must do more than search for values common to all faiths; we must also reframe the way we see our differences.

Talking to God: Personal Prayers for Times of Joy, Sadness, Struggle, and Celebration


Naomi Levy - 2002
    Many urged her to publish a collection of her prayers—and now she has.In a time when we all need inspiration, comfort, and connection, Talking to God will help us reclaim prayer as an integral part of our lives, making it as natural and uninhibited as talking to our loved ones. Prayer is essential to the lives of millions, but many of us are searching for ways to supplement traditional prayers with ones that are less formal and more intimate. Written in a simple and direct style, the prayers in this book—and the wonderful stories that accompany them—are for people of all faiths, and for all occasions large and small. Naomi Levy’s personal prayers address the anxieties and roadblocks we all face in contemporary life. There are prayers for facing a new day, realizing one’s potential at work, celebrating an anniversary or birthday, and going to sleep at night. And there are prayers for the more profound occurrences in life—love and marriage, pregnancy and childbirth, illness, loss, and death. Rabbi Levy’s words, imbued with grace and empathy, touch on the entire range of human experience. Many of us will recognize ourselves in her prayers and stories and will be comforted by them, as well as challenged and uplifted. Perhaps most important, they are stepping-stones for us to go on and create our own prayers, to find meaning in our own lives, and to begin or renew our own relationships with God.From the Hardcover edition.

If a Place Can Make You Cry: Dispatches from an Anxious State


Daniel Gordis - 2002
    They planned to be there for a year, during which time Daniel would be a Fellow at the Mandel Institute in Jerusalem. This was a euphoric time in Israel. The economy was booming, and peace seemed virtually guaranteed. A few months into their stay, Gordis and his wife decided to remain in Israel permanently, confident that their children would be among the first generation of Israelis to grow up in peace.Immediately after arriving in Israel, Daniel had started sending out e-mails about his and his family’s life to friends and family abroad. These missives—passionate, thoughtful, beautifully written, and informative—began reaching a much broader readership than he’d ever envisioned, eventually being excerpted in The New York Times Magazine to much acclaim. An edited and finely crafted collection of his original e-mails, If a Place Can Make You Cry is a first-person, immediate account of Israel’s post-Oslo meltdown that cuts through the rhetoric and stridency of most dispatches from that country or from the international media. Above all, Gordis tells the story of a family that must cope with the sudden realization that they took their children from a serene and secure neighborhood in Los Angeles to an Israel not at peace but mired in war. This is the chronicle of a loss of innocence—the innocence of Daniel and his wife, and of their children. Ultimately, through Gordis’s eyes, Israel, with all its beauty, madness, violence, and history, comes to life in a way we’ve never quite seen before.Daniel Gordis captures as no one has the years leading up to what every Israeli dreaded: on April 1, 2002, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared that Israel was at war. After an almost endless cycle of suicide bombings and harsh retaliation, any remaining chance for peace had seemingly died.If a Place Can Make You Cry is the story of a time in which peace gave way to war, when childhood innocence evaporated in the heat of hatred, when it became difficult even to hope. Like countless other Israeli parents, Gordis and his wife struggled to make their children’s lives manageable and meaningful, despite it all. This is a book about what their children gained, what they lost, and how, in the midst of everything, a whole family learned time and again what really matters.From the Hardcover edition.

The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom


Philip S. Berg - 2002
    The central text of Kabbalah, the Zohar is a commentary on the Bible’s narratives, laws, and genealogies and a map of the spiritual landscape. In The Essential Zohar, the eminent kabbalist Rav P. S. Berg decodes its teachings on evil, redemption, human relationships, wealth and poverty, and other fundamental concerns from a practical, contemporary perspective. The Zohar and Kabbalah have traditionally been known as the world’s most esoteric sources of spiritual knowledge, but Rav Berg has dedicated his life to making this concentrated distillation of infinite wisdom available to people of all faiths so that we may use its principles to live each day in harmony with the divine.

The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible


Anonymous - 2002
    From the dramatic find in the caves of Qumran, the world's most ancient version of the Bible allows us to read the scriptures as they were in the time of Jesus.

Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories


Tikva Frymer-Kensky - 2002
    Reading the Women of the Bible takes up two of the most significant intellectual and religious issues of our day: the experiences of women in a patriarchal society and the relevance of the Bible to modern life.

Essential Essays on Judaism


Eliezer Berkovits - 2002
    Presents 13 of Berkovits' most significant essays, exploring vital issues within Judaism and Jewish society, including: Jewish morality and law, Jewish nationhood, and Jewish theology.

Climbing Jacob's Ladder: One Man's Journey to Rediscover a Jewish Spiritual Tradition


Alan Morinis - 2002
    But in 1997, in the face of personal crisis, he turned to his Jewish heritage for guidance. In his reading he happened upon a Jewish spiritual tradition called Mussar. Gradually he realized that he had stumbled upon an insightful discipline for self-development, complete with meditative, contemplative, and other well-developed transformative practices designed to penetrate the deepest roots of the inner life. Eventually reaching the limits of what he could learn on his own, he decided to seek out a Mussar teacher. This was not an easy task, since almost the entire world of the Mussar tradition had been wiped out in the Holocaust. In time, he found an accomplished master who stood in an unbroken line of transmission of the Mussar tradition, and who lived in the center of a community of Orthodox Jews on Long Island. This book tells the story of Morinis’s journey to meet his teacher and what he learned from him, revealing the central teachings and practices that are the spiritual treasury and legacy of Mussar.

Book of Psalms: With an Interlinear Translation


Menachem Davis - 2002
    This bible also includes an interlinear translation.

The Jewish Heritage Cookbook


Marlena Spieler - 2002
    The reference section explains the laws of the kashrut, which dictates the foods that can and cannot be eaten, and a guide to all the key ingredients used in the Jewish kitchen, with essential preparation and cooking techniques. The recipe section is an eclectic mix of 150 classic and contemporary dishes that draw on the culinary traditions of the global Jewish community. Herring with Beetroot and Sour Cream, Pot-roasted Brisket, and Potato Latkes from the Ashkenazi community sit in contrast to the warm and spicy flavours of Baba Ghannoush from the Sephardic community, deep-fried Falafel from Israel, and Green Calcutta Curry from India.

Accepting the Yoke of Heaven: Commentary on the Weekly Torah Portion


Yeshayahu Leibowitz - 2002
    As he leads us from Creation to the death of Moses, Professor Leibowitz takes us on a dramatic journey of philosophical discovery. Revealing his rational views on the nature of God and his relationship with Man, Leibowitz challenges our conceptions of the purpose of prayer and the presence of holiness in the world. He demands compliance with Jewish law for its own sake, irrespective of expectations of reward or punishment. Written with unflinching honesty and conviction, Accepting the Yoke of Heaven is a work of startling erudition.

A Book of Life: Embracing Judaism as a Spiritual Practice


Michael Strassfeld - 2002
    For all the cycles of life, best-selling author Rabbi Michael Strassfeld presents traditional Jewish teachings as a guide to behavior and values. Where the tradition is replete with rituals (for example, the Sabbath), he describes them and shows how they can enrich spiritual living. Where rituals are sparse or nonexistent (for example, returning home at the end of the workday), he suggests new ones gleaned from his own study and experience.Strassfeld also brings the principles of insight meditation to Jewish life, using this practice to recover and reconstruct Judaism's spiritual dimension. He describes a Judaism that encourages within us a spiritual awareness as we participate in both traditional Jewish practices and the mundane activities of daily life. By engaging with Jewish tradition in ways that recapture its original kavanah, or intention, we will, Strassfeld maintains, achieve the two fundamental goals of Judaism-to become better human beings and to be in God's presence. (Hardcover published in 2002 by Schocken Books, ISBN 0-8052-4124-8.)

WorldPerfect: The Jewish Impact on Civilization


Ken Spiro - 2002
    His findings revealed six core elements: Respect for human life; peace and harmony; justice and equality; education; family; and social responsibility. He then set off on a journey to find out why these were such common goals across cultural, economic, social and racial lines, and in the process, traced the history of the development of world religions, values and ethics. As a rabbi, he paid particular attention to how Judaism impacted, and was influenced by, the course of these developments. The result is a highly readable and well-documented book about the origins of values and virtues in Western civilization as influenced by the Greeks, Romans, Christians, Muslims and, most significantly, the Jews.

Let My Nation Live: The Story of Jewish Deliverance in the Days of Mordechai And Esther


Yosef Deutsch - 2002
    As the textbook lesson in G-d's constant, though unobtrusive vigilance and protection of His people, the miracle of Purim is the Jew's wellspring of faith in times of exile and danger.The climax; the proof that miracles take place beneath the surface and

The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls


Jodi Magness - 2002
    Like the Dead Sea Scrolls, however, the Qumran site continues to be the object of intense scholarly debate. In a book meant to introduce general readers to this fascinating area of study, veteran archaeologist Jodi Magness here provides an overview of the archaeology of Qumran and presents an exciting new interpretation of this ancient community based on information found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and other contemporary documents. Magness's work offers a number of fresh conclusions concerning life at Qumran. She agrees that Qumran was a sectarian settlement but rejects other unconventional views, including the view that Qumran was a villa rustica or manor house. By carefully analyzing the published information on Qumran, she refines the site's chronology, reinterprets the purpose of some of its rooms, and reexamines the archaeological evidence for the presence of women and children in the settlement. Numerous photos and diagrams give readers a firsthand look at the site. Written with an expert's insight yet with a journalist's spunk, this engaging book is sure to reinvigorate discussion of this monumental archaeological find.

Why Is That in Tradition?


Patrick Madrid - 2002
    Why is THAT in Tradition? shows you how to deflate standard objections to Catholic doctrines and practices that have been taught for centuries - and how to use those very beliefs and practices to bring people into (or back into) the Catholic Church.

Kabbalah Month by Month: A Year of Spiritual Practice and Personal Transformation


Melinda Ribner - 2002
    Each chapter includes information about the month's: * Unique energy and healing area * Astrological connections * Holidays * Torah portions * Hebrew letter and permutation of the Divine Name

Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow


Arthur Green - 2002
    Arthur Green, one of the most respected teachers of Jewish mysticism of his generation, uses this simple Hebrew word to unlock the spiritual meaning of Kabbalah for our lives.When Moses experienced his great moment of call at the Burning Bush, he asked God, "When people ask me, 'What is His name?' what should I say to them?" God answers with this mysterious phrase, "I shall be what I shall be," and says to Moses, "Tell them that 'I shall be' sent you."God's puzzling answer makes the conversation sound like a koan-dialogue between a Zen master and disciple.... Like the koan, the text here is reaching to some place beyond words, seeking to create a breakthrough in our consciousness. What is it trying to tell us?--from the IntroductionBlending Jewish theology and mysticism, Arthur Green invites us on a contemporary exploration of Kabbalah, showing how the ancient Jewish mystical tradition can be retooled to address the needs of our generation.Drawing on the Zohar and other kabbalistic texts, Green examines the fundamental ideas and spiritual teachings of Kabbalah, encouraging today's modern seeker to stretch to new ways of thinking with both heart and mind, setting us on a rewarding path to the wisdom Kabbalah has to offer.

Absorbing Perfections: Kabbalah and Interpretation


Moshe Idel - 2002
    He takes as a starting point the fact that the post-biblical Jewish world lost its geographical centre with the destruction of the temple and so was left with a textual centre, the Holy Book. Idel argues that a text-oriented religion produced language-centred forms of mysticism.

Hitler's Jewish Soldiers: The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military


Bryan Mark Rigg - 2002
    After centuries of Jewish assimilation and intermarriage in German society, he discovered that eliminating Jews from the rest of the population was more difficult than he'd anticipated. As Bryan Rigg shows in this provocative new study, nowhere was that heinous process more fraught with contradiction and confusion than in the German military.Contrary to conventional views, Rigg reveals that a startlingly large number of German military men were classified by the Nazis as Jews or partial-Jews (Mischlinge), in the wake of racial laws first enacted in the mid-1930s. Rigg demonstrates that the actual number was much higher than previously thought-perhaps as many as 150,000 men, including decorated veterans and high-ranking officers, even generals and admirals.As Rigg fully documents for the first time, a great many of these men did not even consider themselves Jewish and had embraced the military as a way of life and as devoted patriots eager to serve a revived German nation. In turn, they had been embraced by the Wehrmacht, which prior to Hitler had given little thought to the race of these men but which was now forced to look deeply into the ancestry of its soldiers.The process of investigation and removal, however, was marred by a highly inconsistent application of Nazi law. Numerous exemptions were made in order to allow a soldier to stay within the ranks or to spare a soldier's parent, spouse, or other relative from incarceration or far worse. (Hitler's own signature can be found on many of these exemption orders.) But as the war dragged on, Nazi politics came to trump military logic, even in the face of the Wehrmacht's growing manpower needs, closing legal loopholes and making it virtually impossible for these soldiers to escape the fate of millions of other victims of the Third Reich.Based on a deep and wide-ranging research in archival and secondary sources, as well as extensive interviews with more than four hundred Mischlinge and their relatives, Rigg's study breaks truly new ground in a crowded field and shows from yet another angle the extremely flawed, dishonest, demeaning, and tragic essence of Hitler's rule.

Awakening Lives: Autobiographies of Jewish Youth in Poland before the Holocaust


Jeffrey Shandler - 2002
    Their candid and passionate writings not only reveal the personal struggles, ambitions, and dreams of fifteen young authors, they also offer remarkable insight into the nature of ordinary Jewish life in Poland during the years between the world wars. Later authors often view this moment through lenses tinted by nostalgia or horror. But these young writers, unaware of the catastrophic future, tell their life stories with the urgency and fervor of adolescents, coming of age during a period of manifold new opportunities and challenges. The autobiographies presented in the volume are selected from hundreds that were written for contests in the 1930s conducted by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, then based in Vilna. Nine male and six female authors write from a variety of circumstances that reflect the great diversity of interwar Polish Jewry -- some of the authors are ardently secular, and others devoutly religious; some are impoverished and others come from the working class or middle class; some are highly educated, and others self-taught. They come from big cities, small towns, and villages; they are Zionists, Bundists, communists; they espouse multiple political affiliations or none at all. Taking up the unusual task of writing an autobiography at the threshold of adulthood, these young authors also display different personalities, writing styles, and views of life. Originally written for a pioneering research project that hoped to address the challenges facing Polish Jewish youth, their words now speak across the chasm of history, providing unique testimony on Jewish life in the final years before the Holocaust.

Poems from the Diwan


Yehuda HaLevi - 2002
    Suffused with warmth, moving easily between the mundane and the otherworldly, and, above all, delicately elegiac, the poet's voice cuts across all the literary genres and religious modes on which he drew. Born in the second half of the 11th century, Halevi wandered in his youth between Muslim and Christian Spain before settling in Córdoba around 1110. Towards the end of his life, to the amazement and consternation of his friends and admirers, he set out on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, at the time under Crusader rule. He arrived in Alexandria in 1140 and recorded his perilous sea voyage in a celebrated sequence of poems, remarkable for their fusion of startling realism and religious longing. Months later Halevi embarked for Palestine. The exact date, location and circumstances of his death have remained a mystery. Gabriel Levin was born in France in 1948 and grew up in the United States and Israel. His first collection of poems, Sleepers of Beulah, was published in 1992 and his mucb-praised second collection, Ostraca, appeared in late 1999. He lives in Jerusalem.

The Art and Politics of Arthur Szyk


Steven Luckert - 2002
    A gifted book illustrator and illuminator, a skillful caricaturist, and a crusader for causes, this multifaceted artist ceaselessly defended the rights of Jews and advocated on their behalf.Skilled in medieval and Persian miniature painting, Szyk redirected his artistry during World War II into political cartoons that unmasked the face of the Nazi enemy and mobilized popular opinion. His caricatures became daily fare in newspapers and magazines throughout the United States. In 1942 alone, Szyk's war-driven cartoons were published in Esquire, Collier's, Look, Liberty, Time, the Saturday Review of Literature, and the Saturday Evening Post. One magazine reported that Szyk cartoons were as popular as Betty Grable pin-ups for troops heading overseas.The Art and Politics of Arthur Szyk places the extraordinary artist and his work into the context of the turbulent times in which he lived (1894-1951). Hundreds of illustrations -- rendered in the artist's original brilliant colors and painstakingly intricate detail -- were drawn from private and public collections around the world. The illuminations, paintings, prints, line drawings, lithographs, posters, magazine covers, and stamps are still vibrant and compelling. The political caricatures still resonate.

Letters to Auntie Fori: The 5,000-Year History of the Jewish People and Their Faith


Martin Gilbert - 2002
    Book by Gilbert, Martin

The Story of the Jewish People: Letters to Auntie Fori


Martin Gilbert - 2002
      At her ninetieth birthday celebration in New Delhi, “Auntie Fori” revealed to her longtime acquaintance, Sir Martin Gilbert, that she was not of Indian birth but actually Hungarian—and Jewish. She did not know what this Jewish identity involved, historically or spiritually, and asked him to enlighten her.   In response, Sir Martin embarked on the series of letters that have been gathered to form this book, shaping each one as a concise, individually formed story. He presents Jewish history as the narrative expression—the timeline—of the Jewish faith, and the faith as it is informed by the history. In Sir Martin’s hands, these stories are rich in incident and achievement, starting with Adam and Eve through the Biblical and post-Biblical periods, to the long history of the Jews in the Diaspora, and ending with an unexpected visit to an outpost of Jewry in Anchorage, Alaska. Ranging through almost every country in the world—including China and India—he maintains a chronological structure, weaving in the history of other peoples and faiths, to give Auntie Fori, and us, a sense of the larger stage on which Jewish history has played out.   “Compact, breezy, and thoroughly enjoyable . . . For those, like Auntie Fori, hoping to understand the Jewish past and present, this book is a treasure.” —Booklist

Cultures of the Jews: A New History


David Biale - 2002
    The premise of their endeavor is that although Jews have always had their own autonomous traditions, Jewish identity cannot be considered immutable, the fixed product of either ancient ethnic or religious origins. Rather, it has shifted and assumed new forms in response to the cultural environment in which the Jews have lived. Building their essays on specific cultural artifacts—a poem, a letter, a traveler’s account, a physical object of everyday or ritual use—that were made in the period and locale they study, the contributors describe the cultural interactions among different Jews—from rabbis and scholars to non-elite groups, including women—as well as between Jews and the surrounding non-Jewish world. Part One, “Mediterranean Origins,” describes the concept of the “People” or “Nation” of Israel that emerges in the Hebrew Bible and the culture of the Israelites in relation to that of the Canaanite groups. It goes on to discuss Jewish cultures in the Greco-Roman world, Palestine during the Byzantine period, Babylonia, and Arabia during the formative years of Islam. Part Two, “Diversities of Diaspora,” illuminates Judeo-Arabic culture in the Golden Age of Islam, Sephardic culture as it bloomed first if the Iberian Peninsula and later in Amsterdam, the Jewish-Christian symbiosis in Ashkenazic Europe and in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the culture of the Italian Jews of the Renaissance period, and the many strands of folklore, magic, and material culture that run through diaspora Jewish history. Part Three, “Modern Encounters,” examines communities, ways of life, and both high and fold culture in Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, the Ladino Diaspora, North Africa and the Middle East, Ethiopia, Zionist Palestine and the State of Israel, and, finally, the United States. Cultures of the Jews is a landmark, representing the fruits of the present generation of scholars in Jewish studies and offering a new foundation upon which all future research into Jewish history will be based. Its unprecedented interdisciplinary approach will resonate widely among general readers and the scholarly community, both Jewish and non-Jewish, and it will change the terms of the never-ending debate over what constitutes Jewish identity.

Head to Heart


Gila Manolson - 2002
    Here is an insightful, frank, and sensible manual that looks at dating, love, and marriage from the Torah perspective and comes up with some surprising, and important, conclusions.

Small Miracles for the Jewish Heart: Extraordinary Coincidences from Yesterday and Today


Yitta Halberstam - 2002
    Each Small Miracles book is a collection of more than sixty heartwarming stories that recall remarkable coincidences that have changed people's ordinary lives.

Walk Numbers! A Messianic Jewish Devotional Commentary


Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg - 2002
    Join the march, as we break camp and move o

Aleph Isn't Enough: Hebrew for Adults (Book 2)


Linda Motzkin - 2002
    As students solidify their reading ability, they will also enhance their vocabulary, increase their familiarity with roots, and develop their translation skills. With chapters focused on the Hebrew of the Sh'ma, the Amidah, the Torah service, and the Haggadah, this book builds an understanding of the cornerstones of Hebrew grammar. Alternative translations of basic prayers from a wide selection of different prayer books are provided as well.- Large, clear Hebrew characters simplify reading- Multileveled format following Aleph Isn't Tough- Includes supplementary enrichment material designed to increase the student's knowledge of Jewish practice, history, and texts

The Origins of the Seder: The Passover Rite and Early Rabbinic Judaism


Baruch M. Bokser - 2002
    Explaining hot the Passover evening celebration, the seder, became one of the most popular Jewish rituals, Baruch M. Bokser shows how it was based on and transformed a biblical sacrificial meal. Bokser demonstrates the significance of the motif of Passover inb ancient Judaism, indicating why Jews and Christians employted it to express hopes for redemption. And he also illuminates the process of historical development through the interaction of a traditional heritage with contemporaryand outside cultural influences. This is a fascinating book which will add much to our understanding of Judaism and Christianity and of the nature of religion in a changing world.

50 Jewish Messiahs: The Untold Life Stories of 50 Jewish Messiahs Since Jesus and How They Changed the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Worlds


Jerry Rabow - 2002
    These characters, though unrenowned today, inspired messianic fervour that at times seized the whole Jewish, Christian, Muslim and even secular worlds. The stories of these fifty Messiahs, both male and female, are unknown -- suppressed by Jewish religious authorities or ignored by historians of all religions. Until now. In this book, these Jewish Messiahs are remembered, and now their forgotten stories -- whether humorous, bizarre, tragic or solemn -- are finally told. The Messiah who killed the Pope; The Messiah who was saved from the Inquisition when the Pope hid him in the Vatican; The Messiah who demanded that his head be cut off in order to prove his immortality The Messiah who defied the Holy Roman Emperor; The 17th century Messiah whose followers continued their secret society into the 20th century. And to contemporary times and the story of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, and how he inspired a passionate and devoted following. Above all, Fifty Jewish Messiahs examines humanity, not divinity, and history rather than theology. Taken together, these intriguing stories paint a vivid portrait of the universal and timeless human need for optimism, and hope in a better future.

Jerusalem: Portrait of the City in the Second Temple Period (BCE-70 CE)


Lee I. Levine - 2002
    Lee Levine traces the development of Jerusalem during this time—through its urban, demographic, topographical, and archaeological features, its political regimes, public institutions, and its cultural and religious life.

Love is my Religion


David Aaron - 2002
    They claim that it is more about fearing God and feeling guilty rather than loving God and feeling joy. They conclude that it leads us to a life of weakness and submission and robs us of our power and freedom to be our true selves.Love is my Religion shows how Judaism is quite the opposite of these misconceptions. It is founded upon love and its purpose is love. Its teachings encourage us to be strong and its laws empower us to achieve true freedom, choose love and experience the ecstatic joy of being in love.

The Internal Diversification of Second Temple Judaism


Jeff S. Anderson - 2002
    to the destruction of the second temple in 70 C.E. is an enigma to many students of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. This era has often been overlooked as unimportant or been the victim of strongly confessional overgeneralizations. Christians have often touted the absolute uniqueness of their faith as something that replaced a jaded, outmoded Jewish religion. Jews, on the other hand, have often tended to identify Christianity as something entirely unique, a phenomenon totally unrelated to Judaism. However, the Second Temple period was one of the most prolific and creative in all of Israel's history. It was a time of unparalleled literary and theological diversity that gave rise to the powerful religious movements of Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity. The Internal Diversification of Second Temple Judaism provides a broad overview of the history, constituent communities, and theological innovations of the Second Temple period.

Scattered Among the Peoples


Allan Levine - 2002
    Structured as a chronological series of twelve moment-in-time portraits, focusing on individuals and their interaction with their families and society, the narrative carries readers through the economic, political, social and intellectual climates of some of the world's most famous and fascinating cosmopolitan centers. From the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, to the emigration of Soviet Jews from Russia following the Six Day War in Israel in 1967, Levine's masterful account describes expulsions and scandals, false messiahs and the first ghetto, assassinations, blood libels, the learning and wealth that sprung up in distant cities, and some devastating reversals of fortune. Above all, this compelling saga chronicles the lives of a vibrant cast of characters-well-known historical figures, as well as many who have been forgotten. The successes and the failures of so many-as teachers, rabbis, merchants, writers, soldiers, and physicians-add a colorful and accessible dimension to this sprawling history of the Diaspora. "Scattered Among the Peoples" is an impressive and immensely readable book, one that is an important contribution to the literature of Jewish history.

Adventures in Jewish Cooking


Jeff Nathan - 2002
    His innovative food captures the spirit of Jewish cooking while exploring a whole world of sophisticated flavors.Jeffrey Nathan revives and reinvents Jewish cuisine for generations of people tired of the same old brisket and noodle kugel. In Adventures in Jewish Cooking, classic Jewish recipes get a delicious twist, like Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Sweet and Sour Cranberry Sauce and Gefilte Fish Terrine with Beet and Carrot Salads. But Nathan also knows when to stick to tradition—in his confident hands, tried-and-true favorites like latkes and cholent have never tasted better. Inspired by Jewish cuisines from around the world, as well as a diverse palette of other ethnic flavors, these recipes are anything but bland or heavy. Israeli Chopped Vegetable Salad, Falafel-Crusted Salmon with Jerusalem Dressing, Syrian Lemon Chicken Stew, and Apple Cobbler with Almond-Streusel Topping are all so flavorful and nuanced that they can be served with pride on any occasion. With ready-for-company menus perfect for Passover, the Sabbath, and more, plenty of weeknight options, and variations that make it easy to adjust many recipes to a meat or dairy meal, this is the book that adventurous Jewish cooks have been waiting for.

Narrative Dynamics in Paul: A Critical Assessment


Bruce W. Longenecker - 2002
    A variety of studies since that period have advanced story as an integral and generative ingredient in Paul's theological formulations. In this book, a team of leading Pauline scholars assesses the strengths and weaknesses of a narrative approach, looking in detail at its application to particular Pauline texts.

The Jewish Prophet: Visionary Words from Moses and Miriam to Henrietta Szold and A. J. Heschel


Michael J. Shire - 2002
    This beautifully illustrated collection of Jewish prophecy features the lives and teachings of thirty men and women. Throughout the ages, they bravely stood up to speak God's message and made a lasting contribution to our understanding of both the human and the Divine. This book also provides an inspiring and informative description of the role each played in their own time--and an explanation of why we should know about them in our time.These inspiring moral and spiritual leaders were critics of the evils of society, rooted out corruption among those in power and provided healing and comfort in times of despair and hardship. They ranged from the biblical prophets through the thinkers and leaders of medieval times to modern-day visionaries and activists.All of these people spoke up bravely against the evils of their day, and were prepared to risk their lives for the sake of truth. The lives and words of these passionate advocates for change are still a source of great inspiration today. Rabbi Dr. Michael Shire introduces their own words by discussing the life and message of each prophet, revealing how much Judaism has contributed to society's moral values. Drawing parallels between the biblical and later prophets, he highlights our ongoing need for men and women to take on the role of the prophet.Illustrated with illuminations from medieval Hebrew manuscripts, The Jewish Prophet is a richly decorated and fascinating collection of inspiration and wisdom; and the only book to gather together prophecy from ancient, medieval and modern times.

Candles in the Dark: A Treasury of the World's Most Inspiring Parables


Todd Outcalt - 2002
    This exquisite collection of profound and enlightening parables contains the wisdom and insight of the world's great religions, philosophies, and cultural traditions. In these stories, you'll find spiritual inspiration and practical guidance to help you cope with life's many problems and conflicts. Christian and Buddhist, Jewish and Islamic, African and Native American, ancient and modern parables: these wonderfully diverse and entertaining stories address every aspect of life, from family issues to personal freedom, from money problems to the power of friendship. They will help you discover truth, beauty, and satisfaction within yourself and in the world around you. The lessons they teach will deepen your understanding of basic human and spiritual truths and increase your ability to: * Live a life of faith, hope, and love * Appreciate the beauty that surrounds you * Embrace the freedom to live your life * Seek and find guidance * Discover strength in a virtuous life * Encourage others who are in need

Heaven on Earth


Nechemia Coopersmith - 2002
    These 54 articles, compiled from award winning and much loved website www.aish.com, bring together many of today's top Jewish educators and writers. Heaven On Earth will refresh your Jewish soul with a healthy dose of down-to-earth spirituality.