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Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hookup!yeshua.marcam.com!news.kei.com!uhog.mit.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!news.aero.org!faigin
From: faigin@aero.org (Daniel P. Faigin)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish,news.answers,soc.answers
Subject: Judaism Reading List: Introduction and General (Pt. I)
Supersedes: <j.r.l_779220424@solarium.aero.org>
Followup-To: soc.culture.jewish
Date: 10 Oct 1994 18:07:12 GMT
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Selected Sources for Additional Reading on Judaism
Part I: Introduction, General Sources, Torah, Talmud, and Mishnah
[Last Change: $Date: 1994/10/10 18:07:08 $ $Revision: 2.10 $]
[Last Post: Sat Sep 10 11:07:06 1994]
There is nothing more uniquely
characteristic of the style of Jewish
religious life than the great love Jews have
for holy books. [Sie73]
The message is intended to provide the readers of soc.culture.jewish with
suggestions for books discussing various Jewish topics, especially the
subject of Jewish law and practice. While no book can substitute for a
formal course of instruction guided by one's Rabbi, these books are useful
as reference material for the knowledgeable, and as an introduction for the
not-yet-knowledgeable about Judaism.
It is difficult to separate what is now termed "Orthodox" judaism from the
collective term "Judaism". The practices of Orthodoxy tend to be the
traditional practices. Furthermore, Orthodoxy is not organized as a movement
in the same sense as Reform or Conservative; although Orthodox organizations
exist, congregations do not need to join them to be considered Orthodox.
This list is by no means intended to be exhaustive, and it is designed to
lean toward traditional Judaism, although some of the sources included under
the GENERAL headings included references to liberal movements.
Please note: All parts of this list should be undigestifyable via gnus or
other news readers. Each subpart begins with it's own Subject: for easy
reference.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Copyright Notice
The soc.culture.jewish FAQ and reading lists are not to be reproduced for
commercial use unless the party reproducing the FAQ agrees to the following:
1) They will contact the FAQ maintainer to obtain the latest version for
their collection.
2) They will provide the FAQ maintainer with information on what collection
the copy of the FAQ is in, and how that collection may be obtained.
3) They will agree, in writing, that the FAQ will be included in the
collection without modification, and that acknowledgements of
contributors to the FAQ remain in the FAQ.
4) They will agree, in writing, that the collection including the FAQ will be
distributed on either a non-profit basis, or have some percentage of
profit donated to Tzedakah (Charity)
To support this, this FAQ is Compilation Copyright (c) 1993,1994 by Daniel P.
Faigin (the FAQ maintainer) on behalf of soc.culture.jewish.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Organization
This list consists of 11 parts. Each part is subdivided into a number of
subheadings, each beginning with a line of 60 dashes and a Subject:. This
allows digestification by programs such as gnus. The organization of these
parts is as follows:
o Part I: Introduction and General
I.1. Where Can I Get These Books From?
I.2. But The List is So Long, Where Should I Start?
I.3. For Non-Jewish Readers
I.4. General Judaism
I.5. General Jewish Thought
I.6. General Jewish History
I.7. Noachide Laws
I.8. Torah and Talmud
I.9. Mishnah and Talmud
I.10. Torah and Talmudic Commentary
I.11. Midrash
I.12. Halachic Codes
I.13. Becoming An Observant Jew
I.14. Women and Judaism
I.15. Science and Judaism
o Part II: Traditional Liturgy, Practice, Lifestyle, Holidays
II.1. Traditional Liturgy
II.2. Traditional Philosophy and Ethics
II.3. Prayer
II.4. Traditional Practice
II.5. The Household
II.6. Life, Death, and In-Between
II.7. The Cycle Of Holidays
o Part III: The Messiah, Kaballah and Chasidism
III.1. The Messiah
III.2. Chasidism
III.3. Kaballah and Mysticism
o Part IV: Reform Judaism
IV.1. Reform Beliefs
IV.2. Reform Rituals
IV.3. Reform Liturgy
IV.4. Reform Responsa
IV.5. Reform History
IV.6. The Bible
o Part V: Conservative Judaism
V.1. Conservative Beliefs
V.2. Conservative Practices
V.3. Conservative History
V.4. Conservative Liturgy
o Part VI: Reconstructionist Judaism
VI.1. Philosophy Of Movement
VI.2. Reconstructionist Education
VI.3. Reconstructionist Liturgy
o Part VII: Humanistic Judaism
VII.1. Philosophy Of Movement
VII.2. Other Related Reading
o Part VIII: Zionism
VIII.1. Zionism and The Development Of Israel
VIII.2. The Founders
VIII.3. Zionistic Movements
VIII.4. Judaism in Israel
o Part IX: Antisemitism
IX.1. Antisemitism
IX.2. What Led to The Holocaust
IX.3. Medieval Oppression
IX.4. Antisemitism Today (Including Dealing with Hate Groups)
IX.5. Judiasm and Christianity
o Part X: Intermarriage
X.1. So You're Considering Intermarriage?
X.2. The Traditional Viewpoint
X.3. Conversion
X.4. You've Done The Deed. Coping With Life As An Intermarried
o Part XI: Periodicals
XI.1.a. Topical General Interest Periodicals
XI.1.b. General Interest Periodicals focused on Tradition and Home
XI.1.c. General Interest Periodicals focused on Jewish Scholarship
XI.1.d. Other General Interest Periodicals
XI.2. Publications Targeted For Specific Movements
XI.3. Rabbinic Journals
XI.4. Local Publications
The reader is also referred to the excellent chapter on "Creating a Jewish
Library" in the first volume of _The (First) Jewish Catalog_.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Archival and Credits
Anonymous FTP:
All portions of the FAQ and of the reading lists are archived on
israel.nysernet.org [192.77.173.2] and on rtfm.mit.edu, and are available
for anonymous FTP. The locations of the parts of the reading lists on
israel.nysernet.org are as follows:
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/general
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/traditional
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/chasidism
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/reform
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/conservative
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/reconstructionist
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/humanistic
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/zionism
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/antisemitism
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/intermarriage
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/periodicals
The locations of parts of the FAQ on israel.nysernet.org are as follows:
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/01-FAQ-intro
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/02-Who-We-Are
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/03-Torah-Halacha
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/04-Observance
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/05-Worship
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/06-Jewish-Thought
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/07-Jews-As-Nation
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/08-Israel
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/09-Antisemitism
ftp://israel.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/10-Miscellaneous
If you are accessing the archives on rtfm.mit.edu, the pathname is
pub/usenet/news.answers/judaism, instead of israel/lists/scj-faq.
Mail:
The files may also be obtained via Email by sending a message to
mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with the following line in the body of the message:
send usenet/news.answers/judaism/(portionname)
Where (portionname) is replaced by the appropriate subdirectory and
filenames; for example, to get the first part of the reading list, one would
say:
send usenet/news.answers/judaism/reading-lists/general
WWW/Mosaic:
The FAQ and reading lists are available by following the following pointer:
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/bngusenet/soc/culture/jewish/top.htm
Credits: This list is based on an original list developed by Rob Levine, which
was last posted to the net in February of 1991. Rob's list was culled from
s.c.j. postings as well as the bibliographies of some of the books on this
list. This original list has been augmented based on bibliographic research
done by D. Faigin at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, as well as
contributions from readers of s.c.j, mail.jewish, and mail.liberal-judaism.
It is also based on suggestions found in the excellent _Jewish Catalog_ [**]
series, which would serve anyone well as a sourcebook on Judaism.
Contributions to the list have also been made by: Steven Abrams, Michael
Allen, A. Engler Anderson, Rabbi Charles Arian, Jane Aronson, Jim Eggert,
Ari Epstein, Mark Frydenberg, Michelle Gross, David A Guberman, Douglas
Jones, David Kaufmann, Evelyn Leeper, Jack Love, Hillel Markowitz (both
alone and in consultation with Rabbi Yirmiyahu Kaganoff of Baltimore), Rabbi
Josh Segal, Steven Seidman, and Andrew Tannenbaum. As usual, suggestions
for additions or deletions are welcome, as are *brief* annotations for any
entry. Entries in the GENERAL sections may reflect non-Orthodox viewpoints;
entries in the other sections should reflect the traditional view. Where
appropriate, entries reflecting non-traditional views will be clearly marked
as such; I will entertain suggestions with respect to the non-GENERAL
sections that the reference more properly belongs in another reading list
(Reform, Conservative, etc.).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.1. WHERE CAN I GET THESE BOOKS FROM?
I can't tell you where to get all of these books, but a good Jewish bookstore
should be a good starting place. Many of these books are published by the
Jewish Publication Society * 1528 Walnut Street, Suite 800 * Philadelphia PA
19102 * 800-234-3151; this is indicated by <JPS>. Books published by K'tav may
be ordered from K'tav at 900 Jefferson Street, Hoboken NY 07030,
800/583-2476. Another significant general publisher is Mesorah, 4401 Second
Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11232 (1-800-MESORAH). All have good catalogs. Some of
the books are published by the publishers of the various Jewish movements;
addresses may be found in the particular sections:
Kehot, Sichos in English Part III (Chasidism)
UAHC, CCAR Part IV (Reform)
World Union for Progressive Judaism Part IV (Reform)
JTS, USA, USCJ Part V (Conservative)
Reconstructionist Press Part VI (Reconstructionist)
SHJ Part VII (Humanistic)
If you can't find them elsewhere, books marked with <INP> may be ordered from
The Isaac Nathan Publishing Co, 22711 Cass Avenue, Woodland HIlls CA 9364,
818/225-9631, FAX 818/225-8354. Other recommended bookstores are:
o Pinsker's Bookstore (1-800-JUDAISM [1-800-583-2476], Pittsburgh PA).
Pinsker's Bookstore also is accessable via gopher:
gopher://judaism.com/
o Judaica Emporium (3070 Broadway, New York NY, 212-662-7000).
o Jewish Book Center of the Workmen's Circle (45 E 33rd, New York NY,
212-889-6800 x285 or 800-922-2558)
o Levine Jewish Books and Judaica (5 W 30th, New York NY, 212-695-6888).
You might also explore the Jason Aronson Inc. WWW server. They provide a
catalog of Jewish books, and will soon be including interviews with authors.
The URL is http://www.aronson.com/clients/aronson/
Most bookstores will ship books, especially in this age of credit cards and
mail order. You can also try contacting the publishers for any book.
According to a post from backon@VMS.HUJI.AC.IL a while back, the Stanford
University Bookstore has its database on the Internet; telnet to
forsythetn.stanford.edu, login as "socrates", and select bookstore.
Some other suggestions for bookstores are: 613--The Mitzvah Store at
310/247-9613. They also maintain a wedding registry. One reader indicated that
H&M (212/475-1910) was a good source for wedding bentscher; I don't know what
other books they have.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.2. BUT THE LIST IS SO LONG, WHERE SHOULD I START?
For a basic understanding of Judaism, start with Prager and Telushkin's _The
Nine Questions People ask about Judaism_ <INP>, as well as Telushkin's _Jewish
Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About Judaism_ <INP> . As
mentioned above, the _Jewish Catalog_ <INP> series (3 volumes) provides more
than enough information, as well as providing pointers to even more sources.
Siegel and Rheins _The Jewish Almanac_ also provides useful high-level
information. For a deeper understanding, continue with Donin's _To Be a Jew_
<INP> and _To Pray as a Jew_. For some historical perspective, read Prager
and Telushkin's _Why the Jews?_. General history is covered well in Grayzel's
_A History of the Jews_ and Wein's _Triumph of Survival: The Story of Jews in
the Modern Age, 1650-1990_. For a discussion of the emotional, social, and
lifestyle aspects of becoming an observant Jew, read Steinsaltz's _Teshuvah_.
Readers are also urged to explore Jewish audio-tape lending libraries, such as
those run by Aish HaTorah, Etz Chayim, Chabad, Beis Chana in Minnesota and
various other Jewish outreach groups. Tape series on Jewish History, Jewish
Law, (all levels), Torah, Talmud, and other subjects are available. For those
of you with backgrounds in Liberal Judaism, audio-tapes are also available
from the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Contact your local Rabbi, or
the library at a local synagogue, for more information.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.3. FOR NON-JEWISH READERS
You'll probably find the texts listed may be a little too deep if you just
want to learn what Judaism is. Consider the following instead:
[Clo87] Clorfene, Chaim and Yaakov Rogalsky. _The Path of the Righteous
Gentile_. Smithfield, MI: Targum Press, 1987
[Dia91] Diamant, Anita and Howard Cooper, _Living a Jewish Life: A Guide for
Starting, Learning, Celebrating, and Parenting_. HarperCollins
Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022. 1991. [An
introduction to the broad range of practices of non-Orthodox Judaism]
[Ein91] Einstein, Stephen J. and Kukoff, Lydia. _Every Person's Guide to
Judaism_. UAHC Press #142610. ISBN 0-8074-0434-9. 1991. [Non-Orthodox.
Guide to Judaism that recognizes that study is only the first step to
learning and living as a Jew.] <INP>
[Gar89] Garfiel, Evelyn. _Service of the Heart: a Guide to the Jewish Prayer
Book_. Jason Aronson, Northvale (NJ), 1989, ISBN 0-87668-873-3.
[Isa93] Isaacs, Ronald H. and Olitzky, Kerry M. _The How-To Handbook for
Jewish Living_. K'tav, Hoboken NJ. 1993. ISBN 0-88125-294-8
(Hardback), -290-5 (Paperback)
You should also explore _The Jewish Almanac_, _The Nine Questions People Ask
About Judaism_, the excellent books by Donin (_To Be A Jew_, _To Pray as a
Jew_) and the _Jewish Catalog_ series. You'll find a discussion of the
relationship between Christianity and Judaism in the supplemental Antisemitism
reading list.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.4. GENERAL JUDAISM
[Bla66] Blau, Joseph L. _Modern Varieties of Judaism_. Columbia Univerity
Press, New York NY. 1966.
[Dia91] Diamant, Anita and Howard Cooper, _Living a Jewish Life: A Guide for
Starting, Learning, Celebrating, and Parenting_. HarperCollins
Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022. 1991. [An
introduction to liberal Judaism, or more precisely, the broad range of
religious practices of non-Orthodox North American Jews]
[Ein91] Einstein, Stephen J. and Kukoff, Lydia. _Every Person's Guide to
Judaism_. UAHC Press #142610. ISBN 0-8074-0434-9. 1991. [Non-Orthodox.
Guide to Judaism that recognizes that study is only the first step to
learning and living as a Jew.] <INP>
[Fri90] Friesel, Evyatar. _Atlas of Modern Jewish History_ Oxford University
Press. 1990. [Contains demographics of the American Jewish population,
including employment categories, intermarriage rates, maps, etc.]
[Gla72] Glazer, Nathan. _American Judaism_. University of Chicago Press,
Chicago IL. 1982.
[Gre88] Greenberg, Irving. _The Jewish Way_. Summit Books, New York NY. 1988.
<INP>
[Her61] Hertzberg, Arthur. _Judaism_. Braziller, New York. 1961. Washington
Square, New York (paperback). [Non-Orthodox source]
[Isa93] Isaacs, Ronald H. and Olitzky, Kerry M. _The How-To Handbook for
Jewish Living_. K'tav, Hoboken NJ. 1993. ISBN 0-88125-294-8
(Hardback), -290-5 (Paperback)
[Neu74] Neusner, Jacob. _The Way of Torah: An Introduction to Judaism_.
Dickenson Publishing Company, Encino CA. 1974. [Not universally
accepted, non-Orthodox point of view]
[Neu75] Neusner, Jacob, ed. _Understanding American Judaism_. Volume Two:
Sectors of American Judaism: Reform, Orthodoxy, Conservativism, and
Reconstructionism. Ktav Press, New York. 1975. [Not universally
accepted, non-Orthodox point of view]
[New??] Newman, Y. and Sivan, G. _A-Z Illustrated Lexicon of Judaism_. World
Zionist Organization Torah Education Dept.
[Pra81] Prager, Dennis and Telushkin, Joseph. _The Nine Questions People Ask
About Judaism_. Schuster, New York. 1981. ISBN 0-671-62261. <INP>
[Ros78] Rosenthal, G. _Many Faces of Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative,
Reconstructionist, and Reform_ Behrman House, New York. 1978 [Contains
a descriptive comparison of Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and
Reconstructionist Judaism. It is intended as a low end high school
text and although still good, it is beginning to show its age.]
[Rot72] Roth, Cecil, Ed. _Encyclopedia Judaica_. 16 Vols. Keter, Jerusalem.
1972.
[Sie73] Siegel, Richard; Strassfeld, Michael; Strassfeld, Sharon. _The First
Jewish Catalog: A Do-It Yourself Kit_. Jewish Publication Society,
Philadelphia PA. 1973. [Catalog 1 covers Symbols of the Home, Kashrut,
Candles, Kippah, Tallit, Tefillin, the Shofar, Jewish travel, the
Jewish year cycle, Weddings, Tumah and taharah, Death and burial,
scribal arts, gematria, music, film, the Jewish press, creating a
jewish library, and relationships between man, women, and the
community] <INP> <JPS>
[Sie80] Siegel, Richard and Rheins, Carl. _The Jewish Almanac_. Bantam
Books, New York. 1980.
[Sil56] Silver, Abba Hillel. _Where Judaism Differed_. Macmillan, New York.
1956. [Reform point of view]
[Ste47] Steinberg, Milton. _Basic Judaism_. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New
York. 1947. ISBN 0-15-610698-1. [Conservative] <INP>
[Str76] Strassfeld, Sharon and Strassfeld, Michael, eds. _The Second
Jewish Catalog_. Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia PA. 1976.
[Catalog 2 covers the life cycle in more depth, aspects of study,
synagogue and prayer, and the arts. The Jewish Yellow Pages are out of
date, quite likely.] <INP> <JPS>
[Str80] Strassfeld, Sharon and Strassfeld, Michael, eds. _The Third Jewish
Catalog_. Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia PA. 1980. [Catalog
3 covers justice, community, genealogy, dispersion, exile,
surroundings, and israel. It also talks about how to be a mentsh, and
includes a cumlutive index to all three catalogs] <INP> <JPS>
[Sym??] Syme, Daniel B. _Jewish Mourning_. UAHC Press #388494. ISBN
0-8074-0332-6. [Non-Orthodox, but offers both traditional and liberal
Jewish attitudes towards death-related issues.]
[Tel91] Telushkin, Joseph. _Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to
Know About Judaism_. Morrow, New York. 1991. <INP>
[Wou59] Wouk, Herman. _This is my G@d_. Dell, NY. 1959. <INP>
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.5. GENERAL JEWISH THOUGHT
[Ber73] Berkovits, Eliezer. _Faith after the Holocaust_. Ktav Publishing
House, New York. 1973.
[Ber79] Berkovits, Eliezer _G@d, Man and History_. Jonathan David, New York.
1979.
[Dor92] Dorff, Elliot. _Knowing God: Jewish Journeys to the Unknowable_.
Jason Aronson. 1992. [R. Dorff is provost and professor of
philosophy at the University of Judaism (Conservative)]
[Gil90] Gillman, Neil. _Sacred Fragments: Recovering Theology for the
Modern Jew_. Jewish Publication Society. 1990. [A National
Jewish Book Award winner; R. Gillman is professor of philosophy
at the Jewish Theological Seminary] (Conservative)
[Gre92] Green, Arthur. _Seek My Face, Speak My Name: A Contemporary
Jewish Theology_. Jason Aronson. 1992. [R. Green, who recently
left the presidency of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
for a chair at Brandeis, is regarded as a leading exponent of
neo-Hasidism] (Reconstructionist)
[Har85] Hartman, David. _A Living Covenant: The Innovative Spirit in
Traditional Judaism_. Free Press. 1985. [R. Hartman is director
of the Shalom Hartman Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies in
Jerusalem, and a student of Rav Soloveitchik z"l]
[Hes55] Heschel, Abraham Joshua. _God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of
Judaism_. Harper Torchbook. 1966. [One of Heschel's more
accessible major works.]
[Kap79] Kaplan, Aryeh. _Handbook of Jewish Thought_. Maznaim Publishing Corp.,
4304 12th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219, 718-438-7680, New
York/Jerusalem, 1979.
[Pel84] Peli, P. _Soloveitchik on Repentance: The Thought and Oral
Discourses of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik_. Paulist Press.
1984. [the Rav as presented by the late chair of Hebrew Studies
at Ben Gurion University]
[Sol??] Soloveitchik. _Halachic Man_. JPS: Philadelphia PA. ???. ISBN
0-8276-0222-7. <JPS>
[Sol91] Soloveichik, Rabbi Ahron, _Logic of the Heart, Logic of the Mind_.
Judaica Press/Genesis Jerusalem Press, 1991, ISBN 0-9630936-0-6
[Son90] Sonsino, Rifat and Syme, Daniel B. _What Happens After I Die: Jewish
Views of Life after Death_. UAHC Press, New York. 1990. UAHC #571201
ISBN 0-8074-0356-3. [Addresses a spectrum of responses to the
question, including philosophies from biblical rabbinic commentators
to contemporary thinkers in the Jewish community.]
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.6. GENERAL JEWISH HISTORY
[Bam70] Bamberger, Bernard. _The Story of Judaism_. Schocken Books, New
York. 1970.
[Bar52] Baron, Salo W. _A Social and Religous History of the Jews_. 18 Vols
to date. Columbia University Press, New York. 1952-.
[Comprehensive, organized topically, not strictly chronologically.
This book is very extensive, and may be difficult to read. Not for the
beginner.] <JPS>
[Ben71] Ben-Sasson, H.H. & Ettinger, S. (eds.). _Jewish Society Through
the Ages_. Schocken Books. 1971. [a survey of Jewish life
edited by two distinguished Hebrew University professors and
commissioned by UNESCO]
[Ben76] Ben-Sasson, H. H. (ed.). _A History of the Jewish People_ (by scholars
at the Hebrew U, Jerusalem). English translation: Harvard University
Press, 1976. Hebrew: Dvir Publishing House, Tel Aviv, 1969. 1170 pp.
ISBN 0-674-39730-4.
[Dim62] Dimont, Max. _Jews, G@d, and History_. Signet Books, New York.
1962. [Note: May not be completely reliable] <INP>
[Fin38] Finkelstein, Louis. _The Pharisees: The Sociological Background of
Their Faith_. Jewish Publication Society. 1938. [a two volume
classic]
[Fin71a] Finkelstein, Louis (ed.). _The Jews: Their History_. Schocken Books.
1971 (4th ed.). [a comprehensive description of Judaism and the Jews,
edited by the late Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary]
[Fin71b] Finkelstein, Louis (ed.). _The Jews: Their Religion and Culture_.
Schocken Books. 1971 (4th ed.). [a comprehensive description of
Judaism and the Jews, edited by the late Chancellor of the Jewish
Theological Seminary]
[Fin71c] Finkelstein, Louis (ed.). _The Jews: Their Role in Civilization_.
Schocken Books. 1971 (4th ed.). [a comprehensive description of
Judaism and the Jews, edited by the late Chancellor of the Jewish
Theological Seminary]
[Goi74] Goiten S.D. _Jews and Arabs: Their Contacts Through the Ages_.
Schocken Books. 1974 (3ed.) [a classic historical survey]
[Gra67] Grayzel, Solomon. _A History of the Jews_. Jewish Publishing Society,
Philadelphia. 1967. ISBN 0-8276-0142-5. [Good overview. A good
general perspective on Jewish history. Not Orthodox.] <JPS>
[Hal84a] Hallo, William, Ruderman, David, & Stanislawski (eds.). _Heritage:
Civilization and the Jews (Source Reader)_. Praeger Publishers. 1984.
[primary materials designed to parallel the TV series; Hallo is
professor of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature at Yale, Ruderman
chairs Yale's Judaica Department, Stanislawski is professor of Jewish
History at Columbia]
[Hal84b] Hallo, William, Ruderman, David, & Stanislawski. _Heritage:
Civilization and the Jews (Study Guide). Praeger Publishers. 1984.
[primary materials designed to parallel the TV series; Hallo is
professor of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature at Yale, Ruderman
chairs Yale's Judaica Department, Stanislawski is professor of Jewish
History at Columbia]
[Isa89] Isaacs, Jacob. _Our People_ 6 vols. Kehot, Brooklyn NY. 1989.
[History up unto the modern era from the traditional point of view]
[Rot66] Roth, Cecil. _A History of the Jews_. Schocken, New York. rev. ed.
1966. also in paperback.
[Rud??] Ruderman, David B. (ed.). _Essential Papers on Jewish Culture in
Renaissance and Baroque Italy_. NYU Press.
[Sel80] Seltzer, Robert. M. _Jewish People, Jewish Thought: The Jewish
Experience in History_. Macmillan Publishing Co, New York, 1980. ISBN:
0-02-408940-8. [An intellectual history. Shows the development of
Jewish ideas and concepts. On the level of an advanced undergrad or
grad textbook and is not always easy going.]
[Wei90] Wein, Berel. _Triumph of Survival: The Story of Jews in the Modern
Age, 1650-1990_. Shaar Press, NY (Yeshivah Shaarei Torah, 36 Carlton
Rd, Suffern NY). 1990. [A fine history from the Orthodox perspective.]
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.7. NOACHIDE LAWS
[Clo87] Clorfene, Chaim and Yaakov Rogalsky. _The Path of the Righteous
Gentile_. Smithfield, MI: Targum Press, 1987
[Gal--] Gallin, Aryeh. _The Root and Branch Noachide Guide_. Root and Branch
Association, Ltd, 504 Grand Street, #E51, New York, NY 10002-4101.
[Lic81] Lichtenstein, Aaron. _The Seven Laws of Noah_. The Rabbi Jacob
Joseph School Press, New York. 1981.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.8. TORAH AND TALMUD
Note: There's lots of information on Torah and Talmud (understatement of the
year), and one should contact a competent rabbi for guided study.
[JPS17] Jewish Publication Society. _The Holy Scripture According to the
Masoretic Text_. Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia PA. 1917.
[JPS62] Jewish Publication Society. _The Torah: The Five Books of Moses_.
Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia PA. 1962. ISBN 0-8276-0015-1.
<JPS>
[JPS69] Jewish Publication Society. _The Five Megilloth and Jonah: A New
Translation_. Introduction by H L Ginsberg. Jewish Publication
Society, Philadelphia. 1969. ISBN 0-8276-0045-3. <JPS>
[JPS85] Tanakh: A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures According to the
Traditional Hebrew Text. Jewish Publication Society. ISBN
0-8276-0252-9 (cloth) 0-3276-0264-2 (leatherette).[0-8276-0283-9]
<JPS>
[Abr91] Abrams, Judith. _Talmud for Beginners_. 2 vols (Part I and II). Jason
Aaronson, New York. 1991 and 1993. [Selections of Jewish Book Club,
designed as "pre-steinsaltz", i.e., introduction to Talmud for those
with no background in it at all.]
[Hes62] Heschel, Abraham Joshua. _The Prophets_. JPS, Philadelphia. 1962.
[Her76] Hertz, J. H. _The Pentateuch and Haftorahs_. Soncino, London. 1976.
[Hir63] Hirsch, S. R. _The Pentateuch_. Translated from the German by Isaac
Levy. Irish University Press. 1963.
[Isa50] ben Isaiah, (Rabbi) Abraham, and Sharfman, (Rabbi) Binyamin, in
collaberation with Dr. Harry M. Orlinsky and Rabbi Dr. Morris
Charner. _The Pentateuch and Rashi's Commentary: A Linear Translation
into English_. 5 vols. SS&R Publishing Co., JPS, Philadelphia PA.
1950. [A very useable translation as the wording and linear
translation are broken up to make both the Hebrew and English readable
together. The Rash is printed in started Hebrew print with the vowels
put in besides the linear translation.]
[Jud??] Judaica Press. _Prophets and Writings_. Judaica Press, NY. [A new,
modern, traditional translation of text and classic commentaries,
including all of Rashi, with Hebrew text. Judaica Press has also
indicated that they will be putting out an equivalent for the Torah.]
[Kap??a] Kaplan, Aryeh. _The Living Torah_, translated and with commentary.
Moznaim, NY. [This book deserves special mention as a study text. Many
groups, including Reform, use him as a source because of this
superiority.]
[Kap8-] Kaplan, A. _The Torah Anthology_. 19 vols. Moznaim, NY. 198-.
[Volumes cover the Torah, with separate ones on megillahs and
Psalms, translated from the classic Ladino work Me'Am Loez. An
amazing compendium of insights and commentary. See note above.]
[Sil84] Silbermann, A. M. and Rosenbaum, M. _Chumash with Targum Onkelos,
Haphtaroth and Rashi's Commentary_. 5 vols. Hebrew Publishing Company,
New York. 1984. ISBN (set) 0-87306-019-9. [First published in
1934. Has comments and explanatory notes accompanying the
translation.]
[Sac91] Sachs, Jonathan. _Torah Studies_ Kehot, NY. 1991. [From the Chasidic
point of view, short essays on the weekly Torah reading based on
talks of the Lubavitch Rebbe.]
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.9. MISHNAH AND TALMUD
Artscroll Series. Mesorah Publications, 4401 Second Avenue, Brooklyn
NY 11232. Artscroll has some highly recommended series on Mishnah and
Talmud, as well as a series on Chumash and Nach. One contributer to
the list said: "The only reason [I] cannot say that the Artscroll
texts are ``head and shoulders'' above the rest is that the others do
not come up to Artscroll's shoulders. The translation and commentary
are so superior to others such as Soncino as to make it no
comparison."
[Alb52] Albeck, H. and Yalon, H. _Shisha Sidre Mishnah_. 6 vols. Bialik
Institute, Jerusalem. 1952-1956.
[Esp35] Epstein, Isidore, ed. _The Babylonian Talmud with Introduction and
Commentary_. Soncino Press, London. Vol 1-36. 1935-1952.
Kahati, Pinchas. _Elucidated Mishna Series_. World Zionist
Organization Torah Education Dept. [An English translation of his
Mishna Mevueres series which has become extremely popular. His
scholarship and clarity make it an extremely useful sefer. Currently
being published, together with a translation of the Mishnah, by
Feldheim.]
[Lie55a] Lieberman, Saul. _The Tosefta_. 3 vols to date. Jewish Theological
Seminary, New York. 1955-. [Note: for those with good Hebrew skills]
[Lie55b] Lieberman, Saul. _Tosefta ki-Feshutah_. 11 vols to date. Jewish
Theological Seminary, New York. 1955-. [Note: for those with good
Hebrew skills]
[Ste69] Steinsaltz, Adin, ed. _The Talmud: The Steinsaltz Edition_. 8 vols. to
date. Israel Institute of Talmudic Publications, Jerusalem. 1969-.
[So far, 5 volumes of Tractate Bava Metzia, and 3 volumes of Tractate
Ketubot have been published.]
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.10. TORAH AND TALMUDIC COMMENTARY
[Cha76] Chavel, Charles B. (trans.). _Ramban (Nachmanides) Commentary on the
Torah_. Shilo Publishing, NY, 1976; ISBN# 0-88328-010-8 [A
translation of the 2nd most used commentary (after Rashi)]
[Cha67] Chavel, Charles B. (trans.). _The Commandments: Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth of
Maimonides_ Soncino, London. 1967. [A translation of Maimonides's
Sefer HaMitzvot, a list and explaination of the 613 commandments. Won
lots of awards.]
[Chi74] Chill, Abraham. _The Mitzvot: The Commandments and Their Rationale_.
Bloch, New York. 1974.
[CohA75] Cohen, A. _Everyman's Talmud_. Dutton, New York. 1948. (hardback)
Schocken, New York. 1975. (paperback)
[JPS--] Jewish Publication Society. _The JPS Torah Commentary_. 5 vols. JPS:
Philadelphia PA. ISBNs 0-8276-0326-6 (Genesis, 1989), 0-8276-0328.2
(Leviticus, 1989), 0-8276-0329-0 (Numbers, 1989), 0-8276-0327-4
(Exodus, 1991), 0-8276-0330-4 (Deut.). <JPS>.
[Mie69] Mielziner, Moses. _Introduction to the Talmud_. Bloch, New York.
1969.
[New80] Newman, Aryeh. _Studies in the Pentateuch_ (by Prof. Nechama
Leibowitz). World Zionist Organization Torah Education Dept. 1980
[This is based on Professor Leibowitz's weekly Parsha study sheets
that were mailed all over the world in the fifties. They contain a
set of discussions of each parsha with basic concepts learned from the
meforshim.]
[Rab88] Rabinowich, N.D. _The Iggeres of Rav Sherira Gaon_. Ahavath Torah
Institute-Moznaim Press, Brooklyn NY. 1988. [Written in Aramaic in
4747 (987 CE), it is a history of the mesorah from Sinai until his
day. Translated into both Hebrew and English]
[Ste76] Steinsaltz, Adin. _The Essential Talmud_. Basic Books, New York. 1976.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.11. MIDRASH
[Bra81] Braude, William G. and Kapstein, Israel J. (trans.) _Tanna Debe
Eliyyahu: The Lore of the School of Elijah_. Jewish Publication
Society, Philadelphia PA. 1981. ISBN 0-8276-0174-3. <JPS>
[Gin46] Ginzberg, Louis, _Legends of the Jews_. 7 vols. Jewish Publication
Society, Philadelphia. 1946. ISBNs 0-8276-0340-1 (Creation to Jacob),
0-8276-0341-X (Joseph to Exodus), 0-8276-0342-8 (Exodus to Death of
Moses), 0-8276-0343-6 (Joshua to Esther), 0-8276-0344-4 (Notes to Vols
I and II), 0-8276-0345-2 (Notes to Vols III and IV), 0-8276-0346-0
(Index). <JPS>
[Gla62] Glatzer, Nahum N. ed. _Hammer on the Rock: A Midrash Reader_.
Schocken, New York. 1962. Paperback. [Draws material from the nonlegal
parts of the Talmud the Haggadah ... and the midrashic writings.]
[Lau76] Lauterbach, Jacob Z. (ed., trans.) _Mekilta De-Rabbi Ishmael_. JPS:
Philadelphia PA. 1976. ISBN 0-8276-0078-X. <JPS>
[Mon70] Montefiore, C.G. and Loewe, H. eds. _The Rabbinic Anthology_
Schocken Press, New York. 1970. [Has some strange sources/references]
[Tow??] Townsend, John T. (trans.). _Midrash Tanhuma_ (2 vols). Vol 1: Genesis
(ISBN 0-88125-087-2); Vol 2: Exodus-Leviticus (ISBN 0-88125-379-0).
K'tav, Hoboken NJ.
[Wei80] Weissman, Rabbi Moshe. _The Midrash Says_. (5 vols). Benei Yakov
Publications. Brooklyn, NY. 1980. [Adaptation of midrashim on each
Torah section, with sources. Extremely faithful to the original,
recommended among the Orthodox and used by observant teachers.
Probably the best English language source for the range of Midrashic
material. Also available in a children's edition, _The Little Midrash
Says_, which includes Joshua.]
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.12. HALACHIC CODES
Note: This section assumes a level of knowledge of Hebrew and general
halacha. Consult your local Rabbi.
[Mai--] Maimonides, Moses. _Mishneh Torah_. Various editions. [A new edition
into Hebrew from the original Arabic with lengthy discussions by Y.
Shilat is available from Ma'aliyot Press (that's the hesder Yeshiva in
Ma'alei Adumim). It is supposed to be extensively cross indexed and
well done].
[Ash--] ben Asher, Jacob. _Arbaah Turim_. Various editions.
[Kar--] Karo, Joseph. _Shulhan Arukh_. Various editions. [Note that the
_Mapah_ of R. Moshe Isserles (the Ramah) is actually printed as
parenthetical text in the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yoseph Karo. The
Ramah printed his comments to show the standard Ashkenazic
determinations especially where they differed from the Sefardic
customs of R' Karo. As a result, the Shulchan Aruch serves as the
standard halachic source text of both Sephardim (R. Karo's original)
and Ashkenazim (as modified by the Ramah).]
[Gol63] Goldin, Hyman E. (trans.). _The Code of Jewish Law_. Hebrew Publishing
Co., New York NY. 1963. [This is an English translation of the Kitzur
Shulchan Aruch, which is a completely different work from the Shulchan
Aruch. The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch was written in the late 1800's by
Rabbi Shlomo Gantzfried and is a summary collection of Halachah for
every day practice divided into categories. The Jewish Catalog
cautions against using the _Kitzur Shulhan Arukh_ of Shlomo Ganzfried,
which it states is "a collection of ultrastringent views often without
firm basis in halakhic sources". However, other contributors think it
provides lots of information on specific practices, but can be
overwealming. As usual, it is probably best to ask your Rabbi.]
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.13. BECOMING AN OBSERVANT JEW
Note: Books such as Donin's _To Be A Jew_ and _To Pray As A Jew_ are
also a good place to start Teshuvah. You'll also find good information
in the _Jewish Catalog_ series, especially the 2nd and 3rd volumes.
Quoting from the "Guide to Baalei Teshuvah" in the 2nd volume of the
Jewish Catalog: "Jewish tradition places an emphasis on the role of
belief and allegiance. Thus the baal teshuvah -- master of
repentance; one who turns -- often begins his/her trek back to an
effective and gratifying Jewish consciousness through the renewed
acceptance of neglected observances and symbols".
[Sei87] Steinsaltz, [Rabbi] Adin. _Teshuvah: A Guide for the Newly Observant
Jew_.Jerusalem: The Domino Press, 1982. (English Translation: The
Free Press, 1987.)
[Tat87] Tatz, Akiva. _Anatomy of a Search: Personal Drama in the Teshuva
Revolution_. Mesorah, Brooklyn NY. 1987.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.14. WOMEN AND JUDAISM
[Aik92] Aiken, Lisa. _To Be a Jewish Woman_. Aronson, Northvale NJ. 1992.
[Bia??] Biale, Rachel. _Women & Jewish Law_ [This book does a nice overview of
various portions of Jewish law and how it applies to women. I have
only briefly read a few parts but it is a good reference and overview.]
[Ble89] Bletter, Diana (interviews), Grinker, Lori (photos). _The Invisible
Thread: Portraits of American Jewish Women_. JPS: Philadelphia PA.
1989. ISBN 0-8276-0333-9 (Cloth) -7 (Paper). <JPS>
[Fis??] Fishman, Sylvia. _A Breath of Life: Feminism in the American Jewish
Community_ [The challenge of being Feminist and Jewish in America.
Touches on all sorts of issues (Ritual, Marriage, etc.)]
[Fra92] Frankiel, Tamar. _The Voice of Sarah_. Harpercollins, San Francisco,
1992. [A feminist and observant Jew wrestles with the Jewish feminine
mystique].
[Gre81] Greenberg, Blu. _On Women and Judaism: A View From Tradition_. JPS:
Philadelphia PA. 1981. ISBN 0-8276-0226-X. <JPS>
[Gre83] Greenberg, Blu. _How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household_. Simon
and Schuster, New York. 1983. <INP> [A book on Jewish home rituals and
Blu's experiences and techniques. Blu is also a Feminist.]
[Har??] Harris, Lis. _Holy Days The World of a Hasidic Family_ [Lis Harris
goes and visits a Hasidic family. She writes about what she learns
and sees. It gives some of the history of the Lubavicher movement,
some of the experiences of the holidays, and some of the every day
experiences. It is a well written book.]
[Kol??] Koltun, Elizabeth (editor). _The Jewish Woman: New Perspectives_
[Collection of writings on women and Judaism. Feminist perspective.]
[Mei78] Meiselman, Moshe. _Jewish Woman in Jewish law_. Ktav Publishing House,
New York. 1978.
[Och??] Ochs, Vanessa. _Words on Fire_ [Story of Vanessa Ochs experience in
going to Israel and deciding to study Tanach in Orthodox offerings.
It teaches bits of torah and talmud as you go along and also brings up
some of the issues she had with the Orthodox communities. (I believe
she identifies herself as Conservative Jew).]
[Wen90] Wenkart, Henny (ed.). _Sarah's Daughters Sing, a Sampler of Poems_.
Ktav, Noboken NJ. 1990.
There are other books relating to traditional views of the womens role in
family life to be found in Section II.6, "LIFE, DEATH, AND IN-BETWEEN", of the
reading list (the "traditional" file).
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: I.15. SCIENCE AND JUDAISM
[Car76] Carmell, Aryeh and Domb, Cyril, eds. _Challenge: Torah Views on
Science_. New York: Association of Orthodox Jewish
Scientists/Feldheim Publishers, 1976.
[Kap93] Kaplan, Aryeh. _Immortality, Resurrection, and the Age of the
Universe: A Kabbalistic View_. Ktav Publishing (Hoboken, NJ) in
association with the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists (New
York, NY). 169 pages. 1993. ISBN 0-88125-345-6. [In five essays, the
late physicist and Torah educator Kaplan draws on traditional sources
to show how Torah and science are consonant in relation to the issues
of the age of the universe, the fossil record, longevity, immortality,
and resurrection.]
[Lan91] Landa, Judah. _Torah and Science_. Ktav Publishing (Hoboken, NJ).
1991. [Focuses on Torah and technology: Basic Geometry, Special
Numbers, The Earth, The Heavenly Bodies, The Seasons, The Moon,
Celestial Visitors, Laws of Nature, Creation vs Evolution, and the
Universe.]
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Please mail additions or corrections to me at faigin@aero.org.
End of Judaism Reading List Part I (General) Digest
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