Recommended Books and Publishers
Level: Basic |
The question I am most frequently asked is, "Where can I find a book on..."
Below is information about some of the resources I have used in compiling
the information on this site.
| All of the books listed below can be purchased from the online bookseller
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There can be no resource more important than a text of the Bible itself.
Although it is best to read it in the original Hebrew, or at least refer
to the original Hebrew to appreciate its nuances, all of the texts below
contain English translations.
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Tanakh:
A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society,
also available in
Paperback
-
Those who cannot read Hebrew should use a translation prepared by Jews, with
the Jewish understanding of the scriptures in mind and without a Christological
bias. This book contains only the English, not the Hebrew text. Often referred
to as the JPS translation, this is an updated version of the first and most
commonly used Jewish translation into English.
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The
Stone Tanach, Mesorah Publications
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First published in 1996, the Stone Tanach quickly became a standard reference
in the Orthodox Jewish community. The pointed Hebrew text, along with complete
cantillation (musical notation) for the Torah and Haftarah readings, is displayed
alongside a very readable modern English translation that effectively conveys
the traditional Jewish understanding of the text. The Stone Tanach also contains
a number of useful charts and illustrations, and is very well indexed. The
one down side: the commentary is less extensive than I would like. Also,
be aware that the English is not a strictly literal, word-for-word translation;
the primary goal was to provide a readable English translation that conveyed
the nuances of the Hebrew idiom.
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The
Pentateuch and Haftorahs, edited by Dr. J.H. Hertz, Soncino Press
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Sometimes referred to as the Soncino Chumash or the Hertz, this book contains
the complete text of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy,
along with the haftarot (readings from the prophets) that go with each parshah
(weekly Torah reading). Like the Stone Tanach, the Soncino has pointed,
cantillated Hebrew text along side a Jewish translation of the text, but
unlike the Stone, this book does not contain the complete text of the Jewish
scriptures. It includes only the portions that are part of the weekly Torah
and Haftarah readings in synagogue. The primary advantage of this text is
its extensive commentary: footnotes routinely occupy one-third of each page,
compiling information from a wide variety of traditional Jewish commentaries
on the Bible, and there are lengthy discussions of major topics at the end
of each book. This is the book used by most Orthodox synagogues, and until
recently by many non-Orthodox synagogues. The one down side: the English
translation is the original 1917 JPS translation, which appears to be based
on the Christian KJV translation. It is somewhat archaic and occasionally
includes some of the Christian bias that is found in the KJV (editor Hertz
addresses the Christian bias in his annotations). Also, be aware that Hertz
wrote his commentary in the 1930s, so when he speaks of "recent" archaeological
or scientific discoveries, he is talking about things learned in the 1920s.
-
Etz
Hayim
-
This book, first published in 2003, has rapidly overtaken the Hertz as the
Chumash of choice for Conservative synagogues. Like the Hertz, it contains
only the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) along
with the Haftarot (corresponding readings from the prophets), with both Hebrew
and English, and extensive commentaries. The commentaries in this chumash
often lean toward the fashionable skeptical/critical approach, highlighting
supposed contradictions and errors in the Torah without giving much consideration
to well-established traditional explanations of these apparent problems.
However, the commentaries also include a wealth of information about recent
archaeological findings ("recent" in this case being 1990s, rather than the
"recent" 1920s of the Hertz) that shed light on what we see in the Torah,
making this chumash a worthwhile read even if you prefer a more traditional
interpretation of the material.
-
To
Be a Jew, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin, Basic Books, also available in
Paperback
-
Unquestionably the best resource on Orthodox Jewish belief and practice that
is readily available to the general public. Donin begins with an extensive
discussion of Judaism's underlying beliefs and ethical structure, then proceeds
to discuss Shabbat, kashrut, family life, holidays, marriage, divorce, death
and mourning, and many other important aspects of Jewish practice. Donin
provides complete details on Orthodox customs as well as the elements necessary
to fulfill the various commandments related to each of the subjects he discusses.
Some find his presentation rather dry and technical. The companion volume,
To
Pray as a Jew (also in
Paperback),
is also an excellent resource, but somewhat technical for a beginner.
-
The
Jewish Primer (Hardcover), Rabbi Dr. Shmuel Himelstein, Facts on File,
also available in
Paperback
-
An excellent beginner's resource on Jewish belief and observance, written
in a very readable question-and-answer style. It covers many of the same
subjects that Donin does, but addresses Reform, Conservative and
Reconstructionist practice as well as Orthodox. It provides far less detail
on the intricacies of observance than Donin's work does.
-
Basic
Judaism, Milton Steinberg, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
-
A concise discussion of Jewish belief, presenting and contrasting the traditional
and modern perspectives. It discusses Torah, G-d, life, the Jewish people
and our relation to the other nations, Jewish practice, Jewish law, and the
World to Come. One of the things I like most about this book is that it shows
the commonality underlying the various Jewish movements, and the fact that
all Jewish movements have more in common with each other than any has with
any other religion.
-
The
First Jewish Catalog, Richard Siegel et al, Jewish Publication Society
-
A funky, hands-on approach to traditional Jewish observance, with a very
Sixties feel about it. It's a little hippy-dippy for my taste (make your
own kiddush wine!), but it has a lot of very good information, it's a lot
of fun, and it's just too popular not to mention. If you like this, you may
also like the
Second
Jewish Catalog and the
Third
Jewish Catalog.
-
The Joys of Yiddish, Leo Rosten, Pocket Books
-
This is the first Jewish book I ever owned, and it holds a special place
in my heart. Rosten describes this work as a lexicon of the Yiddish language,
but it is vastly more than that. It is an extraordinary collection of Ashkenazic
Jewish wit, wisdom and culture that manages to capture the Jewish soul better
than any other book I have ever seen. The book uses common Yiddish words
as a jumping off point for presenting a Jewish joke or story, or just for
discussing a Jewish custom or practice. This is not written from a traditional
perspective, but is generally respectful of the traditional perspective.
I was horrified to learn that this is out of print. It was revised and updated
in consultation with Rosten's daughters, under the title
The
New Joys of Yiddish, and the update has gotten good reviews, but I personally
have not read it.
-
Heritage:
Civilization and the Jews, Abba Eban, Summit Books
-
From the Peabody-Award-winning PBS series of the same name. The history of
the Jewish people from the time of Abraham to the present, relying on both
biblical evidence and modern archaeological finds, with extensive illustrations.
The book has been out of stock for quite a while, and is possibly out of
print, possibly being updated, because the PBS series was updated recently.
The PBS series is also available in
VHS
(2001) and
DVD
(2002).
-
Jewish
Cookery, Leah W. Leonard, Crown Publishers
-
Traditional Ashkenazic recipes for holidays and all year round. All of the
recipes are kosher. There is a special section for Passover recipes. The
book contains a brief discussion of holiday food customs and the laws of
kashrut.
-
The
Jewish Fake Book, Velvel Pasternak, Tara Publications
-
This is an excellent collection of Jewish music, including Shabbat and holiday
songs, liturgical songs, Yiddish and Israeli folk songs, Klezmer music, wedding
music and even some Sephardic tunes. Many of the MIDIs on this site were
created with the assistance of the arrangements in this book. For those
unfamiliar with fake books: a fake book has only the melody line, chords,
and lyrics, rather than a complete piano arrangement.
-
The
Artscroll Siddur (Siddur Kol Yaakov), Mesorah Publications, also available
in
Paperback
-
This is the one that I did not get in a regular bookstore; I got it from
a synagogue gift shop. It is an Orthodox daily prayer book, with beautiful,
easy-to-read Hebrew text, plain English translations, detailed commentary,
and extensive explanation of what to do (it even tells you when to sit down,
stand up, bow, etc.) The Artscroll series has an extensive line of similar
Jewish books, all of which share these fine qualities. I highly recommend
their excellent Passover Haggadah, which I have been using for 10 years.
For More Advanced Study
-
The
Essential Talmud, Adin Steinsaltz, Basic Books, also available in
Paperback
-
Adin Steinsaltz is widely considered to be one of the greatest Talmudic minds
of our century. His commentaries on the Talmud are gaining wide acceptance
as standard study materials. In this relatively short book, Steinsaltz gives
an overview of the Talmud, discussing its history, structure, content, and
methodology. He gives brief summaries of significant Jewish law on matters
like prayer, Shabbat, holidays, marriage and divorce, women, civil and criminal
law, animal sacrifice, kashrut, ritual purity, ethics, and Jewish mysticism.
-
Everyman's
Talmud, A. Cohen, Schocken Books
-
A comprehensive summary of the Talmud's teachings about religion, ethics,
folklore and jurisprudence. For the most part, Cohen allows the Talmud to
speak for itself, quoting extensively and providing limited commentary. I
am particularly fond of this book because it is one of the few books I have
seen that seriously addresses the folklore contained in the Talmud (although
Steinsaltz talks about mysticism, he mostly discusses the fact that it was
taught to a select few). Cohen talks extensively about demonology, angelology,
magic and dreams.
-
Women
and Jewish Law, Rachel Biale, Schocken Books
-
An in-depth examination of certain areas of Jewish law that pertain to women
including marriage, divorce, sexuality, rape, abortion exemption from certain
commandments and other subjects. Biale starts with the original biblical
and talmudic texts and works her way up to present day commentaries. My only
concern about this book is that it is sometimes hard to tell from her
presentation where Orthodoxy ends and Reform begins.
-
The
Concise Book of Mitzvoth, The Chafetz Chayim, Feldheim Pubs
-
A list of all of the commandments that can be observed today, with a brief
explanation of the source and meaning of the commandment. Printed with English
and pointed Hebrew side by side.
-
The
Mishnah - a New Translation, Jacob Neusner, Yale University Press
-
Yes, the entire mishnah is available in a single (albeit very large) volume,
in English. Neusner provides absolutely no commentary or explanation, but
does break each passage down into phrases, which helps the reader figure
out who said what and what the final decision was on each matter.
-
To
Pray as a Jew, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin, Basic Books, also in
Paperback
-
An in-depth examination of the form and content of Jewish prayer, explaining
the significance and history of prayers and the procedures for reciting them.
Publishers and Booksellers On Line
Note: The links below will take you to several Jewish publishers and booksellers
with sites on the Web. Many of these sources sell materials that are not
Orthodox. Sites are listed in alphabetical order.
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1-800-JUDAISM
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An mail order service offering a wide variety of Judaic materials.
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Artscroll/Mesorah Publications
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Without a doubt the finest publisher of Orthodox Jewish materials. Their
materials are suitable for readers at all levels, because they are designed
for "baalei t'shuvot," Jews who were not raised observant but became observant
later in life.
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Feldheim Publishers
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One of the oldest publishers of Jewish books in the U.S. There is a lot of
good material here, covering all movements of Judaism.
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Jason Aronson Publishers
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Their prices are a bit high, but they have an unusually broad selection of
Judaic materials. They specialize in secondary sources, not primary reference
material.
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KTAV Publishing House
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This is another of the oldest Jewish book publishers in the US. Your grandfather
probably learned Hebrew from one of their books. KTAV specializes in Jewish
religious objects, scholarly books and textbooks for Hebrew schools.
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amazon.com
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The online bookseller amazon.com is not specifically a Jewish bookseller,
but they have an excellent selection of Jewish books. The link above will
take you to their Judaism section, or use the form below to search for books
or music from their catalog.
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For additional sources, see the list of Jewish book publishers on
Yahoo.
NOTE: Exercise extreme caution when searching for Jewish materials
on Yahoo! They have a long history of failing to distinguish between real
Judaism and Christian missionary activity targeted at Jews!
© Copyright 5756-5764 (1996-2004), Tracey
R Rich
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