Judaism 101: Recommended Books and Publishers

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 Amazon.com by clicking the links. You can help support the Judaism 101 website by using the links below to purchase these and other books from Amazon. Any profits from this Amazon link exceeding the out-of-pocket expenses of running this website are donated to Jewish charities, including Hillel organizations at various colleges I have been affiliated with.

Bibles

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. These English translations, unlike most of the translations you will find at a bookstore, are prepared by Jews using the Jewish understanding of the meaning of the scriptures, without the Christian slant you will find in many non-Jewish translations. Note: "Tanakh" (also spelled "Tanach") is a Hebrew acronym that refers to the complete Jewish Bible, what non-Jews call the "Old Testament." "Chumash," on the other hand, includes only the parts of the Bible that are included in formal Torah readings during services: the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) along with selected corresponding readings from the prophets.

Tanakh: A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society, also available in Paperback: Often referred to as the JPS translation, this is an updated version of the first and most commonly used Jewish translation into English. Unlike the original JPS translation, this one is written in easy-to-read modern English. This book contains only English, no Hebrew text.
The Stone Tanach, Mesorah Publications: 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.
The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, edited by Dr. J.H. Hertz, Soncino Press: 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 (corresponding 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 Jewish Bible; it is just a chumash. 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, as well as relevant archaeological findings, 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 responds to 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, Jewish Publication Society: This book, first published in 2003, has rapidly overtaken the Hertz as the chumash of choice for Conservative synagogues. Like the Hertz, it is only a chumash, containing 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 responses to 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.

Suitable for Beginners

To Be a Jew, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin, Basic Books: 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, is also an excellent resource, but somewhat technical for a beginner.
Basic Judaism, Milton Steinberg, Harvest Books: 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: 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. The update has gotten mixed reviews, but I personally have not read it.
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), Artscroll, also available in Paperback: 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 since it was first published.

For More Advanced Study

The Essential Talmud, Adin Steinsaltz, Basic Books: 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, Abraham Cohen, BN Publishing, also available in Paperback: 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: 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 Online

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.

Judaism.com

An mail order service offering a wide variety of Judaic materials.

Artscroll/Mesorah Publications

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.

Feldheim Publishers

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.

KTAV Publishing House

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.

Jewish Publishers on Yahoo!

This is a list of sites that Yahoo! has classified as Jewish publishers. The list looks fine to me today, but be aware that Yahoo! has a history of failing to distinguish between real Judaism and Evangelical Christian activity targeted at Jews.

Amazon.com

The online bookseller amazon.com is not specifically a Jewish bookseller, but they have an excellent selection of Jewish books. Unfortunately, I have found that the top titles in their Jewish Religion and Spirituality section are often not very Jewish. You can also search Amazon.com using the form at right.