Exploring Jewish Tradition: A Transliterated Guide to Everyday Practice and Observance

Not every Jew knows how to ""be Jewish,"" but the Wittys, a rabbi-writer team, intend to remedy that lack. In this comprehensive primer of Jewish precepts and practices, they leave no custom unexplained, no term undefined. Their eye for detail enriches this easy-to-read reference to the complexities of traditional Jewish observance, with chapters on Torah; the synagogue and its artifacts; prayer and Jewish liturgy; the Jewish calendar; the Sabbath; the holidays; the life cycle; and special words and phrases used in everyday Jewish life. In addition to instructions for occasions and situations common to Jewish life, they include information not readily available in other guides, from the 40 categories of work prohibited on the Sabbath to a 10-year calendar for the first days of all the holidays. Hebrew words and phrases are written in transliteration and listed alphabetically at the end of each chapter. Boxed quotes easily identify material from biblical, rabbinic and liturgical sources (but often there are so many that they interrupt the flow of the narrative). The authors' focus on the practicalities of observance sometimes leaves the answers to deeper questions distilled into brief phrases: What is the purpose of a Jew's life? ""To get closer to God and... to attain spiritual perfection."" Nevertheless, this reference has great value to those who want to introduce Jewish traditions into their homes or would like to learn more about Judaism. (Mar.)