Bibliography: Daily Life and Practice
If you are seeking to build your
personal Jewish library, the following are the top books about Jewish Daily
Life & Practice, as recommended by the editors of MyJewishLearning.com.
Click on any book's title to purchase it.
To go directly to a
specific category, click below:
General
To
Be a Jew,
by Hayim Halevy Donin (Basic Books, 1972). A modern Orthodox rabbi surveys
Jewish practice and belief.
A
Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, by Isaac Klein (Jewish Theological
Seminary of America, 1979). An extensive guide to Jewish law, with attention to
reasons and meanings, by a prominent Conservative expert on Jewish law.
Gates
of Mitzvah – Shaarei Mitzvah, edited by Simeon J. Maslin (Central
Conference of American Rabbis Press, 1986). Although this Reform movement guide
to Jewish life is largely about lifecycle events, it contains essays on mitzvot
in general and on sexuality, kashrut, the single parent family and divorce,
Jewish ethical wills, tzedakah, and other topics.
The
Guide to Jewish Interfaith Family Life: An Interfaithfamily.com Handbook,
by Ronnie Friedland and Edmund Case (Jewish
Lights, 2001).
Jewish Living: A Guide to Contemporary
Reform Practice,
by Mark Washofsky (Union of American Hebrew
Congregations, 2001). A Reform scholar surveys the diversity of Reform practice
today.
Jewish
Family & Life: Traditions, Holidays, and Values for Today's Parents and
Children, by Yosef I. Abramowitz and Susan Silverman (Golden Books,
1997).
Exploring
Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach (Expanded and Updated), by
Rebecca T. Alpert, Jacob J. Staub (Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, 2000).
Jewish life and practice from a Reconstructionist point of view.
The
Jewish Catalogue, edited by Richard Siegel, Michael Strassfeld, and
Sharon Strassfeld (Jewish Publication
Society of America, 1973), and The
Second Jewish Catalog, edited by
Sharon Strassfeld and Michael Strassfeld (Jewish Publication Society of
America, 1976). The classic exposition of the do-it-yourself approach to being
Jewish advocated by the “Jewish counter-culture” of the 1970’s. Still full of
useful advice and insights.
To
Life!: A Celebration of Jewish Thinking and Living, by Harold Kushner
(Little, Brown & Co., 1993). An engaging, insightful endorsement of Jewish
living by a Conservative/ Reconstructionist rabbi. Ideas and themes, but no detailed guides to practice.
Jewish
Wisdom: Ethical, Spiritual, and Historical Lessons from the Great Works and
Thinkers, by Joseph Telushkin (William Morrow & Co., 1994). A popular
anthology of Jewish wisdom from ancient times to our own times.
On
Being a Jew, by James Kugel (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998) A
quirky but fascinating presentation of an Orthodox perspective that focuses on
getting “inside” the experience of Jewish living.
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Shabbat
The
Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man, by Abraham Joshua Heschel (Noonday
Press, 1996).The most recent edition of a 1951 classic, a paean to Shabbat by a
major twentieth-century philosopher of Judaism.
Gates
of Shabbat - Shaarei Shabbat : A Guide for Observing Shabbat, written
and edited by Mark Dov Shapiro (Central Conference of American Rabbis Press,
1991). Shabbat as conceived and lived by Reform Jews in North America.
The
Jewish Sabbath: A Renewed Encounter, by Pinhas
Peli (Schocken Books, 1991) [original title: Shabbat Shalom]. A thematic exploration by an Israeli
traditionalist thinker much influenced by Heschel. Out of print but worth
tracking down in a library or used book source.
The Sabbath, by Samuel Dresner
(United Synagogue of America, 1970). A statement of outlook and practice from
an eloquent spokesman for Conservative Judaism.
The
Sabbath: A Guide to Its Understanding and Observance, by I. Grunfeld
(Feldheim, 1986).A concise statement
of an Orthodox perspective on the meaning and practice of Shabbat.
A
Shabbat Reader: Universe of Cosmic Joy, edited by Dov Peretz Elkins
(Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1999). An anthology of articles by
diverse writers exploring many aspects of Shabbat observance.
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Kashrut: Dietary Laws
The
Jewish Dietary Laws: Their Meaning for Our Time, by Samuel H. Dresner, and
A Guide to Observance, by Seymour Siegel (Burning Bush Press, 1959). Brief
introductions to themes and practices from a Conservative viewpoint. Two works in one small booklet.
The
Practical Guide to Kashruth, by S. Wasgschal (Feldheim). A slim but
comprehensive guide to observance from an Orthodox perspective.
Why
Kosher?: An Anthology of Answers, by Irving Welfeld (Jason Aronson,
1996).
A broad survey of interpretations of
the dietary laws.
How
to Keep Kosher: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Jewish Dietary Laws,
by Lise Stern (William Morrow, 2004). An easy-to-read, transdenominational guide
to kashrut, with an emphasis on the practical.
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Tzedakah:
Charitable Giving
The
Challenge of Wealth: A Jewish Perspective on Earning and Spending Money,
by Meir Tamari (Jason Aronson, 1995).
From
Charity to Social Justice: The Emergence of Communal Institutions for the
Support of the Poor in Ancient Judaism, by Frank Loewenberg
(Dimensions, 2001). A historical study of biblical and rabbinic tzedakah laws
and institutions.
To
Do the Right and the Good: A Jewish Approach to Modern Social Ethics, by Elliot N. Dorff (Jewish
Publication Society, 2002). See especially Chapter 6, "Substantive Justice: A Jewish Approach to Poverty."
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Nature and Environment
Torah of the Earth: Exploring 4,000 Years of Ecology
in Jewish Thought (2 volumes),
ed. Arthur Waskow (Jewish Lights, 2000). A collection of articles clustered
chronologically, dealing with texts and issues from the Biblical period to our
own.
Trees, Earth, and Torah: A Tu B'Shevat Anthology, ed. Ari Elon et
al. (Jewish Publication Society, 1999). Despite the subtitle, this collection
is of interest every day of the year.
Ecology and the Jewish Spirit: Where Nature and the
Sacred Meet, ed. Ellen
Bernstein (Jewish Lights, 1998). Yet another collection of thought-provoking
essays.
Pollution in a Promised Land: An Environmental
History of Israel, by Alon Tal (University of California Press,
2002). A leading Israeli environmental activist surveys Israel's environmental
challenges.
Judaism
and Ecology: Created World and Revealed World, edited by Hava
Tirosh-Samuelson (Harvard U. Press, 2002). A wide-ranging anthology exploring
both theory and practice.
The
Way into Judaism and the Environment, by Jeremy Benstein (Jewish
Lights, 2006). A sensitive introduction by a pioneer in Jewish environmental
education.
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Prayer
The
Way into Jewish Prayer, by Lawrence A. Hoffman (Jewish Lights, 2000).
An engaging and informative first look at Jewish prayer. Explores major themes
without exhaustive detail.
Entering
Jewish Prayer: A Guide to Personal Devotion and the Worship Service, by
Reuven A. Hammer (Schocken Books, 1994). A scholarly but sensitive introduction
to Jewish prayer and survey of the traditional liturgy.
To
Pray as a Jew, by Hayim Halevy Donin (Basic Books, 1980). A clear,
detailed introduction to traditional texts and practices.
Jewish
Worship, by Abraham Millgram
(Jewish Publication Society of America, 1971;
2nd ed., 1975). This richly detailed history of Jewish liturgy is
out-of-print but worth seeking out.
Jewish
Liturgy: A Comprehensive History,
by Ismar Elbogen. Transl. Raymond Scheindlin (Jewish Publication Society,
1993). The classic work of modern historical scholarship on Jewish liturgy,
updated and translated.
My
People’s Prayer Book, edited by Lawrence A. Hoffman (Jewish Lights, ten
volumes so far). This multi-volume work-in-progress brings together commentary
on the classical liturgy by scholars from many disciplines (Bible, history,
language, law…) and ideologies. A reader should be encouraged to consult more
than one edition of the Jewish prayerbook, but this unique set should be on
everyone’s list.
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Speech
Revered
by All: The Life and Works of Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan Hafetz Hayyim (1830-1933),
by Lester Eckman (Shengold, 1996). A study of the modern master of Jewish
speech ethics.
Words
That Hurt, Words That Heal: How to Choose Words Wisely and Well, by
Joseph Telushkin (HarperCollins, 1998). Jewish speech ethics interpreted by a
talented rabbi/author.
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Business Ethics
Jewish
Business Ethics: The Firm and Its Stakeholder, edited by Moses L. Pava
and Aaron Levine (Jason Aronson, 1999).
The
Challenge of Wealth: A Jewish Perspective on Earning and Spending Money,
by Meir Tamari (Jason Aronson, 1995).
With
All Your Possessions: Jewish Ethics and Economic Life, by Meir Tamari
(Jason Aronson Publishers, 1998).
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The Body
Matters
of Life and Death, by Elliot N.
Dorff (Jewish Publication Society,
1998).
See especially Chapter 2,
“Fundamental Beliefs Underlying Jewish Medical Efforts."
People
of the Body: Jews and Judaism from an Embodied Perspective, edited by
Howard Eilberg-Schwartz (State University of New York Press, 1992). An eclectic
and iconoclastic anthology.
Illness
and Health in the Jewish Tradition: Writings from the Bible to Today,
edited by David L. Freeman and Judith Z. Abrams (Jewish Publication Society,
1999). An anthology about healing of body and soul.
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Torah Study
Back
to the Sources: Reading the Classical Jewish Texts, edited by Barry
Holtz (Simon and Schuster, 1986).
Torah
With Love: A Guide for Strengthening Jewish Values Within the Family,
by David Epstein and Suzanne Stutman (Simon and Schuster, 1986).
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