To Be A Jew: A Guide To Jewish Observance In Contemporary Life

Editorial Review:

This unique treasury of practical information and daily inspiration has long been acknowledged as the classic guide to the traditional Jewish laws and customs as they apply to contemporary Jewish daily life. Features a new introduction by Dr. Norman Lamm, President, Yeshiva University.

To Be a Jew, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin's classic guide to Jewish life, philosophy, and law has guided generations of Americans, Europeans, and Israelis to discover the treasures of their own religious traditions. First published in 1972, the book still stands as a reliable, practical and versatile resource for everyone from young girls preparing for bat mitzvah to old men returning to their spiritual roots. The book begins with an overview of Judaism's basic credo (including chapters on Israel's people, land, God, and Torah), moves on to describe the laws governing Jews' daily lives, the Jewish calendar, and "The Special Occasions of Life" from birth to death and mourning. One great strength of To Be a Jew is its blending of folk wisdom and scholarly learning. Rabbi Donin not only describes what right belief and righteous action look like but provides a rationale for these observances that engages and embraces the basic conditions of modern life. --Michael Joseph Gross

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

Good but Slanted:

This is a good book for those who want to learn about the Orthodox practice of halacha, but doesn't always seem to have a positive view of the other systems. So good but slantied.

As Modern as Ever:

This book is as relevant today as it was when first written. A very good read.

Very helpful:

Useful, informative introduction to Judaism. Helpful and well-written. I am not Jewish but this book helped me a lot to get a basic understanding of the practices and beliefs of Judaism. I think it would help other non-Jews too despite what some other reviewers said. If it assumes prior knowledge I honestly didn't notice and it's easy enough to look up vocabulary words if that's the biggest hurdle. That's what Wikipedia is for, right?

Excellent Resource:

"To Be a Jew" was the first "Jewish" book I bought when I initially became interested in becoming Jewish. Although I originally chose this book due to it and Telushkin's "Jewish Literacy" being the only "Jewish" books available in my rural town's bookstore, "To Be a Jew" has proven to be an excellent resource over the past twenty years. I have since had to buy a new copy to replace the first one as this is a book that we commonly refer to in our home.
I would also highly recommend "To Pray as a Jew"... more info

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