Jewish Books

Being Jewish - Jewish Books and Judaism

2011-10-07T05:59:00.000-07:00

Being Jewish by Ari L. Goldman

Description

Increasing numbers of Jews are returning to their religious roots in a search for meaning, eager to explore a heritage that is deeply embedded in history and at the same time rapidly changing. But what is Judaism today? And what does it mean -- culturally, spiritually, and ritually -- to be Jewish in the twenty-first century?

In Being Jewish, Ari L. Goldman offers eloquent, thoughtful answers to these questions through an absorbing exploration of modern Judaism. A bestselling author and widely respected chronicler of Jewish life, Goldman vividly contrasts the historical meaning of Judaism's heritage with the astonishing and multiform character of the religion today. The result will be a revelation for those already involved with Judaism and a fascinating introduction for those whose interests are newly minted or rekindled.

This inspiring volume encourages us to find our own place within the tradition and leads us into a deeper understanding not just of the details of the religion but, ultimately, of what it means to be Jewish.

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Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica
600 South Holly Street Suite 103
Denver, Co 80246

Maimonides Principles The Fundamentals of Jewish Faith Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

2011-10-07T05:57:00.001-07:00

Maimonides Principles The Fundamentals of Jewish Faith Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

This popular edition of the 13 Principles of Jewish Faith represents a summarized version of the original work which appears in Maimonides' commentary to Mishnah Sanhedrin.

This book is an effort to perpetuate what was undoubtedly the intent of Maimonides in presenting these fundamentals - to open the doors of the storehouse of Torah living and learning and to provide a keener understanding of the basic principles of Jewish responsibility of both the schooled and unschooled alike.

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The Garden of Gratitude Rabbi Shalom Arush Translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody

2011-10-07T05:56:00.000-07:00

Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica
600 South Holly Street Suite 103
Denver, Colorado 80246

Primo Levi - Tragedy of an Optimist Myiam Anissimov Jewish Books

2011-10-07T05:55:00.000-07:00

Double Victory - Jewish Books

2011-10-07T05:54:00.001-07:00

Nefesh Chaya The Unique Avodas Hashem

2011-10-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Nefesh Chaya The Unique Avodas Hashem

Nefesh Chaya The Unique Avodas Hashem of the Jewish Woman by Rabbi Shimshon Dovid Pincus

Description

The enthusiasm in his voice, the wisdom of his words, the soothing, practical quality of his presentation--all these and more were the hallmark of Rav Shimshon Dovid Pincus, Rav of Ofakim, and an internationally acclaimed speaker. In this volume, his masterfully presented outlook on the avodas Hashem of the Jewish woman comes alive; every word glistens with truth and sincerity. This book is a rare treat, a combination of profound hashkafah, gentle humor, and illuminating insight that truly conveys to the Jewish woman--and man--her unique role in the service of her Creator. With a moving tribute to Rebbetzin Chaya Mindel Pincus and their daughter, Miriam, who, together with the Rav, were tragically killed on the 12th of Nisan, 5761.

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The Gutnick Edition Chumash - Five Books of Moses (Full Size) (The Gutnick Library of Jewish Classics) by Rabbi Chaim Miller, Chaim Miller

2011-10-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Gutnick Edition Chumash - Five Books of Moses (Full Size) (The Gutnick Library of Jewish Classics) by Rabbi Chaim Miller, Chaim Miller

Now all 5 books of the Torah in one volume Kol Menachem Chumash.

584 verses; 52 Parshiyos, 80 classic commentaries; 1200 sichos; 5 chumashim; all in one book. The Kol Menachem Chumash "Synagogue Edition" is 5 volumes in one book - unabridged from the single volume editions. It has a beautiful reinforced binding designed specially for frequent use. The luxurious cream paper, manufactured especially for this project, is unsurpassed in brightness, opacity and strength. The cover is a beautiful hand tooled genuine leather cover.

The Mishkan - The Tabernacle Its Structure And Its Sacred Vessels

2011-02-16T07:28:00.000-08:00

The Mishkan - The Tabernacle Its Structure And Its Sacred Vessels

Now you can see how the Mishkan was built, its sacred vessels assembled, and the bigdei kehunah (the priestly vestments) woven and crafted.

* Hundreds of exquisite, full-color, detailed, realistic images of the Mishkan, its sacred vessels and priestly vestments.

* Relevant Chumash text describing the Mishkan, its vessels, and the priestly vestments, in Hebrew and English.

* Rashi text, in Hebrew and in English, on these Chumash verses - as elucidated by the acclaimed Sapirstein Edition.

* Clear explanations of the purpose of each vessel and the manner of use, based on the classic Torah and Talmudic sources.

* An Overview of the Mishkan and its place in Jewish life, by Rabbi Nosson Scherman

* A book for every age: clear, detailed captions make this suitable for children too - at home and in the classroom!

Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica

600 South Holly Street Suite 103

Denver, Colorado 80246

303-322-7345

Talking Siddur Shema Kolainu

2010-12-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

Talking Siddur Shema Kolainu

The "Shemah Kolenu" Siddur allows each child, even infants, to get familiar with the prayer book, its traditional melodies and the daily schedule of the prayer. It is wonderful to hear a child begin his day in the morning by saying the "Mode Ani" prayer, singing "Adon Olam Asher Malach" to himself, in a familiar melody. The "Shemah Kolenu" Siddur is an interactive (active) prayer book, enabling each child, at every age, to get excited and enjoy the comprehensive experience of prayer, starting from a young age.

Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica
600 South Holly Street Suite 103
Denver, Colorado 80246
303-322-7345
800-830-8660

All Hebrew Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

2010-12-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

Where the Sidewalk ends by Shel Silverstein

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974) is a collection of children's poetry written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. The book's poems address many common childhood concerns and also presents purely fanciful stories. The first edition was originally copyrighted in 1974 and published by Harper and Row Publishers.

Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica

600 South Holly Suite 103

Denver, Colorado 80246

303-322-7345

800-830-8660

I remember this book in the second grade! Wow, that was a long time ago. I remember enjoying the poems very much. Well, I stumbled upon this book a few weeks ago and decided to read them again. It had been quite some time. I still enjoyed it just as much as when I was little, if not more. "Where the Sidewalk Ends" is a literary treat for all ages.

The poems are funny and sincere at the same time. I really enjoyed each and every poem. The drawings are also really good. Just to give you a little taste of my Silverstein's work, here's the very first poem I heard from this book when I was little called, "Hat." And it goes a little something like this:

Teddy said it was a hat,
So I put it on.
Now Dad is saying, "Where the heck's
the toilet plunger gone?"

That's only a SMALL taste of the wonders you will find in this book. My other favorites are "Hat," "Dancing Pants," "I Must Remember," "Warning," "Who," and "The Land of Happy." I'm sure there are many more, but that's all I can think of right now. Bottom line: EVERY poem is great.

Although this is really great for kids, I think this is something EVERYONE would enjoy. Young or old, "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein is a fine read. One of my favorites.

(If you liked this one, check out "A Light in the Attic." Very good book as well.)

Would you like to meet Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who would not take the garbage out? Or Dirty Dan, the world's dirtiest man? Accept Shel Silverstein's invitation to come inside his delightful book full of outrageous poems and drawings. The unpredictable and humorous actions of each crazy character grabs readers' attention, keeping them engrossed in each poem, and craving for more. Elementary school-aged children will fall over laughing at Peggy Ann McKay's desperate attempt to avoid school, claiming, "I have the measles and the mumps, a gash, a rash, and purple bumps. My mouth is wet, my throat is dry, I'm going blind in my right eye." Silverstein's use of rhyme and nonsense verse combined with his constant humor captures the reader. His simple pen-and-ink drawings add to the imagery presented in each poem. The reader not only sees, but feels lazy Jane's dry mouth as she waits for it to rain. The application of alliteration, assonance, and consonance makes each poem a delight to read out loud; "For I've been down to the edge of the world, sat on the edge where the wild wind whirled." Some poems not only depict an array of humorous characters, but also create touching moments and offers good advice. Silverstein suggests playing hug o' war, rather than tug o' war, and assures young readers that, "Anything can happen, child, ANYTHING can be." Children ages nine to twelve will enjoy reading these well crafted poems that portray both ludicrous and poignant messages.

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Real Jews - Jewish Books

2010-12-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

Real Jews - Jewish Books

Real Jews: Secular Versus Ultra-Orthodox
The Struggle for Jewish Identity in Israel
by Noah Efron

Publisher: Basic Books, 2003

An explosive book that documents in savage detail the war that is tearing Jewish Israel apart from the inside. Most Americans would be shocked and disturbed to learn that the harsh rhetoric of virulent anti-Semitism is alive and thriving in Israel. Israel is a Jewish state, after all, so the anti-Semitism found there could hardly be aimed at all Jews. In fact, the Israeli brand of anti-Semitism pits secular Jews against fundamentalist Jews, the ones in traditional clothing following exacting religious rules.

Continued

Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica
600 South Holly Street Suite 103
Denver, Colorado 80246
303-322-7345
800-830-8660

All Hebrew Books of Haftorah

2010-12-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

All Hebrew Books of Haftorah

Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica
600 South Holly Street Suite 103
Denver, Colorado 80246
303-322-7345
800-830-8660

The haftarah or (in Ashkenazic pronunciation) haftoroh (alt. haphtara, Hebrew: הפטרה‎; "parting," "taking leave", plural haftarot or haftorahs) is a series of selections from the books of Nevi'im ("Prophets") of the Hebrew Bible (Tanach) that is publicly read in synagogue as part of Jewish religious practice. The Haftarah reading follows the Torah reading on each Sabbath and on Jewish festivals and fast days. Typically, the haftarah is thematically linked to the parasha (Torah portion) that precedes it. The haftarah is sung in a chant (known as "trop" in Yiddish or "Cantillation" in English). Related blessings precede and follow the Haftarah reading.

The origin of haftarah reading is lost to history, and several theories have been proposed to explain its role in Jewish practice, suggesting it arose in response to the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus Epiphanes which preceded the Maccabean revolt, wherein Torah reading was prohibited, or that it was "instituted against the Samaritans, who denied the canonicity of the Prophets (except for Joshua), and later against the Sadducees."[2] The Talmud mentions that a haftarah was read in the presence of Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, who lived c.70 CE.

Who reads the haftarah

The haftarah is traditionally read by the maftir, or the last person to be called up to the Torah scroll.

Rabbi Yosef Karo reports that for many years there were no set haftarot: the maftir chose an appropriate passage from the Nevi'im. Over time, certain choices became established in certain communities; in contemporary Jewish observance one may not choose his or her own haftarah, explains Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, as that would run against accepted custom. Rabbi Karo's explanation, however, helps to explain why communities have varying customs regarding what to read as haftarah. In most congregations, when a child becomes a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, they will read the haftarah.

My First Parsha Reader

2010-11-22T09:41:00.000-08:00

My First Parsha Reader

This is the perfect book for parents and children looking to learn about the parsha. Each Parsha is explained in a simple yet detailed way.

Pictures are at the side of each Parsha depicting the scene being explained.

This is a perfect item for parents to use when teaching the children because it gives the parent the ideas to explain. It is certainly one of the most popular books on parsha. 5 Volume Set.
Can be ordered either as a set or each volume individually

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Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica
600 South Holly Street Suite 103
Denver, Colorado 80246
303-322-7345
800-830-8660

Le'an by Rabbi Avigdor Miller

2010-11-14T22:07:00.000-08:00

Le'an by Rabbi Avigdor Miller

The venerable Rabbi Avigdor Miller zt"l reaches out to the heart of every Jew. In this Hebrew volume he culls thoughts from his three part Jewish Ideology Series that cover the integral thoughts of Emunah and Bitachon that each and every one of us aspires to. His unique style brings the Father-to-son relationship between us and G-d, right to our fingertips.

Jastrow Dictionary - Jewish Books

2010-11-08T10:46:00.000-08:00

Jastrow Dictionary - Jewish Books

Commonly known as "the Jastrow Dictionary," this is the Definitive Aramaic - English dictionary of the Babylonian Talmud and Jerusalem Talmud, the Targumim, and Midrashic literature. Each entry (over 30,000) is presented in fully vocalized Aramaic, defined lucidly, and is used in the context of its sources to relate the different shades of its meaning. An invaluable resource.

Jewish Biography: Marcus Jastrow

Italian Jewish Cooking Traditional Recipes and Menus Edda Servi Machin

2010-11-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

Italian Jewish Cooking Traditional Recipes and Menus Edda Servi Machin

Spice and Spirit - The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook

2010-11-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

Spice and Spirit - The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook

The Book of Our Heritage - Jewish Books

2010-11-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

The Book of Our Heritage

7 volume Iturey Torah Rabbi by Rabbi Aharon Yaakov Greenburg

2010-11-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

7 volume Iturey Torah Rabbi by Rabbi Aharon Yaakov Greenburg

Ein Yaakov: The Ethical and Inspirational Teachings - Jewish Books

2010-11-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

Ein Yaakov: The Ethical and Inspirational Teachings - Jewish Books

This is the only complete English translation of the classic Jewish text known as Ein Yaakov. Ein Yaakov is a collection of all the agaddah (the non-legal) material of the Talmud, compiled by Rabbi Yaakov ibn Chaviv, the fifteenth century talmudist. Scattered among the more than 2,700 pages of the Talmud, aggadah focuses on the ethical and inspirational aspects of the Torah way of life. Through a wealth of homilies, anecdotes, allegories, pithy sayings, and interpretations of biblical verses, it has been said that the aggadah brings you closer to God and his Torah.

Mishnah Berurah 6 volumes - Jewish Books

2010-11-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

Mishnah Berurah 6 volumes - Jewish Books

Mishnah Berurah (Hebrew: Clarified Teaching‎, a reference to the portion in Deuteronomy where Israel is commanded to inscribe God's commandments in large clear writing on a mountainside) is a work of halakha (Jewish law) by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, better known as the Chofetz Chaim (Poland, 1838–1933). It is a commentary on Orach Chayim, the first section of the Shulchan Aruch (laws of prayer, synagogue, Shabbat and holidays), summarizing the opinions of the Acharonim (post-Medieval rabbinic authorities) on that work.

The Mishnah Berurah is traditionally printed in 6 volumes alongside selected other commentaries. The work provides simple and contemporary explanatory remarks and citations to daily aspects of halakha. It is widely used as a reference and has mostly supplanted the Chayei Adam and the Aruch HaShulchan as the primary authority on Jewish daily living among Ashkenazi Jews, particularly those closely associated with haredi yeshivas. The Mishnah Berurah is accompanied by additional in-depth glosses called Be'ur Halakha, a reference section called Sha'ar Hatziyun (these two were also written by the Chofetz Chaim), and additional commentaries called Be'er Hagolah, Be'er Heitev, and Sha'arei Teshuvah.

"Mishnah Berurah Yomit" is a daily study program initiated by Vaad Daas Halacha and the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation. The study program proceeds either on a 2½ year cycle ("Daf a Day") or a 5 year cycle ("Amud a Day") and includes a focus on each yom tov (festival) in the 30 preceding days.

Aruch LaNer Shas - A Classic Talmudic Commentary - Jewish Books

2010-11-04T22:15:00.000-07:00

Aruch LaNer Shas - A Classic Talmudic Commentary - Jewish Books

A classic Talmudic commentary by Rav Yaakov Ettlinger (1798-1871).

Rav Yaakov Ettlinger was rosh yeshiva in Altona, and before that in Karlsruhe , where Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, his most widely renowned disciple, studied.

All Hebrew Books of Haftorah

2010-11-04T22:12:00.000-07:00

All Hebrew Books of Haftorah

Jewish Mysticism: An Introduction to the Kabbalah

2010-11-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

Jewish Mysticism: An Introduction to the Kabbalah

The Commentators' Al Hanissm Insight of the Sages on Chanukah and Purim - Rav Yitzchak Sender

2010-11-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

The Commentators' Al Hanissm Insight of the Sages on Chanukah and Purim - Rav Yitzchak Sender

The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein - A Boy Named Shel

2010-11-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein - A Boy Named Shel

Advance Praise for A Boy Named Shel

“I didn’t think any biography could do justice to one of the few honest-to-goodness geniuses of our time, a walking paradox who wore a cloak of complexity and elusiveness, but Lisa Rogak has done an exemplary job of it.”---Otto Penzler, The Mysterious Bookshop

“Shel Silverstein...was a genius in a dozen genres, the last of the real Renaissance men. He loved life and lived it more intensely than most of us dare to dream. There’s a surprise on every page as Lisa Rogak tells the whole untold story of this truly fabulous character.”---Dr. Demento, syndicated radio personality
Product Description

Few authors are as beloved as Shel Silverstein. His inimitable drawings and comic poems have become the bedtime staples of millions of children and their parents, but few readers know much about the man behind that wild-eyed, bearded face peering out from the backs of dust jackets.

In A Boy Named Shel, Lisa Rogak tells the full story of a life as antic and adventurous as any of his creations. A man with an incurable case of wanderlust, Shel kept homes on both coasts and many places in between---and enjoyed regular stays in the Playboy Mansion. Everywhere he went he charmed neighbors, made countless friends, and romanced almost as many women with his unstoppable energy and never-ending wit.

His boundless creativity brought him fame and fortune---neither of which changed his down-to-earth way of life---and his children’s books sold millions of copies. But he was much more than “just” a children’s writer. He collaborated with anyone who crossed his path, and found success in a wider range of genres than most artists could ever hope to master. He penned hit songs like “A Boy Named Sue” and “The Unicorn.” He drew cartoons for Stars & Stripes and got his big break with Playboy. He wrote experimental plays and collaborated on scripts with David Mamet. With a seemingly unending stream of fresh ideas, he worked compulsively and enthusiastically on a wide array of projects up until his death, in 1999.

Drawing on wide-ranging interviews and in-depth research, Rogak gives fans a warm, enlightening portrait of an artist whose imaginative spirit created the poems, songs, and drawings that have touched the lives of so many children---and adults.

Mishnah Berurah Hebrew - English Edition

2010-11-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

Mishnah Berurah Hebrew - English Edition

Mishnah Berurah

Mishnah Berurah (Hebrew: Clarified Teaching‎, a reference to the portion in Deuteronomy where Israel is commanded to inscribe God's commandments in large clear writing on a mountainside) is a work of halakha (Jewish law) by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, better known as the Chofetz Chaim (Poland, 1838–1933). It is a commentary on Orach Chayim, the first section of the Shulchan Aruch (laws of prayer, synagogue, Shabbat and holidays), summarizing the opinions of the Acharonim (post-Medieval rabbinic authorities) on that work.

The Mishnah Berurah is traditionally printed in 6 volumes alongside selected other commentaries. The work provides simple and contemporary explanatory remarks and citations to daily aspects of halakha. It is widely used as a reference and has mostly supplanted the Chayei Adam and the Aruch HaShulchan as the primary authority on Jewish daily living among Ashkenazi Jews, particularly those closely associated with haredi yeshivas. The Mishnah Berurah is accompanied by additional in-depth glosses called Be'ur Halakha, a reference section called Sha'ar Hatziyun (these two were also written by the Chofetz Chaim), and additional commentaries called Be'er Hagolah, Be'er Heitev, and Sha'arei Teshuvah.

"Mishnah Berurah Yomit" is a daily study programm initiated by Vaad Daas Halacha and the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation. The study program proceeds either on a 2½ year cycle ("Daf a Day") or a 5 year cycle ("Amud a Day") and includes a focus on each yom tov (festival) in the 30 preceding days.

Chronicles: News of the Past (3 volume set)

2010-10-12T03:00:00.000-07:00

Chronicles: News of the Past (3 volume set)

Editors: Dr. Israel Eldad and Moshe Aumann

The Idea: to retell the ancient, hallowed story of the Bible as if it were happening today - or, differently expressed, as if the ancients had been in possession of all the facilities and know-how connected with the production of a modern newspaper!

The Result: a serious, authentic and well-founded portrayal of the people and events of the Biblical era, giving the reader dimensions of depth that no history textbook, with its necessarily compartmentalized, chapter-by-chapter approach, can provide: depth in geographical extension and depth in aspects of living. The perusal of any one issue in Chronicles will give the reader both an overall view of simultaneous happenings in the Holy Land and in other countries, and a fresh insight into the political, economic and social problems, as well as the everyday life, of our ancestors.

Prepared by a staff of established scholars and experienced researchers, experts in history, archaelogy and the social sciences, writers and journalists, Chronicles faithfully follows the biblical account.

By lending new life, new color and new dimension to the men and women who populate the Books of the Bible, the editors of this unique, publishing venture have contributed immeasurably to the public's understanding, appreciation and love of the Bible, throughout the world.

Contains all three volumes, covering the biblical and post-biblical eras, and up to the modern era.

3 Volume, Hardcover, in slip case
ISBN: 965-7108-15-2
A publication of the Reubeni Foundation, Jerusalem.
Originally published in 1954.
First edition: 1954
Second edition: 1967
Third edition: 1968

Seach for best price: Chronicles: News of the Past (3 volume set)

Jewish Books - Shtender / Book Stand

2010-10-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Jewish Books - Shtender / Book Stand

Size:	12 1/2" x 10"
	4 different book settings
Settings	a: 3 1/4"
	b: 6"
	c: 7 1/2"
	d: 8"
Description	Solid wood table-top
	Shtender / mitered corners
	Made in Israel
	Colorful design
	Jerusalem skyline motif
tk 517	[495]
Overview:	Prop / Adjust your books for maximum visibility for studying, reading, or working

2010 Rogov's Guide to Kosher Wines

2009-12-21T18:20:00.000-08:00

Rogov's Guide to Kosher Wines

With kosher wines now competing comfortably with many of the best wines of the world, an increasingly large audience has come to realize that there need be no contradiction whatsoever between a wine of high quality and a kosher wine.

On-line Kosher Wine Store

Rogov's Guide to Kosher Wines is the definitive annual guide to the 500 best kosher wines (from 14 counties) tasted each year by internationally renowned critic Daniel Rogov. In addition to detailed tasting notes on each of the wines, the guide includes information on what makes a wine kosher, how to host wine-tasting parties and a glossary of wine terminology.

For many years, simply mentioning kosher wines let to not-at-all complimentary humor, if not outright scorn. Those days are happily gone forever and, with kosher wines of the world, are increasingly large audience has come to realize that there need be no contradiction whatsoever between a wine of high quality and a kosher wine.

Highlights included:

150 pages filed with useful information in full color
An introduction to wine regions and grape varietals
Vintages Reports for the past decade
Critical rating of 500 wines
Symbols for easy reference
A full glossary of wine terminology
A guide to organizing tasting parties

24 volume Sefer HaZohar / Zohar

2009-09-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

Used Set Zohar: 24 volume Sefer HaZohar published by the Press of the Yeshivat Kol Yehuda..., Old City,Jerusalem and Richmond Hill, NY. The title page includes the following information:

Sefer ha-Zohar 'al hamishah humshe Torah 'im perush Rabi Shim'on ben Yohai; 'im perush Derech Emet; ve-'imha-bi'urim ha-nifla'im ha'sulam...Mesoret haZohar...Chalufi G'sorot.

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The Nine Questions People Ask about Judaism / Dennis Prager Joseph Telushkin

2009-09-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Nine Questions People Ask about Judaism

Dennis Prager & Joseph Telushkin

Overview: If you have ever wondered what being born Jewish should mean to you; if you want to find out more about the nature of Judaism, or explain it to a friend; if you are thinking about how Judaism can connect with the rest of your life--this is the first book you should own. It poses, and thoughtfully addresses, questions like these: Can one doubt God's existence and still be a good Jew? Why do we need organized religion? Why shouldn't I intermarry? What is the reason for dietary laws? How do I start practicing Judaism? SC, 218 pages.

Can be purchased from: The Nine Questions People Ask about Judaism

Ein Yaakov: The Ethical and Inspirational Teachings of the Talmud complied in the sixteenth century by Rabbi Yaakov Ibn Chaviv

2009-09-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ein Yaakov

The Ethical and Inspirational Teachings of the Talmud complied in the sixteenth century by Rabbi Yaakov Ibn Chaviv a translation with commentary by Avraham Yaakov Finkel (Editor)

This is the only complete English translation of the classic Jewish text known as Ein Yaakov.

Ein Yaakov is a collection of all the agaddah (the non-legal) material of the Talmud, compiled by Rabbi Yaakov ibn Chaviv, the fifteenth century talmudist. Scattered among the more than 2,700 pages of the Talmud, aggadah focuses on the ethical and inspirational aspects of the Torah way of life. Through a wealth of homilies, anecdotes, allegories, pithy sayings, and interpretations of biblical verses, it has been said that the aggadah brings you closer to God and his Torah.

About The Author

Avraham Yaakov Finkel is the author of such books as The Essential Maimonides, In My Flesh I See God, The Responsa Anthology, and The Great Torah Masters.

Chanukah: Its History, Observance, And Significance Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz

2009-09-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

Chanukah: Its History, Observance, And Significance Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz

Includes a comprehensive history of the period; Chanah and her seven sons; the story of theKohen Gadol's daughter; and the complete candle-lighting service.

Table of Contents

Approbation
Preface

An Overview / Light Banishes Darkness

I. The Oil's Lesson
II. The Second Temple
III. Greece is Darkness
IV. Understanding Chanukah

Background

A History of the Chanukah Period
Chanah and her Seven Sons
The Daughter of the Kohen Gadol
The Dating of Chanukah
Duration of the Hasmonean Monarchy
Table of Important Events
Insights

Observance

The Laws
The Ritual

Large Silver and Pewter Menorah

Very Large Classic Menorah
oil or candle
21 1/2" Height

also see: Menorahs, Menorahs

New Studies in the Torah by Nehama Leibowitz Zt"l

2009-09-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

New Studies in the Torah by Nehama Leibowitz Zt"l

A phenomenon in the world of Torah study and education,Nehama ZT"L Nehama (that is the unassuming way in which she even answered her phone) was a Russian born graduate of the University of Berlin who immigrated to Israel in 1931, became the instructor of three generations of teachers and acquired an extensive and profound influence on Torah pedagogy worldwide—no mean feat for anyone.

Between 1954 and 1961 (5714-5721) she published "Studies in Parashat HaShavua". Subsequently these were printed in book format, arranged according to the five books of the Pentateuch. These volumes of the "Studies" were translated into English, French, Spanish, and Dutch, and are used as a primary resource in disseminating Torah. In addition, Nehama Leibowitz published numerous articles on Bible research and instruction.

Nehama Leibowitz, died in Jerusalem on Shabbat, 5 Nisan, 5757 (April 12, 1997) at the age of 92.

Best Price:
Set of 5 volumes: New Studies in the Torah by Nehama Leibowitz Zt"l

A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking The 10th Anniversary Edition

2009-09-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking
The 10th Anniversary Edition - Marcy Goldman

In A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking, Goldman defines Jewish cooking as a combination of influences from religious laws, holiday and seasonal events, what is locally available, and cross-cultural adaptations created as Jewish families moved around. She also explains much about Jewish dietary law and other food customs.

Holidays, in particular, call for foods with symbolic as well as sensory resonance. This leads to baking a special, spiral-shaped challah--a reminder of life's continuity. This egg bread is reserved for the Sabbath and most holidays, while triangular Hamantaschen, a pastry resembling the three-cornered hat of the evil Haman, are unique to the lively holiday of Purim.

Novice cooks will appreciate Goldman's list of "Winning Recipes for the Bakery Challenged." Her discussions of yeast (five pages) and sensible equipment (seven pages) are an education for any baker, while everyone will enjoy her killer frozen cheesecake, which you can keep for unexpected guests; flourless and rich, rich Espresso Truffle Torte; and Smoked Salmon, Dill, and Cream Cheese Pizza. Whatever your persuasion, Marcy Goldman's A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking belongs on your bookshelf.See: Marcy Goldman

Best Price: A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking

Levana's Table Kosher Cooking for Everyone by Levana Kirchenbaugh

2009-09-25T07:32:00.000-07:00

Levana's Table Kosher Cooking for Everyone
by Levana Kirchenbaugh

This cookbook, by the proprietor of the celebrated Levana Restaurant and Bakery in Manhattan, offers 150 recipes and 20 menus that are simple, nutritious, beautifully presented, and 100 percent kosher. Traditional kosher fare, including food for the holidays and entertaining is featured, along with recipes that reflect the author's Moroccan, French, Asian, and vegetarian influences. 150 recipes, 30 color photographs. Try a recipe:

Best Price: Levana's Table Kosher Cooking for Everyone

Spice and Spirit The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook

2009-09-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

Spice and Spirit The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook

by Esther Blau,
Tzirrel Deitsch, Cherna Light

In addition to over 900 recipes, this newly-revised and award-winning cookbook provides important information on the practical observance of Jewish life. The comprehensive yet clearly presented sections on kashrut, Shabbat, and the Jewish festivals provide an enriching dimension to the preparation of kosher dishes throughout the year: challah and bread, dairy dishes, soups and accompaniments, pareve main dishes, meat and poultry main dishes, side dishes, cake and pastry, and desserts and confections. (575 Pages)

Sample Recipes:

Best price: Spice and Spirit The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook

Jewish Cookbooks and Kosher Cookbooks

2009-09-25T07:10:00.001-07:00

Large slection of:

Jewish / Kosher Cookbooks

The 30 minute Kosher Cookbook

2009-09-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

The 30 minute Kosher Cookbook
by Judy Zeidler

The 30-Minute Kosher Cook delivers what no other kosher cookbook has before -- 130 delicious recipes, all prepared in half an hour or less. Judy gives great tips on the quick-fix pantry, how to stock your freezer and what should be in your refrigerator to make cooking quicker and more enjoyable. There are chapters on Appetizers, Soups and Stocks, Salads and Vegetables, Pastas and Grains, Poultry, Meat, Fish, Dessert, and of course, a special section on traditional Jewish holiday favorites.

Best Price: The 30 minute Kosher Cookbook

The Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook

2009-09-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

The Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook

Traditional Recipes from Contemporary Kosher Kitchens

Hadassah is a Jewish organization similar to the Junior League and like the latter has periodically published local Hadassah cookbooks. Now for the first time they have produced a national Hadassah cookbook, filling it with time-honored and well-tested favorites, many with a modern twist. Based on the Jewish festival calendar, the book is divided seasonally, starting with the Sabbath and working through the festivals from the New Year to the Shavuot spring festival.

Best Price: The Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook

A Passion for Baking

2009-09-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

A Passion for Baking:
Bake to celebrate, Bake to nourish, Bake for fun (Hardcover)
by Marcy Goldman (Author)

The smells, the tactile involvement, the delicious results--there's nothing quite like fresh-baked bread, and no other cookbook elevates the art of baking bread and sweets to such grand style as Marcy Goldman's A Passion for Baking.

Best Price: A Passion for Baking

Let My People Eat!: Passover Seders Made Simple

2009-09-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

Let My People Eat!: Passover Seders Made Simple

There are more than the ceremonial four questions when it comes to the Passover Seder:

What kinds of traditional dishes should I make?
What goes on the Seder plate?
What is the Seder plate?
Do I have to drink all four cups of wine?

Best Price: Let My People Eat!: Passover Seders Made Simple

The Cat in the Hat Yiddish

2009-09-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

The Cat in the Hat Yiddish

The Cat in the Hat in Yiddish captures the words, rhyme scheme and spirit of the original. Also included are transliteration and an alphabet chart to help those not yet proficient in Yiddish."

Best price: The Cat in the Hat Yiddish

Based on Health and Psychological Principles of Maimonides

2009-09-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

The Life-Transforming Diet

based on Health and Psychological
Principles of Maimonides and other Classical Sources

David Zulberg has taken Maimonides instructions for proper nutrition, accompanied by other suggestions for proper living, and made them available in an easily understood form. It is a major contribution to a field where there is so much controversy and confusion.

As a codifier of Jewish law, Maimonides' opinion has great impact even today. Zulberg’s work may prove that this is equally true of his instructions on nutrition. -- Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D.

Let My People Eat!: Passover Seders Made Simple

2009-09-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

Let My People Eat!: Passover Seders Made Simple

There are more than the ceremonial four questions when it comes to the Passover Seder:

What kinds of traditional dishes should I make?
What goes on the Seder plate?
What is the Seder plate?
Do I have to drink all four cups of wine?

Author Zell Schulman puts your mind at ease with Let My People Eat! the first Passover Seder cookbook that not only takes you step-by-step through the Seder, but also features six Seder menus to suit your religious background, your diet, your budget, and your time. Maybe your husband is Jewish and you're not, and you don't know where to begin. Or perhaps you've recently decided to become more involved in the Jewish holidays and traditions and want to make this Seder special

Best Price: Let My People Eat!: Passover Seders Made Simple

The Story of Chanukah

2009-09-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

The Story of Chanukah

by Sarah Leon
Illustrated by: Tova Katz
Ages 6-12 The Story of Chanukah. Watch it come alive.

The candles have been lit. The presents have been given out. Now it is time to retell the Chanukah story to the children. And what a tale it is! With its evil king and courageous Jews fighting for their Torah, it is a story that both thrills and inspires youngsters.

The Story of Chanukah brings this fascinating era of Jewish history to vivid life. The wicked King Antiochus, the brave Chashmonaim who stood up to him, the dreidel-playing youngsters tricking the Greek soldiers, and, of course, the miracle of the Menorah - children will relive it all as they pore over Tova Katz's innovative pictures that combine real-life backgrounds with adorable illustrations.

Divided into eight chapters, one for each night of the holiday, Sarah Leon's enchanting rhymed text will captivate young readers (and older ones, too). The Story of Chanukah is a book that will surely become a treasured part of this beloved holiday for the entire family.(64 Pages)

2009-07-10T21:51:00.001-07:00

MileChai ®

Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica
600 South Holly Street 103
Denver, Colorado
800-830-8660

Jewish Books, Judaica, Jewish Jewelry and Jewish Ritual items

2009-07-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

OUT OF PRINT several used copies in excellent condition: Neshama: Journey of the Soul call Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica 800-830-8660

by David Sanders (Author),
Martin Mendelsberg (Graphic Illustrator)

A Mouse in the Rabbi's Study

2008-09-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

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A Mouse in the Rabbi's Study: The weather is turning cool and a mouse, who is looking for a place to spend the winter, makes his way into the synagogue. When the rabbi discovers him, they strike a bargain.

Since the somewhat plump Rabbi Saltzman enjoys eating while he works, he often makes a mess with crumbs that rain all over his desk and onto the floor. If the mouse, who the rabbi names Mazel (luck), will keep his study tidy, he can stay.

As the weeks and months go by, Rabbi Saltzman teaches Mazel about the Jewish holidays and the special food associated with each. Because they have become good friends, by spring both rabbi and mouse are sad to part. Then there's a great surprise ending!

“ I got the idea for the book when the High Holidays were coming and our house was suddenly inundated with mice... ”

While dealing with the emergency, the longtime early childhood educator began to imagine what would happen if a mouse found its way into a rabbi’s study at Rosh Hashanah. The rabbi she invented likes to eat at his desk and enlists the aid of the mouse, whom he dubs Mazel, to clean up his crumbs. Their humorous relationship extends through a year of Jewish holidays and gives Mazel a Jewish education, along with tastes of challah, latkes, hamantashen and other holiday leftovers.

Beautifully illustrated by Colorado pastel artist Pegi Ballenger, the book includes a CD dramatization of the story interspersed with holiday songs performed by Daniel Stellini. While the warm-hearted story is aimed primarily at children in kindergarten through third grade, the story is educational and entertaining for youngsters of any age, as well as for adults interested in learning about Judaism.

Reading Level:	Kindergarten - 3rd Grade
Length:	36 pages / $19.99
ISBN:	978-0981465401
Dimensions:	11.25" x 8.25" x 0.38"
Weight:	13.5 ounces
Includes CD: Music and Story narrated by Daniel Stellini, Deborah Stellini, and Nancy Larner and Sung by Daniel Stellini
Purchase a copy on line at: Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica

Passover Cookery in the Kitchen with Joan Kekst

2008-03-19T03:33:00.000-07:00

Product Description

From the novice to the seasoned cook, the Jewish holiday of Passover presents a host of culinary challenges. But whether your goal is to create a new and distinct feast or to reproduce the beauty and traditions of your grandmother's Seder, Joan Kekst paves the way in her upcoming book.....

Try a sample recipe: A Passover Lasagna

Passover Cookery: In the Kitchen with Joan Kekst.

Passover by Design Picture-perfect Kosher by Design

2008-03-19T03:30:00.000-07:00

Recipes for the holiday (Kosher by Design)
by Susie Fishbein (Author)

See a Sample Recipe: Stuffed Veal Roast

Best Price: Passover by Design

The New York Times Jewish Cookbook: 850 Traditional and Contemporary Recipes from Around the World

2008-03-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

by Linda A Amster

ISBN13: 9780312290931
ISBN10: 0312290934

Publisher Comments:

From the food pages of The New York Times comes this authoritative, wide-ranging Jewish cookbook. With almost 800 well-tested recipes by Times food writers, this collection includes influences from Northern Africa, Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. It is a collection to cook from as well as to celebrate the history, culture, culinary creativity, and enduring tradition of Jews around the world.

Mimi Sheraton, food critic and cookbook author, has written a full introduction to the book as well as to each chapter, providing context and expertise to entertain and inspire. Editor Linda Amster has organized chapters to cover every course: appetizers, breads, soups, fish, meat, chicken, vegetables and salads, grains and dairy delights, cakes, cookies, and other desserts. Delicious recipes include both traditional favorites and more recent variations that update the classics with a contemporary twist. All recipes are kosher and include dishes from dozens of well-known writers and chefs such as, Ms. Sheraton, Alain Ducasse, Joan Nathan, Daniel Boulud, and Wolfgang Puck.

This useful, appealing, and imaginative volume will delight those who celebrate Jewish culinary culture, and is sure to set a new standard on the Jewish cookbook shelf.

Synopsis:

From the food pages of the "New York Times" comes this wide-ranging Jewish cookbook. With almost 800 well-tested recipes by "Times" food writers, this collection includes influences from northern Africa, western and eastern Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

Synopsis:

This authoritative, wide-ranging volume features more than 750 recipes for every occasion. All recipes are kosher and include both traditional and modern variations.

About the Author

Linda Amster is manager of news research at The New York Times and the editor of The New York Times Passover Cookbook.

Mimi Sharaton is one of the country's best known food writers and experts on Jewish cooking. She is the author of several successful food books, including From My Mother's Kitchen and, most recently, The Bialy Eaters: The Story of a Bread and a Lost World. She is also a former restaurant critic of The New York Times, where her articles on food appear frequently.

The New York Times Jewish Cookbook: 850 Traditional and Contemporary Recipes from Around the World
by Linda Amster

Mother and Daughter Jewish Cooking: Two Generations of Jewish Women Share Traditional and Contemporary Recipes

2008-03-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

by Evelyn Rose

ISBN13: 9780688164515
ISBN10: 068816451x

Publisher Comments:

"In this book we are seeking the best of both worlds--the remembrance of tastes past and the thrill of the new. What matters in this updating of the classics and the culling of new ideas from communities around us is that we adapt and integrate them in the spirit of Jewish history, making them our own as our ancestors have always done. In doing so we continue a tradition that began more than five thousand years ago."
--from the Introduction

Two generations of Jewish women, mother and daughter, have come together to create this wonderful collection of recipes for cooks young and old. The mother, Evelyn Rose, offers traditional Jewish recipes, just the way your mother and grandmother used to make them. For more contemporary, bolder, and lighter tastes, her daughter, Judi, offers updated and all-new dishes.

For example, the chapters on soups, starters, and salads include a recipe for traditional Chopped Liver (though it's made with less fat), as well as Chicken Liver Pate with Pears and a Citrus and Red Currant Sauce, a totally contemporary hors d'oeuvre made with a fruit citrus-scented sauce. Try the beautiful, ruby-colored Traditional Beet Borscht for that old-world taste, or you might enjoy the satisfying and sophisticated Cream of Watercress Soup with a Toasted Walnut Garnish, which can be served hot or chilled.

For the Kosher home, there are plenty of recipes for dairy meals, such as a traditional Onion Tarte from Alsace, or the exquisite and aromatic Provençal Sun-dried Tomato, Olive, and Basil Tarte. Many of the pasta dishes can be adapted to dairy or meat meals, such as Auntie Mary's Savory Noodles and Noodles in Sesame Sauce, Hong Kong Style, both of which can be prepared with chicken or vegetable stock.

There's a bounty of meat recipes as well, from universal Eastern European favorites like Beef-Filled Cabbage Leaves in a Sweet-and-Sour Sauce to South African Curried Beef Gratin, a spiced and slightly sweet example of how much fun you can have with Kosher cooking. Succulent Roast Chicken with a Lemon and Herb Stuffing is comfort food at its best, and Chicken and Mushroom Puff is a delicious way to use up leftover chicken and gravy, or even leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

If it sounds like there are too many delicious recipes to choose from, Judi and Evelyn have included menus for every holiday — Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Hanukkah, and more. For each Jewish holiday, there is a discussion of the traditions and their cultural significance, such as why, during Purim, we eat all kinds of baked and fried sweet things using chickpeas, poppy or sesame seeds (to represent golden coins), and triangular pastries (Haman's pockets).

Finish your meal with desserts like Armenian Apricot Mousse with Pistachios, Auntie Annie's Cinnamon Balls, or Great Grandma's Feather-Light Lemon Cookies, and start creating a few traditions of your own. Cooking is as much about family and friends as it is about good food, and that's just the spirit conveyed here.

Whether you've been trying to remember the recipe for a favorite dish from your childhood or you want to keep a Kosher kitchen but are looking for some exciting new flavors, this is the book for you. Jewish people of all ages are returning to their roots and craving the long-lost recipes of generations past. What Jewish person doesn't remember his or her grandmother's special recipe for matzoh ball soup or his or her aunt's recipe for brisket, and want to share those comforting recipes with the family? And what Jewish cook wouldn't want to expand their repertoire with some fresher, lighter, more contemporary versions of their favorite family recipes?

Mother and Daughter Jewish Cooking offers recipes that embrace traditional Jewish cooking as well as innovations and world cuisines. Evelyn Rose, the mother, relates classic Jewish recipes, prepared the old-fashioned way and perfect for holidays and special occasions or those sentimental moods. Feeling more adventurous? Evelyn's daughter, Judi, offers updated classics and all new Jewish-style recipes that incorporate a wide range of flavors.

Mother and Daughter Jewish Cooking is a book that can be shared across the generations. It is a perfect gift for friends and family at holiday times as well as an everyday cookbook, reached for night after night.Jewish people of all ages are returning to their roots and craving the long-lost recipes of generations past. What Jewish person doesn't remember his or her grandmother's special recipe for matzoh ball soup or his or her aunt's recipe for brisket, and want to share those comforting recipes with the family? And what Jewish cook wouldn't want to expand their repertoire with some fresher, lighter, more contemporary versions of their favorite family recipes?

Mother and Daughter Jewish Cooking offers recipes that embrace traditional Jewish cooking as well as innovations and world cuisines. Evelyn Rose, the mother, relates classic Jewish recipes, prepared the old-fashioned way and perfect for holidays and special occasions or those sentimental moods. Feeling more adventurous? Evelyn's daughter, Judi, offers updated classics and all new Jewish-style recipes that incorporate a wide range of flavors.

Mother and Daughter Jewish Cooking is a book that can be shared across the generations. It is a perfect gift for friends and family at holiday times as well as an everyday cookbook, reached for night after night.

Mother and Daughter Jewish Cooking:
Two Generations of Jewish Women Share Traditional and Contemporary Recipes
by Evelyn Rose

Being Jewish

2008-03-09T07:06:00.000-07:00

Author: Goldman, Ari L. (A)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9780684823898
ISBN-10: 0684823896
Language: English
Pages: 286
Dimensions: 9.58" l x 6.50" w x 1.13" h
Weight: 0.56 kg / 1.23 lbs

Category Subject
Religion & Spirituality Judaism

This book is part of our Judaica collection.

Overview:

Ari Goldman's Being Jewish is an informative and eclectic exploration of Jewish practice from contemporary to ancient times. Goldman brings to this endeavor the gifted eye of the seasoned reporter, the analytical mind of the scholar, and the affection of a devoted Jew. 286 pages.

Being Jewish

Passover by Design

2008-02-29T23:40:00.000-08:00

Product DescriptionIn this fifth cookbook in the celebrated Kosher by Design series, Susie Fishbein makes Passover preparations elegantly simple. Featuring a blend of Passover-adjusted Kosher by Design favorites, with over thirty brand-new recipes and full-color photos, this is one cookbook you'll love to use throughout the holiday.Passover by Design features:

read more -->

The Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook: Traditional Recipes from Contemporary Kosher Kitchens

2008-02-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

The Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook: Traditional Recipes from Contemporary Kosher Kitchens by Claudia Roden, Steven Raichlen, Joan Nathan, and Joan Schwartz Michel

Publisher Comments:

Should matzo balls be firm or fluffy? Plain or filled? Made with chicken fat, oil, or marrow? These questions and others are addressed in this recipe collection from the celebrated cooks of Hadassah, the Jewish women's volunteer organization.
These Jewish holiday recipes include varieties of nostalgic must-haves — from chicken soup to borscht, kreplach to kishka, Grandma's honey cake to Israel's sufganiyot — and twists on the basics — challahs (seeds or honey), latkes (carrot or potato), and harosets (from Surinam to Africa). Reminiscences by top Jewish chefs and enticing photographs by acclaimed food photographer Louis Wallach accompany the recipes.

The Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook:
Traditional Recipes from Contemporary Kosher Kitchens
(Hardcover - Feb 26, 2008)
Hardcover: 264 pages
Publisher: Universe (February 26, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0789399911
ISBN-13: 978-0789399915

Author: Michel, Joan
Editor: Michel, Joan
Editor: Schwartz Michel, Joan
Photographer: Wallach, Louis
Publisher:Universe
Subject:Regional & Ethnic - Jewish & Kosher
Subject:Holiday
Language: English Pages:264

See: Jewish Recipes Cookbooks

The Will to Live On by Herman Wouk

2008-02-29T07:28:00.000-08:00

The Will to Live On by Herman Wouk

Author:	Herman Wouk
ISBN:	0060955627 ··· Paperback ··· 308 pages.

Overview:

Herman Wouk has ranged in his novels from the mighty narrative of The Caine Mutiny and the warm, intimate humor of Marjorie Morningstar to the global panorama of The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. All these powers merge in this major new work of nonfiction, The Will to Live On, an illuminating account of the worldwide revolution that has been sweeping over Jewry, set against a swiftly reviewed background of history, tradition, and sacred literature.

The Will to Live On by Herman Wouk
Author: Herman Wouk
ISBN: 0060955627 ··· Paperback ··· 308 pages.

When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough

2008-02-29T07:17:00.000-08:00

With the same compassion and wisdom that powered his phenomenal bestseller When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Harold Kushner addresses a need that is universal and timeless -- the wish for a meaningful life. Why is it that, after attaining many of our goals, we are left with a sense that something vital is missing? In his deeply inspiring bestseller, Rabbi Kushner shows us how to live as human beings are meant to. He guides us to a heightened sense of joy, purpose, and meaning, and helps us to redirect our energies toward goals that will bring us lasting happiness and true fulfillment.

When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough
Author: Kushner, Harold Editorial: Fireside Books
Formate: Paperback
ISBN: 9780743234733

The Modern Jewish Mom's Guide to Shabbat

2008-02-29T07:10:00.000-08:00

Overview:

In this must-have guide filled with helpful tips, recipes, prayers, and discussion questions, Jacobs brings Shabbat to her readers with a refreshing and modern twist. Whether you were born and raised Jewish, are in an interfaith marriage, a recent convert, or simply want to bring more tradition to your family and into your home, The Modern Jewish Mom's Guide to Shabbat is perfect for you. Comprehensive, useful, and written in a warm, engaging, and conversational tone - this inspirational hands-on guide will help keep this age-old ritual alive.

Publisher Comments:

Bringing the family together every Friday night for the Shabbat meal has helped many families connect with each other, even as children grow into their teens and beyond. Having experienced the joys of Shabbat and witnessed how it has brought her family together, Meredith L. Jacobs now brings us THE MODERN MOM'S GUIDE TO SHABBAT.

Written in conversational style from one modern Jewish mom to another, THE MJM'S GUIDE will be funny and warm, brightly colored and easy to read, filled with delicious, easy recipes and family art projects, while also challenging readers with summaries of the weekly Torah portion and suggested family discussion topics, compelling readers to include discussion in their dinner as a vehicle for connecting with their children–both teaching and learning from them. It will be informative and accessible throughout.

Shabbat is a wonderful way to ensure that in this day of ridiculous schedules and pressures, that we have at least one meal per week together as a family. Shabbat is the time we turn the outside world away and connect with each other. Unlike other holidays, Shabbat is not once a year, it's once a week, giving us fifty–two chances a year to connect with our children.

Whether you are reform, conservative, or modern orthodox, newly converted or non–Jewish in an inter–faith marriage, THE MODERN JEWISH MOM'S GUIDE TO SHABBAT will teach us about traditions, making new ones, and most importantly, how to connect with our children.

The Modern Jewish Mom's Guide to Shabbat
Author: Jacobs, Meredith L. Publisher: Harper
Format: Paperback
ISBN-13: 9780061120657
ISBN-10: 0061120650

How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household

2008-02-29T07:07:00.000-08:00

Synopsis:

Jewish and other religious leaders, critics and readers everywhere have embraced Blu Greenberg's guide to understanding, accepting and incorporating the ways of Orthodox Judaism into the contemporary household of the 80s.

How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household
Author: Greenberg, Blu (A)Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Paperback
ISBN-13: 9780671602703
ISBN-10: 0671602705

How to Keep Kosher

2008-02-29T07:03:00.000-08:00

Publisher Comments:

"Traditional Judaism injects sanctification into the ordinary habits of everyday life.Keeping kosher helps us pause and think about what we eat, and how we eat it, and elevates the act of eating."

What does it mean to keep kosher? Many may be familiar with the basics: no bacon, no shrimp, no cheeseburgers. But the Jewish dietary laws go deeper than that, and How to Keep Kosher explores the ins and outs. Why are some foods deemed kosher while others are not? Why can't you mix meat and dairy dishes? How do you turn a nonkosher kitchen into a kosher one? Do you really need multiple sets of everything — dishes, pots, pans, and utensils? How do you keep track of what's what?

Whether you are thinking about adopting a kosher lifestyle or already have a kosher home and just want tounderstand what it is all about, Lisand#235; Stern's How to Keep Kosher is essential reading. You will learn about the biblicaland historical origins of keeping kosher, the development of the kosher certification system, specific food preparation requirements for Shabbat, Passover, and otherholidays, and how to actually set up a kosher kitchen.

In straightforward language, drawing upon explanations from the Torah and Talmud, along with interviews with rabbis, academics, and laypeople who keep kosher, Lisand#235; explores all aspects of Judaism's ancient dietary traditions as they are carried out in today's kitchen, with its range of modern appliances — dishwashers, food processors, and microwave ovens. For the first time, one book explains both Conservative and Orthodox perspectives on kashrut, as well as opinions from other Jewish affiliations.

When Lisand#235; was nine, her parents decided to make the change — transform their home to a kosher one — as a core part of their evolving commitment to Judaism. Because Lisand#235; experienced the transition as a child and keeps a kosher home today, she is uniquely qualified to explain all aspects of this traditional practice.

Setting up a kosher kitchen lays the foundation for implementing the tradition; the proof is in the potato pudding. As Lisand#235; notes, the Talmud says, "Room can always be found in one's stomach for sweet things," and the wealth of information is sweetened with more than forty recipes for Shabbat dinners and lunches as well as holiday and festival celebrations.

Traditional recipes include Chicken Soup with My Mother's Ethereal Matzo Balls, Sliced Potatoand#150;Onion Kugel, and Hamantashen; new classics are Chilled Cucumberand#150; Yogurt Soup, Rosemary Sweet Potato Kugel, Enchilada Lasagna, and Chocolate-Flecked Meringues.

Stern's How to Keep Kosheris an inclusive, user-friendly handbook filled with answers to the fundamental who, what, where, when, why, and how questions surrounding the Jewish dietary laws — making these laws both accessible and appealing.

How to Keep Kosher Author: Stern, Lise (A)
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780060515003
ISBN-10: 0060515007

The Jewish Mama's Kitchen

2008-02-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

Overview:Experience the flavors and customs of traditional Jewish cooking with Denise Phillips and her family. The Jewish Mama's Kitchen includes 90 favorite everyday and special-occasion recipes that have been tried and tested and passed down to Denise from her grandmother and mother.

Publisher Comments:

Mama says ... For Friday night dinner, make your chicken soup on Thursday night. As well as improving its flavor, you can use the surface fat for making matzah balls on Friday.? Peppered throughout with advice such as this, The Jewish Mama?s Kitchen leads readers through a complete course on homestyle Jewish cooking. Presented with archival photographs on facsimile notebook pages, this book brings culinary traditions and glimpses of the old world into today?s home kitchen. 50 recipes include mouth-watering creations like Honey Roast Chicken for Rosh Hashanah; Potato Kugel; Grandma?s Chopped Liver; Homemade Bagels; and Beef Strudel. The authentic recipes are suitable for everyday meals and special holiday celebrations, while recipe header notes give historical and religious context. These traditional Jewish dishes are easy to make with Mama?s personal advice and her gentle but firm voice of authority leading the way.

The Jewish Mama's Kitchen
Author: Phillips, Denise
Publisher: Thunder Bay Press
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9781592234103
ISBN-10: 1592234100

Mother & Daughter Jewish Cooking

2008-02-29T06:56:00.000-08:00

Overview:

The pleasure of traditional Jewish cooking comes alive in this wonderful recipe book. Whether you`re trying to make matzo balls just like your grandmother used to - or whether you`re completely new to the world of Jewish cuisine - Mother & Daughter Jewish Cooking is the perfect place to start. Each recipe has been handed down through generations of mothers and daughters, some completely unchanged, and others drawing on modern culinary innovations. From Badinjan Kuku to Spice Roasted Chicken with Apricot and Bulgher Stuffing, the scrumptious recipes in this book will keep you coming back for more!

Mother & Daughter Jewish Cooking
Author: Rose, Evelyn (A)Rose, Judi (A)
Publisher: Morrow Cookbooks Format: Hardcover

Where Is The Afikomen?

2008-02-29T06:52:00.000-08:00

Overview:

Look for the hidden matzah - is it under, on top, behind, or next to? A toddler treasure hunt for Passover.

Where Is The Afikomen?
Author: Schanzer, Roz (Ilt)
Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing Format: Board Books

See Jewish Children Books

Everyday Cooking for the Jewish Home More Than 350 Delectable Recipes

2008-02-29T06:45:00.000-08:00

Description:

Growing up in the only Jewish family living on the Shetland Islands, north of Scotland, Ethel G. Hofman learned from her mother how to incorporate local ingredients into Jewish cooking. That ingenuity laid the groundwork for Hofman's creative recipes. While their neighbors had fried herring or scones, the Hofmans ate homemade gefilte fish, mandelbrot, and strudel. In that remote locale, Hofman learned firsthand that classic Jewish cooking is essentially a riff on local cuisine, working with available ingredients to keep within the laws of kashruth. Designed not only as a reference book but also as the source for quick and simple weeknight suppers, Everyday Cooking for the Jewish Home is for cooks of all levels. With a nod to the busy modern household, Hofman doesn't hesitate to suggest convenience ingredients whenever possible. The dramatic increase in the availability of certified kosher products promises a wider range of ingredients for the cook, and Hofman's imaginative dishes ensure that your table will never lack for flavor. From salads, soups, and grains to pastries, kugels, and desserts, and including advice on how to stock a Jewish pantry, a special chapter on international Passover dishes, and a glossary of Jewish foods, holidays, and terms, Everyday Cooking for the Jewish Home is a fascinating, accessible, and comprehensive guide to bringing Jewish food into your home and to your family - not just on the holidays but every day.

Everyday Cooking for the Jewish Home More Than 350 Delectable Recipes
Ethel G. Hofman
Category: Regional & Ethnic - Jewish & Kosher - Cooking
ISBN: 9780060172954
ISBN10: 0060172959
Published: Harpercollins Publish Date: 1997-10-01
Edition: 1Pages: 393
Binding: Hardcover
Dimensions: 39.00 L x 32.00 W x 5.00 HWeight: 5.00 lbs

Also see: Jewish Recipes Cookbooks

On Passover

2008-02-29T06:43:00.000-08:00

Overview:

A young girl hears her father singing in Hebrew and knows it is time to get ready for Passover. Time to eat special food on special Passover dishes. Time to tell the Passover story and take part in the Seder. During the celebration of Passover, there are many things to see, taste, smell, hear, and feel. And as the girl follows her senses and asks questions about all she encounters, she discovers in her own heart what Passover really means.

On Passover Author: Fishman, Cathy Goldberg (A)Hall, Melanie W. (Ilt) (A)
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks Format: Softcover

The Rabbi of 84th Street

2008-02-29T06:41:00.001-08:00

Always wearing an easy smile, Hasidic rabbi Haskel Besser spreads joy wherever he goes, enriching the lives of his many friends and congregants with his profound understanding of both Orthodox Judaism and human nature. With warmth and admiration, journalist Warren Kozak writes about the rabbi's extraordinary life - from his family's escape to Palestine in the late 1930s to his witnessing of Israel's rebirth in 1948, to his move to New York City, where he lives today. A rare window into the normally closed world of Hasidic Jews, The Rabbi of 84th Street is also the story of Judaism in the twentieth century; of the importance of centuries-old traditions; and of the triumph of faith, kindness, and spirit.

The Rabbi of 84th Street
Author: Kozak, Warren (A)
Publisher: Perennial Format: Paperback

The Nine Questions People Ask about Judaism

2008-02-29T06:35:00.000-08:00

If you have ever wondered what being born Jewish should mean to you; if you want to find out more about the nature of Judaism, or explain it to a friend; if you are thinking about how Judaism can connect with the rest of your life--this is the first book you should own. It poses, and thoughtfully addresses, questions like these: Can one doubt God's existence and still be a good Jew? Why do we need organized religion? Why shouldn't I intermarry? What is the reason for dietary laws? How do I start practicing Judaism? SC, 218 pages.

The Nine Questions People Ask about Judaism
Author: Prager, Dennis (A)Telushkin, Joseph (A)
Publisher: Touchstone Books Format: Softcover

Oy!: The Ultimate Book of Jewish Jokes by David Minkoff

2008-02-28T07:25:00.000-08:00

Publisher Comments:

From Rabbis to Relationships, Latkes to lawyers, marriage to miracles, and from chazans to chutzpah, here is a feast of over 1,000 old and new Jewish jokes and witty anecdotes-- and you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy them. The book includes an appendix of terms for those who need to brush up on their kvetching.

Review:

"Minkoff began collecting jokes almost 50 years ago when he was 13. Six years ago, he launched his U.K.-based Web site awordinyoureye.com as 'a repository for my vast collection of Jewish jokes.' When Minkoff's jocularity brought popularity, his avocation turned into 'a full-time job which required a lot of maintenance.' With the site mushrooming to more than 1,760 jokes, it became the main source for this comprehensive collection, first published in London last year by Robson/Chrysalis. These Jewish japes and jests run the gamut from deft definitions, one-off one-liners, pithy puns, quizzes and ribald riddles to satirical songs and full-page humorous stories. Fresh, familiar or unfamiliar, all the jokes have been rewritten by Minkoff into his own style, and he has grouped gags thematically into various categories and subcategories.

Spanning birth to death, the 86 topics feature more than 1,000 jokes:

On circumcision: ' It won't be long now,' said the rabbi as he circumcised the little boy.'

Marriage: 'Q: Why are many Jewish girls still single these days?
A: They have not yet met Dr. Right.'

Jewish telegram: 'Begin worrying. Details to follow.'

On the 23rd Psalm for Jewish princesses: 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He leadeth me into Bloomingdale's.'

Synopsis:

From marriage to miracles, chazas to chutzpah, this feast of over 1,000 old and new Jewish jokes and witty anecdotes also includes an appendix of terms for those who need to brush up on their kvetching.

About the AuthorDavid Minkoff's father was a Jewish butcher, so he has been surrounded by Jewish culture all his life. He has been collecting jokes since the age of thirteen.

Oy!: The Ultimate Book of Jewish Jokes by David Minkoff
ISBN13: 9780312361761
ISBN10: 0312361769

Why the Jews?

2008-02-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

Why the Jews?

Author(s): Prager, Dennis
Telushkin, Joseph

Publisher: Touchstone Books
Format: Paperback
List Price: $14.00

Overview:

Clear, persuasive, and thought provoking, Why the Jews? is must reading for anyone who seeks to understand the unique role of the Jews in human history.

Category Subject
Religion & Spirituality Judaism

ISBN-13: 9780743246200
ISBN-10: 0743246209
Language: English
Pages: 244
Dimensions: 8.40" l x 5.45" w x 0.71" h

The Gourmet Jewish Cook takes kosher cooking to new heights

2008-02-27T11:49:00.000-08:00

The Gourmet Jewish Cook

Publisher: Morrow Cookbooks
Format: Softcover
List Price: $18.00

Overview:

The Gourmet Jewish Cook takes kosher cooking to new heights with inventive dishes for all types of entertaining.Packed with nearly 600 recipes, this book allows home cooks to prepare fantastic, flavorful fare for holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkoth, Purim, and Shavuoth, as well as Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve, Bar Mitzvahs, and bridal showers.Also included are menus for international entertaining, bonus recipes for the Jewish holidays, and a glossary of Jewish food terms.Whatever the occasion, The Gourmet Jewish Cook will help ensure that your meal is a deliciously memorable one.

Category Subject
Cooking, Food & Wine Methods

ISBN-13: 9780688166267
ISBN-10: 0688166261
Language: English
Pages: 415
Dimensions: 9.14" l x 7.02" w x 1.02" h

also see:
Jewish Cookbooks
Jewish Recipes
Jewish Recipes Cookbooks

Uncle Eli's Passover Haggadah

2008-02-27T11:40:00.000-08:00

A Passover Haggadah

Wiesel, Elie
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Hardcover
List Price: $30.00

Overview:

With this Passover Haggadah, Elie Wiesel and his friend Mark Podwal invite you to join them for the Passover Seder - the most festive event of the Jewish calendar. Read each year at the Seder table, the Haggadah recounts the miraculous tale of the liberation of the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, with a celebration of prayer, ritual, and song. Wiesel and Podwal guide you through the Haggadah and share their understanding and faith in a special illustrated edition that will be treasured for years to come. Accompanying the traditional Haggadah text (which appears here in an accessible new translation) are Elie Wiesel's poetic interpretations, reminiscences, and instructive retelling of ancient legends. The Nobel laureate interweaves past and present as the symbolism of the Seder is explored.

Wiesel's commentaries may be read aloud in their entirety or selected passages may be read each year to illuminate the timeless message of this beloved book of redemption.

Category Subject
Religion & Spirituality Holidays - Jewish

ISBN-13: 9780671735418
ISBN-10: 0671735411
Language: English
Pages: 144
Dimensions: 9.58" l x 7.24" w x 0.69" h

Also see: www.haggadah.us

The 30-Minute Kosher Cook

2008-02-27T06:13:00.000-08:00

The 30-Minute Kosher Cook
Publisher: Morrow Cookbooks
Format: Hardcover

List Price: $22.00

Overview:

The 30-Minute Kosher Cook delivers what no other kosher cookbook has before -- 130 delicious recipes, all prepared in half an hour or less. Judy gives great tips on the quick-fix pantry, how to stock your freezer and what should be in your refrigerator to make cooking quicker and more enjoyable. There are chapters on Appetizers, Soups and Stocks, Salads and Vegetables, Pastas and Grains, Poultry, Meat, Fish, Dessert, and of course, a special section on traditional Jewish holiday favorites.

Category Subject
Cooking, Food & Wine Regional & Ethnic - Other

ISBN-13: 9780688155339
ISBN-10: 0688155332
Language: English
Pages: 196
Dimensions: 9.68" l x 7.24" w x 0.75" h

The Committed Life by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis

2008-02-27T05:56:00.000-08:00

The Committed Life: Principles for Good Living from Our Timeless Past (Paperback) by Esther Jungreis (Author) "My husband was a paradigm of commitment in public as in private life, in war as in peace, in health as in illness, in life..."

Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica

From the book jacket:

The search for meaning in our lives has become a particularly difficult quest. The high-pressure world we live in, with its emphasis on material goods, has eclipsed the timeless values of commitment and spirituality. Today success is measured not by what we are, but by what we possess: the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, the trinkets we buy.

As a result, more and more people live with self-doubt, depression, ennui, and familial dysfunction. Relationships are stalled. Personal growth seems unattainable. In the end, the things we buy offer us no comfort. We grow old, lonely, and afraid, wondering how we could have done it differently.

The Committed Life teaches us a better way. Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis has been reaching out to people and helping others find happiness her entire life. By age six she was smuggling food and messages into Nazi detention camps during World War II, thereby learning her first lesson of the Torah: “You shall not stand idly by while the life of your brother is in jeopardy.” Today she is a dynamic and inspiring leader who has devoted her life to combating the spiritual wasteland surrounding us.

The Rebbetzin knows that many of us are in trouble. She has heard countless cries for help escaping the emotional vacuums that have become our lives. Twenty-five years ago, she founded Hineni (Hebrew for “Here I am”), an outreach organization that has ignited the hearts and minds of people throughout the world. Her popular classes, based on the teachings of the Torah and focused on what is truly important in life, draw thousands every week.

Filled with wisdom as timeless as the Torah itself, The Committed Life is for anyone eager to connect with ancient wellsprings of faith. Each chapter offers its own riveting lesson on such pivotal subjects as responsibility, forgiveness, banishing fear, gratitude, anger, committing to marriage, depression, faith, and hope. This is a book that you will want to keep on your bookshelf and pick up again and again for help dealing with the many restrictions of daily living.

Written with the Rebbetzin’s rare combination of honesty, love, and chutzpah, the stories here are universal and yet so deeply personal that reading them is like having her speak to you in your own home. The inspirational guide will give you the sustenance you need to lead a more fulfilling and committed life.

About Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis:

Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis was born in Hungary and is descended from a great rabbine dynasty that traces its lineage back to King David. A survivor of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, founder and president of Hineni, she writes a weekly column for the Jewish Press, lectures extensively all over the globe, and has been featured in numerous national publications such as Newsweek, Time, People, and New York magazine, as well as the New York Times and other major newspapers worldwide. She lives in New York.

Find at Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica

The Oracle of Kabbalah

2008-02-27T05:49:00.001-08:00

The Oracle of Kabbalah

Tell a friend Author(s): Kushner, Lawrence
Seidman, Richard
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Overview:

The twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, the Aleph Beit, are not merely the building blocks of a language. Each letter is an ancient key that can help unlock the great secrets of the spiritual world and grant insight into the mysteries of our own souls. The Aleph Beit teachings are part of Kabbalah, the tradition of Jewish mysticism. According to the earliest known book on Jewish mysticism, The Sefer Yetzirah, the entire universe was formed through the combinations of these twenty-two letters, and ancient mystics, drawing on the divine power residing in the letters, would meditate upon their forms, using them as portals through which they could discover the secrets of the past, the future and the human soul. Inspired by these ancient teachings, Richard Seidman has created The Oracle of Kabbalah. To unlock the power of the letters, the reader draws a card at random from the deck, and then, using the book as a guide, meditates upon the card's symbol.

Category Subject
Religion & Spirituality Judaism

ISBN-13: 9780312241735
ISBN-10: 0312241739
Language: English
Pages: 190
Dimensions: N/A

The Essential Kabbalah

2008-02-27T05:41:00.001-08:00

Author(s): Matt, Daniel C.
Publisher: Castle Books
Series: Essential (Booksales)
Format: Hardcover

Overview:

The door to this ancient and mystical sect of Judaism is opened and its wisdom and philosophies are revealed through its writings and the clear interpretations of the author.

Category Subject
Religion & Spirituality Judaism

ISBN-13: 9780785808701
ISBN-10: 0785808701
Language: English
Pages: 221
Dimensions: 8.58" l x 5.83" w x 1.01" h

Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica: Jewish Denver: 1859-1940

2008-01-11T06:13:00.000-08:00

Jewish Denver: 1859-1940
Author(s): Jeanne E. Abrams Ph.D.

$19.99
ISBN: 0738548294
Number of Pages: 128

Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica
600 South Holly Street Suite 103
Denver, Colorado 80246
303-322-7345 800-830-8660

Book Description:

In 1859, during the Pike’s Peak gold rush, at least 12 Jews joined the great migration to Colorado in search of gold and a brighter future. The unpredictability of mining and a growing demand for supplies encouraged many of these Jewish settlers to establish small businesses in Denver and in towns and mining camps across the state. By the early 1870s, Jewish benevolent societies and a congregation were established. Denver’s dry, mild climate attracted patients with tuberculosis, and two Jewish sanatoriums were opened in the city around the beginning of the 20th century. Many of the predominantly Eastern European Jews who came in search of better health made Denver their home, thus augmenting the early Jewish population significantly. Today Jewish life flourishes in Colorado, and Jewish citizens continue to play a vital role in its culture and development.

Author Bio: Jeanne E. Abrams, Ph.D., is a professor at Penrose Library and the longtime director of the Beck Archives and the Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society. She is also the author of Jewish Women Pioneering the Frontier Trail: A History in the American West. Part of the University of Denver’s Center for Judaic Studies and Penrose Library Special Collections, the Beck Archives provided the majority of the images in this collection.

Answers to The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Judaism

2007-08-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

Real Questions... Real Answers
Answers to The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Judaism - A 6 CD-Rom Set (Windows only)

List Price: $59.99
Online Discount: 10%
You Pay Only: $53.99 [as of August 12, 2007 - price is subject to change without notice]

Binding: Cd-Rom
Published: by Association for Jewish Outreach Programs

Description:
Never in history have so many Jews had so many questions about their religion, their heritage and their identity. Good questions, honest questions, real questions. This unique CD set brings together twelve of the most highly regarded individuals in the Jewish world - people who for years have been addressing literally thousands of questions posed by thousands of real people, with real questions.

This interactive CD-ROM puts a wealth of expertise at your fingertips. Without a doubt, you too have been asked many of the questions dealt with - at the office, by a neighbor, friend or relative. You have done your best to answer, and now you can do even better. Real Questions, Real Answers will enable you to do just what you want to do - respond thoughtfully and effectively when an inquiring person asks you a good question - a question whose answer just might open up a whole new world to a questioning Jewish mind.

Prominent figures featured include HaRav Shmuel Kamanetzky, HaRav Noah Weinberg, Rav Mordechai Becher, Rav Beryl Gershenfeld, Rav Rueven Leuchter, Rav Yerachmiel Milstein and more...

Sample Questions:

Isn't the idea that we are the Chose People elitist or even racist?
Why does a man say the blessing of "shelo asani isha" while a woman says "sheasani kirtzono"?
How can I believe in G-d when there is so much suffering in the world? How could G-d have allowed the Holocaust?
What is G-d's attitude toward the non-Jew?
Why should I marry a Jew?
Do you believe that Orthodox Judaism is the only valid form of Judaism? Aren't Conservative and Reform Judaism also valid expressions of the Jewish religion?
Hypocrisy: Am I not worse off if I know and don't do than if I simply remain ignorant?
Why must women dress modestly?
Won't Judaism stifle my individuality and creativity?
How do I know the Torah was really given on Sinai?
How can observant Jews do bad things?
Why did G-d choose the Jewish Nation?
What is wrong with Christianity and Islam? What is the fundamental difference between them and Judaism?
What if my partner intends to convert?

Jewish Books

2007-07-20T06:13:00.000-07:00

Benjaim P Judah
Her Work Shall Praise Her
Primo Levi - Tragedy of an Optimist Myiam Anissimov

The Family Treasury Of Jewish Holidays

2007-07-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

The Family Treasury Of Jewish Holidays
Malka Drucker, Malka

Celebrate the Jewish holidays with this rich compendium of facts, activities, and stories from around the world. Intended for the entire family, each of the ten holiday chapters introduces the reader to the wealth of history and ritual surrounding the holidays, a read-aloud selection by favorite authors, and a related song, recipe, or craft. Lavishly illustrated with scenes depicting holiday celebrations throughout history and the world, this comprehensive and handsome volume is the one holiday treasury no home should be without. 180 pages.

Best price: MileChai Jewish Books

The Complete Bar / Bat Mitvah Planner

2007-07-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

The Complete Bar / Bat Mitvah Planner - An indispendable, money-saving workbook for orgaizing every easpect of the event - from temple service to the reception by Linda Sifer Sage

Why not make planning your child's Bar or Bat Mitzvah one of the happiest times in your life?Now thanks to this indispensable, all-inclusive guide, you can: Obtain complete information on how to plan the perfect Bar or Bat Mitzvah Save thousands of dollars and free yourself from worrisome details Be guided every step of the way, from the temple service to the reception to the seating arrangements Freel well organized and assured that no detail is overlooked, by using the handy countdown and checklists Receive tips, suggestions, and advice based on numerous personal experiences Use ann easy-to-follow method for recording invitations sent, responses received, gifts and thank-you notes Keep track of addresses, telephone numbers, appointments, costs, and decisions that need to be made Discover helpful hints for choosing your photographer, videographer, musicians, florists, decorator, entertainment, favors, invitations, and clothing Compare prices easily as you visit catererers, musicians, photographers, videographers, florists, printers, etc. Give this as a perfect gift to special friencs or relatives to help them plan an eventful day Relex and enjoy your day with everything going exactly the way you planned

The Animated Jewish Year

2007-07-19T13:18:00.001-07:00

The Animated Jewish Year
Introducing Jewish Time
by Danny Wool and Yefim Yudin
Illustrated by: Inbal Beter & Jeremy Portnoi

Ages 4-7, 8-11 Spend a year with Max and Marcy as they explore the Jewish calendar in this innovative book. Rich in content, fun and entertaining, The Animated Jewish Year brings alive the rhythm of the Jewish months, with a broad appeal that every family can enjoy. Through Max and Marcy's questions, answers and humor, together with a selection of original and traditional stories, the two children learn about the holidays and their customs. Illustrated with colorful clay characters, this book is an exciting way to get better acquainted with the history, ideas and practices that make the holidays a more meaningful experience. (88 Pages)

The Jewish Year - Celebrating the Holidays by Barbara Rush

2007-07-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

The Jewish people are blessed with holidays. For thousands of years, Jews all over the world have observed festivals that commemorate historical events, celebrate nature and the harvest, and inspire spiritual renewal. Rich with spiritual, cultural, and social commentary, The Jewish Year serves as a comprehensive guide to all these observances, both traditional celebrations as well as holidays that have been created in the twentieth century. Included are: the Sabbath, the weekly day of rest; Rosh Chodesh, the monthly festival of the new moon; and yearly holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Chanukah, Purim, and Lag B’Omer. Background information, the basic hallmarks of observance, and an explanation of the customs associated with each holiday are accompanied by more than thirty-five literary excerpts, including folktales retold by the author, and contemporary fiction by such prominent writers as Isaac Bashevis Singer and Elie Wiesel. Illustrated with color reproductions of ritual objects, illuminated manuscripts, paintings, folk art, and sculpture, The Jewish Year will become an essential addition to the Jewish family library. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

There Once Was a World -- Yaffa Eliach

2007-07-19T08:26:00.001-07:00

There Once Was a World -- Yaffa Eliach: In the soaring, three-story space that is the Tower of Life at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., sixteen hundred photographs collected by the historian Yaffa Eliach give face to a murdered people. In There Once Was a World, Eliach brilliantly and movingly records the history of that people. Nineteen years of scholarship, a poet's ear, and a storyteller's voice have yielded what is perhaps the richest, fullest, most detailed portrait of Eastern Jewish life that we will ever have, a book that encompasses both the sweep of history and an intimate view of the day-to-day lives of generations of small-town Jews, in all their uniqueness and universality. Eliach's own roots in Eishyshok - she is a descendant of one of the five founding families and herself one of only twenty-nine survivors - give her work an unrivaled depth and passion.

Eliach, a writer, historian, and professor, is the founder of Brooklyn's Center for Holocaust Studies and the creator of the Tower of Life exhibit at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The author was born in a small Jewish market town in Lithuania. In September 1941, the Germans killed almost 5,000 Jews there. The few who survived, including the author, were in hiding until their liberation in July_ 1944. Eliach has spent the past 17 years documenting the town's Jews, poring over diaries, letters, and birth and marriage certificates. She obtained Lithuanian archival records for the years 1857^-1940. Eliach vividly brings to life the community's synagogue and study house, its schools, its bathhouse, its mutual aid societies, and its rabbis and their wives. She describes the town's economic life: the work of farmers, shopkeepers, livestock and fur traders, foresters, artisans, and craftsmen. She depicts the shtetl's households, including relationships within the family, marriages and divorces, and the celebration of holidays and the Sabbath.

Hardback and Soft Cover -- 818 pages - sixteen hundred photographs - Best Price: MileChai.com

A Historical Atlas of the Jewish People

2007-07-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

A Historical Atlas of the Jewish People
From the time of the Patriarchs to the Present

Edited by Eli Barnavi

The history of the Jews spans more than two millenia and encompasses most parts of the globe--an extraordinary saga which is set forth pictorially in this comprehensive, and richly illustrated and designed volume. With hundreds of brilliantly detailed maps, photographs, and drawings, and chronologies and commentaries by leading experts, A Historical Atlas of the Jewish People is both an authoritative reference work and a sumptuous gift volume.

Eli Barnavi is Director of the Department of History at the University of Tel Aviv and Associate Professor at the Ecole des Haute Etudes et Sciences Sociales in Paris.

Best Price found at Milechai.com

Illumination the Generations by Rabbi Hillel Goldberg

2007-07-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

Autographed Edition: Illumination the Generations by Rabbi Hillel Goldberg -- From the middos of the patriarchs and the matriarchs to the Musar thinkers of our time....

Rabbi Hillel Goldberg is a scholar, a poet of the soul, a professor, a journalist, a historian. Most of all, he is a student of Musar masters and their teaching, and an inspiring and inspired personification of what they represented.

In this beautifully written book, Goldberg explores the tradition of ethical thought the lives and personalities of those who lived and taught it. He delves into the personalities of great men, and goes a step further. He draws parallel between their lives and those of the historic Patriarchs and Matriarchs of Jewish history. The result is an unusual combination of commentary, anecdote, and insight, blended and presented by a writer of unusual grace and skill.

The Musar Movement was hardly a "movement" in the usual sense of the word. it never swept countries and embraced millions of people. Musar developed the ability of individuals to peer into themselves and find a spark that could be nurtured into a glow that would illuminate themselves and anyone else who cared to expose himself to it.

It is an aspiration that transcends time. Is the modern, frenetic, Westernized world conducive to such introspection? Many people think not. Hillel Goldberg shows that it is.

He takes us by the hand -- indeed by the heart -- and introduces us to people we know only as legends (and to some we never heard of at all) and brings them alive. He makes us feel their warm smile, their friendly hand, the agony of their ascent, the wisdom of their counsel, the exaltation of their self-effacing example.

This is a book to read for sheer beauty of its writing. I is book to treasure for the richness of its content.

Taken from the Preface and Acknowledgements: "As it Were" The lives of the seven Patriarchs and Matriarchs of Judaism are favorite subjects of Musar thought. Since Musar concentrates on the perfection of personality, people who closely approach perfection occupy musar thinkers. Since the seven founders of Judaism serve as role models for all Jew, they be studied, analyzed, and emulated........

Picture above: Rabbi Hillel Goldberg stops by Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica, Denver, Colorado

The Chosen by Chaim Potok

2007-07-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

The Chosen (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
By Chaim Potok

Video Clip: The Chosen: Chaim potok's novel about the friendship between two very different jewish youths in 1940's brooklyn.

Product Description

"Anyone who finds it is finding a jewel. Its themes are profound and universal."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

It is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again....

From the Paperback edition.

---------------------------------------------

Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #119832 in Books
Brand: Ballantine Books
Published on: 1996-08-27
Released on: 1996-08-27
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
304 pages

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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Few stories offer more warmth, wisdom, or generosity than this tale of two boys, their fathers, their friendship, and the chaotic times in which they live. Though on the surface it explores religious faith--the intellectually committed as well as the passionately observant--the struggles addressed in The Chosen are familiar to families of all faiths and in all nations.

In 1940s Brooklyn, New York, an accident throws Reuven Malther and Danny Saunders together. Despite their differences (Reuven is a Modern Orthodox Jew with an intellectual, Zionist father; Danny is the brilliant son and rightful heir to a Hasidic rebbe), the young men form a deep, if unlikely, friendship. Together they negotiate adolescence, family conflicts, the crisis of faith engendered when Holocaust stories begin to emerge in the U.S., loss, love, and the journey to adulthood. The intellectual and spiritual clashes between fathers, between each son and his own father, and between the two young men, provide a unique backdrop for this exploration of fathers, sons, faith, loyalty, and, ultimately, the power of love. (This is not a conventional children's book, although it will move any wise child age 12 or older, and often appears on summer reading lists for high school students.)

From the Publisher
6 1.5-hour cassettes

Inside Flap Copy

"Anyone who finds it is finding a jewel. Its themes are profound and universal."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
It is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again....

From the Paperback edition.

-----------------------------------------------

Customer Reviews

Better with re-reading

I first read this book as a teenager, and have re-read it numerous times since. I'm now in my mid-40's. As a teen, it opened my eyes to a world most of us never encounter - Jewish Brooklyn, the sphere of the Hasids, Talmudic study. As I've aged my enjoyment of the book has matured. These days, it's particularly interesting in light of Mid East politics and the controversy surrounding the founding of the State of Israel. Through all these years, though, the relationships between the boys and their fathers remains as touching, as profound as they were upon first reading. I cried the first few times I read this book. I still re-read certain passages just for the emotional "oomph".

A tremendous, powerful book that bears up well for a lifetime's enjoyment.

Love it

I remember having to read this in High School for a 6 weeks book report. I loved it so much I read it at least 4 times cover to cover, but I think it was actually 6 times. I can't wait to get hold of it now, almost 20 years later and read it again.

The Chosen By Chaim Potok

This book was sensational it was a book that made you laugh and cry. it was the kind of book that made you wish you were there and stop all the wrong doing. Anyone who likes baseball or Softball should like this book

Night by Elie Wiesel

2007-07-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Night
By Elie Wiesel

A New Translation From The French By Marion Wiesel

Night is Elie Wiesel’s masterpiece, a candid, horrific, and deeply poignant autobiographical account of his survival as a teenager in the Nazi death camps. This new translation by Marion Wiesel, Elie’s wife and frequent translator, presents this seminal memoir in the language and spirit truest to the author’s original intent. And in a substantive new preface, Elie reflects on the enduring importance of Night and his lifelong, passionate dedication to ensuring that the world never forgets man’s capacity for inhumanity to man.

Night offers much more than a litany of the daily terrors, everyday perversions, and rampant sadism at Auschwitz and Buchenwald; it also eloquently addresses many of the philosophical as well as personal questions implicit in any serious consideration of what the Holocaust was, what it meant, and what its legacy is and will be.

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #97 in Books
* Published on: 2006-01-16
* Released on: 2006-01-16
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 144 pages

Editorial Reviews

In Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel's memoir Night, a scholarly, pious teenager is wracked with guilt at having survived the horror of the Holocaust and the genocidal campaign that consumed his family. His memories of the nightmare world of the death camps present him with an intolerable question: how can the God he once so fervently believed in have allowed these monstrous events to occur? There are no easy answers in this harrowing book, which probes life's essential riddles with the lucid anguish only great literature achieves. It marks the crucial first step in Wiesel's lifelong project to bear witness for those who died.

The New York Times
"A slim volume of terrifying power"

Alfred Kazin
"No one has left behind him so moving a record."
Customer Reviews

Wiesel's NIGHT even better

I may have been too young when I first read NIGHT. The impact was lost on me. Having recently listened to the new translation, I was blown away. Narrated by George Guidall, a man who could easily have been my grandfather, NIGHT takes us into a world so dark, so unreal, that one wonders if this could really happen. Of course the story of NIGHT is based on fact which makes it that much more powerful. I found myself getting angry and sad and asking the same kinds of questions the hero of the book asks. This book should be required reading in every school in America. It forces us to think of the horrors that real people can inflict on other real people. Perhaps by understanding the atrocities discussed in the book, we can avoid these from ever happening again.

Ein Yaakov: The Ethical and Inspirational Teachings of the Talmud

2007-05-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

Ein Yaakov: The Ethical and Inspirational Teachings of the Talmud complied in the sixteenth century by Rabbi Yaakov Ibn Chaviv a translation with commentary by Avraham Yaakov Finkel (Editor)

This is the only complete English translation of the classic Jewish text known as Ein Yaakov.

Ein Yaakov is a collection of all the agaddah (the non-legal) material of the Talmud, compiled by Rabbi Yaakov ibn Chaviv, the fifteenth century talmudist. Scattered among the more than 2,700 pages of the Talmud, aggadah focuses on the ethical and inspirational aspects of the Torah way of life. Through a wealth of homilies, anecdotes, allegories, pithy sayings, and interpretations of biblical verses, it has been said that the aggadah brings you closer to God and his Torah.

About The Author Avraham Yaakov Finkel is the author of such books as The Essential Maimonides, In My Flesh I See God, The Responsa Anthology, and The Great Torah Masters. Born in Basel, Switzerland, and lived in The Hague, The Netherlands, until 1942, when he was deported to Bergen-Belsen by the Nazis. Finkel is the author of The Essential Maimonides, In My Flesh I See God, Contemporary Sages, The Great Chasidic Masters, The Responsa Anthology, and The Great Torah Commentators. He has also translated numerous works, including Sefer Chasidim, Chovot Halevavot, the autobiographies of the Tosafot Yom Tovand Chasam Sofer, Dare to Survive, Songs of Hope, Counterfeit Lives, Itzik, Be Strong! and biographies of Rabbi Aharon Kotler, Rabbi Shlomoh Zalman Auerbach, and Rabbi Mordechai Schwab. Mr. Finkel resides in New York with his wife, Suri.

You have in one volume what Rabbis have had to acquire in dozens of volumes.

Table of Contents
The Aggado of the Talmud by Rabbi Avraham, son of the Rambam

Tractate	Berachot	1-70
Tractate	Shabbat	71-136
Tractate	Eruvin	137-154
Tractate	Pesachim	155-182
Tractate	Yoma	183-220
Tractate	Sukkah	221-231
Tractate	Beitzah	233-254
Tractate	Megillah	255-286
Tractate	Tannit	287-320
Tractate	Moed Katan	321-351
Tractate	Yevamot	352-374
Tractate	Ketubot	375-398
Tractate	Nedarim	399-414
Tractate	Nazir	415-418
Tractate	Gittin	419-488
Tractate	Kiddushin	489-512
Tractate	Kamma	513-524
Tractate	Metzia	525-546
Tractate	Bava Batra	547-594
Tractate	Sandhedrin	594-708
Tractate	Makkot	709-718
Tractate	Shevuot	719-724
Tractate	Eduyot	725-726
Tractate	Avodah Zarah	727-746
Tractate	Horayot	747-752
Tractate	Zevachim	753-758
Tractate	Menachot	759-766
Tractate	Chullin	767-778
	Arachin	779-786
	Temurah	787-790
	Me'ilah	793-794
	Tamid	795-798
Tractate	Niddah	799-802
Tractate	Uktzin	803-803

Eternal Luminaries

2007-04-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

Eternal Luminaries A Voyage to Renowned European Towns & Villages
with Rabbi Paysach Krohn By Rabbi Paysach Krohn

Binding: CD-Rom Set
Published: February 2006 by ArtScroll / Mesorah

Description:

This new 3-CD set includes more than 6 hours of captivating video, breathtaking photos, riveting history and inspiring talks and Torah.

The Maggid's lectures
Photographs
Video footage
Divrei Torah by Rabbi Ephraim Tanenbaum
With these CDs you are there, so come along!

DISC 1: Frankfurt Legacy / A Shul of Survival / Mekomos Hakedoshim / Rav Shamshon R. Hirsch / The Yenukah, Rav Amnon / Rabbeinu Gershom
DISC 2: Worms / Prague / On the Bus / Theresienstadt
DISC 3: Holeshov / Shach / Nikolsburg / Pressburg / Vienna / Farewell

Best deals found at:

2007-03-08T19:36:00.001-08:00

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RamBam

2006-12-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Hebrew: רבי משה בן מיימון; Arabic: Mussa bin Maimun ibn Abdallah al-Kurtubi al-Israili; March 30, 1135—December 13, 1204), commonly known by his Greek name (Moses) Maimonides, was a Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher. Many Jewish works refer to him by the acronym of his title and name, RaMBaM (הרמב"ם in Hebrew). As such, he is frequently referred to as "the Rambam". His Greek appellation means "Son of Maimon," and is a literal rendition of "ben Maimon."

Maimonides was born in Córdoba, Spain, then under Muslim rule, and studied Torah under his father Maimon and Rabbi Joseph ibn Migash. He fled from Cordoba to Almería where he received his "maestro" and friend Averroes, a Muslim philosopher, in his Almerian house. Then the family fled to Morocco after the fall of Córdoba to the Almohads. In Morocco he acquired most of his secular knowledge, studying at the University of Fes. During this time, he composed his acclaimed commentary on the Mishna.

Following this sojourn in Morocco, he briefly lived in the Holy Land, spending time in Jerusalem where he prayed in a synagogue on the Temple Mount, and finally settled in Fostat, Egypt, where he was doctor of the Grand Vizier Alfadhil and/or the Sultan Saladin of Egypt. In Egypt he composed most of his oeuvre, including the Mishneh Torah. He died in Fostat, and was buried in Tiberias, (today in Israel).

Works and bibliography

Maimonides composed both works of Jewish scholarship and medical texts. Most of Maimonides' works were written in Arabic. However Mishneh Torah was written in Hebrew. His Jewish texts were:

Rambam Mishneh Torah

The Commentary on the Mishna; Sefer ha-Mitzvot ("The Book of Commandments", see 613 mitzvot for details); The Mishneh Torah (also known as "Yad ha-Chazaka") a comprehensive code of Jewish law;
The Guide for the Perplexed, a philosophical work harmonising and differentiating Aristotelian philosophy and Jewish theology; Teshuvot, collected correspondence and responsa, including a number of public letters (on resurrection and the afterlife, on conversion to other faiths, and Iggereth Teiman - addressed to the oppressed Jewry of Yemen) Maimonides also wrote a number of medical texts, some of which are extant. The best known is his collection of medical aphorisms, titled Pirkei Moshe in Hebrew, although it was composed in Arabic.

Influence

Maimonides was one of the few medieval Jewish philosophers who also influenced the non-Jewish world. Even today he is among the most respected of all Jewish philosophers. A popular saying in the Middle Ages stated that From Moses [of the Torah] to Moses [Maimonides] there has not been such a Moses.

Maimonides was by far the most influential figure in medieval Jewish philosophy. Radical Jewish scholars in the centuries that followed can be characterised as Maimonideans or anti-Maimonideans. Moderate scholars were eclectics who largely accepted Maimonides' Aristotelian world-view, but rejected those elements of it which they considered to contradict the religious tradition. Such eclecticism reached its height in the 14th-15th centuries.

The most rigorous medieval critique of Maimonides is Hasdai Crescas' Or Hashem. Crescas bucked the eclectic trend by demolishing the certainty of the Aristotelian world view not only in religious matters, but even in the most basic areas of medieval science (such as physics and geometry). Crescas' critique provoked a number of 15th century scholars to write defenses of Maimonides. A translation of Crescas was written by Harry Austryn Wolfson of Harvard University in 1929.

The 13 principles of faith

In his commentary on the Mishna (tractate Sanhedrin, chapter 10), Maimonides formulates his 13 principles of faith. They described his views on:

The existence of God
God's unity
God's spirituality and incorporeality
God's eternity
God alone should be the object of worship
Revelation through God's prophets
The preeminence of Moses among the prophets
God's law given on Mount Sinai
The immutability of the Torah as God's Law
God's foreknowledge of human actions
Retribution of evil
The coming of the Jewish Messiah
The resurrection of the dead

These principles were controversial when first proposed, evoking criticism by Hasdai Crescas and Joseph Albo, and were effectively ignored by much of the Jewish community for the next few centuries. ("Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought", Menachem Kellner). However, two poetic restatements of these principles (Ani Ma'amim and Yigdal) eventually became canonized in the siddur (Jewish prayer book), and these principles became widely held. Today most of Orthodox Judaism holds these beliefs to be obligatory.

Halakhic works

See also Mishneh Torah on his influence in halakha

With Mishneh Torah, Maimonides composed a code of Jewish law with the widest possible scope and depth. The work gathers all the binding laws from the Talmud and incorporates the positions of the Geonim (post-Talmudic early Medieval scholars, mainly from Mesopotamia). It is a highly systematised work and employs a very clear Hebrew reminiscent of the style of the Mishna.

While Mishneh Torah is now considered the forerunner of the Arbaah Turim and the Shulkhan Arukh, two later codes, it met initially with a lot of opposition. There were two main reasons for this opposition. Firstly, Maimonides had refrained from adding references to his work for brevity. Secondly, in the introduction, he gave the impression of wanting to "cut out" study of the Talmud to arrive at a conclusion in Jewish law. His most forceful opponents were the rabbis of the Provence (Southern France), and a running critique by Rabbi Abraham ibn Daud (Raavad III) is printed in virtually all editions of Misheh Torah.

Philosophy

Through the Guide for the Perplexed and the philosophical introductions to sections of his commentaries on the Mishna, Maimonides exerted an important influence on the Scholastic philosophers, especially on Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas, and Duns Scotus. He was himself a Jewish Scholastic. Educated more by reading the works of Arab Muslim philosophers than by personal contact with Arabian teachers, he acquired an intimate acquaintance not only with Arab Muslim philosophy, but with the doctrines of Aristotle. Maimonides strove to reconcile Aristotelian philosophy and science with the teachings of the Bible.

Negative theology

The principle which inspired his philosophical activity was identical with the fundamental tenet of Scholasticism: there can be no contradiction between the truths which God has revealed and the findings of the human mind in science and philosophy. By science and philosophy, he understood the science and philosophy of Aristotle. In some important points, however, he departed from the teaching of Aristotle; for instance, he rejected the Aristotelian doctrine that God's provident care extends only to humanity, and not to the individual.

Maimonides was led by his admiration for the neo-Platonic commentators to maintain many doctrines which the Scholastics could not accept. For instance, Maimonides was an adherent of negative theology (also known as Apophatic theology.) In this theology, one attempts to describe God through negative attributes. For instance, one should not say that God exists in the usual sense of the term; all we can safely say is that God is not nonexistent. We should not say that God is wise, but we can say that God is not ignorant, i.e. in some way God has some properties of knowledge. We should not say that God is One, but we can state that there is no multiplicity in God's being. In brief, the attempt is to gain and express knowledge of God by describing what God is not, rather than by describing what God is.

The Scholastics agreed with him that no predicate is adequate to express the nature of God, but they did not go so far as to say that no term can be applied to God in the affirmative sense. They admitted that while "eternal", "omnipotent", etc., as we apply them to God, are inadequate, at the same time we may say "God is eternal" etc., and need not stop, as Moses did, with the negative "God is not not-eternal", etc.

Prophecy

He agrees with "the philosophers" in teaching that, man's intelligence being one in the series of intelligences emanating from God, the prophet must, by study and meditation, lift himself up to the degree of perfection required in the prophetic state. But here he invokes the authority of "the Law", which teaches that, after that perfection is reached, there is required the free act of God before the man actually becomes the prophet.

The problem of evil

Maimonides wrote on theodicy, the attempt to reconcile the existence of evil with the premise that an omnipotent and good God exists. He follows the neo-Platonists in laying stress on matter as the source of all evil and imperfection.

Astrology

Maimonides answered an inquiry concerning astrology, addressed to him from Marseilles. He responded that man should believe only what can be supported either by rational proof, by the evidence of the senses, or by trustworthy authority. He affirms that he has studied astrology and that it does not deserve to be described as a science. The supposition that the fate of a man could be dependent upon the constellations is ridiculed by him; he argues that such a theory would rob life of purpose and would make man a slave of destiny.

True beliefs versus necessary belief

In Guide for the Perplexed Book III, Chapter 28, Maimonides explicitly draws a distinction between "true beliefs", which were beliefs about God which produced intellectual perfection, and "necessary beliefs", which were conducive to improving social order. Maimonides places anthropomorphic statements about God in the latter class. He uses as an example the notion that God becomes angry with people who do wrong. In the view of Maimonides, God does not actually become angry with people, but it is important for them to believe God does, so that they desist from sinning.

Resurrection, acquired immortality, and the afterlife

Maimonides distinguishes two kinds of intelligence in man, the one material in the sense of being dependent on, and influenced by, the body, and the other immaterial, that is, independent of the bodily organism. The latter is a direct emanation from the universal active intellect; this is his interpretation of the noûs poietikós of Aristotelian philosophy. It is acquired as the result of the efforts of the soul to attain a correct knowledge of the absolute, pure intelligence of God.

The knowledge of God is a form of knowledge which develops in us the immaterial intelligence, and thus confers on man an immaterial, spiritual nature. This confers on the soul that perfection in which human happiness consists, and endows the soul with immortality. One who has attained a correct knowledge of God has reached a condition of existence which renders him immune from all the accidents of fortune, from all the allurements of sin, and even from death itself. Man, therefore is in a position not only to work out his own salvation and immortality.

The resemblance between this doctrine and Spinoza's doctrine of immortality is so striking as to warrant the hypothesis that there is a causal dependence of the later on the earlier doctrine. The differences between the two Jewish thinkers are, however, as remarkable as the resemblance. While Spinoza teaches that the way to attain the knowledge which confers immortality is the progress from sense-knowledge through scientific knowledge to philosophical intuition of all things sub specie æternitatis, Maimonides holds that the road to perfection and immortality is the path of duty as described in the Torah and the rabbinic understanding of the oral law.

Religious Jews not only believed in immortality in some spiritual sense, but most believed that there would at some point in the future be a messianic era, and a resurrection of the dead. This is the subject of Jewish eschatology. Maimonides wrote much on this topic, but in most cases he wrote about the immortality of the soul for people of perfected intellect; his writings were usually not about the resurrection of dead bodies. This prompted hostile criticism from the rabbis of his day, and sparked a controversy over his true views.

Rabbinic works usually refer to this afterlife as "Olam Haba" (the World to Come). Some rabbinic works use this phrase to refer to a messianic era, an era of history right here on Earth; in other rabbinic works this phrase refers to a purely spiritual realm. It was during Maimonides's lifetime that this lack of agreement flared into a full blown controversy, with Maimonides charged as a heretic by some Jewish leaders.

Some Jews at this time taught that Judaism did not require a belief in the physical resurrection of the dead, as the afterlife would be a purely spiritual realm. They used Maimonides' works on this subject to back up their position. In return, their opponents claimed that this was outright heresy; for them the afterlife was right here on Earth, where God would raise dead bodies from the grave so that the resurrected could live eternally. Maimonides was brought into this dispute by both sides, as the first group stated that his writings agreed with them, and the second group portrayed him as a heretic for writing that the afterlife is for the immaterial spirit alone. Eventually, Maimonides felt pressured to write a treatise on the subject, the "Ma'amar Tehiyyat Hametim" "The Treatise on Resurrection."

Chapter two of the treatise on resurrection refers to those who believe that the world to come involves physically resurrected bodies. Maimonides refers to one with such beliefs as being an "utter fool" whose belief is "folly".

If one of the multitude refuses to believe [that angels are incorporeal] and prefers to believe that angels have bodies and even that they eat, since it is written (Genesis 18:8) 'they ate', or that those who exist in the World to Come will also have bodies—we won't hold it against him or consider him a heretic, and we will not distance ourselves from him. May there not be many who profess this folly, and let us hope that he will go farther than this in his folly and believe that the Creator is corporeal.
However, Maimonides also writes that those who claimed that he altogether believed the verses of the Hebrew Bible referring to the resurrection were only allegorical were spreading falsehoods and "revolting" statements. Maimonides asserts that belief in resurrection is a fundamental truth of Judaism about which there is no disagreement, and that it is not permissible for a Jew to support anyone who believes differently. He cites Daniel 12:2 and 12:13 as definitive proofs of physical resurrection of the dead when they state "many of them that sleep in the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence" and "But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days."

While these two positions may be seen as in contradiction (non-corporeal eternal life, versus a bodily resurrection), Maimonides resolves them with a then unique solution: Maimonides believed that the resurrection was not permanent or general. In his view, God never violates the laws of nature. Rather, divine interaction is by way of angels, which Maimonides holds to be metaphors for the laws of nature, the principles by which the physical universe operates, or Platonic eternal forms. Thus, if a unique event actually occurs, even it is perceived as a miracle, it is not a violation of the world's order (Commentary on the Mishna, Avot 5:6.)

In this view, any dead who are resurrected must eventually die again. In his discussion of the 13 principles of faith, the first five deal with knowledge of God, the next four deal with prophecy and the Torah, while the last four deal with reward, punishment and the ultimate redemption. In this discussion Maimonides says nothing of a universal resurrection. All he says it is that whatever resurrection does take place, it will occur at an indeterminate time before the world to come, which he repeatedly states will be purely spiritual.

He writes "It appears to us on the basis of these verses (Daniel 12:2,13) that those people who will return to those bodies will eat, drink, copulate, beget, and die after a very long life, like the lives of those who will live in the Days of the Messiah." Maimonides thus disassociated the resurrection of the dead from both the World to Come and the Messianic era.

In his time, many Jews believed that the physical resurrection was identical to the world to come; thus denial of a permanent and universal resurrection was considered tantamount to denying the words of the Talmudic sages. However, instead of denying the resurrection, or maintaining the current dogma, Maimonides posited a third way: That resurrection had nothing to do with the messianic era (here in this world) nor to do with Olam Haba (the purely spiritual afterlife). Rather, he considered resurrection to be a miracle that the book of Daniel predicted; thus at some point in time we could expect some instances of resurrection to occur temporarily, which would have no place in the final eternal life of the righteous.

Quotes from Maimonides

Teach your tongue to say "I do not know" and you will progress.
The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision.
You must accept the truth from whatever source it comes.
Anticipate charity by preventing poverty; assist the reduced fellow man, either by a considerable gift or a sum of money or by teaching him a trade or by putting him in the way of business so that he may earn an honest livelihood and not be forced to the dreadful alternative of holding out his hand for charity. This is the highest step and summit of charity's golden ladder. (See Rambam's Ladder in Tzedakah.)
We are obligated to be more scrupulous in fulfilling the commandment of charity than any other positive commandment because charity is the sign of a righteous man.
No disease that can be treated by diet should be treated with any other means.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

It uses material from the Wikipedia article Rambam.

Marcus (Mordechai Morris) Jastrow (1829-1903)

2006-07-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

Marcus (Mordechai Morris) Jastrow (1829-1903) was a renowned Talmudic language scholar, most famously known for his authorship of the popular and comprehensive A Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Babli, Talmud Yerushalmi and Midrashic Literature.

Jastrow was born in Posen, Poland. After receiving rabbinical ordination, Ph.D., and Doctorate of Letters (D.Litt), he became the rabbi of Reform Temple Rodeph Shalom (while he was personally more theologically aligned with Conservative Judaism) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1866, at the age of thirty-seven. In 1886, he began publishing his magnum opus, A Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Babli, Talmud Yerushalmi and Midrashic Literature, in pamphlet form. It was finally completed and published in two-volume form in 1903, and has since become a popular resource for students of Talmud. In the preface to this work, Jastrow sharply criticized those linguistic and etymological scholars who claimed that obscure terms in Talmudic literature are primarily derived from Greek. Jastrow held that Greek influence on Talmudic Aramaic was minimal, and that most obscure terms could be much more simply be traced to Hebrew origins. Jastrow was also responsible for most Talmud-related articles in the Jewish Encyclopedia.

He was the father of Joseph Jastrow and Morris Jastrow, Jr.

Detailed Biography

Read more...

Dr Seuss Series

2006-06-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

Dr Seuss Series All Yiddish - Cat in the Hat

Children's All Classic Dr. Seuss all Yiddish Books

"The Cat in the Hat in Yiddish captures the words, rhyme scheme and spirit of the original. Also included are transliteration and an alphabet chart to help those not yet proficient in Yiddish."

He may be an old standby, but he never lets us down. When in doubt, turn to the story of the cat that transformed a dull, rainy afternoon into a magical and just-messy-enough adventure. There's another, hidden adventure, too: this book really will help children learn to read hebrew. With his simple and often single-vowel vocabulary, the good Doctor knew what he was doing: hear it, learn it, read it--laughing all the way. The Cat in the Hat is a must for any child's library.

Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904. After attending Dartmouth College and Oxford University, he began a career in advertising. His advertising cartoons, featuring Quick, Henry, the Flit!, appeared in several leading American magazines. Dr. Seuss's first children's book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, hit the market in 1937, and the world of children's literature was changed forever! In 1957, Seuss's The Cat in the Hat became the prototype for one of Random House's best- selling series, Beginner Books. This popular series combined engaging stories with outrageous illustrations and playful sounds to teach basic reading skills. Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he helped kids learn to read.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and three Academy Awards, Seuss was the author and illustrator of 44 children's books, some of which have been made into audiocassettes, animated television specials, and videos for children of all ages. Even after his death in 1991, Dr. Seuss continues to be the best-selling author of children's books in the world. Read more.

Listen to an excerpt from The Cat in the Hat in Yiddish.
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Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch

2005-07-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was the intellectual founder of the Torah im Derech Eretz school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed neo-Orthodoxy, his philosophy, together with that of Ezriel Hildesheimer, has had a considerable influence on the development of Orthodox Judaism.

Hirsch Psalms

Early years and education

Hirsch was born in Hamburg, Germany. His father, though a merchant, devoted much of his time to Torah studies; his grandfather, Mendel Frankfurter, was the founder of the Talmud Torah in Hamburg and unsalaried assistant rabbi of the neighboring congregation of Altona; and his granduncle, Löb Frankfurter, was the author of several Hebrew works, including Harechasim le-Bik'ah, a Torah commentary. Hirsch was a pupil of Chacham Isaac Bernays, and the Biblical and Talmudical education which he received, combined with his teacher's influence, led him to determine not to become a merchant, as his parents had desired, but to choose the rabbinical vocation. In furtherance of this plan he studied Talmud from 1823 to 1829 in Mannheim under Rabbi Jacob Ettlinger. He then entered the University of Bonn, where he studied at the same time as his future antagonist, Abraham Geiger.

Oldenburg

In 1830 Hirsch was elected chief rabbi (Landesrabbiner) of the principality of Oldenburg. During this period he wrote his Neunzehn Briefe über Judenthum, (Nineteen Letters on Judaism) which were published, under the pseudonym of "Ben Usiel" (or "Uziel"), at Altona in 1836. This work made a profound impression in German Jewish circles because it was something new — a brilliant, intellectual presentation of Orthodox Judaism in classic German, and a fearless, uncompromising defense of all its institutions and ordinances.

In 1838 Hirsch published, as a necessary concomitant of the Letters, his Horeb, oder Versuche über Jissroel's Pflichten in der Zerstreuung, which is a text-book on Judaism for educated Jewish youth. In fact, he wrote Horeb first, but his publishers doubted that a work defending traditional Judaism would find a market in those times, when reform was in vogue. In 1839 he published Erste Mittheilungen aus Naphtali's Briefwechsel, a polemical essay against the reforms in Judaism proposed by Holdheim and others; and in 1844 he published Zweite Mittheilungen aus einem Briefwechsel über die Neueste Jüdische Literatur, also polemical in tendency.

Emden

Hirsch remained in Oldenburg until 1841, when he was elected chief rabbi of the Hanoverian districts of Aurich and Osnabrück, with his residence in Emden. During this five-year post, he was taken up almost completely by communal work, and had little time for writing. He did, however, found a secondary school with a curriculum featuring both Jewish studies and a secular programme, for the first time employing his motto Torah im Derech Eretz ("The Torah is maximalised in partnership with worldly involvement").

Nikolsburg

In 1846 Hirsch was called to the rabbinate of Nikolsburg in Moravia, and in 1847 he became chief rabbi of Moravia and Austrian Silesia. In Austria he passed five years in the reorganization of the Jewish congregations and the instruction of numerous disciples; he was also, in his official capacity as chief rabbi, a member of the Moravian Landtag, where he campaigned for more civil rights for Jews in Moravia.

In Moravia Hirsch had a difficult time, on the one side receiving criticism from the Reform-minded, and on the other side from a deeply traditional Orthodox element, which found some of his reforms too radical. Hirsch placed a much stronger emphasis on deep study of the entire Hebrew Bible, rather than just the Torah and selected Bible readings, in addition to Talmud, as had been the custom of religious Jews up until then. A typical criticism was: "Before Hirsch we were studying Talmud and reading Psalms, after Hirsch we are reading Talmud and studying Psalms".

In 1851 he accepted a call as rabbi of an Orthodox separatist group in Frankfurt am Main, a part of the Jewish community of which had otherwise largely accepted classical Reform Judaism. This group, known as the "Israelite Religious Society" ("Israelitische Religions-Gesellschaft" or IRG), became under his administration a great congregation, numbering about 500 families. Hirsch was to remain Rabbi of this congregation the rest of his life.

Hirsch organized the Realschule and the Bürgerschule, in which thorough Jewish training was provided along with those aspects of secular training deemed true according to the Torah (Torah im Derech Eretz). He also founded and edited the monthly magazine Jeschurun (1855-70; new series, 1882 et seq); most of the pages of the Jeschurun were filled by himself.

In 1876, Edward Lasker (a Jewish parliamentarian in the Prussian Landtag) introduced the "Secession Bill" (Austrittsgesetz), which would enable Jews to secede from a religious congregation without having to relinquish their religious status. The law was passed on July 28, 1876. Sadly, there arose a conflict whether "Austritt" (secession) was required by Jewish law. Hirsch held this was mandatory, even though it involved a court appearance and visible disapproval of the Reform-dominated "Main Community" (Grossgemeinde). His contemporary Isaac Dov Bamberger, Rabbi of Würzburg, argued that as long as the Grossgemeinde made appropriate arrangements for the Orthodox element, secession was unnecessary. The schism caused a terrible rift and many hurt feelings, and its aftershocks could be felt until the ultimate destruction of the Frankfurt community by the Nazis.

Final years

During the final years of his life, Hirsch put his efforts in the founding of the "Freie Vereinigung für die Interessen des Orthodoxen Judentums", an association of independent Jewish communities. During the 30 years after his death this organisation would be used as a model for the formation of the international orthodox Agudat Yisrael movement. There is no doubt that Hirsch was opposed to political Zionism, despite a great love for the Land of Israel which is apparent from his writings.

From reports of his family members, it seems likely that Hirsch contracted malaria while in Emden, which continued to plague him during the rest of life with febrile episodes.

Hirsch died in 1888 in Frankfurt am Main and is buried there. He is acclaimed today as the commentator who most makes Torah relevant to the modern era.

Works and activism

Hirsch had an exceptionally powerful pen. An example is his opinion about a Jewish state (Hirsch Siddur, 1969 p703):

During the reign of Hadrian when the uprising led by Bar Kochba proved a disastrous error, it became essential that the Jewish people be reminded for all times of an important, essential fact, namely that (the people of) Israel must never again attempt to restore its national independence by its own power; it was to entrust its future as a nation solely to Divine Providence.
Other works (besides the ones mentioned above) were:

Pamphlet: "Jüdische Anmerkungen zu den Bemerkungen eines Protestanten" (anon.), Emden, 1841 (response to a provocative pamphlet by an anonymous Protestant);
Pamphlet: "Die Religion im Bunde mit dem Fortschritt (anon.), Frankfurt am Main, 1854 (response to provocations from the side of the Reform-dominated "Main Community");
"Uebersetzung und Erklärung des Pentateuchs,", 5 volumes 1867-78 (Hirsch' innovative and influential Torah commentary, see below);
Pamphlets during the Secession Debate:
"Das Princip der Gewissensfreiheit," 1874;
"Der Austritt aus der Gemeinde," 1876
"Uebersetzung und Erklärung der Psalmen", 1882 (Hirsch' commentary on the book of Psalms);
"Ueber die Beziehungen des Talmuds zum Judenthum", 1884 (a defense of Talmudic literature against anti-Semitic slanders in Russia)
He left in manuscript at the time of his death a translation and explanation of the prayer-book which was subsequently published. The publication, in several volumes, of his collected writings (Gesammelte Schriften) was begun in 1902.

Most of Hirsch' writings have been translated into English and Hebrew by his descendants, starting with "Horeb" in the 1950s (by Dayan Isidore Grunfeld of London) and his Torah commentary in the 1960s (by his grandson Isaac Levi, also of London). The bulk of his Collected Writings, that had previously been published in German in 1902-12, were translated during the 1980s and 1990s in memory of his grandson Joseph Breuer.

Themes in his work

Hirsch lived in the post-Napoleonic era, an epoch when Jews had been granted civil rights in a large number of European countries, leading to assimilation and a call for reform. A large segment of his work focusses on the possibilities for Orthodox Judaism in such an era, when freedom of religion also meant the freedom to practice Torah precepts without persecution and ridicule.

The principle of "Austritt", an independent Orthodoxy, flows naturally from his view on the place of Judaism in his epoch: if Judaism is to gain from these civil liberties, it has to be able to develop independently - without having to lend implicit or explicit approval to efforts at reformation.

Hirsch' polemical work was almost completely dedicated to the defense of the views described above.

His other major work involves the symbolic meaning of many Torah commandments and passages. Indeed, his work "Horeb" (1837) focuses to a large degree on the possible meanings and symbols in religious precepts. This work was continued in his Torah commentary and his articles in the Jeschurun journal (Collected Writings, vol. III, is a collation of these articles).

A final area of his work, which has only recently been rediscovered, was his etymological analysis of the Hebrew language. Most of this work is contained in his Torah commentary, where he analyses and compares the shorashim (three-letter root forms) of a large number of Hebrew words and develops an etymological system of the Hebrew language. Although this effort was, in his own words, "totally unscientific", it has led to the recent publication of an "etymological dictionary of the Hebrew language" (Clark 2000).

Although Hirsch does not mention his influences (apart from traditional Jewish sources), later authors have identified ideas from the Kuzari (Yehuda Halevi) and the Maharal of Prague in his works. Nevertheless, most of his ideas are probably original.

In Nineteen Letters (Feldheim 1995, translated Karin Paritzky, commentary by Rabbi Joseph Elias), an extensive effort is made in the commentary to show Rav Hirsch's sources in Rabbinic lliterature, parallels to other post-Talmudic Jewish thinkers, Rav Hirsch's elaborations in his later writings (showing the common thread in his writings), and refuting theories that Rav Hirsch derived his philosophy from his German contemporaries, particularly for example Kant. In his introduction, Rabbi Elias furthermore states that he sets out to refute various other misconceptions of Rav Hirsch's intentions, such as the controversy around what he meant by "Torah im Derech Eretz" (see below). It should be noted that Rabbi Elias is himself a noted and authoritive teacher in the Hirschian community.

Influence and controversy

See also the discussion on this point, in the article on Torah im Derech Eretz.
There is considerable controversy over Hirsch's legacy; this is a matter of debate between three parties: Haredi (sometimes called Ultra-Orthodox), Modern Orthodox, and Hirsch's descendants. While it is undisputed that his Torah im Derech Eretz was his real innovation, the exact implementation has been greatly debated.

Those on Orthodoxy's right wing hold that Hirsch himself only approved of secular studies as a "Horaas Sha'ah", or temporary dispensation, in order to save Orthodox Jewry of the 1800's from the threat posed by assimilation. While a yeshiva student in Eastern Europe, Rabbi Shimon Schwab obtained the opinion's of various Poskim (authorities in Jewish law) to this effect (see Selected Writings "These and Those" where Schwab himself disagrees).

To the other extreme, some Modern Orthodox Jews understand Hirsch in the sense of Torah Umadda, meaning a synthesis of Torah knowledge and secular knowledge - each for its own sake (this view is propagated in several articles in Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Thought, published by the Rabbinical Council of America). In this view, Hirsch thought that it was permissible, and even productive, for Jews to learn gentile philosophy, music, art, literature and ethics for their own sake.

In contrast, a third middle opinion held by Hirsch's descendants (his son-in-law and successor Rabbi Solomon Breuer, his grandson Rabbi Joseph Breuer and the latter's successor Rabbi Shimon Schwab), Rabbi Joseph Elias in his commentary to the Nineteen Letters (Feldheim 1995) and some Jewish historians, says that both of these understandings of Hirsch's philosophy are misguided; they refer to these readings of Hirsch as improper historical revisionism. In response to the "temporary dispensation" theory, they point to Hirsch in Collected Writings as continually stressing the philosophical and religious imperative of Torah im Derech Eretz for all times (Note that Hirsch himself addressed this contention: "Torah im Derech Eretz ... is not part of troubled, time bound notions; it represents the ancient, traditional wisdom of our sages that has stood the test everywhere and at all times." (Gesammelte Schriften vi p.221); see further Rabbi Shimon Schwab in Selected Writings- "These and Those"). In response to the "Torah Umadda" theory they say that Hirschian philosophy demands the domination of Torah over secular knowledge, not a separate synthesis. On this basis, many adherents of Hirsch's philosophy have preferred the natural sciences over the humanities as a subject of secular study, seemingly because they are easier to judge through the prism of Torah thought than the more abstract humanities.