Basic Judaism (Harvest Book.) [Paperback]

Milton Steinberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 1965 | Series: Harvest Book.

Rabbi Steinberg identifies seven strands that weave together to make up Judaism: God, morality, rite and custom, law, sacred literature, institutions, and the people. A classic work directed to both the Jewish and the non-Jewish reader.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Milton Steinberg November 25, 1903 - March 20, 1950 was an American rabbi and author.

Born in Rochester, New York, he was raised with the combination of his grandparents' traditional Jewish piety and his father's modernist socialism. He graduated as valedictorian of his class at DeWitt Clinton High School and then majored in Classics at City College of New York which he graduated from summa cum laude in 1924. Steinberg received his doctorate in philosophy from Columbia University in 1928 and then entered the Jewish Theological Seminary. In seminary, he was strongly influenced by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan (1881–1983), the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism.

After five years in a pulpit in Indiana, he was invited by the Seminary to assume the pulpit of Manhattan's Park Avenue Synagogue, then a small congregation with a Reform orientation. In his sixteen years at the congregation, he grew it from 120 to 750 families.

While a disciple of Kaplan who considered himself a Reconstructionist, Steinberg was critical of Kaplan's dismissal of metaphysics.

Steinberg's works included Basic Judaism, The Making of the Modern Jews, and As A Driven Leaf (1939), a historical novel revolving around the talmudic characters Elisha ben Abuyah and Rabbi Akiba. In his final years, he began writing a series of theological essays. This project, which he had hoped would conclude in a book of theology, was cut short by his death at age 46.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; P edition (March 17, 1965)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156106981
• ISBN-13: 978-0156106986
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > History of Religion
  • #39 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Jewish Life

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From impenetrable to quite translucent.., November 22, 2000

By 

Robin Knight (Newtown, Victoria ,Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Judaism (Harvest Book.) (Paperback)

Back in the 'Eighties, I found myself teaching Chaim Potok's "The

Chosen" to a Year 12 class, a system-shock, since I was, by then,

as school librarian, largely free from classroom duties. But it was a

book I liked, and the best book, by far, on that year's required

reading list, and the English Coordinator, the class teacher, had

declared himself an avid antisemetic and thus unwilling to add the

text to his repertoire..though quite willing to allow ME to

"borrow" his class to demonstrate the book's worth.And so I

came to research Judaism the first time..

The second thrust toward

Judaic enlightenment was differently inspired, prompted, in fact, by a

stroll around New Orleans with a Jewish met-on-the- internet-friend

from New York, with me miserably aware that I was registering only a

fraction of his conversational vocabulary (and that several paragraphs

behind). And it seemed to me that if so obviously intelligent a man

could find meaning in Judaism, perhaps the faith,and its inherent

disciplines, were worth a second look..

But where to look

first?

Other Jewish friends proffered advice.

Herman Wouk's

"This Is My God" was recommended.

"Lightweight!" scoffed my New York friend."Pap for the

masses!You would do better just asking ME!"

But I wanted to

input some other, more openminded ideas, and tried Amazon Books.

Amazon came up with a list of twenty or more, a list which threatened

to go on, and on, but I started with nine, the shelf since much

augmented, and browsed them all, before selecting "Basic

Judaism",by Rabbi Milton Steinberg, subtitled :

"The

essential book for both Jews and non-Jews eager to know more about one

of the world's great religions".

And as a starting point,

as an overview, as a balanced, heart-warming, conscious-of-all-faiths

introduction to the Jewish way of life, I doubt you can go past Rabbi

Steinberg's positive little text which manages, in just 172 pages, to

render the seemingly impenetrable, quite translucent... sunlit, even!

Educated in my formative years by Sisters Of Joseph nuns,

indoctrinated that only baptised Christians can "enter the

Kingdom Of Heaven", I was unprepared for the welcoming warmth

this little book exudes. There is no hint of a restricted heaven here,

nor babies in limbo, with Rabbi Steinberg reminding us, over and over,

that , to a Jew, heaven is for the righteous, all righteous

,regardless of creed, something my Islam-convert son has pointed out

to me as a major difference, also, between Christianity and his

adopted faith.

I was interested, too, to see that there is no

equivalent of the Catholic Pope, and no parent "CHURCH" to

grow rich and powerful, that each synagogue congregation is an

independent, autonymous entity..

Interested,too, to see how much

emphasis Judaism places on individual learning and scholarship, even

for women,and on rights for women, NOT things the Christian churches

have exactly emphasised down the years.

As well, Rabbi Steinberg

continually clarifies both the traditionalist and modernist Jewish

stances on each point at issue...something else that came as something

of a shock to me after my rather frustrating attempts at broadbased

discussion with my classically trained, Ashkenazic Jewish friend from

New York.

But remember, this is an OVERVIEW of Judaism, and not

the book in which to delve for obscure points of pre-Passover

procedure, though its eleven sections cover Judaism from historical

foundations , through current practice, to a "World To Come"

section and Epilogue, noting, at each step, the differences in

interpretation between the main Jewish divisions, and explaining how

these interpretations affect daily life for a Jew.

I have read

many books on Judaism since, and attended classes, and "discussed

the Holy Books" with some very learned men indeed, and had many

questions thus answered, but this book, with so many passages

highlighted by my yellow pen, is the text that made me want to

continue to find out.

And if YOU, with a Jewish friend or

workmate, or perhaps reading the daily papers and watching televised

news of the conflict in Israel, would like to understand better, to

maybe offend less, to be more in the picture, read Rabbi Milton

Steinberg's "Basic Judaism"....as a starting point.

Almost certainly you will want to go on and read more!

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Basic Intro, February 10, 2001

By 

"topaze15" (Charlotte, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Judaism (Harvest Book.) (Paperback)

This is a basic introduction for people who either want an overall review of the basics or for people about whom it can't be assumed they know even the basics, like me. Rabbi Steinberg's best quality is his ability to break down and pick apart the basics and his ability to write with extraordinary conciseness. I never felt he was talking down to me, but his handle of English for explaining the complex theological and philosophical concepts was truly remarkable. He also makes a point of drawing out the differences among Jews about Judaism, frequently contrasting "traditionalists" with "modernists". I can't imagine I could have chosen a better book for getting the concept of Judaism. There probably are better books to get, though, if you are looking for a book about how to live as a Jew. The book is obviously very pro-Jewish and he seems usually to give the modernists the better slant without being disrespectful to tradition. If you just want to know what Judaism is, I can definitely recommend this book.

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A very, very basic introduction..., December 10, 2000

By 

Thomas J. Brucia "Tom B" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Basic Judaism (Harvest Book.) (Paperback)

There are two things one should know about this book. One, (as the author points out) this book "is a book about the Jewish religion - not about Jews or Jewish problems, or Jewish culture, or Zionism, but about those beliefs, ideals, and practices which make up the historic Jewish faith." Two, it is indeed - very - basic. Perhaps my thirst for detail keeps me from appreciating this short a summary. I found MUCH more information in three hours on the Internet than turns up here.... Perhaps the book suffers because the author is trying to span the breadth of Judaism, from Reform to Orthodox, in one volume.... On a positive note, Rabbi Steinberg does not beat about the bush - to give one example. he straightforwardly describes the differences between (the various forms of) Christianity and Judaism. His views on St. Paul are "challenging". Christians may not like his judgments, but I thought many of them seem quite on-target. On the negative side, do not expect from this volume a listing of the 613 Jewish commandments (though they are mentioned). Do not expect any description of the Jewish lunar calendar, or any listing of the months. Do not expect any description of the Hebrew language. Do not expect any detailed description of the liturgy of the Shabbat service. I could forgive much of this (since the book is only 172 pages long) except for the fact the author is verbose - especially in the first half of the book. (Incidentally, be aware that "Basic Judaism" lacks all of the following: a bibliography, a glossary, any appendices, and an index!) Though I found this a pleasant read, I wouldn't use it as a starting point for any in-depth study of Judaism.