Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Fall Holidays -- Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Paul Steinberg (Author), Janet Greenstein Potter (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2007

JPS's new holiday books take us through the joys, spirit, and meaning of the seasons. Blending the old and the new, they ground us in the origins and traditions of each holiday and open up to us ways we can add our own expression to these special days. Although synagogue ritual is touched upon, the real focus here is on our personal connections to each holiday and our home observance.

As we move from season to season, Paul Steinberg shares with us a rich collection of readings from many of the Jewish greats -- Maimonides, Rashi, Nachmanides, Shlomo Carlebach, Marge Piercy, Elie Wiesel, Martin Buber, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Arthur Green, and others -- and he guides us in discovering for ourselves the many treasures within each text.

The readings teach us about the history of each holiday, as well as its theological, ethical, agricultural, and seasonal importance and interpretation; others give us inspiration and much food for thought. These stories, essays, poems, anecdotes, and rituals help us discover how deeply Jewish traditions are rooted in nature's yearly cycle, and how beautifully season and spirit are woven together throughout the Jewish year.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Steinberg, a rabbi and educator, calls the Jewish holidays fundamental expressions of our spirituality. In Judaism's holistic approach, he says, spirituality encompasses the interaction of a person's intellectual, emotional and physical aspects, so the holidays tie us to history, the earth, the Jewish people and God. This first of three volumes explores Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Each section discusses a holiday's biblical origins, ideology and customs, followed by writings from Jewish thinkers throughout history, contemporary perspectives and alternative meditations. What makes this volume stand out from other holiday guides is an additional section with sacred texts presented in and inspired by Talmudic format. Steinberg examines each text at three different levels—literal, interpretive and personal. He doesn't shy away from questioning practices that may seem outmoded, but challenges readers not to abandon them abruptly. His careful, thorough and reasoned explanations will deepen understanding of each holiday's history and tradition, allowing celebrations to become, in fact, more celebratory. (Sept.)
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Review

"This is really a terrific guidebook for friends and family members because it is such an enjoyable read that can be used at the basic and in-depth levels." --The Jewish Leader, November 9, 2007

"Organized with much thoughtfulness, [the author] includes a richness of materials for each holiday ... there's much good and inspiring writing here." -- The Jewish Week, September 6, 2007

"Those looking for one book to help them understand the fall holiday season would do well to read 'Celebrating the Jewish Year.'" -- The Reporter, August 31, 2007

"...superb introduction especially recommended for anyone seeking to enrich their personal understanding before attending a Jewish holiday celebration."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Publication Society of America; 1 edition (August 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082760842X
• ASIN: B002RAR3A6
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,486,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, October 2, 2007

By 

S. Goldberg - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Fall Holidays -- Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot (Paperback)

I ordered this book before the Jewish high holidays and was very glad to have it with me during services and at home throughout the Jewish holiday season. Each of the holidays discussed in the book (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot) has a very interesting section explaining not only customs of celebrating the holiday, but the rationales behind the customs. There is a lot in these pages that would appeal to a well-educated Jew, but I think it would also provide a great introduction to someone who is not Jewish or less familiar with the holidays.

To me, though, what is distinctly best about this book is the excellent anthology of readings. The readings are divided into categories that include the sources of the holidays and customs (with introductions and/or commentaries to help clarify the source), interpretations of Jewish holiday texts (with a very thoughtful "make it personal" reflection after each text), plus a hugely meaningful and unique section of modern-day "meditations" of essays, poems, and other writings by the author and a wide selection of well-known, contemporary Jewish thinkers.

I think this was an excellent addition to my library, and I know that anyone else who might pick it up from my bookshelf will also find many spiritually elevating and intellectually stimulating thoughts pouring out of it. There is a lot of wonderful material packed into this volume, and I'm looking forward to reading the other volumes when their holidays come around this year--not to mention exploring more of the readings from this book next year.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Christian's viewpointI, November 23, 2008

By 

Dorothy O. Dewing (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Fall Holidays -- Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot (Paperback)

I work in a Protestant Church Library, and am always looking to improve our religious book collection. This includes finding appropriate books of other faiths. I found the one on the Jewish holidays to be very good in explanation and description of them. Very interesting and informative.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb introduction, December 2, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Fall Holidays -- Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot (Paperback)

Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Fall Holidays tells the story behind three fall holidays celebrated in the Jewish tradition: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. Written in plain terms and accessible to readers of all backgrounds, chapters cover the origins of these holidays, modern perspectives upon their significance, interpretations of sacred texts, alternative meditations, and much more. Endnotes, a glossary, and an index round out this superb introduction especially recommended for anyone seeking to enrich their personal understanding before attending a Jewish holiday celebration.