Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Spring and Summer Holidays: Passover, Shavuot, The Omer, Tisha B'Av [Paperback]

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

Book Description

Publication Date: January 12, 2009 | Series: Celebrating the Jewish Year

2009 National Jewish Book Award Winner, Jewish Family Literature

JPS’s holiday books take us through the joys, spirit, and meaning of the seasons. 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, Nehama Leibowitz, Irving Greenberg, 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. Some of 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

Review

“This is the kind of book where a reviewer says ‘every family should own one.’ All three volumes will make excellent contributions to the celebrations of our Jewish holidays.”—Sybil Kaplan, National Jewish Post and Opinion (Sybil Kaplan National Jewish Post and Opinion )

“Helpful and informative as well as pleasurable reading, the book’s mixture of styles ranges from popular, reasoned, conceptual, to more scholarly.”—Jewish Book World

(Jewish Book World )

“The last installment in Paul Steinberg’s ‘Celebrating’ series is, like the others, a rich resource for understanding the Jewish holidays and laws.”—Hadassah Magazine (Hadassah Magazine )

“Reading Celebrating the Jewish Year is a great way to prepare for the holidays; it would also make an excellent text for a classroom or discussion groups. Those interested in the Jewish holidays will want to add it to their collection.”—Off The Shelf (Off The Shelf )

“Paul Steinberg explains customs in simple terms accessible to readers of all backgrounds, including gentiles and Jews alike.”—Midwest Book Review (Midwest Book Review )

From the Publisher

2009 National Jewish Book Award Winner, Jewish Family Literature category

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: The Jewish Publication Society; 1 edition (January 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0827608500
• ISBN-13: 978-0827608504
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,005,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Deserves a place in any Jewish reference collection June 16, 2009

By Midwest Book Review

Every holiday has its own traditions. "Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Spring and Summer Holidays" is an educational manual outlining the meanings, traditions, and purpose of the Jewish year with a focus on the spring and summer. With chapters on Passover, Shavout, and other important annual events, author Paul Steinberg explains customs in simple terms accessible to readers of all backgrounds, including gentiles and Jews alike. "Celebrating the Jewish Year" deserves a place in any Jewish reference collection.