The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism, 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Rabbi Benjamin Blech (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide | Publication Date: September 2, 2003

One of the Guides' most popular religion titles, Understanding Judaism covers:

€ The major denominations of Judaism and how modern times have changed them
€ A history, from ancient times to current events
€ Threats to the religion; Israel and anti-Zionism; anti-Semitism
€ New concerns for the 21st century, and much more.

Understanding Judaism, its roots, its beliefs, and its traditions is crucial to understanding its people and its leaders. And, in light of current world events, this understanding is more important now than ever before

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

You're no idiot, of course. You know that in the Jewish religion Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement and that Saturday, known as the Sabbath, is the day of rest. But when it comes to understanding Jewish traditions, rituals, prayers, and holidays, you feel like you're parting and crossing the Red Sea without God's help. Don't put your life preserver on just yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism, written in a warm, conversational style by Rabbi Benjamin Blech, is a fun and easy-to-understand primer to every aspect of this ancient faith. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, Rabbi Blech gives you: --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Rabbi Benjamin Blech, a tenth-generation rabbi, is a nationally-recognized educator, religious leader, author, and lecturer. He is the author of seven books, including The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to Jewish History and Culture and The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to Learning Yiddish, as well as associate professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University in New York City and Rabbi Emeritus of Young Israel of Oceanside congregation in Oceanside, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 433 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 2 edition (September 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159257131X
• ISBN-13: 978-1592571314
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book fills a real need!, January 6, 2000

By 

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism (Paperback)

As soon as I discovered this book, I immediately linked it to my homepage, as well as my Jewish resource menus and online FAQs. It fills a very real need for a user-friendly basic Judaism book that is "accessible" to the rank beginner, and I find myself recommending it a LOT to web surfers and readers of my own books who email me with their "Judaism 101" questions.

This book is much, much better than Steinberg's old standby, "Basic Judaism," which is just too much stuffy academe for the average reader of today. Rabbi Blech's use of the familiar 'Idiot's Guide" format is non-threatening, and even uses some humor to make learning about Judaism easy and fun!

I recommend this book to non-Jews who want the basics, to Jews who need to brush up on what they might have missed as kids in Hebrew school, and especially to school teachers and librarians as a quick reference to those common questions about what Jews believe in, what happens in a synagogue service, and "Why do they do that...?"

Thank you, Rabbi Blech, for a great educational resource!

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece!, June 28, 2005

By 

sasha "sashas_stardust_castle" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

This book really opened my eyes to why I love Judaism so much and why I am so proud to be a Jew. The way Rabbi Ben Blech writes is so delightful, clear, and easy-to-read. He doesn't just explain what Jews do and believe, he also explains and clarifies *why* certain rituals and customs exist. Since reading this book, I have begun to attend synagogue (I never did before), I am going to classes with the Rabbi to learn more, and I am reading more books about Judaism (including my Chumash) etc. I love the way it goes through an entire person's life from birth to death, from a Jewish perspective, explaining what these stages of life mean to a Jew. I also like the way he goes through all the rooms in a person's home and explains how to run a jewish household/family. And of course, his excellent explanations about the Jewish holydays are superb! This book has really changed my life! I highly recommend this book to all Jews in all of the world and any non-Jew that is interested in learning about Judaism.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book makes Jewish thought come alive, October 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism (Paperback)

Rabbi Blech has once again succeeded in combining thousands of years of traditions and dozens of scholars' thoughts into a work that the average person can understand and appreciate. For the first time, one can gain a broad understanding of those beliefs so basic to Judaism. As well as providing a very well detailed summary of Jewish thought, Blech's book is entertaining, well balanced, and engaging.