Customer Reviews

Every Person's Guide to Shabbat (Every Person's Guide Series)

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This is first draft of a potentially excellent book. The few brief pages about the history of Shabbat observance tantalized me, but I wished that the author had fleshed out the information he provided. Furthermore, the section ends with bullet points, and I wonder why he didn't actually write something about those topics. By reviewing the table of contents, you would expect most of the book to be devoted to history rather than to activities for families with children.

I expect quite a bit from books published by Aronson because of their very high prices. Their publication, "Jewish Views of the Afterlife," was a tremendous feat of accessible scholarship that was entirely worth paying for. "Every Person's Guide to Shabbat" is unfortunately not in the same category. At the very least, an editor should have addressed grammar and writing style.

If you're looking for a good book on the Sabbath, I'd recommend "Friday Night and Beyond" by Lori Palatnik, also published by Aronson. It contains no history lessons, but does present detailed descriptions of Shabbat rituals and numerous anecdotes about the joy and sacredness of the day.