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The Kosher Pig: And Other Curiosities of Modern Jewish Life
 
 
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The Kosher Pig: And Other Curiosities of Modern Jewish Life [Paperback]

Richard J. Israel (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Price: $14.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Book Description

February 1, 1994
From Booklist Rabbi Israel's collection of essays is 'about modernity and being Jewish, about the ironies that result from trying to appropriate the Jewish tradition while at the same time attempting to live fully in the modern world.' Israel discusses such important topics as keeping kosher (there is a separate essay on kosher wine), praying, synagogue attendance and decorum, hospitality, fasting, weddings and funerals, sports, spiritual discovery, and even bees (the author is a beekeeper, and, yes, so he argues, Jews can eat honey). Israel, director of the Rabbinic Program at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, writes with a touch of humor, but his underlying message is thoughtful and astute. Both Jew and non-Jew will enjoy the book. George Cohen

Reflections on the mismatch between traditional Jewish living and contemporary lifestyles. Richard Israel was the only rabbi in Bombay, India, a beekeeper, a successful marathon runner, and the director of Hillel Jewish Student Centers on various college campuses. These diverse experiences give him a unique vantage point on the chaos which is modern Jewish life. He gets caught in the tension between being a traditional Jew and being a modern American...and suspects that, indeed, he may be neither.

Torah Aura Productions publishes books for Jewish schools and families that help celebrate our heritage and our faith.

We have over 25 years of experience as the leading creator of high quality educational materials that enable Jewish children to become empowered Jewish adults.

Our books guide and enhance the Jewish knowledge, spirituality and identity of children and their families, and our innovative tools bring Judaism alive in synagogues, Hebrew schools, and day schools.

Torah Aura Productions was founded in 1981 by a group of innovative Jewish educators who looked out at the field of Jewish education and found materials that were shallow and dull. They started a company to create new tools for families and teachers that would be exciting and meaningful. For more than two decades, Torah Aura has revolutionized the way Jewish schools enable their students to become empowered Jewish adults, and has helped families make Judaism a meaningful presence in their homes.

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Rabbi Israel's collection of essays is "about modernity and being Jewish, about the ironies that result from trying to appropriate the Jewish tradition while at the same time attempting to live fully in the modern world." Israel discusses such important topics as keeping kosher (there is a separate essay on kosher wine), praying, synagogue attendance and decorum, hospitality, fasting, weddings and funerals, sports, spiritual discovery, and even bees (the author is a beekeeper, and, yes, so he argues, Jews can eat honey). Israel, director of the Rabbinic Program at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, writes with a touch of humor, but his underlying message is thoughtful and astute. Both Jew and non-Jew will enjoy the book. George Cohen --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Alef Design Group (February 1, 1994)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1881283151
  • ISBN-13: 978-1881283157
  • Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #234,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, and a deceptively wise one., February 1, 1998
This review is from: The Kosher Pig: And Other Curiosities of Modern Jewish Life (Paperback)
The Kosher Pig is one of the great undiscovered Jewish books of our generation. It is funny, charming, entertaining, eclectic, but it is also deceptively wise. Richard Israel is rooted in Jewish tradition, but he has spent a rich professional rabbinical career dealing with real live American Jews - and it shows. His Jewish knowledge in a technical sense is balanced and informed by his understanding of people. The combination is rare and valuable. His chapter on davenning [praying] is one of the best short introductions to the topic I've ever read. His essay on how to give a dvar torah [a short homiletical speech - except that's not quite right, because a dvar torah is so much less formal than the English "homiletical speech"] is absolutely the best on the topic I've ever read. A book to enjoy for oneself, and also a great gift for someone who is Jewishly questing and growing.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and interesting little book, June 20, 2005
By 
Daniel (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Kosher Pig: And Other Curiosities of Modern Jewish Life (Paperback)
I read this book during my flight, and was disappointed to have to put it down when the flight landed and I only had a few pages left. It is a very nicely written book that offers the author's (a traditional rabbi) interesting, funny, and touching perspective on everything from beekeeping to the Hevra Kaddisha (society that cares for the dead) to jogging and exercise. Altogether, the book gives you a fresh perspective on being Jewish in America and will make you laugh more than once as well.


I'm really surprised I haven't heard of this book earlier!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars good book, August 13, 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: The Kosher Pig: And Other Curiosities of Modern Jewish Life (Paperback)
I thought that this book was very funy about tackling a very solemn set of issues. I would reccommend it
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Apious Jew was told by his doctor that he had a rare disease, one that could only be cured by his eating pork. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
hevra kadisha, wedding contract, kosher meal
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Yom Kippur, New York, Shulhan Arukh, Hillel Foundation, High Holiday, Snuff Box, Reform Judaism, Reb Arele, Land of Israel, Reform Jews, Kosher Pigs
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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