Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every non-Jew, as well as every Jew, should read this book., August 31, 2005
It's subtitle, "The Basics of Deed and Creed" indicates one of its purposes; to compare/contrast Judaism, in a non-pejorative way, with Christianity. Judaism is more about what someone DOES rather than about what he believes; not that belief is unimportant. The sense is that belief is important mainly as an impulse to righteous behavior rather than in and of itself.
Understanding Judaism is, along with Rabbi Irving Greenberg's "The Jewish Way," and Moshe Chayim Luzatto's "The Way of God," one the best introductions to Jewish theology available for the general reader.
One of the best ways to illustrate is content is to list some of its provocative chapter titles: If You Had to Choose Only One Mitzvah, There Are No Ten Commandments, Why Were the Ten Given?, Why Did God Give Us Two Tablets?, Who Comes First, Man or God?, Why is God First on the Tablets?, Enjoy Life on this Earth, Does God Care About Non-Jews?, The Source of the Seven Universal Laws, The Thirteen Fundamentals of Belief, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?, Can we "Prove" God's Existence?, Who is Satan?, Do We Really Have Free Will?, Does God Speak to Man?, Are We Close to the Time of the Messianic Era?
With all the existing controversy about posting the Ten Commandments in a public place, few people can even name them. Rabbi Blech not only lucidly explains their meaning and inherant structure, put points out that there are three different versions -- Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jewish -- and compares the versions in his chapter, "Why Did God Give Us Two Tablets?" This chapter contains the best such comprehensive discussion of the Ten Commandments that I know of.
I am confident that everyone who reads this book will thank me for recommending it.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every Jew (observant or not) should read this, February 17, 1998
Starting from the Ten Commandements and the Thirteen Principles of Faith rabbi Blech gives a very clear and inspiring overview of Jewish "theology" and view of life. A must read for people who want to know more about Judaism. Enjoyed every moment of it.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended, August 30, 2008
Excellent study text. Author does not assume you know everything already, but does not patronize, either. Easy to read and understand without glossing over the difficult concepts. Insightful--and occasional--comparison and contrast with Christianity aids comprehension. The scriptures were written to people of the time who understood the idiomatic expressions and cultural references; westerners often don't, and Christians rarely do. This book helps fill in some of that missing information, and the reader may anticipate frequent "ah ha!!" moments.The author writes with an unfortunate and inaccurate bias that assumes the Catholic Church is the best example of all Christianity. Once past that, this book is to be highly recommended for those who wish to better understand their own ethnic and/or spiritual roots whether Jewish or Christian.
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