List Price: $26.00 Details

Save: $10.47 (40%)

FREE delivery: Aug 18 - 25

Fastest delivery: Aug 17 - 20

Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app.

$$15.53 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from	De-light Books
Sold by	De-light Books

Details

Ships from

De-light Books

Sold by

De-light Books

Return policy: Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery: Thursday, Aug 19 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Used: Good | Details

Sold by okumus

Fulfilled by Amazon

Share <Embed>

Other Sellers on Amazon

$15.96
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: Sparkle Books

$13.20
+ $3.15 shipping

Sold by: Book-Net

$26.00
& FREE Shipping. Details

Sold by: Amazon.com

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Joseph Telushkin

Jewish Wisdom: Ethical, Spiritual, and Historical Lessons from the Great Works and Thinkers Hardcover – October 21, 1994

by Joseph Telushkin (Author)

133 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$10.99

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$15.53

$13.20

$2.14

When, if ever, should lying be permitted?

If you've damaged a person's reputation unfairly, can the damage be undone?

Is a person who sells weapons responsible for how those weapons are used?

if the fetus is not a life, what is it? How, as an adult, can one carry out the command to honor one's parents when they make unreasonable demands?

What are the nine biblical challenges a good person must meet?

What do the great Jewish writings of the last 3,500 years tell us about these and all other vital questions about our lives? Rabbi Joseph Telushkin has devoted his life to the search for answers within the teachings of Judaism. In Jewish Wisdom, Rabbi Telushkin, the author of the highly acclaimed Jewish Literacy, weaves together a tapestry of stories from the Bible and Talmud, and the insights of Jewish commentators and writers from Maimonides, Rashi, and Hillel to Einstein, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Elie Wiesel. A richer source of crucial life lessons would be hard to imagine.

Accompanying this extraordinary compilation is Teluslikins compelling commentary, which reveals how these texts continue to instruct and challenge Jewsand all people concerned with leading ethical livestoday As he discusses these texts, Rabbi Telushkin addresses issues of fundamental interest to modern readers: how to live with honesty and integrity in an often dishonest world; how to care for the sick and dying; how to teach children to respect both themselves

and others, how to understand and confront such great tragedies as antisemitism. and the Holocaust; what God wants from humankind. Within Jewish Wisdom's ninety chapters the reader will find extended sections illuminating Jewish perspectives on sex, romance, and marriage, what kind of belief in God a Jew can have after the Holocaust, how to use language ethically, the conflicting views of the Bible and Talmud on the death penalty, and much, much more.

Jewish Wisdom adds a new dimension to the many widely read contemporary books that retell the stones and reveal the essence of classic religious and secular literature. Possibly the most far-ranging volume of stories and quotations from Jewish texts, Jewish Wisdom will itself become a classic, a book that not only has the capacity to transform how you view the world, but one that well might change how you choose to live your life.

Print length

688 pages
Language

English
Publisher

William Morrow
Publication date

October 21, 1994
Dimensions

6.12 x 1.97 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0688129587
ISBN-13

978-0688129583
See all details

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Joseph Telushkin
270
Hardcover
75 offers from $3.56
Joseph Telushkin
442
Hardcover
48 offers from $9.09
Joseph Telushkin
184
Paperback
49 offers from $2.96
Joseph Telushkin
87
Paperback
95 offers from $1.99
Joseph Telushkin
88
Hardcover
113 offers from $1.55
Joseph Telushkin
161
Hardcover
178 offers from $1.71

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Joseph Telushkin
270
Hardcover
75 offers from $3.56
Joseph Telushkin
442
Hardcover
48 offers from $9.09
Joseph Telushkin
184
Paperback
49 offers from $2.96
Joseph Telushkin
88
Hardcover
113 offers from $1.55
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
95
Hardcover
51 offers from $4.16
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
59
Hardcover
31 offers from $10.99

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Rabbi Telushkin provides a lively companion volume to his popular Jewish Literacy (Morrow, 1991) in this collection of hundreds of influential quotations taken from the Jewish religious and secular canon dating from the Talmud to Isaac Singer and Amos Oz. Organized by theme-from prayer and the essence of Judaism to wealth, old age, and suffering-and accompanied by Telushkin's clear and insightful comments, the mostly brief quotations give an excellent overview of the ideas and texts "that have shaped Judaism's and the Jewish people's responses to the key issues in their lives and in their history." While Joseph Baron's Treasury of Jewish Quotations (Jason Aaronson, 1985), with its vast collection of 18,000 quotations, remains a better reference resource, this book makes a valuable and informative browsing item for both adults and young adults. Highly recommended.
Marcia Welsh, Guilford Free Lib., Ct.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Organized by subject, this is a collection of teachings and quotations from the Talmud, the Bible, rabbinical commentaries, and ancient and modern religious and secular writings. Writers include Elie Wiesel, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Hebrew poet Hayim Bialik, Cynthia Ozick, Emile Zola, Albert Einstein, Bruno Bettelheim, Gertrude Stein, Irving Howe, and Maimonides. In commentary that explains why these teachings remain meaningful to Jews today, Rabbi Telushkin addresses such issues as relationships between people; individuals and their quest for meaning; what God wants from us; the modern Jewish experience; and Jewish values as they confront the Holocaust, Zionism, and Israel. Telushkin's commentaries are especially helpful because of the myriad quotations from the Talmud. There are also anti-Semitic quotations from Pharaoh and Haman (the first two recorded anti-Semites), from Voltaire, Hitler, T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, H. L. Mencken, Gen. Ulysses Grant, Henry Ford, Charles Lindberg, and Louis Farrakhan, to name a few. But there is much wisdom here. Jews--and even non-Jews--will find the book a treasure. George Cohen

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow; 1st edition (October 21, 1994)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 688 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0688129587
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0688129583
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.12 x 1.97 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #173,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #47 in Jewish Social Studies
- #61 in Jewish Theology
- #85 in Jewish Life (Books)

Customer Reviews:
133 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		85%
4 star		9%
3 star		4%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Reader

I bought this book because I love and have learned a great deal from Dennis Prager

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

I bought this book because I love and have learned a great deal from Dennis Prager, who is a friend of the author. This is the best "how to be a decent person" book I have ever come across. It actually helped me resolve some dilemmas I had in my own life. I'm a Christian, but I envy Jews if they are taught these things as children. I know now why two of the gentlest, kindest, people I ever knew were Jews. I hardly know how to praise it. I wish I had come on it earlier in my life.

Just to give one tiny example that sticks in the mind two months after reading it: Telushkin explains the importance of the sabbath-- to give a day of rest even to slaves and beasts of burden, to remind their owners that they should be treated with as much kindness as possible, and not worked to death. And another that I will never forget: Telushkin explains that the language in the Torah is different when forbidding cruelty to the elderly, disabled and children. Each commandment about these ends with "but you shall fear your God", a way of saying that those people can not revenge themselves on you for cruelty, but God can and will.

A wonderful, wonderful book. Profound wisdom from cover to cover. Buy it and live well.

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

RJB1207

A Better Understanding of Judaism

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2017

Verified Purchase

Though not Jewish, I've always been interested in the Jewish religion, and desired to understand it better. This book explains Judaism in easily understandable terms. It not only explores the history of the religion and Jewish practices, it gives insight into Jewish thinking and mindset. It doesn't avoid controversy within the religion. It's a big book and well worth taking one's time to read it.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

DFNYC

Wonderful, insightful, great sources, great approach, great companion to "Jewish Literacy"

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2018

Verified Purchase

There's so much great stuff here. There's a lot you didn't know, and a lot that's from unlikely sources, but which very aptly address the points the author's making. This was very well thought out, and is a wonderful companion to his "Jewish Literacy" volume.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Sue Matthews

Jewish Wisdom

Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2016

Verified Purchase

I bought this book because I am Catholic and I wanted to know more about the 163 laws that Jewish people had to follow which influenced Jesus in what He taught. I went from there to seeing how much pain the Jews have had to dealt with throughout time and sadly is still going on. I recommend this book to anyone who cares.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lorna J. Loomis

Informative Wisdom from an Othodox Perspective

Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

I alsolutely LOVE this book for the wisdom it contains. The title is very appropriate. Thank you once again, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin! I, as an aspiring convert, have learned a great deal about Judaism, from the Orthodox perspective, from your writings. I continue to study, and to learn.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kindle Customer

Profound Ideas, Simply and Warmly Presented

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2016

Verified Purchase

I have been interested in Judaism for almost sixty years now. I knew quite a bit before reading Rabbi Telushkin's book. Now I know more, and learning it was fun, because Rabbi Telushkin explained matters both deeply and simply, neither talking down to me nor over my head.
I eagerly recommend this book to any philomath.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Beverly R. Washington

If a man doesn't teach his son a trade.....

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2016

Verified Purchase

I love this book! I am a Christian and the wisdom in this book can be life changing.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Marilyn Gottlieb

The best bar mitzvah gift.

Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2014

Verified Purchase

With or without extra cash, this book is the best book to give to every bar or bat mitzvah child.
It will not be read in one sitting but will provide insights throughout ones life, a page or paragraph at
a time. Parents also will find it enlightening regardless of their level of immersion in Judaism.
Marilyn Gottlieb, author, Life with an Accent

7 people found this helpful

Helpful