Where Judaism Differs: An Inquiry into the Discinctiveness of Judaism

Rating:
Summary: What sets Judaism apart
Review: This fine volume is exactly what it sounds like: an extended discussion of the features that make Judaism unique. If you're interested in this topic and if this book ever returns to print, buy it at once -- and in the meantime, pick up a used copy.

Abba Hillel Silver (an American Reform rabbi probably best known for his staunch support of Zionism when it wasn't fashionable) takes the reader on a grand tour of Judaism's distinguishing features, comparing it not only with Christianity but also with Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism where these are relevant. Mainly, though, this volume is a positive portrait of what Judaism has historically stood for.

The discussion is broken up topically; Rabbi Silver devotes chapters to various topics including e.g. Judaism's rejection of belief in Original Sin, its moderation and anti-fanaticism, its orientation toward daily life in the present world, its belief that every human being has direct and unmediated access to God, and its gratitude for the gift of the Law (and its concomitant inability to countenance Pauline Christianity's description of the Torah as an instrument of death). His prose occasionally turns a bright shade of purple (and a lot of his sentences begin with "Judaism was never . . ."). Nevertheless the volume is extraordinarily well-written and highly informative.

A note on the title: Although Rabbi Silver's original preferred title was _Where Judaism Differs_ (since both Judaism and its differences continue to exist!), the book was published as _Where Judaism Differed_. A later edition was published under Rabbi Silver's original title and with an introduction by his son Rabbi Daniel Jeremy Silver. In other respects the two titles refer to the same book.