Rating: 
Summary: This book fills a real need!
Review: As soon as I discovered this book, I immediately linked it to my homepage, as well as my Jewish resource menus and online FAQs. It fills a very real need for a user-friendly basic Judaism book that is "accessible" to the rank beginner, and I find myself recommending it a LOT to web surfers and readers of my own books who email me with their "Judaism 101" questions. This book is much, much better than Steinberg's old standby, "Basic Judaism," which is just too much stuffy academe for the average reader of today. Rabbi Blech's use of the familiar 'Idiot's Guide" format is non-threatening, and even uses some humor to make learning about Judaism easy and fun! I recommend this book to non-Jews who want the basics, to Jews who need to brush up on what they might have missed as kids in Hebrew school, and especially to school teachers and librarians as a quick reference to those common questions about what Jews believe in, what happens in a synagogue service, and "Why do they do that...?" Thank you, Rabbi Blech, for a great educational resource!
Rating: 
Summary: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism
Review: Althouth Rabbi Blech is to be commended for undertaking such a huge task in writing this book, he falls short in accurately describing American Jewish movements. I appreciate his honesty in presenting the section with the announcement that he is an Orthodox rabbi, but it appears he has not truly studied the developments of Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist Judaism. The Reform movement, in particular, has grown and changed tremendously since it's inception - many of Rabbi Blech's descriptions of Reform Judaism are not currently accurate (and have not been for a long time). Like Orthodoxy, the "liberal" Jewish movements are also defined within spectrums of beliefs and observances - none of the four movements are easily defined in black and white terms.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic overview
Review: From the Torah to the holidays, this reference provides a fascinating introduction to the practices of this rich and ancient religion
You know that in the Jewish religion Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement and that Saturday, known as the Sabbath, is the day of rest. But when it comes to understanding Jewish traditions, rituals, prayers, and holidays, you feel like you're parting and crossing the Red Sea without God's help. Don't put your life preserver on just yet! This book is written in a warm, conversational style by Rabbi Benjamin Blech, is a fun and easy-to-understand primer to every aspect of this ancient faith.
Rating:
Summary: A great guide for everyone...Jewish or not
Review: I just moved to the Hollywood area and some of my new friends wanted to know the why's and how's about being Jewish. I have been Jewish my whole life and I did not know the answers to there hard "why" questions. So I found this book at the book store and have found it easy to use and show people the "why's and how's" of being Jewish. The non-Jewish people I have showed this book to loved it and found it helpful.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful book
Review: I picked up this book during Chanukah this year, because I wanted to brush up on what actually Chanukah was. Yeah, I know the dreidel song... but that's about it. As a non-Jew who classifies herself as a monotheist, I've recently been studying Islam for the past five or so years. Now, I'm exploring the father of Islam (and Christianity), Judaism. It amazes me to see the similarities--although as Islam comes from Judaism, perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised. Anyway, I loved this book. Rabbi Blech's style is extremely easy to read... I actually read through the book in one sitting. Each little bit made me hungry for more, and the next thing I knew it was 3:30 a.m. and I was finishing the book. I would recommend this book to people of all faiths... Jews, who need to brush up their own knowledge of their faith; Christians, who perhaps want to understand more about Christianity's roots as well as what Jesus believed; and Muslims, who may benefit from realizing the similarities in the people who worship the same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In studying this book, I became convinced that Islam and Judaism are much more similar than is Christianity--but that's just my own opinion. Well, I'm off to buy more of Rabbi Blech's books. Buy this book, you'll enjoy it... I promise.
Rating:
Summary: Fun to Read! Interesting for people of all Faiths.
Review: I picked up this book during Chanukah this year, because I wanted to brush up on what actually Chanukah was. Yeah, I know the dreidel song... but that's about it. As a non-Jew who classifies herself as a monotheist, I've recently been studying Islam for the past five or so years. Now, I'm exploring the father of Islam (and Christianity), Judaism. It amazes me to see the similarities--although as Islam comes from Judaism, perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised. Anyway, I loved this book. Rabbi Blech's style is extremely easy to read... I actually read through the book in one sitting. Each little bit made me hungry for more, and the next thing I knew it was 3:30 a.m. and I was finishing the book. I would recommend this book to people of all faiths... Jews, who need to brush up their own knowledge of their faith; Christians, who perhaps want to understand more about Christianity's roots as well as what Jesus believed; and Muslims, who may benefit from realizing the similarities in the people who worship the same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In studying this book, I became convinced that Islam and Judaism are much more similar than is Christianity--but that's just my own opinion. Well, I'm off to buy more of Rabbi Blech's books. Buy this book, you'll enjoy it... I promise.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to read and interesting!
Review: Judaism cannot be reviewed in one book, but this is a good start for those who want to know more about Judaism. I explored Judaism almost three years ago when I started dating a Jewish man and this was a great beginning step for me. It provides facts, albeit brief, into history, teachings, and beliefs. So many of my questions were answered in the first few chapters. If you don't have a lot of time to read, this is also a great book because it's so thorough and user-friendly. It's a great resource to ground you into more complex teachings later. I recommend this fun book to anyone wanting to learn more about this amazing religion, or as a brush up!
Rating:
Summary: Easy to read and interesting!
Review: Judaism cannot be reviewed in one book, but this is a good start for those who want to know more about Judaism. I explored Judaism almost three years ago when I started dating a Jewish man and this was a great beginning step for me. It provides facts, albeit brief, into history, teachings, and beliefs. So many of my questions were answered in the first few chapters. If you don't have a lot of time to read, this is also a great book because it's so thorough and user-friendly. It's a great resource to ground you into more complex teachings later. I recommend this fun book to anyone wanting to learn more about this amazing religion, or as a brush up!
Rating:
Summary: This book makes Jewish thought come alive
Review: Rabbi Blech has once again succeeded in combining thousands of years of traditions and dozens of scholars' thoughts into a work that the average person can understand and appreciate. For the first time, one can gain a broad understanding of those beliefs so basic to Judaism. As well as providing a very well detailed summary of Jewish thought, Blech's book is entertaining, well balanced, and engaging.
Rating:
Summary: Great book by great Rabbi
Review: This book is an asset to the bookshelf of both Jews and non-Jews; anyone seeking to learn or understand more about Judaism will love this book. It's more than a summary of basic Jewish belief, it is a fascinating look at main the aspects of Judaism in an enjoyable way. Rabbi Blech has a writing style that is both funny and amusing as well as informative -- this book will hold your attention and teach you something new. Even someone who knows a lot of Judaism is sure to still learn something new here.
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