5 comments about A Reader's Hebrew Bible.

1. This is a most excellent resource for Hebrew scholars. It not only gives you the Hebrew text but it gives you clear references as to the varying meaning of the words in the text when there is differening opinions. A good resource for a Hebrew scholar. A must buy.



2. I really like this hebrew OT - the type is clear, the footnotes complete and the binding good. I recommend this for pastors who want to keep up on Hebrew and advance in this Biblical language.
   
   Pastor Wayne Steury
   Church of the Nazarene



3. Just a beautiful Hebrew Bible for general reading! I'm frankly not sure how they could make it any better. If you are learning Hebrew, be sure to get this one. It will aid your general reading!



4. The concept is great. But my major complaint with this book is the printing. A very common problem is that entire words in the text are faded (this is done intentionally to indicate less frequent vocabulary -- e.g. words used in the OT less than 100 times). Since these words are printed only in a very light ghost gray, they look washed out as if there were some sort of inking problem in the printing. Perhaps this is a usefule tool to some, but I found it less than appealing. Other than that, this Hebrew Bible makes for a pleasant alternative to awkward interlinear versions.



5. Based on the success Zondervan had with A Reader's Greek New Testament, you knew it was only a matter of time before they'd put together a similar resource for the Hebrew Bible. To the delight of many, A Reader's Hebrew Bible was released this past March. I've been looking forward to writing this review and wanted to express a word of thanks to the folks at Zondervan for sending me a review copy. I'll be breaking this review into two parts. Part one will discuss the physical characteristics and also the packaging for this Bible. Part two will take a look at what's inside this Bible.
   
   Let me start by talking about the physical characteristics of A Reader's Hebrew Bible. It has a very appealing look about it; one might go so far as to say it's beautiful. The binding is a light brown Italian Duo-Tone. You will find the title stamped on the front cover and the spine in silver lettering. The page edges match the lettering as they are also gilded silver. This volume measures 7.2 in. wide by 9.9 in. high by 2.1 in. deep, which makes it a bit larger than the other Hebrew Bibles I am familiar with. The paper used for this Bible is a bit thinner than the paper used in some of the other Zondervan Bibles in my library. It is slightly transparent as you're able to make out some of the text on the other side of each page. However, this in no way hinders the readability of the Hebrew text. I felt that the decision to go with this paper was probably design-related as it lends to the overall elegant look and feel of the Bible. In addition to the great look and feel of this Bible, Zondervan went the extra mile by creating great packaging for it. This Bible comes in what I would consider a presentation quality box. The front of the box is windowed to show the front cover with the title in silver lettering. The back of the box has a well laid out list of information that will be important to someone who is looking to buy this Bible.
   
   Next, I wanted to take a look at the inside of A Reader's Hebrew Bible. There are 28 pages of worthwhile introductory material at the front of the Bible. This includes the Author's Preface, a Quick User's Guide, an Introduction, and Abbreviations & Sigla. I am very excited to note that all of the introductory material is written in English. Many of the Hebrew and Greek Bibles available in the bookstores of Bible Colleges and seminaries come from the German Bible Society. The difficulty for many American students is that the introductory material is written in German. Since most of the students are not fluent in German, they miss out on the introductory information, which will help them to make the best possible use of their new Bible. Following the introductory material is the actual Hebrew text. I really appreciate that the Hebrew text goes across the entire page, with all of the notes appearing at the bottom. This serves to make the text more readable as you don't have any notes or references in the margins, breaking up the text as you're trying to read it. I think this will be especially useful to first year students who are working on their Hebrew reading as it will minimizes the distractions on the page. When the reader comes across a word they're not quite sure about, they can refer to the notes at the bottom of the page which contain glosses and definitions of Hebrew words occurring 100 times or less and Aramaic words occurring 25 times or less. These notes will prove very useful to the 1st year student as well as the more casual reader whose Hebrew skills may be a bit out of practice.
   
   Let me summarize by saying that I think Zondervan did a great job with A Reader's Hebrew Bible. It's a very attractive and high quality Hebrew Bible at a reasonable price. The layout and notes will be invaluable for the 1st year student or the more casual reader. It will make a great gift for students, pastors, or the layperson interested in Biblical Hebrew.

5 comments about Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide.

1. Rabbi Kaplan, did not live long enough in his short life, to enable all of his knowledge to be shared with us all. But during those short years of his life, he was a most prolific writer. He was an Orthodox Jew who was able to straddle and live in both the secular and Orthodox Jewish worlds with relative ease. He was on the "Who is Who" in Physics, as well as, being a respected Rabbi and teacher for many in the Orthodox Jewish community.
   
   He was the first, who brought the ideas of Kabbalah, which had been "hidden" as secret teachings between specific Rabbis and their pupils over the centuries. to the non-initiated, with a prose and style of writing which made the ideas crystal clear and relevant in our world and in our time.
   
   This short book is a very concise practical guidebook to Jewish Meditation practices. Highly recommended!



2. Rabbi Kaplan's book is a great and very practical place to start the experience of "walking with God" or devekut while praying or meditating. His book is particularly helpful in understanding that there are multiple techniques available to use in meditation and the spiritual quest. Sometimes we are more familiar with techniques from other cultures, such as Zen chanting, the whirling dervishes of Sufism and the body oriented techniques of Tai Chi.
   
   Rabbi Kaplan points out techniques that have been used by Jews in the past. Not all of the methods are strictly Jewish per se. A particularly invaluable discussion that he begins relates to the portions of the prayer service and how to utilize them in a meditative manner. This definitely helps make prayer a more spiritual experience and reinvigorates the words with the true spiritual intent of their original authors.



3. Aryeh Kaplan was a rare individual. A Jewish scholar taken from us too early. If you get the chance take a look at his biography. This is one of his better books and the best book on Jewish meditation. Nothing comes close. Oddly enough, it is also a book that I think would have great appeal to anyone who is not Jewish or perhaps not even that relegious. This book has a lot of pleasant surprises. Enjoy and learn.



4. Even though this book focuses on Jewish meditation and the Quabalah, the book can be read and used by anyone, either practically by following the exercises or simply to enrich their knowledge of meditation intellectually.
   
   Some readers may avoid the book thinking that it would only be worthwhile to a follower of a Jewish tradition, a pity, since the book has much to offer everyone interested in meditating.
   
   For those interested in a more in-depth treatment of Jewish Meditation and the Quabalah Aryeh Kaplan's other book 'Meditation and Kabbalah' goes into further detail.



5. Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide by Aryeh Kaplan is the best book I have read so far on this topic. It is extremely interesting, inspiring, and easy to understand and has a wealth of information. I liked the fact that the author warns his readers about certain methods of meditation that are not for beginners while at the same time gives clarity about the various types of meditations that are safe with guidelines how to practice them. There are also a lot of extremely interesting facts about Judaism that I was happy to learn. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in meditation from a Jewish perspective and gaining some basic knowledge about Kabbalah.

5 comments about I And Thou.

1. This book is for intellectual heavy-hitters, and unfortunately I am not one of them, thus am forced to rely on others' interpretations for the answer to the question: What was Buber talking about? I have absolutely no idea - the text rambles on as if it were about something...but is very abstract. I could not find anything in it with which to identify or relate to my experience, except for a few comments about creative acts. This book is for readers accustomed to philosophical texts. It is not for the untrained or casual reader - it is for the academic reader.



2. Ich und Du ("I and Thou") is one of those philosophical texts which, like Schopenhauer's Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung, consist of the elaboration of a single thought. The thought is stated up front: human beings have a double relation to the world: Ich-Du and Ich-Es. The Ich-Es relation reifies and separates things out (whether they be "internal" or "external" things), while the Ich-Du relation is nothing but relation itself. The Eswelt is a world of nebeneinander and the laws that govern nebeneinander, while the Duwelt is a seamless experience of "presence." The Ich that reaches out and the Du that reaches back (neither of which reflects on "what" they individually are) constitute an exclusive circular reality (Ausschließlickheit) untroubled by causal and spatiotemporal regress. To be sure, the Duwelt collapses into the Eswelt, which means that the Ich and the Du degenerate into so many instances of Es, but there is always the possibility of resurrecting the Ich & Du hidden within the Es.
   
   There are different kinds of Ich-Du relation: 1) with nature (presumably before we know to call it "nature"), in which case we stand at the "threshold of speech"; 2) with human beings, in which case speech coincides with the Ich-Du relation; and 3) with "spiritual beings," in which case the relation itself is speechless, but it can generate speech. (This third relation is very much in the spirit of romantic poesis.) A special subset of the third relation is the relation to God, who is the Du beyond every particular Du. God is the only Du with whom our relation cannot degrade into an Ich-Es relation, because there is no Es beyond every individual Es for which God could be mistaken. (There are, too be sure, many things which people falsely call "God," things which are really part of nature or of ourselves, such as Schleiermacher's Abhangigkeitsgefühl or Rudolf Otto's Kreaturgefühl, as Buber specifically points out).
   
   What is essential in every case is the duality of the relation. Buber warns against interpreting the Ich-Du as a self-relation of the Ich (i.e. Hegel) or as a kind of "symmetry breaking" (to use a term from physics), which can be restored to oneness at the proper mystical "heat."
   
   One of the explicit objects of this text is to move beyond liberal Protestant theology, i.e. beyond a theology that grounds the religious in some quality of subjective experience. For Buber, religion occurs before there is a subject, and once we arrive at the subject, we find it impossible to even think of religion apart from the subject's relation to another. Buber exploits the pronoun Du ("you") to draw our attention to an experience of encounter (rather than reflection or feeling) inadequately addressed by rational philosophy, and he employs this experience in the service of religion.
   
   Buber may not go far enough, however. He moves beyond the subject, but he does not move beyond religion-as-experience, which is the real drawback of liberal theology. In a sense, Buber is freeing God from the subject only to bind him down to "relation" (Beziehung), which hovers somewhere between subject and object, and is not obviously "religious" at all. There is nothing in Buber's argument protecting it, for example, from a biological-evolutionary explanation of the Ich-Du relation, or a psychoanalytic one. Buber overcomes one obstacle only to land himself before another one.
   
   Sorry if that was a little technical.



3. This book is difficult to read or to understand. Perhaps something has been greatly lost in the translation or else it is a complete hoax. I found it to be full of disjointed ideas and apparent nonsense.



4. Ich und Du (badly) translated as I And Thou, by Martin Buber, takes me beyond any book I've ever read before. I had to read it with another selection, because after a few pages, my soul became saturated, and I had to read something else.
   
   I am at a loss for how to describe this book. The Third Testament hints at the idea.
   
   We construct the world in one of two ways: either through a relationship, which engages our entire being in the encounter (an I-You relationship), or through experiencing objects as the means to an end, engaging only a part of ourselves in an I-It relationship.
   
   From this simple seed, Buber grows three chapters and an afterward. Walter Kaufman, who translated the work, wrote a 50 page introduction, which is in itself a wonder to experience.
   
   The experience of reading the book was amazing, although I'm not sure that I learned as much as I might have. What Buber did was to give me words to explain how I believe, what I experience, and what I long for. I must read it again. And again. And again.



5. I was a philosophy major in college and I've read a lot of works out there. I can tell you that this is by far my favorite book. Buber's ideas are so simple yet so profound - he offers a way to be in the world that is real, useful, and ultimately fulfilling. This book has helped me in my business relations (I work in sales) as well as my personal relations. It is also beautifully written (translated from the German). If you want to be inspired, read this book!

5 comments about The Feasts Of The Lord God's Prophetic Calendar From Calvary To The Kingdom.

1. This is one of the most beautiful, high-quality books I own. The illustrations are amazing with rich colors and magnificent details. The writing is understandable and gives wonderful insight into Jewish history. This is an incredibly valuable tool for any serious Bible student and a treasure for any serious book collector.



2. The pages are falling out of my copy of "The Feasts of the Lord" simply because of how many times I have referred to it while preparing lessons or sermons. I am almost brought to tears every time I read of the literal meaning of the "afikomen" at Passover. I gave a copy of this book to a Jewish friend who helped me in proofing the manuscript of "Maccabee." Though "The Feasts of the Lord" demonstrates unapologetically the New Testament fulfillment of the Old Testament feasts, the book was well received. A big thank you to the authors.



3. This book is foundational to the Christian faith and really should be soomething every pastor should be teaching on. It gives clear and Biblical descriptions of the feasts of the Lord, which is God's calendar, and why he set up the calendar and chose these particular feasts to be celebrated. It also explains awesome little details of Jewish customs at the time of Christ that make things like the Passover so interesting. You get to see how all the pieces of the puzzle come together. The best part is how it describes Jesus as the fulfillment of thress of the feasts and that those feasts that are yet unfulfilled will be completed in the future......very cool!



4. This book is one of my favorites, as far as learning more about customs of the people in the Old Testament. When you are done reading this book you will have more understanding of the people and of scripture. If you are a pastor or sunday school teacher or a homechurch, get this book.This is one book you will go back to a hundred times.



5. This book is one of my absolute favorites! Not only is the information within EXTREMELY well written, there are many photographs and the artwork is among the best I've ever seen.
   
   There are overviews of the Spring Feasts and the Fall Feasts and an explanation of Jewish Time, broken down into the Jewish Day,Week and Month. There are chapters on The Feasts Of Leviticus 23 (the 7 feasts) as well as Additional Observances.
   
   Each of the Feasts are covered in DETAIL, with wonderful illustrations, charts and artwork.
   
   Even if you never read a word of this book (which would be a shame, because it is so very informative) you will be blown away by the artwork and the photography. There is a two page spread on The Passover Table which shows each item with an explanation, which is worth the price of the book alone!
   
   Each Feast is covered with THE BIBLICAL OBSERVANCE and also the MODERN OBSERVANCE, and each ceremony is explained in interesting, never boring detail. The illustrations and photographs draw you in and you really start to "get it."
   
   I am so thankful I purchased this book. It is one of my favorites and one which I refer to often. It is well worth the price and you won't regret your purchase.

5 comments about Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust.

1. I didn't realize this was a children's book until it arrived. I'm glad I didn't or I might have missed out on this fine collection of experiences. Because it is a children's book, it gently glosses over some of the horrors these holocaust survivors saw. Those scenes are not removed from the story, but, the specifics are left to your own mind.
   
   Each chapter tells the story of a different child's experience.
   Two children were part of the kindertransport, but didn't go all the way to England. Another was on the ill-fated ship the St. Louis. A shocking reminder of how some survived and some didn't by the smallest of decisions.
   
   I have already read it many times. I intend to share it with my nieces when they next visit. The next generation must know that the Holocaust did exist. That over six million people died not for 'who' they were but for 'what' they were (Jewish, Gypsy, Gay, etc.). Unfortunately, nothing seems to unite people like having 'someone' to blame all your problems on. The Nazis and countless others both before and since have made that very clear.



2. This book should be read by everyone that is emtionally mature enough to handle it. I am writing this review as a warning to parents that might purchase this book for a younger child based on the "Reading Level: 9 - 12" rating and the fact that it is a Scholastic book. My 4th grader's teacher recommended this book but I am glad I took a look at it first. Here's an excerpt from the book taking place as one of the children is being smuggled out of a ghetto by her father hiding her under his coat. The following exchange takes place between the guard and the man ahead of them at the gate:
   "Hurry up!" shouted the impatient German guard.
   "It's here somewhere. I know it is."
   "You don't have a pass, do you?" snarled the guard. "You're trying to sneak out of the ghetto, trying to fool me."
   "No really, I have - " The man never finished his sentence. The guard shot him.
   Hearing the loud bang, Luncia jerked. Her father wrapped his arms tight around his coat to keep her still, but her whole body trembled uncontrollably. He's going to shoot us all, I know it.
   
   I know that my 4th grader is not ready to read this kind of material but this is an excellent book to be read by everyone that is ready for this type of material. Very well written information that we all should know and never forget.



3. I purchased a class set for my 6th grade class. I feel this book was very appropriately written for this age. Of course there are parts to the stories that are "unbelievable" and sad to read, espcially for me as an adult. However, children these days are exposed to much more by media and often with less sensorship and thought. These are wonderful stories that teach history, empathy, and human strength.



4. an excellent collection of true stories of children of the holocaust. each story captivates your heart and keeps you reading to end. It will inspire you to do more to keep horrific things like the Holocaust from ever happening again.



5. This book is awesome it is very sad but it allows students today see the horror of the Holocaust

5 comments about Away: A Novel.

1. This is a quest novel with a difference. Like Brecht, Amy Bloom has provided a constructivist montage which captures a time and an experience in memorial fashion.
   
   Lillian Leyb has survived the worst of horrors in Europe--the loss of her entire family, murdered in a pogrom by people they formerly considered neighbors. In the space of minutes, the 22-year-old Lillian becomes an orphan, a widow and the mother of a dead child. In response to a letter from a cousin she's never met Lillian sells what little there is left of her homestead and sails for New York in 1924 "...wearing a dead woman's coat, holding a dead man's leather bag" in search of Opportunity.
   
   She soon discovers all is not sweetness and light. Like emigrants then (and now) she soon discovers going from one place to another does not necessarily make life perfect. The tenements are crowded. There are rats and noise and dirt. There is fierce competition for jobs. There is a new language to learn. There is prejudice. There is never enough money for all that is required in the new life.
   
   Lillian's father had told her smart is good, pretty is useful but lucky is better than both. He also told her "You make your own luck." She believes that. She also believes in Opportunity. She outsmarts another girl to win a seamstress job. She woos a handsome actor who installs her in an apartment as his mistress only to learn he is gay and it is his father whose mistress she will be. Still, life is better and she accepts the arrangement.
   
   Then a newly arrived relative informs Lillian her daughter is not dead but was rescued and taken to Siberia by another family.
   
   Shaken, Lillian begins another quest to retrieve her daughter, crossing the country, going up to the Yukon, buying a boat and attempting to sail across the Bering Strait. Some have found this segment unrealistic. But I don't think so. Wouldn't most mothers go to any lengths to reunite with a lost child?
   
   In addition to Lillian, who is a memorable, admirable character in her own right, there are a host of other wonderful characters in this novel. The Bursteins, father and son; Yaakov Shimmelman, whose friendship with Lillian restores purpose to his life for a time; the prostitute, Gumdrop, and her pimp, Snooky Salt; Chinky Chang, the grifter who also believes in Opportunity, among others.
   
   This is a gritty, funny and poignant book and well worth the read.



2. This book began with a lot of potential, however, I only kept reading it because I wanted to find out what happened at the end, and was unable to figure that out simply by turning to the last page of the book! The storyline was flimsy, although the plot was good, but I just felt there were too many loose ends that were quickly tied together at the end of a chapter. I'm glad I got this book from the library and didn't actually buy it!



3. A couldn't-put-it-down novel about a courageous, committed woman who travels to the ends of the earth in search of her daughter. Her character is very finely drawn and pulls you into her life. A tour de force.



4. First, I assume some of the other reviewers understood the ending, which I am not sure I did. I thought I did until the last 2 sentences. Anyway, I disagree that her actions make no sense, any mother should be able to understand her desire to find her daughter, no matter the obstacles. However, I agree that the book starts off great and kind of loses its appeal. I am not usually shy about giving up on a book if I don't like it but in this case I did finish because I wanted to know what happened in the end. If you get the copy with the reader's club guide, I wouldn't read it in advance as it gives away some of the ending...as do some of the reviews here.



5. This was a very easy read and I did not want it to end. Very good book, would recommend to anyone who likes to read.

5 comments about Exit Ghost.

1. Exit Ghost was my first "Zuckerman" story, and even without knowing the history it was immediately obvious that Roth was writing about himself. Also obvious was that this is the latest effort in an on-going, self-indulgent exercise. Certainly Roth writes well, but capturing attention requires more than that, and a few chapters were all I could manage. I suppose that readers who've read earlier "Zuckerman" stories might want to see how it all ended, but as a stand-alone story it was just boring.
   
   By the way Mr. Roth, having voted about 75% Democrat and 25% Republican in my own lifetime, I find it difficult to understand how anyone could think it exemplary or intelligent to have voted 100% one way or the other over their lifetime. Why on earth would you brag about behaving like an automaton?



2. This is Nathan Zuckerman's latest novel. For those who may not know, Nathan Zuckerman is Philip Roth's alter ego and is the protagonist in many of Mr. Roth's books. For a decade, Nathan has relocated from the fast paced, daily craziness that is Manhattan to the quietness and solitude of the Berkshires to enable him to better concentrate on his writing. Nathan sees an advertisement of a young, newly married couple who desire to swap their apartment in Manhattan with someone living in a more bucholic environment, far away from the city. Jamie, the young wife in this couple, lives in constant fear of a terrorist attack in post-9/11 New York.
   
   Nathan, now 71, had come to New York for prostate surgery and, then, for post-surgical treatment for incontinence. A secondary effect from the surgery is impotence. Nathan, while in New York, spots from the distance an old friend, Amy Bellette, the lover of the late I.E. Lonoff, a distinguished writer and early hero to Nathan. Amy, once youthful and quite attractive, is old and sick now. Nathan wishes to have lunch with Amy to speak over old times. Nathan who would like to write Lonoff's biography, is in competition with Richard Kleiman for the job. Kleiman allegedly knows a scandalous secret of Lonoff's and is threatening to expose it in his intended biography.
   
   Having answered the young couple's ad and meeting with them, Nathan falls in love with Jamie and finds himself pining for her. Nathan is desparately smitten with her, but is extremely frustrated because of his chronic physical condition. Nathan is no longer the ladies's man he once was. Nathan tries to work out his dilemma by writing a story, which Nathan names, "He and She" which consists of a dialogue between the young woman with the much older man. It touches upon Nathan's current dilemma. Nathan also wishes to protect the infirm Amy from the annoyingly insistent Kleiman.
   
   It is interesting that when Nathan meets Lonoff, his wife, and Lonoff's sweetheart, Amy, Nathan is working on a novel, _Ghost Writer_ about a young woman visiting the Lonoffs who bears a strong resemblance to a famous and beloved Holocaust martyr. Nathan becomes obsessed with her both as a male and a Jew.
   
   What makes _Exit Ghost_ resonate so strongly with me is its keen sensitivity to the plight of the protagonist in his attempts to exorcise, or at least to reconcile, the ghosts of his past with the agonizing realities of the present. _Exit Ghost_ is palpably real and must be a particularly personal and heart felt work to Philip Roth. Therein lies the book's excellence.



3. I LOVE Philip Roth for his brutal and often embarrassing honesty, his incredibly sharp insight into cultural phenomena and their absurdity about which most of people are oblivious. In Exit Ghost, the protagonist is alot more subdued than in previous Zuckerman books, however, his forced withdrawal makes his observations far more introspective, and his imaginations more personal. I also enjoyed cultural commentaries through his characters about the dangers of tainting literature by cultural journalism.



4. Having come across both Nathan Zuckerman - Philip Roth's fictional alter ego - and Roth's other work for years, I was eagerly awaiting "Exit Ghost" as the final chapter in Zuckerman's "life". What a final chapter it is, since it is more like a leisurely descent into a tedious half-hearted love affair between Zuckerman and a young Harvard-educated writer who is married to yet another young writer. While Roth still excells in writing fascinating dialogue and crisp prose, there's not much of a story to hang onto here, except for Zuckerman's precarious health, romantic fling, and an unexpected odyssey to look anew at the career of one of his mentors.
   
   Roth incorporates in passing, much of the current cultural and political landscape, making obligatory nods to 9/11, the War on Terror and the 2004 presidential election. But, these are mere "obligatory nods", not thoughtful commentary on the state of our society as I have seen, for example, from acclaimed science fiction writer William Gibson in his recent novels "Pattern Recognition" and "Spook Country" (Indeed who would have thought that Roth's importance as a fictional commentator of our time would be overtaken by the very man who coined the term "cyberspace"?). Forget Zuckerman and Roth, unless you wish to read Roth's compelling alternate history novel, "The Plot Against America".



5. Exit Ghost focuses on 71 year old Nathan Zuckerman, writer, thinker, hermit. He comes back to NYC after a 10yr retreat in his rural cabin.
   Reading this novel, you become intimate with Zuckerman, his every thought and the rational behind every decision. There are long dialogues with other characters. If you're looking for action, this isn't it. Not much drama happening here, except that created by the characters in their own minds.
   
   Roth writes superb sentences. He summarizes situations profoundly in a few words. The structure and story hold together, and i like the devices Roth uses in writing the novel. It's a solid piece of work.
   Personally, it's my opinion that Roth portrays Zuckerman as Joyce portrays S. Daedalus. But Roth would hate that i'm expressing my opinion on his work, and that you're wasting your time reading my opinion. In a perfect literary world, critics wouldn't comment, and readers would consume only the author's work.

5 comments about Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History.

1. Excellent read of the earlier section of the Old Testament, this book seeks to record and explain the breath of Jewish history form Adam to the present day. The earlier chapters on the Old Testament were excellent. Then the book discusses the early and late medieval periods. Followed by Jewish history in modern life. This book provides a good overview of the area without going into much detail. My only criticism of the book is that certain parts of history are terribly biased. Overall it was very good beginner's book.



2. When I went on my Birthright Israel trip, I was like many young Jewish people and just didn't know all that much about my religion and it's history. So this is one of the two books I took with me. Now some of you may think me crazy, because it's a big book to lug all over the place. But if was the very best thing for me to have with me. It's well written, enjoyable to read, and easy to find any topic. And each topic is arranged into short chapters (often only a page or two), so you can read it on the bus as you go places or even the night before you go. It greatly helped my understanding of the things I saw and did in Israel.



3. I thoroughly enjoyed Rabbi Telushkin's book: Jewish Literacy. I started the book off skipping around reading a few sections here and there on issues I was curious about. After a bit I just gave in and started from the beginning.
   Rabbi Telushkin's style of writing is very comfortable to read and even the hard subjects go down easy.
   Much of what I read in Jewish Literacy I knew already, but have broader understanding of now. What I didn't know before I'm glad I learned.



4. Perhaps the learned Christians should revisit the Judaic wisdom?
   This book invites you to do so.
   The author retraces and illustrace the multiple faces and facets of a great philosophical attitude toward life, social values and comparative societies.
   Heavy subjects. But the author presented the core with clarity and an enchanting style.
   Great book.



5. I was raised by an Israeli, with a very strong Jewish background. Most of the book, I remembered from all those years in Hebrew school. However, reading and understanding the information with an adult's comprehension is much different. I found myself reading the different stories from the Hebrew Bible saying "oh yeah!" as I remembered learning the story as a child, but grasping a totally different meaning as an adult!
   
   This book is an excellent source for people with an interest in Judiasm, either as a refresher or as a first-timer. Even my Catholic co-worker wants to borrow it to grasp a better understanding of Judaism (and, therefore, Christianity).

5 comments about The Power of Kabbalah: Technology for the Soul.

1. This is a book that teaches you about Kabbalah and its easy to understand its great for beginners



2. I liked the book. But I recommend people to read about Mevlana also, they will like it more.



3. I thought "The Power of The Kabbalah" was an easy interesting read. I would recommend it but prefer a more historical view with less interpretation. Although, it is a good introduction for those who are curious. One can take what they want from the book and perhaps understand it is a bit "Americanized". I am suspicious by nature, which is why I did not give it the full 5 stars. Cynicism and suspicion conflict will the Kabbalah ways, so perhaps I should keep reading.



4. I've already read this book 4 times. I recommend this to almost everyone. To gain a grasp of the original ancient wisdom and achieve a sense of spirituality this is a must read.
   
   I recommend this as a first read for those interested in Kabbalah. Most of Yehuda Berg's books are easy to understand and very empowering.



5. Starts as very good wisdom and then turns into alot of dribble. The book has parts of outstanding clarity and consciousness. The book has some parts which will introduce new ways of thinking to you. But also, the book has a lot of nonsense. Sometimes the author is drawing unfounded unreasonable conclusions.
   Chapters are broken down into a simplifier format to the pages easy for reading. Parts I and III of the book should be mandatory reading for anybody. Parts II and IV of the book lose all sense of cohesion and rationality. Parts V and VI of the book become long winded, redundant baloney.
   I think that the author probably started with some ideas of another older, wiser person which were really good. Then he tried to take their wisdom a step further with his own ideas but the reasoning fell apart.
   The philosophy is founded predominantly on this idea of passive resistance or non reaction leading to a life of greater satifaction. It's a philosophy of just accepting whatever life throws at you. It's rididculous. And, the book definately has a very egotistic, "i know better than everyone else" type tone.
   You have to sort out the pieces of golden wisdom from the ramble of nonsense but definately worth reading once.

5 comments about Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews -- A History.

1. I have just finished reading "Constantine's Sword." It a well written and thoughtful study of the history of the Christian Church (primarily Catholic Church) and its relationship to Judaism and Jews.
   Both Catholics and Jews can benefit from reading this book. Mr. Carroll's explanation of the early history of the Church is most insightful, and answers many questions as to why there has been so much Christian misunderstanding and animosity through the ages toward Jews. It offers a sweeping and penetrating history.
   I am sure that many Catholics will find this book disturbing. That is to be expected. But for Jews it is enlightening and only puts in detailed print that which was suspected and that which was well known.
   Will there ever be a Vatican III as Mr. Carroll suggests is necessary? It will certainly take a man of supreme courage to accomplish that. That person has not achieved a position of power and authority yet.



2. How could a Christian nation have attempted the extermination of Judaism? Doesn't Christianity (a religion of love) preclude such activity? Was it the absence of true Christianity that permitted such deeds (as could be assumed by the many volumes devoted to social, political, and military circumstances)? Or is there some inherently anti-Semitic baggage in Christian history that needs to be confronted?
   
   That search is the nature of this work. The author (best-selling author of `American Requiem') is a former priest who spent part of his childhood in postwar occupied Germany as the son an American General.
   
   The text begins at a controversial cross erected by Carmelites at Auschwitz, progresses (and returns at times) to personal memories of a devout Catholic, and masterfully explores the uneasy (all too often deadly) two millennia history between Catholicism and it's parent. From Constantine's adoption of Christianity as the imperial religion (delivering on a promise made for military victory), all bets changed (former differences were subsequently frequently magnified for political-temporal convenience).
   
   The cross is considered by Christians as an irrefutable holy symbol (and frequent touchstone of jewelers)--without the realization that (for others) it (especially the one erected at Auschwitz) can be symbol of oppression, let alone of oppression and summary execution (which is what it was under the Romans).
   
   This work candidly explores an all-too-often tortured relationship between Christians and Judaism without pulling punches. Highly recommended. But beware, given the subject it is introspective, honest, and (consequently) sober.



3. This book IS, pace a recent previous reviewer, an anti-Catholic screed, a nasty, self-important diatribe of more than 750 pages against the Church and fundamental Christian doctrine. It seeks to revive the old and long-debunked myth about Christianity "causing" the Holocaust. In the process it distorts the history of the early Church, ignores the persecution of its adherents, and misrepresents its practices (including the importance of the symbol of the Cross long before Constantine, even in the Catacombs), its development of the Nicene Creed over a century, and its teaching (including the full divinity and humanity of Jesus). He also ignores the importance of the non-Christian Jews, not as passive victims of the early Church, but as strong competitors for adherents. His treatment of the medieval Church is no less distorted to fit the author's thesis, and characteristically blames the actions of certain Catholics on the Catholic Church, although, for instance, no pope or council ever authorized or proposed the killing of Jews. It describes the Crusades as a "necessary" outcome of a totalitarianizing culture, but here means not Islam, which had conquered the Christian lands of the Middle East, Spain, and North Africa and threatened the existence of Christian Europe, but Christianity. He distorts medieval theological debates and misrepresents its participants. His treatment of the Church in the 20th century is tendentious and one-sided, to say the least. In general, Carroll cites as authorities writers he agrees with and ignores others, along with the evidence and arguments that are inconvenient for his thesis.
   
   This is an "ideological" history not only in that it is driven by its thesis while ignoring contrary evidence and argument. It also gives central importance to ideas, in particular those of the Church, as causing or leading to evil after evil over two millennia, especially those perpetrated against the Jews. As a result, his history is void of historical context or the economic and political forces that might explain, for example, why the Crusades happened when they did, or why the Holocaust did not happen before Hitler (or for that matter, why anti-Jewish racism, as distinct from religious bigotry, arose in the 19th century and peaked in the most secular of centuries, the period of Hitler and that other anti-Semitic mass murderer, Stalin).
   
   This book is an expression of that most poisonous current of modern anti-Catholicism--the anti-Catholic "Catholic" who claims the name but rejects almost the whole of Catholic teaching, organization, and practice, and calls instead for a different religion more to his liking. And now the book has been made into a documentary, God help us!



4. This is the best book I've ever read. I was amazed to discover the actual origins of some church policies and the specifics of how anti-semitism arose in Western society. This isn't just another boring history book, it almost reads like a novel. It will enlighten you, and thereby, make you a beter person no matter what your religion.



5. A WELL DOCUMENTED HISTORICAL BOOK. ONCE YOU START READING IT IS VERY HARD TO PUT DOWN IT IS VERY WELL WRITTEN AND ENTERTAINING. THIS BOOK HAS CONFIRMED A LOT OF THE BELIEVES I HAD ABOUT THE ORIGINAL CHURCH FOUNDED BY THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE BUT SOMETIMES IT IS VERY HARD AS A CHRISTIAN TO READ ABOUT THE HORRORS COMMITED IN THE NAME OF JESUS. I WOULD ONLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO THOSE WHO ARE OPEN TO ACCEPT THE TRUTH AS DIFFICULT AS IT MAY BE TO ACCEPT IT. IT IS MY OPINION THAT RELIGIOUS AND PIOUS INDIVIDUALS MAY BE OFFENDED BY THE TRUTHS EXPOSED IN THIS WONDERFUL WORK.