About the Book
The bestselling guide to understanding Jewish traditions, now in paperback
This is a comprehensive and authoritative resource with ready answers to questions about almost all aspects of Jewish life and practice: life-cycle events, holidays, ritual and prayer, Jewish traditions and customs, and more. Ronald Eisenberg has distilled an immense amount of material from classic and contemporary sources into a single volume, which provides thousands of insights into the origins, history, and current interpretations of a wealth of Jewish traditions and customs.
Divided into four sections—Synagogue and Prayers, Sabbaths and Festivals, Life-Cycle Events, and Miscellaneous (a large section that includes such diverse topics as Jewish literature, food, and plants and animals)—this is an encyclopedic reference for anyone who wants easily accessible, accurate information about all things Jewish. Eisenberg writes for a wide, diversified audience, and is respectful of the range of practices and beliefs within today’s American Jewish community—from Orthodox to liberal.
Praise
Offers a startling range of wisdom, history, and nuance behind every Jewish custom.
A reference work for all time—clear, complete, and compelling.
—Francine Klagsbrun, author of The Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath Day
