Overview

The great monotheistic faiths, Christianity and Islam, acknowledge their roots in biblical Judaism. Understanding how practicing Jews understand the root values of their tradition is essential to a proper appreciation of the real legacy of Judaism. In Making Jewish Values Yours, readers are exposed to how Jewish values are enacted in the actual practices attendant to observing the Sabbath and festivals of the yearly calendar, as well as the important life-cycle events such as birth, bar/bat mitzvah/confirmation, marriage, and death. Then they are challenged to examine the relevance of those values to their own religious traditions. Beginning with an exposition of the Bible and the dynamics of its interpretation throughout Jewish history, readers are taken on a journey through the year's religious calendar; and the characteristic emphasis of each celebration is highlighted, i.e. the meaning of Sabbath rest, the dynamics of repentance on the High Holy days, celebrating nature's gifts on Sukkoth, the hidden meaning of Hanukkah, the emphasis on conservation on Tu B'Shevat, the profound underlying lessons of Purim, the challenge of internalizing Passover's message of freedom, how to grasp Judaism's universal message through the Book of Ruth on Shavuoth, and ways to confront the impact of the Holocaust and the birth of the State of Israel in our own time. The final four chapters invite the reader to discover profound meaning in celebrating birth, growth through education, marriage, and confronting death. Properly entering into the spirit of these occasions, the individual will be sensitized to the central values of the need for concrete acts in the pursuit of justice, compassion, and sharing that crown our humanity.

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9781632691835

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