What does it mean to be a Jew? How does one begin to answer so extensive a question?In this insightful and completely updated tome, esteemed rabbi and bestselling author Joseph Telushkin helps answer the question of what it means to be a Jew, in the largest sense. Widely recognized as one of the most respected and indispensable reference books on Jewish life, culture, tradition, and religion, Jewish Literacy covers every essential aspect of the Jewish people and Judaism. In 352 short and engaging chapters, Rabbi Telushkin discusses everything from the Jewish Bible and Talmud to Jewish notions of ethics to antisemitism and the Holocaust; from the history of Jews around the world to Zionism and the politics of a Jewish state; from the significance of religious traditions and holidays to how they are practiced in daily life. Whether you want to know more about Judaism in general or have specific questions you'd like answered, Jewish Literacy is sure to contain the information you need.
Rabbi Telushkin's expert knowledge of Judaism makes the updated and revised edition of Jewish Literacy an invaluable reference. A comprehensive yet thoroughly accessible resource for anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of Judaism, Jewish Literacy is a must for every Jewish home.

Jewish Literacy Revised Ed: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History

History

Telushkin, Joseph

World

William Morrow

“One of the greatest religious biographies ever written.” – Dennis Prager
In this enlightening biography, Joseph Telushkin offers a captivating portrait of the late Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, a towering figure who saw beyond conventional boundaries to turn his movement, Chabad-Lubavitch, into one of the most dynamic and widespread organizations ever seen in the Jewish world. At once an incisive work of history and a compendium of Rabbi Schneerson's teachings, Rebbe is the definitive guide to understanding one of the most vital, intriguing figures of the last centuries.
From his modest headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the Rebbe advised some of the world's greatest leaders and shaped matters of state and society. Statesmen and artists as diverse as Ronald Reagan, Robert F. Kennedy, Yitzchak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Elie Wiesel, and Bob Dylan span the spectrum of those who sought his counsel. Rebbe explores Schneerson's overarching philosophies against the backdrop of treacherous history, revealing his clandestine operations to rescue and sustain Jews in the Soviet Union, and his critical role in the expansion of the food stamp program throughout the United States. More broadly, it examines how he became in effect an ambassador for Jews globally, and how he came to be viewed by many as not only a spiritual archetype but a savior. Telushkin also delves deep into the more controversial aspects of the Rebbe's leadership, analyzing his views on modern science and territorial compromise in Israel, and how in the last years of his life, many of his followers believed that he would soon be revealed as the Messiah, a source of contention until this day.

Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Harper

Harper Paperbacks

From the New York Times bestselling author of Rebbe comes this newly revised edition of Words That Hurt, Words That Heal—an invaluable guide in how choosing the right words can enrich our relationships and give us insight to improve every facet of our lives.
“I don’t know anyone whose life would not be blessed by this book.”—Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People and Nine Essential Things I’ve Learned About Life Joseph Telushkin is renowned for his warmth, his erudition, and his richly anecdotal insights, and in Words That Hurt, Words That Heal he focuses these gifts on the words we use in public and in private, revealing their tremendous power to shape relationships. With wit and wide-ranging intelligence, Rabbi Telushkin explains the harm in spreading gossip, rumors, or others’ secrets, and how unfair anger, excessive criticism, or lying undermines true communication. By sensitizing us to subtleties of speech we may never have considered before, he shows us how to turn every exchange into an opportunity.
In this fully revised edition, Joseph Telushkin brings this classic into the modern age. Remarkable for its clarity and practicality, Words That Hurt, Words That Heal illuminates the powerful effects we create by what we say and how we say it.

Words That Hurt, Words That Heal, Revised Edition: How the Words You Choose Shape Your Destiny

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

William Morrow Paperbacks

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin combed the Bible, the Talmud, and the whole spectrum of Judaism's sacred writings to give us a manual on how to lead a decent, kind, and honest life in a morally complicated world. "An absolutely superb book: the most practical, most comprehensive guide to Jewish values I know." —Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People Telushkin speaks to the major ethical issues of our time, issues that have, of course, been around since the beginning. He offers one or two pages a day of pithy, wise, and easily accessible teachings designed to be put into immediate practice. The range of the book is as broad as life itself: • The first trait to seek in a spouse (Day 17) • When, if ever, lying is permitted (Days 71-73) • Why acting cheerfully is a requirement, not a choice (Day 39) • What children don't owe their parents (Day 128) • Whether Jews should donate their organs (Day 290) • An effective but expensive technique for curbing your anger (Day 156) • How to raise truthful children (Day 298) • What purchases are always forbidden (Day 3) In addition, Telushkin raises issues with ethical implications that may surprise you, such as the need to tip those whom you don't see (Day 109), the right thing to do when you hear an ambulance siren (Day 1), and why wasting time is a sin (Day 15). Whether he is telling us what Jewish tradition has to say about insider trading or about the relationship between employers and employees, he provides fresh inspiration and clear guidance for every day of our lives.

The Book of Jewish Values: A Day-by-Day Guide to Ethical Living

Harmony

Many of the truths that matter most are brief but powerful. You can read the book itself in an hour or two, but the lessons it contains – largely drawn from Jewish sources thousands of years old – can bless and enrich your life for as long as you live. In addition, practicing the activities described inside will also make you a happier person. What more could one want from a book? 
<ul>
<li>Learn how to declare a Complaining Fast </li>
<li>Realize that sometimes having things to worry about is a blessing, not a curse </li>
<li>Discover why Judaism does not always mandate that we forgive people who hurt us </li>
<li>And much more… </li>
</ul> Albert Einstein is reputed to have said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” In TELUSHKINISMS: WISDOM TO THE POINT, Joseph Telushkin supplies concrete suggestions of activities that can be immediately incorporated into your life.

Telushkinisms: Wisdom to the Point

Self-Help

Personal Transformation

Sinai Live Books

We open the High Holidays with Selihot (prayers of penitence) and in the span of two and a half weeks we will have gone through the Yamim Noraim (the Days of Awe). How much of the Yamim Noraim will go through us? Will they be just another High Holidays or will we allow them to become a truly intense, creative, new and spontaneous spiritual adventure? Will we be uninhibited enough, authentic enough, daring enough to let an avalanche of emotions, feelings, memories, longings, prayers and insights flow in and out of our souls? To that end, Connecting Moments is a collaboration with some of the world’s top Rabbis and teachers, who, in text and on film, share the secrets to transforming the High Holiday experience. We hope this book will help make the High Holiday time more meaningful to you – to help give you the courage to repeat what must be repeated and change what must be changed. Read on to create your own memorable High Holiday experience. L’Shana Tova.

Connecting Moments: Elevate your High Holiday Experience

Religion & Spirituality

PInson, Dovber

Solomon, David

Pearlman, Mark B.

Matalon, Roly

Judaism

Argues that the causes of antisemitism are neither ethnic nor racial nor rooted in economic envy or religious bigotry, but that antisemitism is a response to Jews and their way of life, based upon its very foundations--God, Torah, and Peoplehood

Why the Jews? The Reason for Antisemitism

Politics & Social Sciences

Prager, Dennis

Social Sciences

Simon&Schuster

The classic and essential guide for the educated, skeptical, and searching Jew, or for the non-Jew who wants to understand the meaning of Judaism. If you have ever wondered what being born Jewish should mean to you; if you want to find out more about the nature of Judaism, or explain it to a friend; if you are thinking about how Judaism can connect with the rest of your life—this is the first book you should own. It poses, and thoughtfully addresses, questions like these: · Can one doubt God’s existence and still be a good Jew? · Why do we need organized religion? · Why shouldn’t I intermarry? · What is the reason for dietary laws? · How do I start practicing Judaism? Concisely and engagingly, authors Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin present Judaism as the rational, moral alternative for contemporary man or woman.

Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism

Touchstone

A rabbi summarizes the Jewish tradition for Jews and non-Jews alike in a reference guide to Jewish religion and culture, covering culture, history, and tradition in one broad sweep. 15,000 first printing.

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

Reference

Encyclopedias & Subject Guides

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