By: Renee Greif
Are you interested in building a home library of Jewish books? According to our Rabbis, if you want to create a Jewish home library, the inclusion of a Bible, a Torah that includes commentary, a book of Jewish history, and a book about what it means to be a Jew, would be a great foundation.
The following is a list of books for you to consider adding to your home library of Judaica:
Bible/Torah:
The Hebrew Bible, or the Tanakh, also referred to as The Holy Scriptures, consists of the Torah, the Prophets (Nevi’im), and the Writings (Kethuvim). The word Tanakh comes from the anachronism for these three parts of the Bible.
The Torah, is the Hebrew term for the Five Books of Moses, also referred to as the Pentateuch. The five books, are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Torah commentary seeks to explain, define and create connections that are meaningful to the contemporary reader. Essays are also included that discuss the weekly Torah portion (Parsha) and how it relates to our lives. Ones to consider are:
The Torah with Commentary, W. Gunther Plaut (this is the book given to Bar/Bat Mitzvah students)
JPS Torah, is a liberal, progressive translation published by the Jewish Publication Society
The Torah, Everett Fox is a liberal and modern commentary
Pentateuch & Haftorah, Dr. J.H. Hertz-Orthodox
History:
Jews, God, & History, Max Dimont
A History of the Jews, Paul Johnson
Gift of the Jews, Thomas Cahill
What it means to be a Jew/Reform Jew:
To be a Jew, Chaim Donin
Liberal Judaism, Eugene Borowitz
The Reform Judaism Reader, Michael E. Meyer; & W. Gunther Plaut
Jewish Living, Mark Washafsky
Recommended Reading/Reference Books:
Jewish Literacy, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin discusses the most important things to know about religion, history and the Jewish people.
Encyclopedia of Judaism, Jeffrey Wigoder
***You can also sign up for 10 minutes of Torah a day on the Union for Reform Judaism website at www.urj.org.
Reprinted from the March issue of the Hillel Omer
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