Hanukkah

Hanukkah, the eight day festival of lights, is one of the more joyous holidays in the Jewish calendar and has become among the more widely celebrated. It is particular favourite of children. Marking the first triumphant struggle ever waged for freedom of religion, Hanukkah has been a constant beacon of hope during the years fo travail in the Diaspora.

Although Jewish scholars have recognized the French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas as one of the greatest Talmudic minds of this century, the majority of Jews have remained ignorant of his teachings - now Rabbi Stone makes Levinas accessible to lay readers for the first time.

How do Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism differ? Is caviar kosher? Who was Maimonides? What is current Jewish thought on Jesus, sex, abortion, feminism, and capital punishment? Spanning from biblical times to the present, The Jewish Religion offers a goldmine of information on Jewish belief and practice, wisdom and culture, history and tradition. Sweeping in scope and based on impeccable scholarship, this volume's 750 alphabetical entries range from Aaron to Zweifel to illuminate virtually every facet of the Jewish heritage. For example, the book explains Halakhah and Aggadah, the legal and non-legal sides of Jewish thought; traces the development of the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Movements; discusses Haskalah (the Jewish Enlightenment) and Hasidism; and explores the differences between the Spanish traditions of the Sephardim and the German traditions of the Ashkenazim. It examines the great philosophical questions underlying the Jewish faith; carefully examines Zionism, with its tension between religion and nationalism and its profound implications for the present and the future of Israel; and serves as a marvelous companion to Jewish religious and philosophical literature. Readers will find entries on all the books of the Old Testament--with compelling descriptions of the patriarchs, prophets, and law givers--on the oral and written Torah, on the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmud, and on the Kabbalah. Jacobs examines all the great Jewish thinkers--from Rashi, Akiba, and Judah the Prince, to Maimonides, Spinoza, and Martin Buber--and he describes the thought of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, father of the Reform movement, and Theodore Herzl, the originator of modern Zionism. Finally, the book is filled with information on popular customs, rituals, and religious services, covering all the major holidays, providing guidance on prayer and liturgy, and explaining the dietary laws in detail. It even offers step-by-step instructions for conducting the Passover Seder, preparing matzoh, kindling the Hannukah lights, building a sukkah, and much, much more. Here then is a matchless guide to Jewish religion, history, culture, and thought and a valuable repository of knowledge for both Jews and non-Jews alike.

Originally published in German in 1913, this thorough academic study of the Jewish liturgy ever written is now available to the English speaking community. This analysis covers the entire range of Jewish liturgical development, beginning with the early cornerstones of the Siddur, through the evolution of the piyyutim to the traditional German prayerbook.

On the most important occasions of our lives, we often find ourselves at a loss for words; when we want to console, celebrate, explain, inspire, or thank, we end up repeating such uninspiring, uninformative phrases as "Words cannot express how I feel." To help us find the right words, Catherine Frank has compiled this handy compendium of quotations that capture the mundane and the magnificent, the everyday and extraordinary moments of our lives. The three sections of the book cover 150 occasions. "Every Year" offers quotations on all the special dates in the calendar from New Year's Day to New Year's Eve, including Martin Luther King Day, Valentine's Day, Ramadan, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. "Occasionally" presents quotations on such occasions as giving a speech, having an interview, becoming a parent, getting engaged, welcoming someone, and saying goodbye. "Once in a Lifetime" provides quotations on such momentous events as confirmation, coming out, turning 16, graduation, and retirement. A sampling: • Plato, John Donne, and Woody Allen give their words of wisdom on death. • Betty Ford writes eloquently on recovery. • Martina Navratilova ruminates on her first sexual encounter... and Holden Caufield on his. • Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, and Frederick Douglass ponder Independence Day. • Amy Tan reflects on the meaning of the Chinese New Year. • Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Susan Sontag offer poignant descriptions of pain and illness. Whether you are offering consolation or congratulations, condolences or confessions, Quotations for All Occasions has the perfect words for every occasion.

Music historian Irene Heskes takes a topical and chronological approach to present an exhaustive examination of the history, form and meaning of Jewish musical traditions. Chapters include: Documenting the Heritage; Bible, Liturgy, and Cantorial Art; The Musical Heritage of Sephardic and Oriental Jewry; Music of Mysticism and Piety; The Yiddish Musical World of Eastern Europe; The Holocaust Era; America; The Music of Zion and Israel; Composers and Compositions; and Women.