Judaism for Dummies: 2nd Edition

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
	About This Book
	Conventions Used in This Book
		Pronouncing Jewish Words
		About the translations
	Foolish Assumptions
	How This Book Is Organized
		Part 1: What Jews Generally Believe
		Part 2: From Womb to Tomb: The Life Cycle
		Part 3: An Overview of Jewish History
		Part 4: Celebrations and Holy Days
		Part 5: The Part of Tens
		Part 6: Appendixes
	Icons Used in This Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part 1 What Jews Generally Believe
	Chapter 1 That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Jewish: Who’s a Jew and Why
		The Jewish Tribe
			What’s in a name?
			Jews far and wide
			Who decides if you’re Jewish?
			After all, it’s a small world
		Major Branches of the Tree
			Orthodox Jews
			Breakaway denominations
		Guess Who Else Is Jewish
	Chapter 2 It’s All One: Judaism and God
		Pondering Jewish Beliefs about God
			A religion of deed, not creed
			Arguing with God
			Where God is
		Calling One God Many Names
			What’s in a name?
			The four-letter Name of God
			The Singular Being hidden in the plural
			God’s Own name
			No end to the names of God
		Looking behind the Name
			God creates
			God reveals
			God redeems
		Embarking on a Quest for Ultimate Reality
	Chapter 3 A Never-Ending Torah: The Unfolding of a Tradition
		Torah: The Light That Never Dims
			The five books of Moses
			The weekly readings
		The TaNaKH: The Hebrew Bible
			Nevi’im (“Prophets”)
			Ketuvim (“Writings”)
			The Haftarah
			Interpreting the Bible
		A Hidden Revolution: The Oral Torah
			The law of the land: The Mishnah
			The teachings explained: The Talmud
			Telling stories: The midrash
		The Expanding Torah
	Chapter 4 A Path of Blessing: Judaism as a Daily Practice
		Connecting With God and Community through Practice: The Mitzvot
			613 habits of highly effective people
			Women and mitzvot
			The reasons for mitzvot
		Connecting With God and Community through Blessings and Prayers
			Private worship
			The community worship service
		Going to Synagogue
			Four things you’ll find in every synagogue
			Who’s who at shul
		Following Jewish Dietary Laws: A Brief Guide to Kosher Food
			The reasons behind kosher
			OU means OK for most
		Purifying the Spirit: Rites and Rituals
		Dressing for God: Jewish Garments and Clothing Customs
			The yarmulka
			Fringes and shawls
			You shall bind them as a sign: Laying tefillin
		The Jewish Home
			On every doorpost: The mezuzah
			The candelabra extraordinaire: The menorah
		So Go Now and Live
	Chapter 5 Jewish Mysticism
		Delving Into Jewish Mysticism
			What mystics tend to believe
			The Kabbalah
		Taking a Magical Mystical Tour
			Early mystical texts
			Isaac Luria, Safed’s sage
			Israel ben Eliezer, the good master
		Going Above and Beyond: Jewish Meditation
		Following Maps to Understanding: The Images and Symbols
			The Tree of Life
			The ten sefirot
			The Four Worlds
			The five levels of soul
	Chapter 6 Ethical Challenges
		Getting to the Heart of the Matter
			The Golden Rule
			Expressions of God
			Tikkun olam
			Charged to act
		Meeting at the Intersection of Righteousness and Charity
		Unraveling the Problem of the Other
		Intra- and Interfaith Challenges
		Embracing Our Sexuality
			Mystical visions of sexual union
			Birth control and abortion
			Homosexuality
			Prohibited relationships
		Finding a Way to Peace
			Breaking the cycle
		Respecting Animals and the Environment
			Bal Tashkhit: Do not destroy
			Tza’ar ba’alei khayim: Treat living creatures with dignity
		Striving for tikkun olam
Part 2 From Womb to Tomb: The Life Cycle
	Chapter 7 In the Beginning: Birth and Bris
		Making the Cut: Ritual Circumcision
			Knowing who’s involved
			Adhering to the rituals and ceremonies
			Making the choice
		Thanking God for Little Girls
		Playing the Name Game
		Buying Back the First Born
	Chapter 8 Coming of Age: The Bar/Bat Mitzvah
		Preparing for the Big Day
		Celebrating the Bar/Bat Mitzvah
			Reading from the Good Book
			Speech! Speech!
			A night to celebrate
			Celebrating as a grown up
		Confirming Your Beliefs
	Chapter 9 Get Me to the Chuppah On Time: Weddings
		Looking at the Origins of Jewish Marriage
		Preparing for the Ceremony
		Enjoying the Wedding
			Raising the chuppah
			Drinking the fruit of the vine
			Exchanging the rings
			Sharing the seven blessings
			Breaking the glass
			Putting it in writing
			Enjoying sacred moments, before and after
		Getting a Get: Divorce
			Walking through a divorce
			Encountering rare troubles
	Chapter 10 Stepping Through the Valley: The Shadow of Death
		Planning for Death
			Writing an ethical will
			Making final confessions
			Reciting parting words
		Arranging the Funeral
			Returning to the earth
			Preparing the body
			Attending a funeral and burial
		Observing the Mourning Period
			The first week following a funeral
			The first month and year
		Saying Kaddish
		Remembering the Dead
Part 3 An Overview of Jewish History
	Chapter 11 Let My People Go: From Abraham to Exodus
		The Genesis of a People
			Beginnings of a Way
			The next generation
			Who gets blessed?
			Wrestling with God
		The Son Also Rises
			Interpreting dreams
			A dream comes true
		The Enslavement and Exodus
			A star is born
			Are we there yet?
		Entering the Promised Land
	Chapter 12 The Kings of Israel: The First Temple
		Finding the Right Guy to Be King
		Continuing War and Peace
			Enter David, stage left
			Magic and mayhem
		Living under the Lion of Judah
			The Wisdom of Solomon
			Building the Temple
		Telling a Tale of Two Kingdoms
		The Fall of the First Temple
	Chapter 13 Bracketed by Exile: The Second Temple
		Finding a Home away from Home
			There’s no place like home
			Building and rebuilding
		It’s All Greek to Me
			The ptol and short of it
			The last emperor
		A Parting of Ways
		All Roads Lead to Rome
		An Edifice Complex
			Not one but many messiahs
			Death and dismemberment
		Sects and Violence
	Chapter 14 The Exiles Continue: The First Millennium
		Beware, the End Is Nigh!
			Revolutions and messiahs
			The raising of the Talmud
		Running Out of Rome
		Jews under Islam
			Second class is better than no class
			The rise of the Gaon
			All that glitters is gold
		Let My People Stay: Prosperity and Persecution
			Turn the other cheek
			Take the money and run
		The Reign in Spain
			No one expects the Spanish Inquisition
			Christianity or bust
	Chapter 15 The Greatest Horror, the Greatest Triumph
		When Poland Was a Heartland
			Four lands, one people
			The Chmielnicki massacres
		The Dawning of a New Age
			The Enlightenment
			The question of citizenship
		Going Beyond the Pale
		Responses to Enlightenment
			Reform
			To change or not to change
		The Rise of Nationalism and Racism
			The return of anti-Jewish policies
			The pogroms
		Getting Worse and Getting Out
			Passage to Palestine
			Close, but not quite there
			Hitler’s rise to power
		The Holocaust
			Too little, too late
			The war against the Jews
			The death camps
			The fall of the Third Reich
		Founding a New Jewish State
	Chapter 16 Jewish Buddhists and Other Challenges of the New Age
		In the Shadow of the Holocaust
		The Mixed Blessing of America
			You will be assimilated
			The choosing people
		Jews as Spiritual Teachers of Other Traditions
			I didn’t know Jews did that!
			Finding parallels
		The New Jewish Spirituality
		Jew versus Jew versus Jew
			Who is a Jew
			Can’t we just work it out?
		Considering the Future of Judaism
	Chapter 17 The Problem of Anti-Semitism
		Recounting the Incomprehensible
		Fearing an Unknown Quantity: The Origins of Hate
		Exploding Dangerous and False Beliefs
			Belief #1: The Jews killed Jesus
			Belief #2: There’s an international Jewish conspiracy
			Belief #3: Jews practice ritual murder
			Anti-Semitism in literature and art
		From Religion to Race: Anti-Semitism in Modern Times
			Israel and anti-Semitism
			The color of anti-Semitism
			Twenty-first century anti-Semitism
		Toward Healing
Part 4 Celebrations and Holy Days
	Chapter 18 A Taste of Paradise: Shabbat
		Understanding Shabbat
		Shabbat: Restriction or Relief?
			Knowing what work to avoid
			Discovering what’s enough
			Redefining the rules
			Doing what you can on Shabbat
		Welcoming the Sabbath
			Lighting the candles
			Saying the blessings over family, wine, and bread
			Eating the meal
			Attending Shabbat evening services
			Morning has broken
		Bidding Farewell to Shabbat
			Wine and candles
			Sugar, spice, and everything nice
		The Universal Aspects of Shabbat
	Chapter 19 In with the New: Rosh Hashanah
		A Day for Making Judgments
			The Book of Life: Take two
			Teshuvah: Getting back on track
		The 40-Day Plan
			The days of Elul
			Preparations: S’lichot
		Celebrating Rosh Hashanah
			The Makhzor: The High Holy Day prayer book
			Blowing your horn
			Tashlikh
		The Ten Days of Awe
			Cleaning your spiritual house
			Kapparot
		Real Beginnings Mean Real Changes
	Chapter 20 Getting Serious: Yom Kippur
		Yom Kippur Means Always Having to Say You’re Sorry
			Seeking forgiveness from God
			Repenting
		Celebrating Yom Kippur
			Fasting, but not quickly
			Taking a long day’s journey
			Preparing for Yom Kippur
			Considering the Kol Nidre: The evening service
			Reading and kneeling
		Honoring the Light of Yom Kippur
	Chapter 21 The Great Outdoors: Sukkot
		A Jewish Thanksgiving
			Giving thanks
			Getting outdoorsy: Building a sukkah
		How to Sukkot
			A sukkah born every minute
			Waving the lulav and etrog
		Sh’mini Atzeret
		Simkhat Torah
	Chapter 22 Seeking Light in Dark Times: Chanukkah
		Shining a Light on the Darkest Night
		The Good Fight: What Chanukkah Celebrates
			The two books of the Maccabees
			Judah puts the hammer down
			The story of the oil miracle
			The Maccabees get their due
		Embracing Chanukkah Customs
			Lighting the candles
			Blessings for the moment
			Remembering the oil: Yummy fried foods
			Spinning the dreidel
			To gift, or not to gift
		Receiving the Real Gift of Chanukkah: Personal Renewal
	Chapter 23 Celebrating Renewal: Tu B’Shvat
		Tithing Fruits of Land and Spirit
		A Seder of Fruit and Wine
		Try This at Home
		Enlightened Gardeners
		An Ever-Living Tree
	Chapter 24 A Jewish Carnival: Purim
		Purim: Based on a True Story (Sort Of)
			It all starts with a banished queen
			Enter Esther, stage left
			Enter Haman, stage right
			Haman’s big mistake
			The final battle
		Why Purim Survived
			The persistence of persecution
			Within you and without you
		Bang a Gong: Celebrating Purim
			Reading the Book of Esther — the whole megillah
			Partying and playing dress up
			Giving the gift of sweets
			Remembering the poor
			Other traditions: The Fast of Esther
		Bringing Darkness to Light
	Chapter 25: From Groan to Glee: Passover
		Looking at the Reasons behind Passover
		Edible Do’s and Don’ts
			Kosher for Passover
			The symbolism of Passover restrictions
		First Things First: Preparing for Passover
			Cleaning out the khametz
			Giving to charity at Passover time
		The Seder: As Easy as 1, 2, 3 . . .
			The haggadah: Seder’s little instruction booklet
			Look who’s coming to dinner
			The prepared table
			Steps of the seder
			New traditions: Miriam’s Cup
		A Time to Think about Freedom
			It’s all about choice
			Dayenu: So much gratitude
		It’s Not Over till It’s Omer
			Agricultural roots
			The magical, mystical seven
			Yom Ha-Shoah
			Israeli Independence Day
			Lag B’Omer
		The Universal Themes in Passover
	Chapter 26 Spring Is Busting Out All Over: Shavuot
		The Ideas Behind Shavuot
			Receiving the Torah
			Meeting at Sinai
			Tune in today!
			Go tell it on the mountain
			Telling stories
		Searching for New Rituals
			Pulling the mystical all-nighter
			Deck the halls . . .
			Got milk?
			Reading Ruth
			Nontraditional traditions
		Rewakening
	Chapter 27 A Day of Mourning: Tisha B’Av
		Fasting, Reading, and Reflecting
		Today’s Tisha B’Av
		Tu B’Av: Releasing into Joy
Part 5 The Part of Tens
	Chapter 28 Ten People Who Helped Shape Judaism
		Hillel
		Rashi
		Maimonides
		Joseph Caro
		Isaac Luria
		Ba’al Shem Tov
		Henrietta Szold
		Abraham Isaac Kook
		Martin Buber
		Abraham Joshua Heschel
	Chapter 29 Answers to Ten Common Questions about Judaism
		Why Don’t Jews Believe in Jesus?
		What Does It Mean to Be the “Chosen” People?
		Why Is Israel So Important to the Jews?
		Why Are So Many Doctors, Lawyers, and Entertainers Jewish?
		What Is the Role of Women in Judaism?
		What Is “Jewish Humor”?
			Self-examination: Try it at home!
			Dress British, think Yiddish
		What Role Does Music Play in Jewish Culture?
		Who’s In Charge of Judaism?
		Can You Convert to Judaism?
		What’s the Relationship Between Judaism and Islam?
Part 6 Appendixes
	Appendix A Oy Vey! and Other Words You Should Know
		A Primer of Basic Words
		Yiddish, Yinglish, Oy!
	Appendix B A Sampler of Jewish Prayers and Blessings
		The Central Focus: Sh’ma and V’ahavta
		First Thing in the Morning
		Last Thing at Night
		Various, Sundry, and Otherwise Useful Blessings
			Blessings for food
			Blessings making moments special
			Blessings for ritual acts
			Blessings as reminders and as teachers
	Appendix C Go Now and Learn
		Books for The People of the Book
		On the Newsstand
		Some Jewish Organizations
			Education and social action
			Charities
		Judaism on the Web
Index
EULA