A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice (Moreshet)

Author - Isaac Klein ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Hardcover Book item from Ktav Publishing House was reviewed on 6-Nov-2008.

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1) Hardcover Book A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice (Moreshet) by Ktav Publishing House. This well-written work succinctly provides a plethora of Jewish religious practices, addressing differences among: American/Israeli, Ashkenazi/Sephardi, & (at least to a degree) Conservative-Masorti/Orthodox Jews. It includes an Appendix/Supplement by R. Joel Roth explaining the practices for modification of Conservative Jewish normative laws (e.g. the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards) and providing updates to the main text since its publication. The text follows the tradition of Maimonides´ Mishneh Torah & Joseph Caro´s Shulkhan Arukh in its contents & the Rama [R. Moses Isserles, 1510-72] in its presentation--p. xxv: "Isserles added the practices that obtained in the Eastern Europe of his era, & I have added the practices that obtain in the present-day Conservative synagogue." Klein gives differing interpretations from major sources as well as past & present common practices--including superstitions.

I read it cover-to-cover & enjoyed it thoroughly. However, it does not address spiritual practices [see Buxbaum´s "Jewish Spiritual Practices" ASIN: 0876688326], & has the normative extroverted bias, e.g. saying public prayer is "conducive to greater solemnity & exaltation." Mystics would heartily disagree IMHO. It also has some unusual spellings--e.g. Qaddish vs. Kaddish. There is a marking error on the top right of pp. 41-52: "Daily Prayer" should be "Blessings for Various Occasions." But, these are all minor annoyances considering the overall loveliness/value of the book. The only major criticism is that many words/phrases are given in Hebrew without good/consistent transliteration, & no glossary is provided.

Klein provides some valuable observations worth mentioning: p. 39: "The highest test of a person´s faith is his ability to praise God at the moment of grief, p. 46: It is easier to reinterpret than to abolish, p. 127: Eating performed in the right spirit becomes an act of worship," & p. 293: Twelve months was also regarded as the maximum period of punishment for the wicked in the heavenly courts."

He also adds realism to tradition: p. 78: In the Talmud, a massive edifice--called by the sages `like mountains hanging by a hair´ ...is built on the prohibition of work. Most interesting to me is his story of the bereaved woman & the saint (p. 287) who sends her to find wheat in houses without bereavement. This is virtually identical to a famous, standard story of the Buddha!¤

2) Hardcover Book A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice (Moreshet) by Ktav Publishing House. Rabbi Klein of blessed memory was a devoted scholar. And this work of Halachah is a comprehensive guide which should be of great use to every Conservative Jew. I would take exception to one reviewer´s mark suggesting that it is ´ the Halachic guide´. Orthodox Jews care more in general about Halacha , think it and live it much more consistently than do the general rank and file of Conservative Jews. Rabbi Klein´s book is not for the Orthodox although they too can learn much from it. I would also point out that there is a review on the Amazon site by Doughron which is outstanding, and outlines in detail the contents of this excellent volume.¤

3) Hardcover Book A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice (Moreshet) by Ktav Publishing House. This book, by the late Rabbi Isaac Klein, of blessed memory, is the only fairly comprehensive guide to Jewish religious practice issued by the Conservative movement. As such, it is an indispensable reference to the practicing Jew. Readers will find that their is, in fact, very little difference between the modern Orthodox Halachah and that set forth by the Conservative movement´s Rabbinical Assembly. The difference is, of course, in the theological approach.

Rabbi Klein´s book,which has been updated and supplemented a number of times to reflect changes since its publication in 1979, is a good source for the torah, talmudic and traditional approaches to all areas of Jewish practice. The book includes one of the most comprehensive approaches to the Kosher laws I have ever seen. It also covers synagogue practice in great detail, differentiating between laws (halachah) and customs which have taken on the effect of laws. (minhag) I myself pick up the book for review whenever necessary, for example, reviewing the section on brit milah (the circumcision) after my son´s birth. This is not a book for beginners who have no familiarity with Jewish practice. It is a good stepping stone for the beginner who would like to have more comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Jewish practice. I learned more in this book than in six years of Hebrew School. For the beginner or for someone looking for a much easier book of this nature I recommend Rabbi Kotlach´s "Jewish Home Advisor". For someone looking for a more comprehensive work and not ready to tackle the Shulchan Aroch, this is a wonderful resource.¤

4) Hardcover Book A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice (Moreshet) by Ktav Publishing House. Every serious open minded Jew should be familiar with this book. Every Conservative Jew should own it. More importantly, it is a book that every Conservative Rabbi should urge his/her congregants to own. That won´t happen- but you should still buy this book and tell your friends to buy it too.¤

5) Hardcover Book A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice (Moreshet) by Ktav Publishing House. I have been delving into my Jewishness for the past six years, and have read a lot of books about Jewish holidays, ritual observance, and life cycle events. I had come to the point where a lot of books I picked up were repetitive. I just wasn´t getting anything new out of them. This book was recommended to my by a rabbi and has definitely taken my learning to a new level. As a teacher of several Introduction to Judaism classes, this is also a GREAT reference for answering new questions posed by my students. Two notes: This is dense, and is not suited to a cover-to-cover reading. It´s a reference. Second, Klein uses Hebrew extensively. I would not recommend it to someone who does not read Hebrew. You don´t need to be fluent, but an ability to read and a vocabulary of 250 words or more would be a base requirement, I would say.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 4-Dec-2008, 08733400439780873340045, 820-610-670-290-290-430-2EB-HQB-8

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