Sex, God, Christmas & Jews: Intimate Email about Faith and Life Challenges

by Gil Mann

Voices on issues such as faith, Judaism, and life challenges come through loud and clear in this inspiring collection of e-mail correspondence. Pouring out their hearts since 1997 on a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0965170934
• ISBN13: 9780965170932
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Leo & Sons Publishing
• Length: 281 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Ask the Rabbi by a Non-Rabbi

In the old days - meaning pre-Internet - when someone had a question about Judaism or Jewish practice they would inquire of their rabbi either in person or in written form. Of course, sometimes the rabbi did not respond (or at least not in a timely fashion) and sometimes the rabbi did not know the answer and would have to send correspondence to another sage. Furthermore, many questions may have been too embarrassing or personal to pose to the rabbi. Many non-Jews may not have had the resources to have their questions answered. Many questions may have been too controversial to raise. All of this changed because of the Web and the anonymity of the e-mail message. While there are several "Ask the Rabbi" sites on the Web, the most popular is hosted by a layman - just a regular guy (albeit a synagogue leader) named Gil Mann. Several years ago Mann began answering a range of queries on an America Online forum about Judaism. This led to thousands of questions pouring in via e-mail sent to Mann at his BeingJewish.org website. While not a rabbi, Mann serves as something of a cross between an advice columnist and a sage for the everyman. He defines himself as an "open-minded committed Jew" and explains that the e-mail messages he was receiving became part of a "personal evolution" in his post-business world life. Mann is also the author of How to Get More Out of Being Jewish Even If... and the publisher/editor of "Being Jewish" newsletter. In Sex, God, Christmas & Jews, the best e-mail questions are compiled into three broad sections - ethics, spirituality, and peoplehood - serving as Mann's "trinity" of the Jewish faith. He fields questions ranging from the serious ("Can Jews donate their organs" and "Why does Judaism discriminate against woman") to the downright silly ("Do the Orthodox have sex through a hole in a sheet?"). Whether serious or silly however, these are the questions that are on people's minds and Mann has provided the forum to answer the inquisitive and the spiritually seeking. At the end of each chapter are a couple pages titled "Concluding Thoughts to Copy, Cut, Paste, and Save" serving as a summary of the discussions, as well as directions where one may turn for further information and resources. In the introduction, Mann opens with a candid, intimate letter from a distraught woman whom he terms "a female Job." This missive serves to show that Mann is more than just posing as the Jewish Ask-Jeeves on the Web. Average people have sought him out as a patient listener although he is not a spiritual leader or psychologist. This is the magic of Cyberspace. Indeed, Mann has created a virtual community with passionate conversations taking place. One subject in the book that raises much heated discussion is about whether it is humane for Jews to ritually circumcise their sons. While the controversy surrounding this topic is no stranger to the Web, Mann successfully contains it in a considerate, thought-provoking manner (although I'm sure

I love this book!

I actually read a review of this book in the Baltimore Jewish Times (a "must read" recommendation by one of the BJT staff members). This book is humorous, poignant, controversial, thought-provoking and hard to put down. I'm amazed at the honesty of the contributors and how this book is so relevant today: to all age groups, all religions--just all of humanity. As a former Roman Catholic, now a Jew by Choice (oh, and thank you [to the author] for your slant on that term---I too believe it is beautiful!), this book is a valuable resource to help get things back into perspective should my perspective go a little awry. This book speaks to everybody--and to me in a very personal way. A "must read"? Yes, absolutely!

Gil Mann's book is a bridge which connects us all

As a Christian, this book gave me an intimate glimpse into Jewish faith and traditions. It answered questions that as a non-Jew I would not have ever dared to ask. As I read Gil's responses to the email from both Jews and non-Jews, it became clear that regardless of the faith we choose, we all grapple with some of the same difficult questions. This book is a bridge that reaffirms and connects us all. The pages of Sex,God,Christmas & Jews are filled with honest, beautiful, sometimes heartbreaking, but always encouraging discussions that demand answers. I found personal relevance in topics such as body piercing and tattoos, interfaith dating, having Christmas trees and Jews praying in Christ's name. Gil has found a way to let his readers feel safe in their questions and doubts, and is able to respond with compassion and great wisdom.

Faith, Community and Friendship are at the heart of Gil Man's book

There is no better example of how the internet can bring us closer to each other through the sharing of honest, meaningful and often difficult conversations than in Gil Mann's new book "Sex, God, Christmas and Jews." For in its pages lies a broad range of questions, doubts, issues and opinions about topics that will fascinate Jews and non-Jews alike. Questions like: "Can I be angry with God? Why does Judaism discrimate against women? Can I pray to Jesus if I am Jewish? and Will Jews burn in Hell?" are just a few of the many subjects that are openly discussed through a collection of reader emails. This book is a wonderful opportunity for people of all faiths to get an "insider's view" about Judaism and learn about Jewish faith, culture, family, spirituality, ethics and everyday living. It is a "must read" for Jewish lay leaders and professionals as well. Thank you, Gil Mann, for giving us such a treasure! Amy Hirshberg Lederman, author of "To Life! Jewish Reflections on Everyday Living"