The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism

by Benjamin Blech and Rabbi Benjamin Blech

Book Overview

From the teachings of the Torah to the meaning of the holidays, this work offers an introduction to Judaism. It offers an account of Judaic history from the time of the Pharoahs through painful events like the Holocaust and triumphant ones like the creation of modern-day Israel.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0028631919
• ISBN13: 9780028631912
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Alpha Books
• Length: 379 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.2" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A Masterpiece!

This book really opened my eyes to why I love Judaism so much and why I am so proud to be a Jew. The way Rabbi Ben Blech writes is so delightful, clear, and easy-to-read. He doesn't just explain what Jews do and believe, he also explains and clarifies *why* certain rituals and customs exist. Since reading this book, I have begun to attend synagogue (I never did before), I am going to classes with the Rabbi to learn more, and I am reading more books about Judaism (including my Chumash) etc. I love the way it goes through an entire person's life from birth to death, from a Jewish perspective, explaining what these stages of life mean to a Jew. I also like the way he goes through all the rooms in a person's home and explains how to run a jewish household/family. And of course, his excellent explanations about the Jewish holydays are superb! This book has really changed my life! I highly recommend this book to all Jews in all of the world and any non-Jew that is interested in learning about Judaism.

Fun to Read! Interesting for people of all Faiths.

I picked up this book during Chanukah this year, because I wanted to brush up on what actually Chanukah was. Yeah, I know the dreidel song... but that's about it. As a non-Jew who classifies herself as a monotheist, I've recently been studying Islam for the past five or so years. Now, I'm exploring the father of Islam (and Christianity), Judaism. It amazes me to see the similarities--although as Islam comes from Judaism, perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised. Anyway, I loved this book. Rabbi Blech's style is extremely easy to read... I actually read through the book in one sitting. Each little bit made me hungry for more, and the next thing I knew it was 3:30 a.m. and I was finishing the book. I would recommend this book to people of all faiths... Jews, who need to brush up their own knowledge of their faith; Christians, who perhaps want to understand more about Christianity's roots as well as what Jesus believed; and Muslims, who may benefit from realizing the similarities in the people who worship the same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In studying this book, I became convinced that Islam and Judaism are much more similar than is Christianity--but that's just my own opinion. Well, I'm off to buy more of Rabbi Blech's books. Buy this book, you'll enjoy it... I promise.

Changed My Life

This is a wonderful book. I've read it several times, trying to memorize every word of it. It is enjoyable to read, with humorous anecdotes and stories to explain Biblical stories. I am a Catholic, and this book has had an impact on my life. It has actually made me consider converting. This book is enjoyable to both Jews and gentiles alike.

This book fills a real need!

As soon as I discovered this book, I immediately linked it to my homepage, as well as my Jewish resource menus and online FAQs. It fills a very real need for a user-friendly basic Judaism book that is "accessible" to the rank beginner, and I find myself recommending it a LOT to web surfers and readers of my own books who email me with their "Judaism 101" questions. This book is much, much better than Steinberg's old standby, "Basic Judaism," which is just too much stuffy academe for the average reader of today. Rabbi Blech's use of the familiar 'Idiot's Guide" format is non-threatening, and even uses some humor to make learning about Judaism easy and fun! I recommend this book to non-Jews who want the basics, to Jews who need to brush up on what they might have missed as kids in Hebrew school, and especially to school teachers and librarians as a quick reference to those common questions about what Jews believe in, what happens in a synagogue service, and "Why do they do that...?" Thank you, Rabbi Blech, for a great educational resource!

This book makes Jewish thought come alive

Rabbi Blech has once again succeeded in combining thousands of years of traditions and dozens of scholars' thoughts into a work that the average person can understand and appreciate. For the first time, one can gain a broad understanding of those beliefs so basic to Judaism. As well as providing a very well detailed summary of Jewish thought, Blech's book is entertaining, well balanced, and engaging.