“A Brief Guide to Judaism”

Theology, history and practice.

How and why Judaism became one of the world´s great faiths

The Jewish religion is on of the major faiths of the world yet one of the least understood. In a wide ranging and accessible guide for the general reader, Rabbi Naftali Brawer outlines the major themes and history of over 5,000 years of Jewish faith, from its Abrahamic origins and the foundations of Jerusalem to the eras of exile, diaspora, and persecution. From ritual and practice to faith and politics, the theology and history of Judaism are bound together.

Brawer argues that Judaism is poised between heaven and earth. On the one hand it calls on its adherents to transcend the material world through ritual and prayer; on the other hand Judaism positively celebrates the delights of food, family and society. Throug this seeming paradox, Brawer explores the nature and characteristics of faith – God and Man, the Torah, Mitzvah, the Jewish People and the Land of Israel. He also show how ritual and practice punctuate Jewish existence, from daily prayers to the rites of passage that chart a lifetime.