Being Jewish: The Spiritual and Cultural Practice of Judaism Today

by Ari Goldman

Increasing numbers of Jews are returning to their religious roots in a search for meaning, eager to explore a heritage that is deeply embedded in history and at the same time rapidly changing. But what is Judaism today? And what does it mean -- culturally, spiritually, and ritually -- to be Jewish in the twenty-first century?

In Being Jewish , Ari L. Goldman offers eloquent, thoughtful answers to these questions through an absorbing exploration of modern Judaism. A bestselling author and widely respected chronicler of Jewish life, Goldman vividly contrasts the historical meaning of Judaism's heritage with the astonishing and multiform character of the religion today. The result will be a revelation for those already involved with Judaism and a fascinating introduction for those whose interests are newly minted or rekindled.
This inspiring volume encourages us to find our own place within the tradition and leads us into a deeper understanding not just of the details of the religion but, ultimately, of what it means to be Jewish.

Genres: Jewish, Judaism, Religion, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 2000

Reviews

[janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Anthony M]

Going into this book knowing the least amount about Jewish culture and having a faith that doesn’t match up with any organized religion left me as an outsider to anything that could have been inside this book. The only thing that brought me to read it was my desire to understand different types of traditions, heritages, and religions.
The author of this book shared personal stories of his childhood and how it had an affect on how he grew up and the traditions that are passed down in each family make each Jewish person more comfortable to take part in the holidays that have been more normalized to them. The author Ari Goldman talks about his daughter Emma and how he's been on a journey to get her to experience and embrace their culture. At one point in the book the author talks about a Jewish tradition performed for Yom Kippur called kapparot, where a man or women depending on their gender would swing a hen or rooster over their head and then sacrifice the animal. Later traditions have just called for performing this ritual with animals being processed into food and that will be given to people in need in honor of the holiday. Ari Goldman shares that as a kid he did partake in this and wanted to share that with his children, he gave them a new experience while still honoring the tradition of everything by donating the chicken so it wouldn't get put down.
Through out this book I was amazed at how much

[Jordon Gyarmathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a decent read. Very brief and non comprehensive guide to Jewish practice on a yearly cycle, daily and overall. The perspective comes from an Orthodox viewpoint but sheds light on Reform and Conservative practice as well. Much of this book is surface level and misses some key concepts that I thought this book would tackle. Perhaps I was asking too much of the book though.

[Simcha York · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ari Goldman's Being Jewish joins such books as Rabbi Telushkin's Jewish Literacy, George Robinson's Essential Judaism, and Anita Diamant's Living a Jewish Life. That is, it is a fairly basic summary of Jewish life and religious observance tailored primarily for those who have not been raised in a strictly observant Jewish environment. Being Jewish does not have the same historic scope as Telushkin's book, but it does provide more information from an Orthodox perspective than either Robinson's or Diamant's books. The book is well organized, and is divided into three main sections. The first covers the life cycle - focusing on Jewish tradition and practices surrounding birth, coming-of-age, marriage, and death. The second section covers the Jewish calendar and the holidays, and the final section covers the Jewish day, focusing on such things as kashrut, prayer, and torah study.

Though Goldman is coming from an Orthodox perspective, he covers a range of Jewish takes on the beliefs and practices discussed in Being Jewish, and he does so with out any hint of judgement or disapproval. This is an admirable approach, and a practical one - given the book's ostensible demographic - in that it presents observant Judaism as something which even many religious Jews approach as something that needn't be taken only in whole or not at all. Unfortunately, this celebration of the "whatever works" approach does run the risk of downplaying the importance of law and tradition in Judaism, and is often not balanced by any discussion as to why a more disciplined and observant approach might be preferable. This is most notable in discussions of the observance of Shabbat and kashrut in which the author is silent as to what added responsibility a Jew might have toward social mitzvot which may affect the ability of other Jews to observe those mitzvot (that is, a Jew will usually find it easier to keep kosher and keep Shabbos if other members of his or her community also keep kosher and keep Shabbos).

Overall, though, this is a good introductory level book to Jewish traditions and practice.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good. helped me understand a lot about my own religion

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference book. Well written. Clear.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good overview of Judaism throughout the entire lifecycle. The author clearly loves being Jewish, and is accepting of anyway it is practiced.

[Miguel Buddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for those curious about modern Jewish religion and culture. Plenty of connections to historical origins, but the focus is on modern variants of practice.