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Judaism for Dummies
Judaism isn't a race or even a particular culture or ethnic group. There are about 13 or 14 million Jews spread around the world, including about 6 million in the United States and about 5 million in Israel - so Judaism clearly isn't "a nation." So what does it mean to be Jewish? Here are the basics:
Being Jewish (being "a Jew") means you're a Member of the Tribe (an M-O-T). The tribe started with a couple named Abraham and Sarah about 4,000 years ago, it grew over time, and it's still here today. You can become part of the Jewish tribe in two ways: By being born to a Jewish mother or joining through a series of rituals (called converting).
Judaism is a set of beliefs, practices, and ethics based on the Torah. You can practice Judaism and not be Jewish, and you can be a Jew and not practice Judaism. Whether you're interested in the religion or the spirituality, the culture or the ethnic traditions, Judaism For Dummies explores the full spectrum of Judaism, dipping into the mystical, meditative, and spiritual depth of the faith and the practice. In this warm and welcoming book, you'll find coverage of
Orthodox Jews and breakaway denominations Judaism as a daily practice The food and fabric of Judaism Jewish wedding ceremonies Celebrations and holy days 4,000 years of pain, sadness, triumph, and joy Great Jewish thinkers and historical celebrities Jews have long spread out to the corners of the world, so there are significant Jewish communities on many continents. Judaism For Dummies offers a glimpse into the rituals, ideas, and terms that are woven into the history and everyday lives of Jewish people as near as our own neighborhoods and as far-reaching as across the world.
Being Jewish (being "a Jew") means you're a Member of the Tribe (an M-O-T). The tribe started with a couple named Abraham and Sarah about 4,000 years ago, it grew over time, and it's still here today. You can become part of the Jewish tribe in two ways: By being born to a Jewish mother or joining through a series of rituals (called converting).
Judaism is a set of beliefs, practices, and ethics based on the Torah. You can practice Judaism and not be Jewish, and you can be a Jew and not practice Judaism. Whether you're interested in the religion or the spirituality, the culture or the ethnic traditions, Judaism For Dummies explores the full spectrum of Judaism, dipping into the mystical, meditative, and spiritual depth of the faith and the practice. In this warm and welcoming book, you'll find coverage of
Orthodox Jews and breakaway denominations Judaism as a daily practice The food and fabric of Judaism Jewish wedding ceremonies Celebrations and holy days 4,000 years of pain, sadness, triumph, and joy Great Jewish thinkers and historical celebrities Jews have long spread out to the corners of the world, so there are significant Jewish communities on many continents. Judaism For Dummies offers a glimpse into the rituals, ideas, and terms that are woven into the history and everyday lives of Jewish people as near as our own neighborhoods and as far-reaching as across the world.
400 pages, Paperback
First published April 10, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
April 12, 2018
As someone with several Jewish relatives who was not raised Jewish, this book has been a lifesaver! It has really helped me to understand customs and traditions as well as participate in holidays. It has been a fantastic read as well as a great reference.
August 17, 2025
5 stars
i literally saw this book on the side of the road and decided it must have been a sign, so i took it home and read it.
religion is weird. in the words of one of my teachers, we're not socialised to "shop around" and try out different religions. most people just stick with the one they were raised with, or cut it out from their life entirely. judaism has always been a bit of a gap in my knowledge, so i saw this book as a fitting place to start.
and boy was it comprehensive! this thing is essentially a manual - no wonder i read it over 6 months! it covers a lot - jewish history, faqs, rituals, and life rituals. it was also written a little while ago, meaning that some of the info may or may not be true of certain jewish communities anymore, so i'll keep that in mind if i ever reread.
that being said, this was a very enjoyable read overall, with the writers' personalities coming through nicely. a very useful guide for anyone interested in learning more about judaism and jewish culture!
i literally saw this book on the side of the road and decided it must have been a sign, so i took it home and read it.
religion is weird. in the words of one of my teachers, we're not socialised to "shop around" and try out different religions. most people just stick with the one they were raised with, or cut it out from their life entirely. judaism has always been a bit of a gap in my knowledge, so i saw this book as a fitting place to start.
and boy was it comprehensive! this thing is essentially a manual - no wonder i read it over 6 months! it covers a lot - jewish history, faqs, rituals, and life rituals. it was also written a little while ago, meaning that some of the info may or may not be true of certain jewish communities anymore, so i'll keep that in mind if i ever reread.
that being said, this was a very enjoyable read overall, with the writers' personalities coming through nicely. a very useful guide for anyone interested in learning more about judaism and jewish culture!
August 18, 2023
Because this is a non-fiction book, there's not much you'd expect as far as entertainment value versus the amount of knowledge you can hope to glean. However, I found this book refreshing. It was enjoyable to read and explained everything I wanted to know. It exceeded my expectations which is impressive for a book written 20 years ago. But, then again, it's one of the oldest religions out there so I suppose there's not much change in the past 2 decades. I haven't compared with the updated version but I imagine the editions are pretty similar.
There's not a whole lot to say as For Dummies books are essentially jazzed up textbooks but I did read it cover to cover, which is more than I can say for most educational materials. The reason I gave it a 4 was because there were improvements that could have been made unrelated to the age of the book. Namely, I wish there had been more visuals.
While the book was structured well and didn't drag on too much, I think I'd have been able to finish it faster had there been more maps, diagrams, and comparison tables. It's text-heavy with few pictures to break up the sections. I especially think it would've made the most dense part of the book, the history of the Jewish people, easier to follow had there been more visuals.
Still, it's definitely a solid guide and very little was missed. I think the best part was the jokes included throughout and in their own section towards the end. I hadn't heard any of those jokes before so it was probably my favorite aspect.
Overall, even if you only have the old edition like I did, if you're interested in the religion this is absolutely the best place to start in my opinion. There's a wealth of information out there thanks to the existence of the internet but when I wanted to learn more about my culture, I found having all those resources overwhelming. This was one of the few times the old-school, analog version beat anything I would've found online.
There's not a whole lot to say as For Dummies books are essentially jazzed up textbooks but I did read it cover to cover, which is more than I can say for most educational materials. The reason I gave it a 4 was because there were improvements that could have been made unrelated to the age of the book. Namely, I wish there had been more visuals.
While the book was structured well and didn't drag on too much, I think I'd have been able to finish it faster had there been more maps, diagrams, and comparison tables. It's text-heavy with few pictures to break up the sections. I especially think it would've made the most dense part of the book, the history of the Jewish people, easier to follow had there been more visuals.
Still, it's definitely a solid guide and very little was missed. I think the best part was the jokes included throughout and in their own section towards the end. I hadn't heard any of those jokes before so it was probably my favorite aspect.
Overall, even if you only have the old edition like I did, if you're interested in the religion this is absolutely the best place to start in my opinion. There's a wealth of information out there thanks to the existence of the internet but when I wanted to learn more about my culture, I found having all those resources overwhelming. This was one of the few times the old-school, analog version beat anything I would've found online.
July 21, 2016
Got this book as research for the Flights of Love series. There was a lot of good information in it, and for the most part it was helpful, although some of the sections had more info than I needed, while others had less. I still feel like there's a lot I need to learn in order to do my characters and plot justice and hopefully not screw up, but this was a good start.
April 2, 2018
Got this from my parents for my birthday after finding out several years ago that we had Jewish ancestors. I love the "for Dummies" format and this did not disappoint. I am not Jewish but cherish and appreciate any religious teachings that humble and improve my life. I'm excited to share some of the traditions I've learned with my family as we honor and remember our ancestors.
Want to Read
December 30, 2009Of course I will be reading this. I love "for dummies" books and whenever there is a topic or subject that interests me, I see if there is a "for dummies" book on it. It is a great book to introduce you to the subject matter.
May 21, 2015
An eclectic book that is not just for Dummies. It has enough depth to satisfy those with basic knowledge.
March 15, 2021
As a Jew by conversion this book was a lifesaver. It explained everything clearly, it was easy to understand and had a sense of humour.
August 15, 2008
This book was a great refresher for me on values, traditions, and key components to my religion. With age, I am feeling more of a desire to connect with my faith and spiritual nature. Judiasm is so cool in that it is really a study of history and exploration of your OWN perspective on events that occured and shaped this world. I love that Judiasm allows freedom, discussion, and questioning of things instead of, 'this is how it is, like it or leave it.' I feel lucky to be a part of such a loving, welcoming, and intellectually challenging culture and religion. I look forward to exploring this part of my life more and more as I get older.
November 11, 2012
I found this book is so handy to understand the other faiths or culture, this book provides a clear and lucid explanation to what Jews, Judaism for myself, the dummy! Reading this book definitely has made my bond to my own belief as this book has contributed to me by looking at others in an un-judgmental way!
April 16, 2009
To love them is to know them. I love romancing the Jewish history. My first encounter with the Jews when I was a student in NELP. They were very warm and charming people. Three thousand years of Jewish history in a single book is quite stunning.
October 5, 2016
Como toda a coleção "for dummies", é um guia de fácil leitura, que vai além das informações superficiais objetivas (Judeus fazem A por causa de B) e convida o leitor a mergulhar no sentimento e nas motivações envolvidas
February 8, 2008
Now I can really be a Jew if I wanted to be.
May 13, 2008
Great book for those curious about being Jewish or understanding the culture and "rules" around being Jewish.
August 9, 2008
Very comprehensive introduction to Judaism.
November 3, 2010
Very good book to learn about the jewish faith. Made it very interesting to learn and put some humor into it.
January 6, 2012
Etonnament précis et complet
June 3, 2015
Lærte mig nogle forskellige ting om jødedommen og dens traditioner
November 20, 2015
Tough act to follow
I chose it to refresh myself on what I learned at conversion class. Definitely a great buy. Also good for the totally ignorant.
I chose it to refresh myself on what I learned at conversion class. Definitely a great buy. Also good for the totally ignorant.
May 13, 2017
Surprisingly comprehensive.
November 21, 2017
This is a good overall view of modern Judaism with explanations of some of the questions people ask.
December 20, 2017
Provided a lot of good insight.
February 14, 2018
Very informative and easy to understand for a gentile like me. Unfortunately there were two instances of Words That They Probably Didn't Know Were Racist and it made me really uncomfortable.
May 24, 2020
Not quite what I expected - not as much history as I thought there would be a much more Kabbalah than I was really interested in. Still was very interesting and very well done.
May 8, 2026
I've always found Judaism interesting, and wanted to learn more about it. This audiobook was quite comprehensive (perhaps a bit TOO much information for me to understand and retain). Nice overview. Good narration.
Excerpts I highlighted:
“Try a fun mystical game called ‘That’s God’ to heighten your spiritual awareness. Each day, look carefully at each person you see on the street, or each animal, or thing on your desk, or whatever. And say to yourself, ‘Hey, that’s part of God too.’ When you recognize that every person and thing around you is a different facet of one being, and you can keep that in your heart, then you’re winning the game.”
“As the animal rights activist Richard H. Schwartz once wrote, ‘While Judaism has many beautiful symbols, such as the mezuzah, menorah, and sukkah, there is only one symbol that represents God – and that is each person.’ As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel taught, more important than to have a symbol, is to be a symbol. And every person can consider himself or herself a symbol of God.”
“As Salanter once wrote, ‘Normally, we worry about our own material wellbeing, and our neighbors’ souls. Let us rather worry about our neighbors’ material wellbeing, and our own souls.’”
“Whoever sustains and saves a single life, it is as if he or she has sustained a whole world.” -Mishnah (Sanhedrin 4:5)
“If we seek peace, the means of our seeking must be peaceful. If we seek love, we must seek it lovingly.”
“The Talmud records Rabbi Tarfon’s words: ‘It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work. But neither are you free to desist from it altogether.’” - Pirkei Avot 2:21
“If you were to leave a message for your family or friends to be opened after you die, what would it say? What would you want to tell your children? Or your grandchildren, even if they haven’t been born yet? The idea of writing a will describing what to do with your assets is widely accepted. However, Jewish tradition has long urged writing an ethical will as well, communicating your values and lessons, perhaps in the form of a letter or essay to be read after you die.”
“If possible, a person who is approaching death may want to recite the central affirmation of Judaism, called the Sh’ma, which proclaims the absolute oneness of God. This recitation is meant to inspire calmness at a moment of transition, urging us to remember that everything is contained in God, and that in God, nothing can ever be lost. […] At the moment of death, all of us need the reminder that we are always connected to the source of all being.”
“One of the biggest surprises in Judaism is that the Bible, the foundation of the faith that led to both Christianity and Islam, has nothing to say about what happens after you die. Heaven, Hell, purgatory, reincarnation – these are all concepts foreign to the Torah (though not necessarily foreign to Judaism). The Bible itself, at least on the surface, […] is concerned specifically with how to live in this world, and the idea of an afterlife hasn’t been central to Jewish belief.”
“A famous folktale says that in both Heaven and Hell, human beings sit at tables filled with wonderful foods, but they can’t bend their elbows. In Hell, the people are perpetually starved, since they can’t bring the food to their mouths. In Heaven, each person feeds his or her neighbor. The fact is that in Judaism, the life well lived is its own reward, while a wicked life is its own punishment. That’s why, in two of the stories quoted above, Heaven and Hell are described as identical places. The difference between them stems from us, reflecting the quality of our souls and the way we engage life. It really has nothing to do with divine judgement after death.”
“Because we learn and evolve best when we’re stuck, and have to choose to move forward, our enslavements, however minor or overwhelming, offer us precious opportunities for awakening and growing beyond old patterns and beliefs.”
“Everyone loves the freedom to do stuff. We want the freedom to go places, to see and do what we want, and the freedom to say or believe what we want. ‘The freedom to’ is obviously extremely important. But some say ‘the freedom from’ is even more precious. As Dr. Abram Davis writes, ‘To be free from anger, free from hatred, free from the chains that bind the heart – this is what it means to be free from Mitzrayim; from the narrow places.”
“[A] favorite part of the Passover Seder is singing the song called ‘Dayenu,’ which meant “It is enough.” […] In short, the song says ‘If God just took us out of Egypt, that would have been enough. If God had just given us Shabbat, that would have been enough. If God had just given us Torah, that would have been enough,’ and so on. The Jews see Dayenu as a call to be grateful for where you are, wherever you are, knowing that it’s where you’re supposed to be.”
“We are saddened by the fact that monotheism has, in some regards, turned into a game of ‘There’s only one God, and it’s my God’ rather than ‘We’re all on our own paths to The One God.”
Excerpts I highlighted:
“Try a fun mystical game called ‘That’s God’ to heighten your spiritual awareness. Each day, look carefully at each person you see on the street, or each animal, or thing on your desk, or whatever. And say to yourself, ‘Hey, that’s part of God too.’ When you recognize that every person and thing around you is a different facet of one being, and you can keep that in your heart, then you’re winning the game.”
“As the animal rights activist Richard H. Schwartz once wrote, ‘While Judaism has many beautiful symbols, such as the mezuzah, menorah, and sukkah, there is only one symbol that represents God – and that is each person.’ As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel taught, more important than to have a symbol, is to be a symbol. And every person can consider himself or herself a symbol of God.”
“As Salanter once wrote, ‘Normally, we worry about our own material wellbeing, and our neighbors’ souls. Let us rather worry about our neighbors’ material wellbeing, and our own souls.’”
“Whoever sustains and saves a single life, it is as if he or she has sustained a whole world.” -Mishnah (Sanhedrin 4:5)
“If we seek peace, the means of our seeking must be peaceful. If we seek love, we must seek it lovingly.”
“The Talmud records Rabbi Tarfon’s words: ‘It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work. But neither are you free to desist from it altogether.’” - Pirkei Avot 2:21
“If you were to leave a message for your family or friends to be opened after you die, what would it say? What would you want to tell your children? Or your grandchildren, even if they haven’t been born yet? The idea of writing a will describing what to do with your assets is widely accepted. However, Jewish tradition has long urged writing an ethical will as well, communicating your values and lessons, perhaps in the form of a letter or essay to be read after you die.”
“If possible, a person who is approaching death may want to recite the central affirmation of Judaism, called the Sh’ma, which proclaims the absolute oneness of God. This recitation is meant to inspire calmness at a moment of transition, urging us to remember that everything is contained in God, and that in God, nothing can ever be lost. […] At the moment of death, all of us need the reminder that we are always connected to the source of all being.”
“One of the biggest surprises in Judaism is that the Bible, the foundation of the faith that led to both Christianity and Islam, has nothing to say about what happens after you die. Heaven, Hell, purgatory, reincarnation – these are all concepts foreign to the Torah (though not necessarily foreign to Judaism). The Bible itself, at least on the surface, […] is concerned specifically with how to live in this world, and the idea of an afterlife hasn’t been central to Jewish belief.”
“A famous folktale says that in both Heaven and Hell, human beings sit at tables filled with wonderful foods, but they can’t bend their elbows. In Hell, the people are perpetually starved, since they can’t bring the food to their mouths. In Heaven, each person feeds his or her neighbor. The fact is that in Judaism, the life well lived is its own reward, while a wicked life is its own punishment. That’s why, in two of the stories quoted above, Heaven and Hell are described as identical places. The difference between them stems from us, reflecting the quality of our souls and the way we engage life. It really has nothing to do with divine judgement after death.”
“Because we learn and evolve best when we’re stuck, and have to choose to move forward, our enslavements, however minor or overwhelming, offer us precious opportunities for awakening and growing beyond old patterns and beliefs.”
“Everyone loves the freedom to do stuff. We want the freedom to go places, to see and do what we want, and the freedom to say or believe what we want. ‘The freedom to’ is obviously extremely important. But some say ‘the freedom from’ is even more precious. As Dr. Abram Davis writes, ‘To be free from anger, free from hatred, free from the chains that bind the heart – this is what it means to be free from Mitzrayim; from the narrow places.”
“[A] favorite part of the Passover Seder is singing the song called ‘Dayenu,’ which meant “It is enough.” […] In short, the song says ‘If God just took us out of Egypt, that would have been enough. If God had just given us Shabbat, that would have been enough. If God had just given us Torah, that would have been enough,’ and so on. The Jews see Dayenu as a call to be grateful for where you are, wherever you are, knowing that it’s where you’re supposed to be.”
“We are saddened by the fact that monotheism has, in some regards, turned into a game of ‘There’s only one God, and it’s my God’ rather than ‘We’re all on our own paths to The One God.”
November 13, 2022
Great Overview
An excellent introduction to Judaism, especially in the United States. Easy to read, this book covers many serious topics without taking itself too seriously. A great place to start if you have ever had questions about Judaism or are interested in pursuing to tradition yourself.
An excellent introduction to Judaism, especially in the United States. Easy to read, this book covers many serious topics without taking itself too seriously. A great place to start if you have ever had questions about Judaism or are interested in pursuing to tradition yourself.
April 4, 2026
It took me a really long time to read this and I read it mostly because I wanted to know more about Judaism. This book did the deed, it gave me lots of informations. But the jokes also got on my nerves. And the authors also skirt around the whole Israel-Palestina-conflict. While I understand that this book is somewhat older, it still bothered me a bit.
August 26, 2019
Full of lies, half-truths, blame shifting and evasion.
Read what the Talmud ACTUALLY says about Jesus, Christians and the promotion of lying to anyone who isn't a Jew.
Read what the Talmud ACTUALLY says about Jesus, Christians and the promotion of lying to anyone who isn't a Jew.
December 12, 2019
Fantastic introduction to Judaism. I think some of the chapters could have been organized better, but that is my only critique. Very thorough.
February 18, 2021
Comprehensive
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews