The Jewish Holidays: A Guide & Commentary

by Michael Strassfeld

The coeditor of the enormously popular Jewish Catalog "help[s] readers understand more fully the meaning of our holidays and thereby to observe these festivals . . . with a greater devotion and joy."--Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler

Genres: Judaism, Jewish, Religion, Nonfiction, Judaica, Reference

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 5, 1993

Reviews

[James Kittredge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic resource for learning about the history, culture, liturgical practice, and symbolic meaning behind Jewish holiday observance. Coming to the book without a Jewish upbringing, I had a difficult time understanding why so much Judaism 101 literature devotes as much time to holidays as it does. For me, holidays had always been fairly devoid of meaning or ritual, and they were usually couched in some kind of consumer activity. As a potential convert, it took me until reading this book to realize why holidays are so important in Judaism.

As Strassfeld explains, one need only look to the holidays to find an encapsulation of most of the major themes and values flowing through Jewish spiritual practice. Pesach, for example, reminds us, through a description of the escape from bondage, of our shared humanity, while also being a key moment for understanding that "chosenness" is about responsibility and duty to our world, rather than the awarding of unearned merit. Yom Kippur brings us into a visceral, communal encounter with our own mortality - forcing us to take spiritual inventory, make restitution to those we have wronged, and endeavor to make full use of the time awarded to us to work toward being better people. Purim urges us to interrogate the nature of conviction and heroism, as well as reminding us of how easy it can be to blur the lines between virtuous protector and vengeful attacker.

Reading the book helped me internalize that Judaism is a religion consumed by a concern for ethical behavior and one that places the marking of time and a yearly cycle of study and self/world-improvement at the center of spiritual practice. Each of the holidays (at least the major ones) exist in relation to one another, so viewing each in isolation from the others isn't especially helpful or instructive. Strassfeld does a wonderful job of illustrating how Jewish holiday observance provides a single, coherent narrative of the Jewish story.

Each entry also contains information about the historical/agricultural origins of each holiday, as well as specifics of how to observe each holiday in the home.

Despite being grateful for the level of detail in the writing, there were times when I found myself skipping ahead a bit, especially at times when Strassfeld becomes preoccupied with the minutiae of Orthodox-specific belief and observance, but those times were exceptions to the rule. Coming from a liberal, Reform standpoint, I still found the book to be inclusive and welcoming. It's a great resource that I'm confident I will refer back to as I continue on my journey.

[Phoebe Sernaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fantastic overview of the Jewish holidays. Not only did it contextualize everything but Strassfeld did a fantastic job of tackling the topic from different perspectives so that the reader never felt like they were being told the right or wrong way to approach a holiday, instead providing a variety of approaches. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a deeper knowledge of the holidays than what one would get from a skim through Wikipedia, as the text is clear and never feels overwhelming or confusing.

[David Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

THis was a good book with a detailed view of the Jewish Holidays by a Rabbi practiced in observing the celebrations.

[Diana Kullman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It went into the different interpretations of how and why celebrations/holidays changed over the centuries.

[Aaron Hand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thorough, extensively so. More info than I wanted but another good resource for thinking through the Jewish holidays from a Christian perspective. Helpful resource.

[Matt West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific read for getting a good foundation on all the Jewish Holidays, both major and minor. Not only does Strassfeld give the history and how-to of the holidays, but he also includes some terrific commentary on the holidays in the pages margins. Great for new Jews.

[Craig Bolton]

Jewish Holidays by Michael Strassfeld (1993)

[Bruce]

I have to read this for school. Or schul. Or something.

[Marianne Ogden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful resource!

[Helga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the pictures and the variety of practices it shows. If you are looking for a how-to book, though, this is not for you.