Judaism: A Short Introduction

Beginner's Guide (Oneworld Publications)

by Lavinia Cohn-Sherbok, Dan Cohn-Sherbok

This clear and comprehensive introduction explores all the topics essential for an informed understanding of the Jewish tradition, from the role of worship to the relationship between death and religious belief.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Judaism, History

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Soheil]

این کتاب را با هدف آشنایی بیشتر با دین یهود انتخاب کردم. در واقع آن سطح از اطلاعات عمومی که مد نظرم بود را کسب کردم اما احساس داشتم که کتاب تماما یک طرفه نوشته شده است. به همین دلیل نمیتوانم تمام مراتب مطرح شده در این کتاب را در خصوص فلسفه و رویکردهای نسبت به این دین بپذیرم.

[The Other Silas]

It's strange how reading a book about Judaism made me feel closer to my own religion. I may have known of Judaism my entire life but there were so many things, both little and apparent, that I just didn't know. This book gave me the perfect introduction to this 3000-year-old faith. It's well-written and easy to understand. Most of the jargon is explained in the text, and it had the right amount of every aspect of the religion for a beginner's guide. It also helped that I kept "A Concise Encyclopedia of Judaism" by the same author, as reference.
My rudimentary knowledge was built upon and many questions I had from the things I'd heard were finally answered. Like the concept of the Jewish afterlife, the details of kashrut, and the divisions of the text. I finally understand the difference between the Torah, the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Gospel. (which might be obvious to some but it always confused me.)
There are also certain differences in the Abrahamic faiths that, being a Muslim, are striking to me every time. Like the role of Prophet Haroon A.S. (Aaron) in the building of the golden calf. In the Islamic narrative, he never took part in it. He tried stopping his people but they didn't listen to him. And upon the return of Prophet Musa A.S. (Moses), the confrontation between the brothers is one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever read.
Also, the difference in which son Prophet Ibrahim A.S. (Abraham) took to sacrifice. In Judaism and Christianity, he took his son Ishaq A.S. (Isaac), whereas, in Islam, it was his son Ismail A.S. (Ishmael). This, of course, has no bearing on the quality of the book. I just find it curious every time.
Overall, it was a great beginner's guide and definitely increased my knowledge of Judaism and gave me a better understanding of it.

[Sepehr Asadi]

سطحی. به خود نسخه‌ی انگلیسی‌اش ۳ ستاره می‌دادم، ولی پاورقی‌های جمهوری اسلامی حسابی میاره این کتاب رو پایین. فکر کنم خوندن کتاب مربوط به یهودیت در سری A Very Short Introduction آکسفورد خیلی مفیدتر باشه.

[Ñ]

Bastante básico, aprendi unas cuantas cosas tho

[Alvaro del Rio]

Un poco de cultura general nunca esta mal

[Masoud]

عنوان انگلیسی کتاب عبارت است از :
Judaism: A Beginner's Guide 
برای آشنایی مختصر با دین یهود نیاز به کتابی داشتم تا تشابه نسبی برخی آیین ها و قوانین و میزان وام گرفتن دو دین دیگر سامی از دین یهود، میزان تاثیر پذیری دین یهود از اساطیر بین النهرینی و مصری ( از آب گرفته شدن موسی و تشابه آن با اسطوره سارگون اکدی و یا تشابه ده فرمان موسی با قوانین حمورابی و غیره) برایم مشخص شود.

این کتاب در ابتدا و به طور متخصر به معرفی اصول، روایات، مناسک، آیین ها و طبقه بندی رهبران مذهبی قوم یهود می پردازد. در ادامه شکل گیری جوامع یهودی در دل سایر ملل و بر همکنش آنها نشان داده می شود. مهترین نقطه ضعف کتاب، مختصر بودن بیش از حد تمام مطالب آن است که اجازه درک کامل موضوعات متعدد مطرح شده را نمی دهد و خواننده مجبور است به منبع دیگری مراجعه نماید. اگر نیاز به بررسی دقیق تر از این آیین ها و مناسک و برهمکنش ادیان سامی و سایر مذاهب هستید، کانال یوتیوب ReligionForBreakfast  با ویدیوهای بسیار جذاب و توضیحات خوب پیشنهاد می شود.

[Any Length]

This book was great. It answered all my questions about Judaism. I now have a much better understanding of their Judaism and especially orthodox Judaism. Talk about being commited to your faith. Wow.

[Kira]

Really interesting!

[Roger Buck]

Accessible, useful guide to our elder brothers from our elder brothers ...

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