Books of the People

he Jews have ever been a people molded by the written word. It is no coincidence, therefore, that certain texts have come to play key roles in the continuum of Jewish discourse. Books of the People: Revisiting Classic Works of Jewish Thought presents ten foundational books written between the tenth and the twentieth centuries that have dramatically influenced the development of Jewish thought, examined by contemporary scholars of Jewish studies. Each scholar revisits a particularly salient work and discusses its themes, its historical context, the circumstances and background of its author, and its relevance to contemporary society. 

A thousand years of Jewish thought, seen through the lens of modern thinkers, in one accessible volume: 

• Rav Saadia Gaon’s Emunot VeDeot 

• Rabbi Judah Halevi’s Kuzari 

• Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed 

• Rabbi Joseph Albo’s Sefer HaIkkarim 

• Maharal’s Gevurot Hashem 

• Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi’s Tanya 

• Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav’s Tales 

• Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch’s Nineteen Letters 

• Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin’s Haamek Davar 

• Rav Abraham Isaac Kook’s Orot HaTeshuva 

• Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s Halakhic Man 

• Rabbi Isaac Hutner’s Pahad Yitzḥak