Judaism for Everyone
Renewing Your Life Through the Vibrant Lessons of the Jewish Faith
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
With the publication of his runaway best seller Kosher Sex (1999), Rabbi Shmuley Boteach gained instant fame as a sage and savvy commentator on public and private life. Now he turns his outspoken energy and vast erudition to the core teachings of Judaism itself. During his eleven years as Rabbi of Oxford University and founder of the university's Jewish outreach organization, the L'Chaim Society, Boteach began to realize how well-matched the foundational beliefs of Judaism are to the broad human needs of the modern world. Unlike the dualist credo of other religions -- in which the material and spiritual are always in conflict -- the Jewish faith, argues Boteach, uniquely represents a spiritual philosophy concerned about life in this world, rather than in the hereafter. In Judaism for Everyone this most unorthodox of orthodox rabbis explores the Jewish and Biblical origins of civilization's seminal moral ideas and presents Judaism as a program of action for people of all faiths. Boteach's interpretations and commentary are a vibrant celebration of the dynamism that is Judaism. Whether he's peppering his points with stories from his childhood, promoting feminism and decrying boredom, or extolling the virtues of leisure and solitude, Shmuley Boteach never fails to inform, inspire -- and surprise. Judaism for Everyone is for everyone seeking a universal moral creed to maximize human goodness and inner potential.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The next thousand years will usher in a "Jewish millennium" in which both Jews and non-Jews will adopt core Jewish spiritual practices, predicts Boteach (Kosher Sex; etc.). He offers this book as a "beachhead where all can land safely" during the coming Jewish wave. Judaism is not a better religion than the world's other great faiths, he claims, but it is more suited to our times because it melds the spiritual and material in order to create heaven on earth. Boteach covers everything from gender to anti-Semitism in five rather arbitrary divisions: the elements of Judaism, the Jewish faith, festivals and holy days, the world at large and the future of Judaism. His creative viewpoints are often refreshing; he argues, for instance, that to experience the reality of God, men need to "harness their inner feminine energy," reducing their aggressiveness in order to focus the divine. But the book's uneven tone veers between bold sound-bytes ("The essence of Judaism is this: Take God very seriously and never take yourself seriously") and off-putting lectures ("modern-day men and women... end up squandering their free time on insubstantial pursuits like watching television, sunbathing, reading trashy novels and obsessively discussing their local sports teams"). Boteach quotes both Orthodox and non-Orthodox thinkers, but offers little proof for his pronouncements, presenting them simply as "Judaism." While Boteach's great faith in Judaism as a source of inspiration shines through, his ability to translate that passion is less evident.
