Alex
A very nice history of Judaism, but some parts of the book are clearly stronger than others. Martin is at his best explaining Second Temple Judaism and all of its constituent parts. I also very much enjoyed his discussion of Judaism in late antiquity. His take on more recent history; however; reads more like a breezy survey. Overall; though, I would certainly recommend the book.
While my approach to Judaism differs quite a bit from that of Hurwitz, I very much enjoyed this book. Readers should know that the book embraces a vision of Judaism that probably best fits into the “liberal Jewish” world-view (i.e., Reform/Reconstructionist/Conservative), though Hurwitz does try to present Orthodox positions in a number of places.
That being said, the book does a very nice job explaining to readers why Judaism is worthy of a modern, educated person's attention. As Hurwitz says in the introduction, if you are looking for peace of mind or spiritual connection; looking to understand yourself more deeply; looking to become a better person; or looking to lead a more meaningful, impactful life, then Judaism might be the answer. Of course, Judaism is a 4,000 year old civilization that can be intimidating to the uninitiated. Finding the right approach is key when dealing an intellectual tradition that often assumes a certain base of background knowledge. As someone once said about the Talmud, which Jewish tradition compares to the sea in that it has no beginning or end, the trick for the newcomer is to find a place where the shore slopes gently down into the water. Hurwitz helps you do just that.
A number of people have asked me over the years for advice on where to start learning more about Judaism. This book probably comes closest to what they are looking for. While not a “how to” book, Hurwitz helps you see why Jewish practices are worth pursuing and gives you some direction for how to pursue your own Jewish journey. Whether it is the inspirational practice of prayer and meditation; the soothing calm of weekly Shabbat observance; the communal experience of the major holiday seasons; or the intellectual challenge of grappling with centuries-old texts, there is something in the Jewish tradition for everyone–but only if you know where to look. Hurwitz guides you through each of these topics, and more, giving you a taste of each. Finally, she includes a list of resources for those looking to learn more.
Pagans and Christians in the City is an excellent book. It focuses on the broad sweep of Western Civilization, looking at the interplay between pagan religion and values and Christian religion and values. While Christian values may have supplanted those of the Roman Empire, it appears that many of those same values have made a resurgence in modern times. The book is weakest when it tries to tie these trends to the modern day culture wars, where the author's more conservative views become abundantly obvious. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend the book. It opened me up to a broad vision of what might be the overarching storyline behind Western Civilization and has helped me to better understand some of the trends motivating today's underlying social tensions.
This is a collection of festival sermons from R' Kanotopsky, one of Rav Soloveitchik's top students. Many of them were written and delivered during truly historic moments in Jewish history - the end of WWII and the founding of the state of Israel. Not only are the sermons first rate, but the it is fascinating to see what a top congregational rabbi was preaching during those momentous times. Highly recommended.
An interesting book, but extremely scholarly – not for the reader more interested in a biography of the Besht's life. Most of the book is devoted to an in depth analysis of the various sources of evidence available to us that relate to the Besht. The take away is more what we don't know, than what we do.
