The Book of Jewish Values: A Day-by-Day Guide to Ethical Living » (1ST)

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, spiritual leader and scholar, is the author of Jewish Literacy, the most widely read book on Judaism of the past two decades. Another of his books, Words That Hurt, Words That Heal, was the motivating force behind Senators Joseph Lieberman and Connie Mack's 1996 Senate Resolution #151 to establish a "National Speak No Evil Day" throughout the United States. Rabbi Telushkin serves as a senior associate of CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, and is the rabbi of the Los Angeles-based Synagogue for the Performing Arts. He lives with his family in New York City and lectures regularly throughout the United States.

In The Book of Jewish Values, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin has combed the Bible, the Talmud, and the whole spectrum of Judaism's sacred writings to give us a manual on how to lead a decent, kind, and honest life in a morally complicated world. Telushkin speaks to the major ethical issues of our time, issues that have, of course, been around since the beginning. He offers one or two pages a day of pithy, wise, and easily accessible teachings designed to be put into immediate practice. The range of the book is as broad as life itself:

The first trait to seek in a spouse (Day 17)
When, if ever, lying is permitted (Days 71-73)
Why acting cheerfully is a requirement, not a choice (Day 39)
What children don't owe their parents (Day 128)
Whether Jews should donate their organs (Day 290)
An effective but expensive technique for curbing your anger (Day 156)
How to raise truthful children (Day 298)
What purchases are always forbidden (Day 3)

In addition, Telushkin raises issues with ethical implications that may surprise you, such as the need to tip those whom you don't see (Day 109), the right thing to do when you hear an ambulance siren (Day 1), and why wasting time is a sin (Day 15). Whether he is telling us what Jewish tradition has to say about insider trading or about the relationship between employers and employees, he provides fresh inspiration and clear guidance for every day of our lives.

Library Journal

Rabbi Telushkin, author of ten previous books, has offered 365 nuggets of rabbinical advice on everything from anger to Maimonides to the telephone. This is the latest of many recent publications to address the resurgence of Jewish spiritual life, and it is one of the more appealing entries; for many readers it will feel like a few minutes a day on the synagogue steps with a favorite rabbi. For collections where there is a significant Jewish readership. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\