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Judaism: A Very Short Introduction Edition Unstated

by Norman Solomon (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 60 ratings
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Judaism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
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Norman Solomon's succinct book is an ideal introduction to Judaism as a religion and way of life. In addition to surveying the nature and development of Judaism, this Very Short Introduction outlines the basics of practical Judaism -- its festivals, prayers, customs, and various sects. Modern concerns and debates of the Jewish people are also addressed, such as the impact of the Holocaust, the establishment of the State of Israel, the status of women, and medical and commercial ethics.

About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam
Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    0192853902
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0192853905
  3. Edition
    Edition Unstated
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    June 15, 2000
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    7 x 0.4 x 4.4 inches
  8. Print length
    168 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Solomon] manages to cover a remarkable range of material regarding the nature of the Jews as a historical group, the history of Judaism's religious tradition, the origins of Christianity, and aspects of historical and contemporary piety and practice."--Religious Studies Review

"An excellent brief introduction; contains all your students need to know at the basic level."--I.A. Van Liere, College of Charleston

"Compact and detailed, this is a well-balanced presentation of the biblical foundations, historical development, and contemporary shape of the Jewish tradition. Ideal for those coming to Judaism for the first time."--Ralph Keen, University of Iowa

Book Description

An engaging overview of all aspects of Judaism

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Edition Unstated (June 15, 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 168 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0192853902
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0192853905
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1360L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.4 x 4.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 60 ratings

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Norman Solomon

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
60 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Peter Reeve
5.0 out of 5 stars Solomon's good judgment
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2008
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The PBS series The Jewish Americans happened to be showing, while I was reading this book, and the two complemented each other very well. I wholeheartedly recommend both. World Jewry numbers around 13 million, maybe as many as 18 million, depending on whom and how you count. More than 6 million live in the US, more even than in Israel itself.

Being British, Solomon presents a somewhat Eurocentric view, but not to the extent that it is a problem, and I don't think American readers are for the most part troubled by the occasional British spelling or usage.

It must be a daunting prospect for a scholar, having to condense a vast store of knowledge into one of these little books, deciding what to include and what must go, but Solomon judges this well. He emphasizes the diversity and continuing evolution of Judaism, correcting common misconceptions about how ancient or orthodox certain aspects of Judaism are. He also lays special stress on the importance of the Holocaust and of modern Israel in shaping contemporary Jewish thought.

There are plenty of basic facts - descriptions of festivals, etc - included here, as you would expect. It also raises a great many issues and cites a number of authors, making this an excellent place to begin a more detailed study, if you wished.

Solomon writes well, with a light, sometimes even humorous touch, where appropriate. He was a lecturer at Oxford when this book was first published in 1996, but is now retired, I believe. A revised edition wouldn't go amiss. Perhaps he is too busy working on his Penguin Classics Talmud, which is due out soon and should be worth reading. He is not to be confused with the American activist of the same name, although Amazon does exactly that, so that if you click on either author, you get a list of books by both of them. Take it from me, they are very different!
13 people found this helpful
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Roger Schultz
4.0 out of 5 stars Who knew?
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2013
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I'm a Christian who thought himself adequately informed about Judaism. I ordered this book because Norman Solomon is known for his WAR MADE EASY and I was curious how he would handle the subject of his own religion. I was shocked to learn that I previously knew virtually nothing about Judaism! This is a concise yet comprehensive and even handed exposition of a complex subject that was a joy to read. I can't claim that I know about Judaism, but I do know that I didn't.
2 people found this helpful
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Maurice D. Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars Well-organized, compact resource written in a friendly and accessible voice
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2018
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I've recommended this book many times over in my work as a congregational rabbi in one of the liberal movements of Judaism in the US. I especially love the opening pages, which are written in a welcoming and thoughtful voice and are designed to help people who may have very different basic ideas of what a religion is to understand that Judaism doesn't fit neatly into some of those frameworks. The author is English, and yet provides succinct and clear descriptions of the various movements of Judaism in North America and elsewhere. The book also has really useful charts and is surprising in how much information it fits into such a small package. The info it provides is also accessible and easy to locate, retrieve, and use in a classroom setting or in one-on-one discussions with people thinking about exploring conversion to Judaism. No Intro to Judaism book is perfect, and there's been such rapid change in all of the movements of Judaism in the past couple decades that it is hard to write a book like this that always speaks to the current zeitgeist. But I've found this book to be a helpful, enduring resource, and I continue to use it a lot in my work.
2 people found this helpful
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Reader 47
5.0 out of 5 stars Judaism Book
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2012
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Excellent work. Some of the authors' insights were interesting, especially when he discusses Judaism's split from Christianity. His description of Rabbinic Judaism, especially the Talmud and Oral Law, was superior to many other authors. He explained to the average reader that Rabbinic Judaism is where contemporary Judaism developed from. Few Jews and non-Jews understand this, and think Judaism ended with the Hebrew Scriptures. A great book.
3 people found this helpful
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Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars Great product and price!
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2019
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Needed this for a class. As described. Thank you!!!
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J. Backman
4.0 out of 5 stars A Reasonably Good Introduction, But Too Long-Winded at Points
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2015
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Not bad for an introduction. But a bit long-winded at points (which is somewhat ironic for a "Very Short Introduction"). At times, I feel like the author could move to the next point, but instead he provides multiple quotes from multiple Old Testament portions that I could look up on my own if I wanted to read the passages
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Cynthia Warshaw
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2013
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I found the author's explanation for the division between Jews and Christians informative however it was difficult to continue reading after statements such as " Columbus was possibly a "secret Jew" were thrown with no scholarly research or even the author's rational for making such a claim. Perhaps this books is already for those familiar with Judaism, I'm which case the title should be changed.
4 people found this helpful
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Kari
5.0 out of 5 stars Great, easy, accurate read
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2014
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I absolutely love this book. It's a very easy read and explains the religion from the very beginning. It's very easy to understand and follow. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the study of Judaism.
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Raza Chaudhry
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice introductory book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2019
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Nice little introductory book on Judaism!
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MinmiRoad
5.0 out of 5 stars Strongly recommended.
Reviewed in Australia on November 18, 2014
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This was an excellent introduction to modern Judaism. It was written with humanity and humour. It covered a lot of ground in a relatively small book. I look forward to reading more books in the series.
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Mark William
4.0 out of 5 stars Judentum - eine einfach Einführung für jedermann
Reviewed in Germany on February 5, 2010
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Ich lese im Jahr ca. 30 bis 50 Bücher über das Judentum, Israel, Islam, Christentum. Ich fand das Buch sehr hilfreich. Du musst nicht ein Rabbi sein, um die Welt des Judentums zu verstehen. In diesem Buch steht Vieles in einer einfachen Sprache.
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Liam S
4.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive introduction and beyond.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2013
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I am generally pleased with this introduction to Judaism and its main philosophical, theological, cultural, and historical components. It goes into a great depth of detail concerning the origins of Judaism and its values and historical movers and shakers and the settings in which they lived and espoused their teachings.

The first quarter of the book is focused almost primarily on the comparison between Judaism and Christianity and asking the questions of how and why they split and what is the key differences are. That being said, for someone such as myself raised tinok shenishba and with no great in-depth knowledge of Christianity either, this can be a little difficult to grip and it isn't helped by the fact that the writing is very dry and jargonisms abound throughout. For someone who wants to dip their toes into the knowledge pool they may find this work a little cold and difficult to access, for those wishing to pursue knowledge beyond this book then it's a great book to jump right into. Thankfully I belong to the latter as I wish to study with a local shul upon entrance to university next year, and this book is an excellent reference point for topics of interest to study further.

The information packed into this tiny work is admirable however. The book takes you on a journey from exploration of Jewish identity (I feel this could have been expanded on including current inter-Jewish debate on Jewish identity both in Israel and the diaspora and the cultural, historical, and secular conceptions of Jewish identity), through the history of its great thinkers and philosophers who shaped Judaism and how it is now known, taught, and lived. Through to the way its teachings are practiced, explanation of its calendar and most important festivals, and its spiritual importance.

This then takes you back through to the comparison with Christianity and modernity in Chapter 7 and 8, a comparison of Jewish denominations (I feel there is a slight bias towards the Reform movement. Despite the author being an Orthodox Rabbi, there was a denouncement of his attitude as closer to Reform, although largely personal, see an article by Rabbi N. Daniel Korobkin "When Orthodox scholarship is neither"). Then through a very small history of Zionism and Israel which could have been expanded upon, even 4-5 pages in travel books I have read are more comprehensive of these topics which find themselves in constant discussion on both sides of the political spectrum. And finally, information on Holocaust theology and law regarding abortion and artificial insemination.

The book is then capped off with Maimonides Thirteen Principles of Faith, and the Statement of Principles of the Philadelphia Conference regarding Reform Judaism, and a wonderful chapter by chapter suggestion for further reading.

I wont pretend to be able to expand on the knowledge already provided in this book, although believe there was little room for improvement and further information within. I appreciate however that the author was probably commissioned to write this and had limitations, and with that said, has done an astounding job. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in Judaism.
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Dr. Pip
5.0 out of 5 stars Cultural origins of the Mediterranean and Europe
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2014
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A primer of our cultural history whether Jewish Christian or Islamic in the last two millennia, Something we all need to understand if not believe.
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