Reddit mentions: The best jewish sacred texts books

I've got some suggestions!

One of my favorite books is The Jew in the Lotus: A Poet's Rediscovery of Jewish Identity in Buddhist India by Rodger Kamenetz. The book chronicles a journey by the first Jewish delegation to meet with the Dalai Lama. The rabbis involved come from different backgrounds. Some are more mystical than others, but each have important things to say. As a bonus, it's a thrilling adventure and you get to learn a little bit about Tibetan Buddhism. Also, Kamenetz is a beautiful writer.

Now, you mentioned "mysticism." So mysticism in Judaism often defaults to Kabbalah. Many Jews and Jewish denominations do not believe in Kabbalah. So keep that in mind. But of course, there are Jews who do believe in it. So certainly it should be discussed. Anyway, there's a lot of misinformation about Kabbalah out there, much of which spread by the Kabbalah Centre. Just as "Yoga" means something different to a Hindu and an American, so too does "Kabbalah" mean something different in Judaism than to an American. New-Age movements are inspired by ancient traditions, but it's best not to confuse them with the ancient traditions.

Anyway, much of Kabbalah derives from the Zohar. Daniel C. Matt is a wonderful scholar, and has a book with selections of the Zohar translated called Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment. He also has a book called The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism which presents translated primary sources to explain many concepts in Kabbalah. It's a pretty book, and a fun read. Also, here is a video of Daniel C. Matt speaking, just to give you a taste of who he is.

Daniel C. Matt's Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment has a forward by Rabbi Arthur Green. Green is a leader in Reconstructionist Judaism and Neo-Hasidism, and a scholar of Jewish mysticism. He has a book called Radical Judaism: Rethinking God and Tradition which outlines a liberal and panentheistic Judaism deriving from Hasidic Kabbalah. Green is a theologian while Matt is a scholar, so Green is presenting a cohesive spiritual view while Matt is simply presenting documents. Green's book is pretty short. I think some of his ideas are nice, but some of them didn't do anything for me. Maybe it's the kind of thing you'd like to check out.

Green's book is based on Hasidism which is a mystical Jewish movement which is derived from Lurianic Kabbalah. I have a few books on my reading list for Hasidism waiting to be read. Of what I've read, I greatly enjoyed Ellie Wiesel's Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of the Hasidic Masters. Wiesel's book is a collection of tales and descriptions of the different Hasidic leaders. Stories and the character of different leaders have been very important in Hasidism, so this is a good book to give you a feel of Hasidism. Many of the tales invoke a sense of ecstasy, love, and awe. There's also Martin Buber's Tales of the Hasidim, but I found it a little drier than Wiesel's book.

The Chabad is a well known Hasidic organization. Their website offers a lot of information on regular Jewish concepts, but they also have articles on a whole range of mysticism. Further, the Chabad also has a digital library with many books relevant to their Hasidic philosophy. Their website has a lot to offer, but I have some qualms about the Chabad and am wary to be overly reliant on them. Still, they're certainly a resource you should be aware of.

As /u/juden-shikker points out, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan is a great resource on meditation, Kabbalah, and mysticism. Further, Gershom Scholem is considered the father of academic study of Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism. Scholem has numerous books on a range of mystical topics in Judaism. Moshe Idel was a student of Scholem and in some ways a successor to him. Idel has published many works. Significantly, he has written on Abraham Abulafia and Prophetic Kabbalah (as opposed to Theosophical Kabbalah which is what most people saying, "Kabbalah," refer to). These authors would all serve as great resources for you.

If you're interested in more earth-based spirituality and feminist themes, Rabbi Jill Hammer has a website called Tel Shemesh devoted to these themes. She's also written a beautifully poetic book called The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons. For each day of the Jewish Year she quotes a verse from the Tanakh and a related quote from Midrash or Talmud. She then writes about the importance of that day in the Jewish Year or discusses a seasonally appropriate Jewish legend. It's interesting and beautifully written, however sometimes you have to take what she writes with a grain of salt. I also disagree with some of her sources. Still, though, she's a beautiful writer with something a little different to offer.

And finally there's Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Jewish Renewal. Gosh, what can one even say about Rabbi Zalman and Jewish Renewal? Some love them, some hate them. For some they're purely a phenomenon of one generation which is on its way out. Who knows? Maybe some of his works and the Jewish Renewal organization will be of some value to you. Also, Rabbi Zalman is one of the rabbis who traveled to meet the Dalai Lama in the first book I mentioned.

For the past few months I've been doing a lot of study on Jewish mysticism. So that's why I'm so ready and willing to throw books at you. I have other books as well, but the ones I've listed here give a wide variety of different views in Jewish mysticism and spirituality. Plus, I found all these ones to be pretty fun reads. Hope this could help!

Just to start off, its shabbos in much of the world so you won't get so many responses for a bit.

​

Lots and lots of people grew up with some Jewish identity, didn't do much, and later became religious. Seriously, its a whole movement. Of course everyone's situation is unique, but you aren't the first to struggle with this kinda thing. Thankfully, that has meant a ton of books and resources for people in your shoes, who want to learn more and do more but didn't grow up with it. Some of the biggest resources online are Aish and Chabad, I just found NJOP but it doesn't have as much on the site.

​

Now, as you know, the first step is to find a synagogue. I'd recommend looking for a Chabad or a young adults organization like a Young Jewish Professionals type of thing. They will have lots of classes for people from all sorts of backgrounds and will be super happy to help you find good resources, to teach you, etc. Chabad especially is everywhere, the joke is that only Coca-Cola and Chabad are worldwide. Next weekend is actually The Shabbos Project, which brings together people from all sorts of background to do a shabbos in a community. Actually one of these helped me really finalize my decision to become religious. And there are people here from all over who can recommend places.

​

So there are lots of basic books out there. One thing I would definitely recommend is to get a Chumash, I'd recommend the Stone Edition since its the most common but the Steinsaltz one also came out recently. A Chumash has the whole Torah and the Haftorot (the section from the Prophets read in synagogues every shabbos) with commentaries. Both the ones I linked have stuff from all sorts of commentators that help explain the text. One section of Torah is read every week on shabbos, so it makes for a great reading guide.

​

A good beginner book is To Be a Jew by Rabbi Hayim HeLevy Dovin. That one is absolutely classic. He also has another one, To Pray as a Jew, that's also excellent. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin also has a great one, Jewish Literacy, that goes through everything from Bible stories and characters to Jewish historical figures and writings. R' Teluskhin has tons of good stuff, I also have his A Code of Jewish Ethics, Jewish Wisdom, and a daily study book The Book of Jewish Values, they are all great learning resources. I'd also recommend Exploring Jewish Tradition, it really gets to the basics of Jewish practices. The 'Jewish Book of Why' set is also good, there are two volumes. There's no need to dive full on into halacha (Jewish law) and like books on Talmud right away, take the basics and then explore what is interesting to you. People sometimes burn out if they try too much too quick, but others love to just jump in full on and learn a bunch really quick (I'm the second but know people in the first category, both are totally ok ways to be).

​

If there is any specific thing you would like to read more about, I can recommend more stuff after shabbos. Its only been a year since I decided to become religious so I know the position you are in. And if you have any questions, there are lots of great resources online and lots of knowledgeable people here. Of course, as I'm sure your mother can attest, there are unhealthy Jewish communities. But I firmly believe for every bad one there are far more great ones. I'm pretty new to it but the couple places I have been are both very welcoming and I have made friends from most of the major areas. It does not have to be suffocating, and there's nothing wrong with learning and doing more at your own pace. If its ever too much, slow down and reassess before jumping in further. If you listen to what your neshama (soul) is saying it'll guide you right!

I strongly advise that you don't do Daf Yomi. You should at least develop proficiency in gemora first, and before that you should at least become proficient in mishna. You can't really work through a gemora (and remember what you've learned) if you're covering a daf a day. It's definitely not a starting point. (Also, I would advise buying one volume at a time, as needed, rather than the whole set. But if you can afford the whole set, more power to you. It's a good thing to own).

I highly recommend a thorough study of Pirkei Avot as a starting point.

I haven't learned it myself, but Ein Yaakov is a renowned compilation of aggadata with commentary. I love the Maharal's derech in learning Aggadata, but it's not a place to start.

For an easy and thorough grounding in some fundamental concepts, I don't think the Nineteen Letters can be beaten (I several editions on Amazon, but I'm not sure who translated them. The only translations I know of are one from 1899 and this one. This has notes which are not necessary to understand it, but are valuable both to understanding the text and in themselves).

Advice for books is really, first and foremost, to learn something that draws you and speaks to you, and secondly something that you will be able to maintain. If you have ideas about this and want specific suggestions, I would love to help, but I don't believe that there are any essentials that everyone must learn. It has to be suitable for your personal style.

Besides for a chavrusa, I would also highly recommend a shiur and a fixed schedule (it doesn't have to be a big schedule — even 15 minutes once a week or five minutes a day — but obviously the more you can manage, the better (within reason, of course)).

I don't know how to learn Hebrew. What Hebrew I do know, I learned mostly from learning texts with a dictionary and/or chavrusa

Some general advice: I'm certainly not discouraging you, but it's important to pace yourself. For sustainable and lasting spiritual growth, you should focus on one small step at a time, and not focusing too much on the end goal (eg "to become a baal teshuva"). If you want to learn, or if some other mitzvah appeals to you, by all means take that on, and then when it's comfortable, take another... but don't worry about where it will lead you. Similarly in learning, rather commit to a little less than you're sure you can handle and build incrementally on that than risk biting off more than you can chew. I don't mean to discourage you at all, and I wish you the greatest success in your learning :)

Elaine Pagels is a great contemporary scholar of Christian religion, and particularly textual and historical explication. Her The Origin of Satan is fascinating, and The Gnostic Gospels is a solid survey of some of the lost branches of early Christian tradition.

Gershom Scholem is one of the last century's great explicators of Judaism and mysticism, particularly the Kabbalah. I doubt there's a book he's written that isn't worth reading, but the best place to start may be his book On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism, particularly the chapter on the relation of mystical experience to community norms.

Speaking of Kabbalah, it's recent popularity speaks poorly of what is an otherwise venerable and serious tradition of symbolism and ethical concern. If you're interested in spiritual literature, it's probably not a bad idea to take a stab at the Zohar. There's an abridged translation by Scholem out in paperback, but you're probably better off with this edition.

That comes, incidentally, from a series of books issued by a Catholic publisher, Paulist Press, under the name Classics of Western Spirituality, which is generally excellent. So far as I know, it's the only press currently printing some truly classic historical texts, so their catalog is worth browsing. They're particularly good, as you might suspect, on early Christian texts -- I don't know where else you'd go for something like Carthusian Spirituality -- but they also have Sufist, Judaic and non-mainline texts. In particular, I'd say pick up the Pseudo Dionysus.

While we're on the subject of early Christian writers, there's The Desert Fathers, The Cloud of Unknowing, Revelations of Divine Love -- the last of which is a notable early example of feminine Christian spirituality.

On the more modern end, there's Simone Weil, the tragic Marxist-cum-Catholic. I'd recommend either Waiting for God or Letters to a Priest]. While we're talking about modern Christian theology, we should note three of the most important names of the 20th century: Paul Tillich, Rudolf Otto, and Tielhard de Chardin. The books to start with, respectively, are Dynamics of Faith, The Idea of the Holy, and The Divine Milieu.

Shifting away from Christianity, another major name in 20th century theology is Martin Buber, the Jewish German mystic. His I and Thou is the most generally applicable and was widely influential in existential circles, but he also wrote widely on issues of Jewish identity.

More in the mainstream of Jewish tradition, there's the Talmud, although the sheer size of the writings that full under that name are the sort of thing that scholars give their lives over to. For our purposes, something like Abraham Cohen's Everyman's Talmud will generally suffice.

And finally, I just recently bought The Three Pillars of Zen, which is widely held to be the best practical introduction to the topic available in English. There are a bewildering amount of books on the subject, but without some sort of framework for understanding their relation to the historical traditions, it can be nearly impossible to sort out which are worth while.

EDIT: Forgot linking by reference isn't working; fixed with inline links.

In the Talmudic Period, the importance of physical pleasure in a sexual relationship was an active area of discussion and academic pursuit in the universities of the ancient Jews. There are many discussions on the books about how much sex people should be having (i.e. lots) and how orgasms are an important part of it. This is, of course, only heterosexual sex -- homosexual sex was condemned for men and they just didn't even think women could have sex with each other at all.

From this period come such laws that are still upheld:

-- Sex outside of wedlock is permitted, but it is considered a form of engagement and a sexually active woman can choose to cover her hair if she wishes (in Talmudic times there wasn't much time to date around since you were betrothed in your teens most likely).

-- A couple are encouraged to have sex at least once a day, it is a considered a "mitzvah" -- a commandment, and are required to do it once a week minimum, on the sabbath (a "double mitzvah") as part of oneg shabbat, meaning sabbath pleasures which include rich food and wine as well.

-- A man is required to please his wife even if she cannot bare children and failing to do so is considered grounds for a divorce.

It is my understanding that still, in observant communities, a sexually inexperienced groom is required to have a meeting with the rabbi before his wedding where he gets a earful about where the clitoris is and how to keep it (and his future wife) happy, maybe a few tips about good positions, etc.

As odd as it sounds to people brought up in a largely Christian society, there are many laws and guidelines about how to enjoy yourself in multiple ways -- dressing nicely, giving gifts, resting on holidays, drinking wine and eating good food. I am proud to say that, when it comes to these laws, I am a very observant Jew!

EDIT: Several people have asked me for sources for this information, and perhaps it wasn't clear but the source is the Talmud. For those who want an academic approach to the topic but a bit more accessible and specific, I recommend Women in Jewish Law by Rachel Biale. For those who want something more accessible, I suggest starting with the Jewish Book of Why, Vol 1&2, you can just search for "sex" and "orgasm" in the index to get started.

The 4-source theory (or the Documentary Hypothesis) holds that Genesis (along with the rest of the Pentateuch [First 5 books of the Bible]) were written by 4 different authors, and later compiled into the book that we have.

The 4 sources are JEDP, J is the Jahwist, E is the Elohimist, D is the Deuteronomist, P is the Priestly Source.

I'm assuming you're writing about the flood narrative in Genesis, which is generally accepted to be a Jahwist text, thought to be written around 950 B.C.E.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_hypothesis

Use this to get legitimate sources.


There's also the traditional belief that Moses wrote the book of Genesis, which would place it at about 1250 B.C.E., but nobody really puts a whole lot of stock in that anymore.

Personally, I don't particularly buy the 4-source theory as it stands, as it seems to be an unnecessary explanation. It seems to me that the Pentateuch is a collection of Ancient Near Eastern myths compiled by one author, probably around 500 B.C.E. That's probably why you have some similarities with works like Gilgamesh and the Enuma Elish, because they all draw from the same oral traditions.

Anyways, I would look for sources on Wikipedia. Your best bet for good, solid information is on the documentary hypothesis. Let me know if you have any other questions, I'll see what i can do to help.

EDIT: Richard Friedman might be a good source. He has a few books that are accessible to the layperson. Particularly Who Wrote the Bible?.

I'd also recommend a few commentaries on Genesis. The best one I've read is the JPS Torah Commentary on Genesis by Dr. Nahum M. Sarna. It's got a lot of Hebrew stuff in it, but you can still get some good information about the Jewish interpretation of Genesis.

Good Luck.

Dont feel bad about not knowing. I spent more than a year doing research before I even first approached a Rabbi. For us learning is a life long process.

Books:

• Jews, God and History will give you a good understanding of our history as a people. Many major empires have tried to destroy us, by all rights we should not be here any more but our oppressors end up consigned to museums and history books.
  
  
• Basic Judaism seems to be good
  
  
• To Be a Jew is highly recommend by many.
  
  
• Becoming A Jew also popular regarding Orthodox conversion.
  
  
• Essential Judaism seems to be Reform oriented but may contain a more broad oversight than just that viewpoint.
  
  
• Being Jewish was one I read that I thought offered lots of good information overall.
  
  Possibly most importantly I'd say you need a Jewish bible with commentary. I'd recommend the Stone Chumash. I also keep a JPS Hebrew/English Tanakh on my desk. The "chumash" (AKA the Torah) is the five books of Moses. The "Tanakh" is the Torah, Prophets and Writings, the entire Hebrew bible .I say a "Jewish Bible" because 1) the translation is more direct from Hebrew, without the distortions of the KJV/NIV/etc. 2) you also get commentary on the text from key Jewish scholars throughout the ages to help you understand the meaning of the text, this part is very important.
  
  All above book links are to Amazon but I am not an affiliate and do not gain in any way. You can probably find all those and more at a specialty Judaica shop like http://www.judaism.com or another similar site.
  
  BTW you probably want to go over this site entirely http://www.jewfaq.org/ It is written by an Orthodox guy so is slanted that way but the information is all good.

Raziel is probably most famous for the book he gave to Adam. There are many versions of the story, including one where angels steal the book back from Adam out of jealousy. It supposedly passed through the hands of Enoch, Noah, and Solomon, inspiring the Book of Enoch, teaching Noah how to build the Ark, and granting Solomon great knowledge and power in magic respectively. Source

The origin of this story is pretty interesting: "The myth of the Book of Raziel grows out of a midrash attempting to explain the verse, This is the book of the generations of Adam (Gen. 5:1)." Source, also a good read

Raziel is mentioned in Targum Ecclesiastes 10:20 - "Do not speak evil of the king in thy conscience, nor in the secret of thy heart, nor in the most hidden place in thy house, curse not a wise man; for Raziel calls daily from heaven upon Mount Horeb, and his voice goes through the whole world; and Elijah, the great priest, goes, flying through the air like a winged eagle, and publishes the words which are spoken in secret by all the inhabitants of the earth." The Targumim are pretty old - they date back to the 1st to 7th centuries. This page offers an interesting theory about Raziel's early role in Jewish mysticism - not as the keeper of secrets but rather the revealer.

According to Maimonides (1135-1204) in his Mishneh Torah, Raziel is the chief of the order of Erelim, also the herald of God and preceptor of Adam.

Now, there is a 13th century medieval grimoire known as "Sefer Raziel HaMalakh". The true author is unknown, but it's commonly attributed to Eleazer of Worms or Isaac the Blind, medieval writers of the time. It draws heavily on Sefer Yetzirah and Sefer Ha-Razim, the former being the oldest and probably the most important Qabalistic text.

As for the Sefer Raziel itself, you can read it online here. Steve Savedow's translation is unfortunately not great, the amazon reviews sort of speak for themselves, but it's better than nothing. You may find something interesting there.

tl;dr Raziel is a very old and important angel, considering he derives from Genesis 5:1. If you are trying to connect to angels in a Qabalistic context, I'd highly recommend starting with the books they originated from, like Sefer Raziel and its predecessors. Hope this helps.

>I think Gordimer has been pretty on point throughout these back and forths...

Others have taken him to task for various incidents of hypocritical dishonesty and misrepresentation of the sources and quotes, but Cross-Currents's goal is to present a very right wing viewpoint for a right wing audience (preaching to the choir to make the choir feel better about itself), not honest discourse.

>both this and maharat.... It is making me nuts to see the face of modern orthodoxy attempt to maintain such weak and secular based positions.

YCT is not actually Modern Orthodoxy. They have labeled themselves Open Orthodoxy and broken away from mainstream Modern Orthodoxy, but for our purposes let's consider it "left wing" Modern Orthodoxy while YU is the "right wing" of Modern Orthodoxy. I'm not such a fan of YCT overall in a number of things, but there are ways to defend much of what they do/believe.

>one is that it's ideal, superior to chareidi judaism for those who can handle it...

This is a considerable misunderstanding. I recommend reading Rabbi Lamm's Torah Umadda if you want to get a sense of where Modern Orthodoxy is really coming from.

>That it's for you if your character is strong enough...

This is true of any movement really. I can say the same for Reform and I can say the same for Lakewood guys. Anyone who thinks about the movement they belong to and doesn't just float around the community because that's what they're used to.

>The other is that it's for people who are inclined to be religious, but do not have the devotion to do it 'all the way' as the chareidim do. That they are less devoted and conflicted....

Doesn't sound like you've met the devoted of Modern Orthodoxy. They're quite devoted, religious and spiritual, but there is a greater openness to modernity and secular culture. That doesn't mean that it is held above Torah, but the belief in a synthesis is part of the movement.

The other side of things of course is that Modern Orthodoxy embraces the people who aren't observant in a way that more right wing movements can't and won't (with the exception of Chabad) so they stick around rather than disappearing or being hidden. In more right wing expressions there is simply no place for such people, so they fall off the map, rather than remain a part of the community.

>it seems like their agenda is set from the talking points of secular (and in most cases atheist) academia,

The fact that many scientists are atheist has very little relevance beyond ad hominem to discuss what their findings are worth and how they impact our views regarding religion.

>focusing primarily and feminist issues...

A movement where women play a more prominent role (for a host of reasons beyond feminism) will naturally have more of an interest in women's issues. The fact that this is presented as a negative alongside atheism and heresy is part of the problem.

>with some heresy tossed in...

Please point out anything inherently heretical in Modern Orthodoxy and what basis you have to call it such. There are many things that are interpreted as heretical by more right wing movements, but the fact is that their ideas of what constitute heresy are really just anything that is outside their own modern viewpoint, even if it comes from Torah itself.

No problem! Glad to help.

I should mention that I feel a bit awkward because while I’m trying to provide sources to you, I’m not religious and personally don’t believe there are any valid theodicies (Kant agrees and so does the Rebbe).

That being said, if you’re looking into the issue I would strongly recommend against confining yourself to Jewish sources. Christians have been churning out theodicies for centuries. John Hick identified three major traditions in Christian theodicies: the Augustinian, Irenaean, and Plotinian. (Examples of theodicies in the Muslim world include those of the Mutazila school, Avicenna, and Al Ghazali, but they’re not very original so probably not worth your time.) Alvin Plantinga is a very prominent contemporary Christian analytic philosopher whose theodicy (technically it’s a defense rather than a theodicy) is fashionable these days.

On the Jewish side of things Eliezer Berkowitz wrote a well-regarded book entitled Faith After the Holocaust (there’s a shorter essay version of it in this). And I remember someone once recommended this book to me. Also, obviously the most authoritative Jewish work addressing theodicy is the Book of Job (איוב)!

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry is probably the best way to get acquainted with the various theodicies/defenses/refutations. It’s long but I recommend at least skimming the entire thing and focusing on the bits you find most interesting.

> Russian Jew raised secular want to learn about my people but not be
> indoctrinated.

This pretty much won’t happen no matter what you read. Judaism has been a non-proselytising religion for getting on to 2,000 years now.

Among the Orthodox, the standing rule is to turn those looking to convert away at least three times before you even begin to start talking about the process and whether it’s something they should undertake.

Among the Conservative and Reform and Reconstructionist, things aren’t quite so daunting, but the basic underlying theology — that one’s relationship with divinity (assuming there is one: Reconstructionists are atheists, for example) is not dependent in any fashion on whether you are an MoT or not — still informs the process. Conversion is, of course, possible, but it’s not considered necessary in any sense.

Even in Judaism’s ancient sort-of-proselytising days it was mostly a ‘give it a try, you might like it’ kind of sales pitch.

> Book recommendations?

Oi, where to start?

Jews aren’t called ‘the people of the book’ for nothing. We’ve been writing everything down for thousands of years. So there’s a lot of history to explore and there are literally thousands of histories out there to read.

The list below is not in a particular order. And it is idiosyncratically chosen. It is, quite literally, a list of what I can see on my shelves from where I’m currently working that immediately makes me think ‘oh, yeah, that’s got something for the new reader’.

The story of the Jews: finding the words (1000 BCE – 1492 CE)
Simon Schama, 2014.

The story of the Jews: when words fail (1492 – present day)
Simon Schama, 2015.

The Talmud — a biography: banned, censored and burned. The book they couldn’t suppress
Harry Freedman, 2014.

Pirkei Avot (the sayings of the fathers): a modern commentary on Jewish ethics
Leonard Kravitz & Kerry Olitzky (eds), 1993.

The essential Kabbalah: the heart of Jewish mysticism
Daniel C Matt, 2009.

Engendering Judaism: an inclusive theology and ethics
Rachel Adler, 1999.

Hillel: if not now, when
Joseph Telushkin, 2010.

The new joys of Yiddish
Leo Rosten, 2003.

Other lists to meander through:

A best world Jewish history books list on GoodReads.

The top 100 Jewish books according to Rabbi Miriam Spitzer.

The 18 essential texts every Jew should read as put together for Huffington Post back in 2011 (and chosen by people who are relatively eclectic but entirely American).

Hope this is at least diverting, if not helpful.

I love the Jewish Study Bible too! To my knowledge, the only similar translation- and really the only modern translation whatsoever- of the Talmud is Artscroll. This is the go-to translation for Talmud scholars in yeshivas everywhere. Luckily it's a very good translation, crowdsourced from many Talmudic scholars all across the world.

I did manage to find a free translation online which uses the standardized page format.

Regarding Artscroll: only Orthodox scholars were involved, and no secular scholarship whatsoever. It's a thoroughly Orthodox translation instead of a "consensus". They're also a bit pricy for the full set.

But luckily you don't need the full set, because it's going to take you your whole life to read it!

Traditionally, the Talmud is not learned in order (probably because the beginning is extremely dull imo). A good starting point is Bava Kama "The First Gate", the beginning of which deals with the different types of animal damages. It's one of my favorite pieces of gemara, honestly. (It's also the page I linked to for the online translation.)

Last thing: you don't want to just read the Talmud, it's not that kind of book. Rabbi Dov Linzer gives a daily class on a single page, and he's been doing it for years. Read the page first, then listen to the class and follow along, then go back and read the page again.

TLDR:

1. free translation
   
2. Artscroll Bava Kama
   
3. Rabbi Dov Linzer
   
   EDIT: Forgot to mention, arrays start at 2. Page 2 is the first page of every book, because reasons. So that is the first video of the series :)

Have you read Jewish Literacy? Also, while this is written by an Orthodox Rabbi, Rabbi Aryeh Moshen's Gerus Guide may be helpful. This is my God is a popular suggestion. Here's a reading list suggested by Orthodox courts. Given your interest in Conservative Judaism, you may find Rabbinic Authority interesting, although it's a little advanced. I found Maimonides' introduction to the Talmud to be a great intro to the idea of the Oral Law.

Also, check out /r/Giyur if you need help/support.

I'm not sure. I guess the first step would be basic Jewish thought (theology, ethics, and basic principles), so I would recommend the same basic books I would recommend most Jewish adult beginning students:

• The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology, vol. 1 (volume 2 gets into material that is specifically Jewish practice)
  
  
• With Perfect Faith by J. David Bleich
  
  
• A Maimonides Reader by Isadore Twersky
  
  
• The Nineteen Letters by Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch.
  
  
• Sayings of the Fathers by Joseph H. Hertz (a translation of the Talmudic tractate Avos, which deals with ethics and thought, with a basic commentary).
  
  I would also recommend a good basic, one volume translation and commentary on the Torah (i.e. the five books of Moses). My personal recommendation for you would be the the Hertz Pentateuch. However the the Artscroll Stone Chumash, and the Hirsch Pentateuch are also very good.
  
  These ought to get you off to a solid start.

I would also suggest Rabbi Steinsaltz's "Talmudic Images". Much like his "Biblical Images" he gives biographical sketches of the sages from the Mishnah. Here is the description from Amazon's page about the book:

>The Talmud is a unique repository of debate among generations of Jewish sages. While we may be familiar with the names Hillel, Shammai, Ben Zakkai and other Talmudic sages, and we may understand the schools of thought they represent, we are less likely to know much about their individual personalities, their inner lives, the historical contexts in which they lived. Talmudic Images presents intimate portraits of thirteen, key Talmudic sages. It offers glimpses into their very human lives, enabling us to better understand and more fully appreciate their remarkable contributions to the body of Jewish wisdom. Includes a glossary, annotated bibliography and timeline.

The Artscroll Chumash (first 5 books of the Tanakh, a.k.a. the written Torah) /u/PM_ME_YOUR_TZITZIS mentioned is the gold standard of the Orthodox world. If you want a translation, and more importantly, a commentary with a traditional perspective get Artscroll.

On the other hand if you're looking for a more liberal / academic view check out Richard Elliot Friedman's Chumash. There might be better liberal / academic chumashim out there though, I'm really not sure.. maybe wait and see what others recommend in the way of liberal commentaries if that's what you're looking for.

Just want to emphasize that to understand Judaism you'll be infinitely better off with a Chumash (first 5 books with a commentary) than a Tanakh (first 5 + 19 additional books for a total of 24) without commentary.

> The vast majority of the works handled in this volume are of literary types older than or different from those produced by the Rabbis. They all stem from the period between the Persian hegemony and the generation following the destruction of the Temple. They were all, with the exception of the Dead Sea scrolls and part of Ben Sira, transmitted to us only through the Christian churches. These features combine with the absence from rabbinic sources not just of these literary types, but even of basic aspects of the traditions contained in these writings, to indicate that they were most likely created and cultivated in circles or groups that were not 'proto-rabbinic'; or else that the sorts of literature and traditions that they preserved were later rejected (or at the very least neglected) by the Sages.

> In general, the explanations that seek to attribute this change in Jewish literary modes to rabbinic reaction against eschatological writing are not adequate in themselves, since they do not account for the lack of works of narrative or sapiential character from rabbinic tradition. Nor do theories highlighting the sectarian character of some works, such as 1 Enoch, account for the neglect of other doctrinally unexceptional writings like Judith of the Epistle of Jeremiah. Nor does the language of composition play a major role, for most of the writings were written in Hebrew or Aramaic, not in Greek.

> It is very likely the case, then, that there is no simple or single explanation of the non-transmission of much of this literature by the Sages. Certain of these factors may have led to the suppression of some of the works, but others, like Ben Sira, were known among the Sages (at least in a florilegium) and were positively regarded.

> When the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha are compared with rabbinic literature, one is struck by the radical change in literary genres. None of the apocryphal and pseudepigraphical books written in Hebrew or Aramaic was composed as biblical exegesis citing and expounding verses. In contrast, the tie to the actual biblical text and its exposition lies very close to the heart of rabbinic creativity. On the whole, then, these writings show a different attitude to scriptural authority to that held by the Sages.

> This too may be part of the explanation of the very complex phenomenon of pseudepigraphy. Not only are the books of the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha written without direct reference to the biblical text, they are mostly also attributed to figures from the time of the Bible. It seems likely that the two phenomena are interrelated and determined by a specific attitude to scriptural authority. This is an essential factor for understanding the literature of the period.

> As far as Philo is concerned, he does present most of his writing in the form of biblical commentary. He had his forerunners in Jewish Hellenistic milieux, and the question of the Sitz im Leben of the various types of exegesis he uses is much discussed in scholarly circles. If it has a synagogal connection, it is to that extent like the midrashic homilies that were designed around the weekly Torah readings, although these can certainly not be traced back as far as Philo's time. Yet, with all that, the modes and style of his exegetical endeavour differ from those of the Rabbis and are obviously influenced by Hellenistic scholarship.

> Indeed, there is no doubt about the influence of Hellenistic culture on the whole range of Jewish creativity in our period.This is most evident in the writings produced in Greek by the Jews in the Diaspora. Philo's corpus has already been mentioned. Josephus too wrote his histories according to Greek historiographic norms rather than the biblical patterns used by, say, 1 Maccabees. Other Jewish Greek historians did the same, not to mention rhetors like the author of 4 Maccabees, or poets like Ezekiel the Tragedian and Pseudo-Phocylides. Sadly, much of this literature survives only in small fragments. In our treatment the fragments have generally been integrated into the chapters where they belong on grounds of content or general character.

• Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period

Thank you for getting the joke.

I would not really advise to solely look at Enochian Text for this, you might want to start looking at
A Dictionary of Angels for some good baseline info
and the Sepher Rezial Hemelach

Fifth World Books - 419 E. 2100 South, SLC, UT. Ph.(801)486-6437 Will often know where to point you as well. Rosenblum's World of Judaica on Devon St. In Chicago can direct you as well as get you some very hard to find reference books.

Hope those can give you some more diverse and accurate sources of information.

EDIT: Also of course the Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation and The Magician's Companion

There’s huge differences between the original Greek and the English you read today (Christian Old Testament) because the original has tons of subtext not included in translations (eli5 version)

This book https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Bible-Unauthorized-H-Moose/dp/1881400956 does a great job of explaining that in its preface - one good point is that Hebrew vowels are not letters for the most part, they are little markings that get added to letters. The Torah wasn’t written with vowels, so there’s a lot of room for error when translating it.

This is my non-scholarly addition to the conversation, I am not a rabbi and have not studied this formally.

>? What happens?

Marriage, in my opinion, requires one testosterone-dominant individual (to protect the family) and one estrogen-dominant individual (to nurture the children).

I am a heterosexual male. By that I mean, if I were given a random choice to have sexual intercourse with an individual with a vagina, or an individual with a penis, then I will choose the individual with a vagina 100% of the time.

I am willing to be tested on this. That was a joke. Never mind.

Anyway, testosterone-dominant individuals tend to be more aggressive than estrogen-dominant ones. That is why the vast majority of psychopaths are male.

If I were a male heterosexual psychopath and no one suspected that, then I would "come out" as gay, and find myself a male partner in crime to marry. I could also find a weak-minded female, as Jerry Sandusky did, but I think that that would be far more difficult. Females, at least in my experience, tend to be smarter about this stuff than males. That is because evolution has made females the experts at caring for children.

After the honeymoon I'd start adopting attractive female children. Can you guess why?

Gay marriage is a slippery slope. Homosexuality does not imply pedophilia but homosexuality gives the pedophiles a wonderful tool to sexually abuse orphans. I do not wish to give them that tool.

\> I do find it disgusting to be against homosexuality though.

Fair enough. I find it disgusting to give pedophiles tools to abuse orphans. I guess I care more about child welfare than those who are A-OK with gay marriage.

\> You are missing the point.

No, I want to do Thunderdome with Judaism and then with Islam. I am betting that Christianity will win. It obviously wins over Islam. I believe that it will win over Judaism, because this:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Schottenstein-Talmud-English-Volumes/dp/1578190673

Judaism is too damn hard to understand. I believe that that is probably because all of the rules are concrete.

Christianity boils down to a single word! It's an abstract word, and some humans appear to be unable to understand abstractions. Oh well.

To Be a Jew is always a good intro to general practice.

I also think an Artscroll Chumash does a pretty good job of explaining our inception, while getting your feet wet in the Torah.

Thanks. I just found this:
https://www.amazon.com/BABYLONIAN-TALMUD-ALL-VOLUMES-ILLUSTRATED-ebook/dp/B01GY0FCGQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1480292460&sr=1-2&keywords=the+talmud

I went to hear a Christian convert out of Islam who is a scholar of both the Bible and the Q'uran, that the Q'uran is not accurately translated into English in order to make it more palatable to the Westerner. I wonder if this same problem exists in the Talmud?

Do you have a particular Talmud that you recommend?

I recommend the ArtScroll Stone Chumash. It's just the Five Books of Moses, but they are the most important ones. It has a really good English commentary anthologized from traditional sources.

Very good question and not one quickly answered. I would suggest the books "Theonomy in Christian Ethics", "The Institutes of Biblical Law", and "Tools of Dominion: The Case Laws of Exodus" for a Christian perspective that I think best answers the topic.

When I read this the most obvious thing was that it was just a Chumash, an Artscroll one or something. Clearly his mom didn't buy him a legitimate Torah scroll. This sounds like exactly the kind of thing a relative would gift to someone getting into Judaism.

The Zohar dates to about 13th century Spain, so it's not "authentic" in the sense of being contemporaneous with the Hebrew Bible. To understand it you'll need a decent background in the Hebrew Bible. A basic understanding of Neo-Platonism is helpful , but not necessary. If you decide to read it, be prepared, it can be tough.

Here's link a good resource https://www.amazon.com/Zohar-Enlightenment-Classics-Spirituality-Paperback/dp/0809123878/ref=sr\_1\_fkmr0\_1?keywords=zohar+classic+if+western+spirituality&qid=1562598202&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmr0

Yes. Even as far back as Maimonides, we have statements like this: "the account of creation is not all to be taken literally,"

Edit: Also vaccines, GMOs, global warming and a whole host of other science. Also, it should be noted that a lot of times when science was rejected in favor of religion it was more about politics, ex: Galileo

http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2016/10/ten-questions-on-evolution-and-judaism.html

http://rabbisacks.org/great-partnership/

Also see the book, which is also my flair: Torah u'Maddah (Torah & Secular Knowledge)

Modern orthodoxy is mostly based on Tum

Torah U'madda- founded by R' Nochum Lamm read his book describing it.


You might also like Torah Im Derech Eretz- founded Rav Shampson Rafael Hirsch, I recommend his Nineteen letters.

Temurah 16a:

שלשת אלפים הלכות נשתכחו בימי אבלו של משה אמרו לו ליהושע שאל א"ל (דברים ל) לא בשמים היא אמרו לו לשמואל שאל אמר להם אלה המצות שאין הנביא רשאי לחדש דבר מעתה

Three thousand halakhoth were forgotten during the period of mourning for Moses’. They said to Joshua: ‘Ask’; he replied: It is not in heaven. They [the Israelites] said to Samuel: ‘Ask’; he replied: [Scripture says:] These are the commandments, implying [that since the promulgation of these commandments] no prophet has now the right to introduce anything new.

Whether we are to take this aggadata literally or not, the message is that while the Oral Torah does definitely communicate content, it more importantly communicates a system. Yes, the Talmud records debates over unsettled issues and eventually the law is decided in accordance with one side. This is all in accordance with the system of Oral Torah transmitted at Sinai. We don't look directly to heaven for a halakhic decision, we don't look to a Prophet who may not issue new law - rather we look to the system of Oral Torah. If you would like to have a firmer grasp of the different elements of the Oral Law, I suggest studying Maimonides introduction to his commentary on the Mishnah. You can find it available in Hebrew here, or purchase a translation.

I'm sure it's not the most expensive document in history. But a full set iss expensive because it's large. For example this set that costs $2,400 comes in 73 volumes. That's only $33 per volume, so actually kinda cheap. You could buy individual volumes but seeing as you don't actually know what you're looking for that wouldn't make sense either.

You should read the link I sent you, or the recommended books on the other link I sent you.

Seems like many have been recommending this

The Chumash: The Stone Edition, Full Size (ArtScroll) (English and Hebrew Edition) The Torah: Haftaros and Five Megillos with a Commentary Anthologized from the Rabbinic Writings https://www.amazon.com/dp/0899060145/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.9KxzbP1NBRHJ

Do I look like a Rabbi to you?

https://www.amazon.com/Chumash-ArtScroll-Haftaros-Commentary-Anthologized/dp/0899060145

https://www.amazon.com/Be-Jew-Jewish-Observance-Contemporary/dp/0465086322

https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Book-Second-volumes-slipcase/dp/0824603141

My Rabbi recommended me this version of the Torah if you want written explanations.

Maimonides' Introduction to the Talmud
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1880582287/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_1-kMAbSZ4RGZJ

This book outlines the rambam's legal method and definitions. It's basically why I consider myself a rambamist.

If you want to learn about Judaism from now backround go with ARtscrollhttps://www.amazon.com/Chumash-ArtScroll-Haftaros-Commentary-Anthologized/dp/0899060145/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 or Gutnick https://www.amazon.com/Chumash-Gutnick-All-one-Synagogue/dp/1934152013

If you're trying to read the Torah / other Jewish texts, you might get a 'Chumash.' On each page, there's about half a page [or less] of biblical text, and below that is half a page [or more] of rabbinical interpretation of [almost] every line.

Hmm... It’s almost as though...