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There is such a wealth of Jewish books. Where do you start in building your
own Jewish library?
Here are our recommendations for books that no Jewish home should be without:
- A Hebrew Bible, with translation and commentary. We like the Artscroll
editions, either
The Chumash: The Stone Edition (the Torah - with lots of commentary) or
the
Tanach: The Stone Edition (the whole Hebrew Bible - more material, less
commentary). The Conservative movement recently published a new edition called
Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary.
- A siddur - a prayerbook, with commentary and explanations. Most
siddurim also have birkat hamazon (grace after meals) and other prayers that
are recited in the home as well as the synagogue. We like
The Complete Artscroll Siddur, because it has lots of explanations on
every page, not just a translation.
-
Encyclopedia Judaica. It's not cheap, but if you are starting out in your
path to Jewish knowledge, you'll find practically everything in these 16+
volumes. It's a masterpiece of scholarship on practically every Jewish
subject.
-
The First Jewish Catalog: A Do-It-Yourself Kit - still a very comfortable
introduction to Jewish living for those who are getting started. Hmmm...takes
us back more than a few years to when we were just starting out. Great book.
And after you've finished these? Then add to your knowledge with more books from
the categories that interest you. As Hillel said, go and learn!
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