Author of The Jewish Book of Knowledge and The Pictorial History of the Jewish People. "A must for everyone, Christians and Jews alike." --New York Times. This classic collection of more than 800 traditions, legends, parables, and songs, with a glossary of Yiddish and Hebrew words, has remained a favorite gift-giving item and a family treasure for decades. 12 pieces of sheet music.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
A rich and often moving collection from the Jewish Tradition:
Great and classic Jewish stories are told here. The collection is diverse and vast, and comes from a wide variety of Jewish sources through the generations. This work has been in print for many years and deserves to remain so , even though there are many collections now which overlap some of its content.
Many of these stories are so great that they can be read and reread, enjoyed over and over again.
A book to come home to:
Like many of the other reviewers, I started reading a copy of this book in my parents' library when I was very young, maybe 8 or 9. I started with the jokes and, as I grew older, graduated to the more complex stories. My favorite part was always the stories of the wonder-working rabbis, especially the Spanish rabbi who tried to bring about the coming of the Messiah. I read this book over and over and over through my teenage years, and many years later, when I was in my 40s, I finally bought my own... more info
A dynamic source of Jewish culture, spirit, and wit:
Like one of the other reviewers, I started reading this book when I was a child, probably around 11, and continue to read it and reread it. It has some of the most wonderful Jewish jokes that exist. The most amazing thing for me personally, however, which makes me want to recommend it to others, is that I am a person who identifies a lot with being Jewish and it feels as though a huge amount of my Jewishness, and how it has affected my thinking and way of being, comes from Ausubel's Treasure of Jewish... more info
Review:
I started reading my father's copy at the age of 6 (I'm now 40 and I have the 1960 edition). It has been a huge part of understanding my Judaism. It's also a "better mousetrap" of a book; the selections are well-written, informative, funny and charming. I had the book out again recently to learn and perform a couple of the songs.
