Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part 1: What Jews Generally Believe 9

Chapter 1: That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Jewish: Who’s a Jew and Why 11

Chapter 2: It’s All One: Judaism and God 25

Chapter 3: A Never-Ending Torah: The Unfolding of a Tradition 35

Chapter 4: A Path of Blessing: Judaism as a Daily Practice 47

Chapter 5: Jewish Mysticism 71

Chapter 6: Ethical Challenges 91

Part 2: From Womb to Tomb: The Life Cycle 107

Chapter 7: In the Beginning: Birth and Bris 109

Chapter 8: Coming of Age: The Bar/Bat Mitzvah 119

Chapter 9: Get Me to the Chuppa On Time: Weddings 127

Chapter 10: Stepping Through the Valley: The Shadow of Death 139

Part 3: An Overview of Jewish History 153

Chapter 11: Let My People Go: From Abraham to Exodus 155

Chapter 12: The Kings of Israel: The First Temple 167

Chapter 13: Bracketed by Exile: The Second Temple 177

Chapter 14: The Exiles Continue: The First Millennium 185

Chapter 15: The Greatest Horror, the Greatest Triumph 197

Chapter 16: Jewish Buddhists and Other Challenges of the New Age 215

Chapter 17: The Problem of Anti-Semitism 225

Part 4: Celebrations and Holy Days 237

Chapter 18: A Taste of Paradise: Shabbat 239

Chapter 19: In with the New: Rosh Hashanah 257

Chapter 20: Getting Serious: Yom Kippur 271

Chapter 21: The Great Outdoors: Sukkot 283

Chapter 22: Seeking Light in Dark Times: Chanukkah 293

Chapter 23: Celebrating Renewal: Tu B’Shvat 305

Chapter 24: A Jewish Carnival: Purim 309

Chapter 25: From Groan to Glee: Passover 319

Chapter 26: Spring Is Busting Out All Over: Shavuot 345

Chapter 27: A Day of Mourning: Tisha B’Av 357

Part 5: The Part of Tens 361

Chapter 28: Ten People Who Helped Shape Judaism 363

Chapter 29: Answers to Ten Common Questions about Judaism 371

Part 6: Appendixes 383

Appendix A: Oy Vey! and Other Words You Should Know 385

Appendix B: A Sampler of Jewish Prayers and Blessings 397

Appendix C: Go Now and Learn 405

Index 411

About the Author

Rabbi Ted Falcon, PhD, one of the pioneers of contemporary Jewish and interfaith spirituality, is a writer, teacher, and spiritual counselor in private practice. David Blatner is an award-winning author of 15 books, including Spectrums: Our Mind-Boggling Universe From Infinitesimal to Infinity.