The Book of Jewish Belief
by Louis Jacobs
In The Book of Jewish Belief and its companion
The Book of Jewish Practice Louis Jacobs provides an
introduction to Jewish belief and practice that I found easy to digest without
being overly simplistic.
The Book of Jewish Belief is divided into 27 chapters, each of which can easily
be read at a sitting. The chapters range through subjects like The Torah, Jewish Movements
and Compassion. The book is well illustrated with a photograph or illustration on almost
every page. Each chapter is subdivided into sections of a paragraph or two. For example, the
chapter on Benevolence is subdivided into sections on Two Concepts (gemilut hasadum
and tzadakah),
Benevolence,
The Importance of Benevolence,
Relief for the Poor,
Who Qualifies and How Much?,
Precedence
and In Praise of Charity. This chaper also includes
boxes defining "true kindness", giving a Lithuanian anecdote on charity and a list of
Maimonides Eight Degrees of Charity.
I found this book to be remarkable in its non-judgementalness on the varieties of Jewish
belief. This book was a priceless guide for me as I began to become more religously
interested, but was overwhelmed by the amount of learning ahead of me. I recommend it to
anyone who wants to start being better grounded in the basics of Jewish belief.
- Bob Evans
Copyright 1997
(Return to MCJC Home Page)