Good books for non-Jews who are interested in understanding Judaism, especially branches of Orthodox judaism

Question

I have found that the first thing to do when you want to learn something about a subject, is to start with the idea that you know absolutely nothing. I understand, for example, that Judaism has either branches, or sects, or various subgroups. I'm interested in understanding Orthodoxy, which I understand isn't even one branch, but a bunch of branches.

(Update: if "branch" is an incorrect word, please understand that I mean only, groups which could be held distinct in some way, from the rest of Orthodox Judaism.)

What is a good book that helps with understanding Orthodox Judaism, as it exists today and is practiced, it's history and ideas and most of all, the underlying principles or forms, or ideas, which make it itself. A good book for me would answer these questions:

• What do the authorities within Orthodox judaism say about Orthodox Judaism. How do they define it?
• What is the daily life of those comitted to the practices of Orthodoxy look like, including the practice of "Shabbat/"Shabbos"
• Introducing the the study of Torah, Tanakh, and Talmud, as it is understood by Orthodox authorities.

I realize that all of the above are worthy of their own books. But imagine, you simply want somewhere to start. is there a good book on what Orthodox judaism is, that addresses at least a little bit of those subject areas, that would be readable by someone with zero knowledge of Hebrew?

The most important thing I want to know is that the view in the book is presented by those who themselves hold the views they are describing. That is, I am not looking for an external, or academic view. I am looking for an internal view, but perhaps written so that those who are not part of the religion, or practicing it themselves, might be able to understand it.

Answer 1

1. Horeb, by Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, is definitely directed to a Jewish audience, but is, I suspect, largely comprehensible by others.
2. Herman Wouk's This Is My God is directed mostly to an irreligious Jewish audience, but was interesting to me (a religious Jew) also and is certainly comprehensible by non-Jews.

Answer 2

Some book ideas (I'll add more if I think of them):

• I've never read it, but The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism is supposed to be good, and the author, Rabbi Benjamin Blech, is supposed to be a good guy (and Orthodox). This should serve as a useful survey.

• The novel With All My Heart, With All My Soul does a great job of portraying one subculture in American Orthodox Judaism from the inside, for outsiders. The pseudonymous author is apparently an Orthodox Rabbi.

Answer 3

Here is another one.

Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism [Paperback] Dennis Prager

(The Intelligent Skeptic's Guide to Judaism)

Answer 4

Gateway to Judaism by Rabbi Mordechai Becher

"Based on years of answering thousands of challenging inquiries, Becher's work blends elements of Jewish philosophy and law with an intensely practical explanation of how Jews actually live."

Answer 5

I highly suggest you read The Non-Orthodox Jew's Guide to Orthodox Jews by David Baum. It is exactly what it sounds like. You will understand a lot about traditional Judaism from this book.

Answer 6

Here is yet another great book, The Outsider's Guide to Orthodox Judaism by Rabbi Arnie Singer.

Answer 7

A highly recommended book is "Masterplan" by Rabbi Aryeh Carmell.

Here's a description of the book:

Maybe you believe in God, but fail to see what this has to do with how one spends Friday night or which restaurant one eats in? Or maybe you think that the primary purpose of the mitzvot was to preserve Jewish identity—a function that has now been taken over by the State of Israel? Or perhaps you are Orthodox, but have no clear idea of the nature of the Torah’s overall aims or the structure of its value system? Masterplan shows that the mitzvot that have come down to us over the ages form a dynamic and comprehensive system designed to elevate human beings and establish a just and caring society that can serve as a model for all humanity to emulate. It was for this purpose that the Land of Israel was given by God to the Jewish people. We live in a tumultuous age when large sections of mankind are searching for guidance. Masterplan shows that Judaism’s program of mitzvot, encompassing all aspects of life—personal growth, interpersonal and family relationships, commerce, industry, government and environment—is eminently relevant to our contemporary concerns.

Answer 8

Warren,

I enjoyed reading your question. I hope my answer is of some assistance.

The Durants in their book the Story of Civilization write:

As we have it, the Mishna (i.e., oral teaching) is the result of much editing and interpolation since Jehuda; even so it is a compact summary, designed for memorizing by repetition, and therefore tantalizingly terse and obscure to one who comes to it from any background except that of Jewish life and history.

This is the case for practically all the literature put forth over the past two millennia since the Mishna by practicing orthodox Jews. That is, if your looking for the real stuff you may have some trouble "getting into it".

That said, you might try this introductory material on-line; here and here.

Best to you,

David

Answer 9

Start with with the written Torah which is more or less the first 5 books of the Old Testament, though the language in the King James Bible can be a little archaic. Look for a "plain English" translation by a Rabbi.

The written Toray is divided into "Parshas". If you read one each week, it will take you a year. If you're "in a rush" reading one Parsha per day might work but I wouldn't recommend reading any faster than that. Its "dense" reading and you might catch yourself just scanning your eyes over the words and not really thinking about what they mean.

The oral Torah (Babylonian Talmud) has not been fully translated into English. It is LONG, 6,200 pages and written in Hebrew and Aramaic. Most modern day Rabbi's haven't even read all of it, but it is considered by the Orthodox, as the definitive definition of the law - despite being unclear and contradictory in many places. The format is as follows:

• Statement of the Law (In Hebrew)
• Rabbi A says the law really means this (in Aramaic)
• Rabbi B says the law really means this (in Aramaic)
• No conclusion, they more or less agree to disagree.

For practical use there are various "codifications" of the law. The most commonly used is the Shulchan Aruch. Again this has not been full translated into English. The Mishneh Torah by Maimonides is available in English on the Chabad:

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/682956/jewish/Mishneh-Torah.htm

WARNING: Despite providing many valuable online and offline services, Chabad are generally regarded as a heretical sect due to the fact that they worship their (dead) Rebbe as the Messiah, and believe that he is going to be resurected.

For learning about Shabbat, the best thing to do is to visit an Orthodox synagogue on Friday evening. Dress formally (a suit, or at least black pants and a shirt). It is a "mitzvah" for Jewish people to invite strangers (including non-Jews) into their home for Shabbat dinner. This way you can "experience" Shabbat for yourself, including the rather complicated rituals.

Enjoy!