Kushner ( When Bad Things Happen to Good People , Avon, 1983) has here written a lucid analysis of Jewish life, thought, and customs. Enlightening to those who want to learn more about Judaism, this work serves as an excellent introduction to the roots of Christianity and Jewish belief. Kushner discusses the essence of Judaism in a simple and clear language, touching upon the meaning of Jewish customs and ceremonies and the purpose of prayer. He talks about such topics as the love of Israel by Jews, how Jews and Christians need to understand one another, and anti-Semitism in terms of why people hate. The essence of the book is its tone of optimism, its sense of living and making the ordinary sacred; this tone is enhanced by an ease of writing and the use of examples and memories from the author's life. Recommended to all libraries.-- Maurice Tuchman, Hebrew Coll. Lib., Brookline, Mass.
Bestselling Conservative rabbi Kushner (Who Needs God, 1989; When Bad Things Happen to Good People, 1981) on the joys of Judaism. Kushner tilts this good-natured panegyric toward practicing Jews, who would be most willing to embrace his view of Judaism as God's greatest gift to humankind. "Life is the question, Judaism is the answer," he exhorts, with such ebullience that even nonbelievers may be swayed. He promotes the Jewish people, tiny in numbers, as "the most influential group on earth," producing everything from the theory of relativity to psychoanalysis to Marxism, and, through the Hebrew Bible, shaping "the way the world thinks about God." Judaism, he emphasizes, is primarily a community rather than a theology, finding expression in its own calendar, holidays, rituals, and land (for Kushner, love of Israel as the ancestral home is incumbent upon all Jews). He's at his best when justifying religious customs—for instance, he explains kosher dietary laws, which may strike non-Jews as needless complications, as "spiritual calisthenics" that "sanctify the act of eating"; the same applies to laws on sexuality, speech, Sabbath behavior, and so on. Discussion of controversies like abortion or homosexuality is glaringly absent, although he argues for traditional religious language—i.e., referring to God as "He" rather than "She" or, God forbid, "It." Kushner never minces his beliefs, explaining why he won't officiate at marriages where one partner is non-Jewish (the "words and rituals do not apply to non-Jews"). This ardency, which has much to do with the rabbi's popularity, doesn't prevent him from striking an alliance with his potentially vast Christian readership; these tworeligions are both part of "God's ultimate plan for the world," allies in a sacred battle against "apathy and selfishness and a neo-paganism that sees Man as an animal and his every urge as legitimate." Kushner at his very best, abubble with enthusiasm. L'Chaim!
