Recommended Books on Judaism

• Cahill, T. (2010). The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
  • Semi-historical work about the contribution of Jews to Western culture.
• Donin, H. (2019). To be a Jew: A Guide to Jewish Observance in Contemporary Life Selected and Compiled from the Shulhan Arukh and Responsa Literature and Providing a Rationale for the Laws and the Traditions. Basic Books.
  • Foundational textbook to practical, everyday halacha.
• Fox, E. (1997). The Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Schocken Books.
  • My favorite Torah translation. Bad English, but very good Hebrew-in-English, preserving many Hebrew puns and poetic forms which other translations tend to lose or interpret away.
• Gans, C. (2016). A Political Theory for the Jewish People: Three Zionist Narratives. Oxford University Press.
  • Comprehensive review of various strands of Zionist thought and Levantine politics.
• Green, A. (2012). These Are the Words: A Vocabulary of Jewish Spiritual Life. Jewish Lights Pub.
  • A short dictionary explaining common Jewish words.
• Hayes, C. E. (2012). Introduction to the Bible. Yale University Press.
  • Excellent, digestible introduction to modern Hebrew Bible scholarship.
• Heschel, A. J. (1999). God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
  • A comprehensive philosophy of Judaism as a religion of awe.
• Heschel, A. J. (2005). The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
  • A short and beautiful text about the importance and meaning of Shabbat.
• Hurwitz, S. (2019). Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There). Spiegel & Grau.
  • A brief exploration of the often-overlooked spiritual aspect of Judaism.
• Kushner, A. (2015). The Grammar of God: A Journey into the Words and Worlds of the Bible. Spiegel & Grau.
  • A brief exploration of the role of Hebrew grammar in Biblical analysis.
• Shṭainzalts, ʿAdin. (2002). A Guide to Jewish Prayer. Schocken Books.
  • Foundational textbook to practical Jewish prayer.

Revision History

• 2025-06-28: Original posting.