Main MenuBook & Article Categories
- Main Menu
Book & Article Categories
- Main Menu
Collections
Explore all collections
Articles & Books From Arthur Kurzweil
An accessible and fascinating exploration of the Torah The Torah For Dummies, 2nd Edition is an easy-to-follow and insightful guide to the first five books of the Hebrew bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This helpful resource walks you through the foundations of Jewish tradition, religion, and theology, explaining Judaism's rich and ancient history and how its interpreted by modern Jews.
Unlock the wisdom, guidance, and spiritual insight of the Talmud The Talmud For Dummies introduces you to the Jewish guidebook on life and overall cornerstone text of Judaism, the Talmud. This easy-to-understand book makes the Talmud's 63 volumes approachable, so you can deepen your understanding of Jewish teachings.
A trustworthy, easy-to-read guide to an integral part of Judaism Kabbalah For Dummies, 2nd Edition is your factual and objective guide to understanding Kabbalah—a spiritual practice, also known as the “received tradition,” that's connected to Judaism. This easy-to-follow resource walks you through how to connect to and better understand the Kabbalistic way of life, through explaining what Kabbalah is and isn't and detailing the Kabbalistic approach to the Torah, the Talmud, the Mishnah, and more Jewish texts.
Article / Updated 10-18-2022
The Ten Commandments may be the most well-known part of the Torah. Interestingly, two versions of the Ten Commandments exist in the Torah: one in the book of Exodus and one in the book of Dueteronomy. The Ten Commandments according to Jewish tradition also differ from the Ten Commandments of various Christian denominations.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-14-2022
The Torah (the Five Books of Moses) is the essential book of Judaism and a manual for living. If you don't read Hebrew, study an English translation so you can understand and follow the basic principles to guide personal behavior and the Ten Commandments (taken from the Book of Exodus).Recommended English translations of the TorahJewish life is an immersion into the Torah (Five Books of Moses) and the literature the Torah has inspired.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-02-2022
Understanding Kabbalah starts with studying the fundamental essences, or sefirot, and the core written works central to Kabbalah traditionalists. Discover some common blessings and prayers you can impart daily and the major holy days in Kaballah.The sefirot: Ten fundamental essences of KabbalahA fundamental notion in Kabbalah is the belief that the world is created and sustained by ten channels (sefirot) of divine plenty.
Article / Updated 04-27-2017
In Kabbalah, holy days are especially focused spiritual experiences with the continual awareness that God is the center of everything. The major Kabbalah holy days, which are the same holy days on the Jewish calendar, are observed beginning at sundown and ending at sundown.Every week:
Shabbat. Shabbat is the weekly day of rest and the holiest day on the calendar of the Kabbalist.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Adam and Eve's first two children were Cain and Abel. The Torah says that "Abel became a shepherd and Cain became a tiller of the ground" (Genesis 4:2). When it came time for each of them to present an offering to God, Cain offered fruit from the ground, and Abel offered the firstborn of his flocks. Then the Torah offers a mysterious line: "God turned to Abel and to his offering, but to Cain and his offering He did not turn" (Genesis 4:4–5).
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
It isn't surprising that the Torah places great value on the family unit; after all, the Jewish people as a whole are considered to be a family, as implied by the phrase "the Children of Israel." Even though a few million people stood at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, the entire group knew itself to be one large family, with all descended from Jacob, the patriarch.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
While some religious traditions forbid divorce, Judaism does not. In the Torah, divorce is viewed as a common and acceptable occurrence (Deuteronomy 24:1–4), and although the Talmud teaches that the "altar in heaven weeps" on the occasion of a divorce, there's no requirement that a husband and wife continue their marriage if they're miserable together.
