The Jewish Book of Why

These wonderful books deal with traditional Judaism and more controversial issues like conversion and marriage.

The first volume is essentially detailed with accounts of 'Who is a Jew?', 'What is a Jew?', 'What are Jewish holidays?', 'What is the Jewish service and its structure?', 'What are essential Jewish rituals?' and 'How do Jews interpret the Torah?'. These chapters detail almost any question one might have about what it means to be a Jew, how to live a Jewish life and how to interpret the essential Torah. This volume is wonderful for non-Jews, return Jews, secular Jews and normal Jews interested in exploring their religion deeper. Wonderful excerpts explain the origins of such simple items like the Kippa (Yarmulke) and essential questions about Jewish dietary laws.

The second volume tackles more modern and controversial topics. It explores the major streams of Judaism in America (Reform, Conservative and Orthodox) and it looks at the Hasidic community. This book explores the essential topic of conversion to Judaism and how that relates to the various Jewish streams. It also tackles intermarriage questions.