Book Review:George Robinson's "Essential Judaism"

[Seth <rogovoy...>]

Hevre: Over the last few years, when I haven't been listening to Jewish
music [note obligatory reference to Jewish music], I?ve read my way through
many of the popular ?how-to?s and primers of Jewish literacy, books by
Telushkin, Donin and Dosick, for example.

There is a new entry in this field, Essential Judaism, by list-member George
Robinson (Pocket Books), which I think is by far the best of the lot.
Subtitled ?A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs, and Rituals,? the book is
indeed that and a lot more.

In the course of its 650 pages, the book lucidly explores Jewish worship and
practice, sacred literature (Torah, Talmud, other rabbinical works),
Kabbalah and mysticism, holidays, life cycle events, dietary laws, and
Jewish history and denominationalism.

The treatment Robinson gives such topics as the prayer service, the
blessings of daily life, and the evolution of contemporary Judaism is
surprisingly deep for a work of this kind.

In particular, his chapters on the mitzvot (?Living a Jewish Life?) and
non-Rabbinic Jewish thought (?The Philosophers: The Continuing Evolution of
Jewish Thought?), stand out not only for their all-around comprehensiveness,
but also for their originality of ideas and presentation.

Essential Judaism is a well-organized and well-indexed book that can be
enjoyed read from beginning to end, dipped into arbitrarily, and kept nearby
as a handy reference. In just the month or so I?ve had it, I?ve already had
several occasions to use it in this last manner, to answer questions or
explain references I?ve stumbled over in other books, and it hasn?t failed
me yet.

Most books like this are written by rabbis, and some have particular
agendas, ideological or religious. I think the very fact that Robinson is
not a rabbi but a journalist who immersed himself over several years in the
literature and lore of Judaism, processed all this information from all
points of view, consulted various authorities and experts, and then found a
way to explain it that was both accessible to the general reader yet utterly
worthy of the importance and depth of the subject matter, goes far toward
explaining why this book instantly arrives as the best one-volume reference
to Judaism.

Essential Judaism is a lot more than ?Essential.? It?s great. It?ll make
gift-giving time ? whether birthdays or Bar-Mitzvahs, Khanike or
conversions ? a lot easier. And when friends ask for a recommendation for
that one book -- the one that is, besides THE book  -- George Robinson?s
Essential Judaism will make that a lot easier, too.

--Seth Rogovoy

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