Jewish Ritual: A Brief Introduction for Christians
Of the many guidebooks to Judaism, few address themselves specifically to Christian readers. Given today's permeable religious boundaries and the cross-fertilization between traditions, this handbook should be warmly welcomed on the religious bookshelf. Olitzky and Judson, both rabbis and authors, offer simple but profound explanations of the rituals that inform, shape and reflect Jewish life, identity and values. They include understandable rituals like Shabbat, universal practices like prayer and study and identifiable signs of Jewish identity like wearing akippah. The authors also branch out to explain traditions Christians might find peculiar, like wearing tefillin (prayer boxes). Each chapter includes the ritual's biblical origin, evolution, modern perspectives, practical instruction, symbolic and spiritual values and Christian parallels. Some rituals have easy commonalities, like baptism and themikvah(ritual bath), but others require deeper and more creative links: tefillin and the rosary, for instance, both enhance the "tactile sensation of prayer." To show how practices seek to "infuse life with sense of holiness," Olitzky, Judson and three contributing authors mix straightforward explanations with personal narratives that reflect their own experiences. "The history of Jewish-Christian relations is... a place of brokenness," they write, hoping their book will generate spiritual healing, "allowing Jews and Christians to see each others' religion with greater clarity and greater respect."(Feb.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.