Building a Jewish Library

Sue Marks Recommends

As we discussed in the Younger Children's Minyan, every summer, Torah reading continues, even if Torah School stops. So, our kids miss most of the parashot from BaMidbar and D'varim, the last two books of the Torah. If you're interested in reading kid-friendly renditions of the parashot that we miss, take a look at:

My Weekly Sidrah by Melanie Berman and Joel Lurie Brishaver

The Jewish Children's Bible, Adapted by Sheryl Prenzlau The 5-volume set or:

Mary Meyerson (former Torah School Director) Recommends

Dear Friends,

November is Jewish Book Month. On Phillip’s 20th birthday last month, the three of us settled on a gift for him, one that should take us through a multitude of gift-giving occasions in the months and years ahead. After a fascinating discussion of his impression of several different machzorim (High Holiday prayer books), we offered to begin to stock a Jewish library for him. Although we’ve frequently given him Jewish books in the past, this effort will include a variety of books that the three of us feel are the basis of beginning ongoing adult study and reference. It’s an exciting endeavor — and one we are all enthusiastic about.

It made me begin to focus on the books that have made a difference in our lives — ones that I eagerly anticipate sharing with our kids as they become adults. These are my top ten:

1. Siddurim (prayer books) — we have several versions in our home, all of which I like for one specific reason or another. It’s interesting to compare the different views of God, of one’s relationship to God and to the world around us, and of mitzvot. I also have prayer books for home ritual which were immensely helpful as we began to choose to integrate new rituals into our family life.
   
   
2. Torah Commentary — we use Plaut, but there are several worth looking at. I’m eager to see the new Conservative movement’s commentary, and the Reform women’s commentary. Both will provide insights that Plaut doesn’t include.
   
   
3. It's a Mitzvah!: Step-by-Step to Jewish Living by Bradley Artson. Rabbi Artson includes a discussion of fourteen different mitzvot (commandments) for family observance. What I especially like is his suggestions for implementation. Many books take an “all or nothing” approach. Rabbi Artson advocates an incremental approach, suggesting “starting points” and later steps that one can include.
   
   
4. Does God Have a Big Toe?: Stories about Stories in the Bible and God's Mailbox: More Stories about Stories in the Bible by Marc Gellman. Both are books of midrashim (stories about stories in the Bible). Often found in the children’s section of bookstores or libraries, they contain wisdom and insight for all ages.
   
   
5. Any in the “Jewish Kids Catalogs” series. All are good “survey” books and include a wide variety of information on the topic. Most also include hands-on activities, recipes, and tidbits of information. They are a good “starting point” for study.
   
   
6. Mitzvahs by Danny Siegel. Although this volume is out of print, any book by Danny in which he discusses tikkun olam is a treasure worth having. He records tikkun olam projects, contact information, and the profound difference individuals can make in repairing the world. He takes away our excuses and makes doing mitzvot within the grasp of all of us.
   
   
7. The how-to Handbook for Jewish Living and Second how to Handbook for Jewish Living by Kerry M. Olitzky. Want to know how to shake a lulav? Which way to put candles into a hanukkiah and in which order to light them? Both of these volumes include source information, basic steps, key words and suggestions for further reading on a wide variety of Jewish practices and rituals.
   
   
8. A Different Night: Family Participation Haggadah by Noam Zion and David Dishon. A ready-to-use haggadah that includes a wide variety of activities to bring home the idea that we are to regard the retelling as if “we, too” have been freed from Egypt. I wish this had been available when my children were younger!
   
   
9. 40 Things You Can Do to Save the Jewish People by Joel Lurie Grishaver. The subtitle reads “parenting tips for raising `good enough’ Jewish kids.” Grishaver presents some common-sense ideas for helping us through the decision making process of trying to live with a foot in two civilizations. While I don’t agree with all his suggestions, I did find them all provocative and worth considering.
   
   
10. A Jewish cookbook — my favorite is the one my mother-in-law-to-be gave me shortly after we met. It was published by the Sisterhood of the Jewish Center of Bay Shore (NY), and includes her handwritten notes (“an extra egg won’t hurt” or “can be doubled”). Other favorites include Frances R. AvRutick’s The Complete Passover Cookbook (the granola recipe makes me wish Passover lasted more than 8 days!) and The Jewish Low-Cholesterol Cookbook by Roberta Leviton (it has my favorite quick & easy carrot tsimmes recipe). What we’ll probably get for our kids is the Jewish Cooking for Dummies by Faye Levy. Even if they don’t cook, it contains a wealth of information and is fun reading!

So that’s my top ten — today, at least. These are the ones we’ll start our kids’ adult bookshelves with. What are yours? I’ll attach an envelope to the parents’ bulletin board near the Torah School hallway. Write your favorites down and we’ll compile them to share with each other. I’m always eager to hear of another good book.

Happy reading!

Mary Meyerson