Random House New Releases - Religion - Holidays - Jewish

The Jewish Festivals by Hayyim Schauss

2012-04-04T00:30:00-05:00

The Jewish Festivals A Guide to Their History and Observance
Written by Hayyim Schauss

eBook, 336 pages | Schocken | Religion - Holidays - Jewish; Religion - Judaism - Beliefs, Practices, Rituals; Religion - Judaism - History | $13.99 | 978-0-307-81748-8 (0-307-81748-2)

Why is the Jewish New Year designated on the Jewish calendar as the first day of the seventh month, and not of the first month? Why do women cover their eyes when reciting the blessing over the Sabbath candles? How did the Seder originate? Does the Book of Esther, read on Purim, mirror any real historical events?

Long considered a classic, The Jewish Festivals provides a rich and charming account of the origins, development, and symbolism of the Jewish holidays, and of the diverse rituals, prayers, ceremonial objects, and special foods that have been used throughout history and around the world to celebrate them. Drawing upon a wealth of knowledge of Jewish folkways and customs, Hayyim Schauss shows how these holidays evolved in meaning and importance, depending on the contemporary needs of those who observed them. Written with passion and warmth, this book will infuse your own experience of the holidays with extra meaning and delight.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Pesach for the Rest of Us by Marge Piercy

2009-04-02T00:30:00-05:00

Pesach for the Rest of Us Making the Passover Seder Your Own
Written by Marge Piercy

eBook, 304 pages | Schocken | Religion - Holidays - Jewish | $14.99 | 978-0-307-49727-7 (0-307-49727-5)

Every year, poet and novelist Marge Piercy creates her own Passover seder with a group of family and friends. Babies have been born and grown up, friends have moved or divorced, but the principals continue to gather in her rustic Cape Cod home to participate in a seder that Piercy takes joy in tweaking each spring to make it more meaningful. In this journey through the ritual, Piercy coaxes us toward “a significant contemporary interpretation, rather than an emphasis on what is strictly ‘correct’ or traditional.” She reminisces about her grandmother, who thought herself unworthy to lead a seder because of her limited Hebrew but presided “morally” at the table; she urges adding an orange to the seder plate; she even describes her heroic efforts to make her own gefilte fish (an experiment not to be repeated).

Piercy offers her distinct slant on each element of the feast and provides dozens of her own wonderful recipes, which she delivers in the same warm, commanding voice as is heard in her poems and prose: “When I told Ira that I was going to explain how to cook matzoh brei, he thought I was crazy. Everybody knows how to make matzoh brei, he said. But I am of the opinion that there is no longer anything that everybody knows how to cook.”

It is in that spirit–no question too simple–that Piercy welcomes readers to her kind of seder: a homemade and personal affair, the kind we all wish we could attend. This charming and instructive book of Passover wisdom, brimming with favorite dishes and Marge Piercy’s own moving Passover poems and blessings, invites us to look at an important Jewish ritual in a whole new way.

From the Hardcover edition.

A Mystical Haggadah by Eliahu Klein

2008-03-11T00:30:00-05:00

A Mystical Haggadah Passover Meditations, Teachings, and Tales
Written by Eliahu Klein

Trade Paperback, 200 pages | North Atlantic Books | Religion - Judaism - Beliefs, Practices, Rituals; Religion - Holidays - Jewish | $16.95 | 978-1-55643-649-9 (1-55643-649-1)

In a generation that has seen an explosion in popularity of books about mystical and meditative traditions, very little has been published about the rich and fascinating mystical traditions of the Jewish holy days. Passover, the first religious holiday of the Jewish people, particularly rewards a re-viewing from a mystical perspective. A Mystical Haggadah takes readers through the Passover ritual with Kabbalistic meditations and affirmations in a friendly, accessible format. This Haggadah also includes many Hassidic teachings and stories that have never been presented to the English reading audience. The book is especially valuable for its transliterations of all the major prayers and rituals, and is refreshing in its creative and spiritually-based adaptation and translation of the primary Haggadah text.

A Mystical Haggadah is for all spiritual seekers who wish to explore this root tradition of Judaism as a ritual of cosmic importance. The book is also for Jewish seekers of all denominations who wish to explore the mystical, meditative, and empowering aspects of Jewish traditions as seen through the rich and meaningful Passover eve Seder ritual.

Pesach for the Rest of Us by Marge Piercy

2007-02-20T00:30:00-05:00

Pesach for the Rest of Us Making the Passover Seder Your Own
Written by Marge Piercy

Hardcover, 304 pages | Schocken | Religion - Holidays - Jewish | $22.95 | 978-0-8052-4242-3 (0-8052-4242-2)

The Jewish Festivals by Hayyim Schauss

1996-09-09T00:30:00-05:00

The Jewish Festivals A Guide to Their History and Observance
Written by Hayyim Schauss

Trade Paperback, 336 pages | Schocken | Religion - Holidays - Jewish; Religion - Judaism - Beliefs, Practices, Rituals; Religion - Judaism - History | $18.00 | 978-0-8052-0937-2 (0-8052-0937-9)

Random House New Releases - Religion - Holidays - Jewish

The Jewish Festivals by Hayyim Schauss

The Jewish Festivals A Guide to Their History and ObservanceWritten by Hayyim Schauss

Pesach for the Rest of Us by Marge Piercy

Pesach for the Rest of Us Making the Passover Seder Your OwnWritten by Marge Piercy

A Mystical Haggadah by Eliahu Klein

A Mystical Haggadah Passover Meditations, Teachings, and TalesWritten by Eliahu Klein

Pesach for the Rest of Us by Marge Piercy

Pesach for the Rest of Us Making the Passover Seder Your OwnWritten by Marge Piercy

The Jewish Festivals by Hayyim Schauss

The Jewish Festivals A Guide to Their History and ObservanceWritten by Hayyim Schauss

The Jewish Festivals A Guide to Their History and Observance
Written by Hayyim Schauss

Pesach for the Rest of Us Making the Passover Seder Your Own
Written by Marge Piercy

A Mystical Haggadah Passover Meditations, Teachings, and Tales
Written by Eliahu Klein

Pesach for the Rest of Us Making the Passover Seder Your Own
Written by Marge Piercy

The Jewish Festivals A Guide to Their History and Observance
Written by Hayyim Schauss