Book review: 'The Book of Jewish Knowledge'

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. As far as I know that’s not a Jewish adage, but is one that’s accurate and which the publisher of “The Jewish Book of Knowledge” learned and understood well.

When I opened the book, my first thought was “stunning.” Everything about it screams high quality from the paper, the pictures, the charts, the cover, and even the binding. Yes, I checked.

But before cracking the book itself, first I had to get to it. It comes as a beautiful presentation, in a fitted box, a high-end sleeve into which it is housed, and even a branded bookmark. It’s not just a book. It’s an experience.

On the surface it looks like a beautiful coffee table book, but it’s much more. When you open it, while the pictures are magnificent, you’ll do much more than flip the pages admiring the images. When you begin to dig in, the substance is so significant that it gives the feeling of reading the most beautiful encyclopedia ever. It’s the opposite of a page turner. There’s so much information on each page you want to stay on each page for a while, to read, digest, and learn.

In nearly 500 pages, your eye is drawn to the incredible graphics, pictures, and charts. But these are interspersed among meaningful content, and all the citations are listed in a vast array of sources. These range from John Quincy Adams to the Zohar.

One of the most impressive of the graphics was a list of all the mitzvot, all 613 of them. It was the first time I’ve seen in such a clear presentation of this, sorting the commandments by category and those that are which are positive and negative commandments by simple color coding. The thought behind both the substance and simple layout is carried out through the book.

Under Shabbat, I especially liked how the editors not only sought to provide knowledge, but make it experiential with recipes from a traditional Jewish home. Someone’s grandmother is kvelling.

Living in Israel, I was drawn to the section “In the Jewish Homeland.” It is rich in history from the return of the Jewish people after our slavery in Egypt, including of course the modern State of Israel. Even if only subtly, that’s important because it draws a link to our Biblical connection and how that is connected to the rebirth of the State in 1948.

We had guests for Shabbat the week after the book arrived. I had it out and at one point people were actually competing to look. The praise for the content and presentation was universal, validating my immediate response.

The book is divided into five chapters, maybe corresponding to the five books of the Torah: Jewish History, Jewish Teaching, Jewish Practice, The Jewish Year, and Lifecycle Milestones. The truth is that each chapter could be its own book. There’s great content throughout but there’s so much more that could be expanded upon. But “The Book of Jewish Knowledge” is an incredible start, raising the bar high on thoughtful, professionally researched, and beautifully presented content that is relevant to us all.

While all the content and more is probably available online, the fact that this is assembled as a single book sets a new standard on Jewish books.

“The Book of Jewish Knowledge” is a fantastic publication of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, a Chabad-connected program. When I asked about the book initially, I inquired if it was appropriate for non-Jews, as that’s among whom I work, building bridges between Jews and Christians and Christians with Israel. I was told that yes it was, and wanted to check it out myself. I’m so glad I did. There are aspects of Jewish tradition I might have explained differently, and a presumption of understanding of some basic aspects of Jewish life, history, and practices that might make it more challenging for someone not familiar with these to interact with and appreciate the content at the highest level. It’s probably a delicate balance that the editors considered. All in all, they did a fabulous job.

I’d have erred on the site of providing a little more background so that people can read and interact with the book even more, while not dumbing down the content for those who have more background. Perhaps the subsequent issues (if its not planned, it should be, and I hope this will serve as a catalyst to that), a little more background can be added that makes “The (next) Book of Jewish Knowledge” all the more accessible at the highest level to that many more people.

It’s a tremendous volume of Jewish knowledge, and wisdom, an important addition to Jewish life, and a great addition to anyone’s personal library, or coffee table.

“The Book of Jewish Knowledge” is available at https://shop.myjli.com/products/the-book-of-jewish-knowledge-rh.