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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013932102 ISBN 978-1-118-40751-6 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-46016-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-46018-4 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-46019-1 (ebk) Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 About the Authors Rabbi Ted Falcon, Ph.D., one of the pioneers of Jewish spirituality within the Reform Jewish context, was ordained in 1968 from the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received a doctorate from the California School of Professional Psychology in 1975. He is a nationally recognized lecturer and teacher, and the author of A Journey of Awakening: A Guide for Using the Kabbalistic Tree of Life in Jewish Meditation. Since 2001, Rabbi Falcon has worked with Pastor Don Mackenzie and Imam Jamal Rahman, together known as the Interfaith Amigos. With them he has authored Getting to the Heart of Interfaith: The Eye-Opening, Hope-Filled Friendship of a Pastor, a Rabbi, and an Imam, and Religion Gone Astray: What We Found at the Heart of Interfaith. Rabbi Falcon founded Makom Ohr Shalom, a Synagogue for Jewish Meditation in Los Angeles, and Bet Alef Meditative Synagogue in Seattle. He is a speaker, a writer, and a spiritual therapist in private practice. David Blatner is an award-winning, best-selling author of 15 books on a wide range of topics—from aviation to digital imaging to the number pi (π). Known for his easy-to-read and humorous style of writing about difficult subjects, Blatner is a Seattle-based writer whose books have sold over a half-million copies and have been translated into 14 languages. He has presented seminars in North America, Australia, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, and can be found online at 63p.com. Mr. Blatner has been a Jew his whole life. Dedication Ted: For my grandchildren, Ezra and Veronica, with much love. David: To my mother, Barbara, who always encouraged me Authors’ Acknowledgments Remember the adage “Never trust a book by its cover”? Well, this cover has our names on it, but that only tells part of a much bigger story. We’d like to thank our many teachers, friends, family, and supporters (some of whom fall into more than one of those categories). First, we’ve got to give a hand to our wives, Ruth Neuwald Falcon and Debra Carlson, whose patience and love made this grueling process bearable. Thanks, too, to the lead technical reviewer from the first edition, Rabbi Harry Zeitlin, whose wise and kind availability never failed to offer two interpretations when we had room for only one. We also relied on the wise and helpful comments of Rabbi Yossi Liebowitz and Arielle Vale. Similarly, dozens of others — such as David Morgenstern and Gabe Harbs — contributed facts and figures that helped immeasurably. Thanks, too, to Rabbi Rami Shapiro and Aaron Shapiro, our great technical editors for this second edition. This book couldn’t have been produced without considerable caffeine (Ted drinks decaf) from Seattle’s Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. Many thanks to our agent, Reid Boates, and to the folks at Wiley, including Tracy Boggier and our excellent editor, Jennifer Moore. David: I’d like to thank David Weinstein (and his family) for dragging me to shul as a child to eat great food, as well as Lawrence Horwitz, Mordy Golding, and Glenn Fleishman for their inspiration, kind words, and help along the way. Thanks, too, to my sons Gabriel and Daniel, who love learning alongside me. And great thanks go to my coauthor, Ted, whose profound, open-hearted teaching helped me see Judaism in a new way. Ted: I would like to thank my teachers and my students (who are often the same people) over the years, and especially my communities in Seattle and in Los Angeles, who taught me what it means to be a rabbi. My work as one of the Interfaith Amigos has deepened my appreciation for the wisdom of Judaism while at the same time celebrating the truths of other traditions, and I am grateful for the presence of Pastor Don Mackenzie and Imam Jamal Rahman in my life. And I continue to be deeply grateful for the expertise, the humor, the wisdom, and the friendship of my coauthor, David Blatner. Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Vertical Websites Project and Copy Editor: Jennifer Moore(Previous Edition: Mary Goodwin) Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier Assistant Editor: David Lutton Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen Technical Editors: Rabbi Rami Shapiro and Aaron Shapiro Editorial Managers: Jennifer Ehrlich and Carmen Krikorian Editorial Assistant: Alexa Koschier Art Coordinator: Alicia B. South Cover Photos: ©Mitch Hrdlicka/Getty Images Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Composition Services Project Coordinator: Sheree Montgomery Layout and Graphics: Jennifer Creasey, Joyce Haughey Proofreader: Barbara Arany Indexer: Potomac Indexing, LLC Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Composition Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services Judaism For Dummies®, 2nd Edition Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/judaism to view this book's cheat sheet. Table of Contents Introduction About This Book Conventions Used in This Book Pronouncing Jewish Words About the translations Foolish Assumptions How This Book Is Organized Part I: What Jews Generally Believe Part II: From Womb to Tomb: The Life Cycle Part III: An Overview of Jewish History Part IV: Celebrations and Holy Days Part V: The Part of Tens Part VI: Appendixes Icons Used in This Book Where to Go from Here Part I: What Jews Generally Believe Chapter 1: That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Jewish: Who’s a Jew and Why The Jewish Tribe What’s in a name? Jews far and wide Who decides if you’re Jewish? After all, it’s a small world Major Branches of the Tree Orthodox Jews Breakaway denominations Guess Who Else Is Jewish Chapter 2: It’s All One: Judaism and God Pondering Jewish Beliefs about God A religion of deed, not creed Arguing with God Where God is Calling One God Many Names What’s in a name? The four-letter Name of God The Singular Being hidden in the plural God’s Own name No end to the names of God Looking behind the Name God creates God reveals God redeems Embarking on a Quest for Ultimate Reality Chapter 3: A Never-Ending Torah: The Unfolding of a Tradition Torah: The Light That Never Dims The five books of Moses The weekly readings The TaNaKH: The Hebrew Bible Nevi’im (“Prophets”) Ketuvim (“Writings”) The Haftarah Interpreting the Bible A Hidden Revolution: The Oral Torah The law of the land: The Mishnah The teachings explained: The Talmud Telling stories: The midrash The Expanding Torah Chapter 4: A Path of Blessing: Judaism as a Daily Practice Connecting With God and Community through Practice: The Mitzvot 613 habits of highly effective people Women and mitzvot The reasons for mitzvot Connecting With God and Community through Blessings and Prayers Private worship The community worship service Going to Synagogue Four things you’ll find in every synagogue Who’s who at shul Following Jewish Dietary Laws: A Brief Guide to Kosher Food The reasons behind kosher OU means OK for most Purifying the Spirit: Rites and Rituals Dressing for God: Jewish Garments and Clothing Customs The yarmulka Fringes and shawls You shall bind them as a sign: Laying tefillin The Jewish Home On every doorpost: The mezuzah The candelabra extraordinaire: The menorah So Go Now and Live Chapter 5: Jewish Mysticism Delving Into Jewish Mysticism What mystics tend to believe The Kabbalah Taking a Magical Mystical Tour Early mystical texts Isaac Luria, Safed’s sage Israel ben Eliezer, the good master Going Above and Beyond: Jewish Meditation Following Maps to Understanding: The Images and Symbols The Tree of Life The ten sefirot The Four Worlds The five levels of soul Chapter 6: Ethical Challenges Getting to the Heart of the Matter The Golden Rule Expressions of God Tikkun olam Charged to act Meeting at the Intersection of Righteousness and Charity Unraveling the Problem of the Other Intra-and Interfaith Challenges Embracing Our Sexuality Mystical visions of sexual union Birth control and abortion Homosexuality Prohibited relationships Finding a Way to Peace Breaking the cycle Respecting Animals and the Environment Bal Tashkhit: Do not destroy Tza’ar ba’alei khayim: Treat living creatures with dignity Striving for tikkun olam Part II: From Womb to Tomb: The Life Cycle Chapter 7: In the Beginning: Birth and Bris Making the Cut: Ritual Circumcision Knowing who’s involved Adhering to the rituals and ceremonies Making the choice Thanking God for Little Girls Playing the Name Game Buying Back the First Born Chapter 8: Coming of Age: The Bar/Bat Mitzvah Preparing for the Big Day Celebrating the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Reading from the Good Book Speech! Speech! A night to celebrate Celebrating as a grown up Confirming Your Beliefs Chapter 9: Get Me to the Chuppah On Time: Weddings Looking at the Origins of Jewish Marriage Preparing for the Ceremony Enjoying the Wedding Raising the chuppah Drinking the fruit of the vine Exchanging the rings Sharing the seven blessings Breaking the glass Putting it in writing Enjoying sacred moments, before and after Getting a Get: Divorce Walking through a divorce Encountering rare troubles Chapter 10: Stepping Through the Valley: The Shadow of Death Planning for Death Writing an ethical will Making final confessions Reciting parting words Arranging the Funeral Returning to the earth Preparing the body Attending a funeral and burial Observing the Mourning Period The first week following a funeral The first month and year Saying Kaddish Remembering the Dead Part III: An Overview of Jewish History Chapter 11: Let My People Go: From Abraham to Exodus The Genesis of a People