Someone gave this book to my wife for our old booksale at church and suggested that she might be interested in it. (She's an Episcopal priest.) She passed on the book but I was intrigued. Ari Goldman, a New York Times reporter, writes with immense skill and in a very appealing way about the difficulties and rewards of being a reporter and an observant Orthodox Jew, the burdens of growing up in a disfunctional family, and of his fascinating search for a deeper understanding of religion during a year long sabbitcal at the Harvard Divinity School. His portraits of his fellow students are wonderful. I strongly recommend this work. As he ends the book, he finds himself reading catalogues from rabbinical schools. I wonder if anything ever came of that. I would love to know.

The first time I read _The Search for God at Harvard_, I could not put it down until the end. I was enthralled. I have turned many people, including ministers, onto this book and have yet to receive less than favorable comments.

Ari Goldman tells a story of Orthodox Judaism, journalism, academia, and personal exploration. On sabatical from his job as religion writer for the New York Times, Goldman spends a year studying other religions at Harvard Divinity School. The people he introduces us to in this book are real and rivetting, but none moreso than Ari Goldman himself. His book is genial but very honest. I believe it took real courage for him to share this story with the public.

This book provides an interesting taste of comparitive religion. As a Protestant Christian, I was grateful for the chance to glimpse other religions (and my own) through Orthodox Jewish eyes.

This is a gentle yet powerful tale of one man's intellectual and spiritual adventure which holds lessons for all of us. I can't do this book justice in a review...it' too deep and beautiful. Please have the pleasure of reading it for yourself.

I expected this story to be merely a recitation of "what grad school was like for me". Boy, was I happily surprised! I was raised in an Orthodox environment myself, and the author does a great job of relating what that is like, the good and the bad, and even showing that there are differences among the Orthodox. (However, I was shocked at his revelation that the Orthodox engage in pre-marital sex - this has not been my experence!) At any rate, he does a fantastic job showing how he not only learned about other religions at Harvard, but was moved by them. In particular, I loved his explanation of how he actively searched for (and ultimately found) a class on Christianity that explained the passion of Christians for their religion, rather than just some intellectual lectures on the New Testament. Another thing that floored me was his openness about his personal life: how his parents' divorce devastated him, and how he wrestled with pondering how he could pursue journalism while keeping all the tenets of Orthodox Judaism (it was his mother who was his biggest support!). I also loved how Orthodox Judaism was a way of life for him, and that he was so secure in it, that he really could go to Harvard and throw himself into the study of other religions. If you are curious about religions, this is an absolute must-read.

If you are looking for a solid overview of traditional Jewish ritual practice, this book is a good place to start. Goldman begins with the rituals that mark "life events" (birth, coming of age, wedding, death), then runs through the annual festival calendar, and finally turns to daily ritual acts, such as prayer, keeping kosher, hospitality toward guests, sex, charity, and Torah study. For each of these, Goldman essentially takes you through the traditional ritual from beginning to end (with some rituals described in more detail than others).

What I found disappointing was the narrowness of the focus. The subtitle of the book is "The Spiritual and Cultural Practice of Judaism Today," but it really should have been "The Practice of Orthodox Judaism Today." Although Goldman notes in passing where Conservative and Reform (and, very occasionally, Reconstructionist) Judaism differ from Orthodox practice, he plainly considers Orthodoxy to be the "real" Judaism. He claims that "you don't have to do it all" (26) and that he intends to show that all idiosyncratic practices (such as the man who eats his non-kosher ham and cheese sandwich on matzah during Passover) are "efforts to reach for the holy" (32). Yet what he is really asking is "why don't these people do more?" And his "hope" is to make (Orthodox) ritual more accessible, so that more people will make more of it part of their lives. (32-33) I don't mean to suggest that there is anything wrong with this goal; it's just that both the subtitle and the book jacket are misleading to the extent they suggest that this book celebrates the variety of spiritual experiences and practice within Judaism.

"Being Jewish" is also somewhat lacking in the "spiritual" aspect advertised in the subtitle. Given the amount of territory Goldman covers in only 280 pages, it's probably not surprising that the mechanical details of the rituals predominate. But only a few chapters (particularly those on the Sabbath and prayer) gave me any sense of the spiritual experience that one might find in these rituals.

Last but not least, I remain troubled by a statement in the last chapter of the book, concerning the study of Torah. Goldman describes the Orthodox approach as treating both the Written and the Oral Torah as the revealed word of God, and the act of studying as an act of devotion. He then describes the "historical and critical" approach to the texts taken by the non-Orthodox rabbinical seminaries, and concludes that "You cannot both critique and fully revere texts at the same time." (259-60) (To be fair, Goldman also notes that the "faith-based approach" often flies in the face of historical fact.) This conclusion, that critique and reverence are fundamentally at odds, seems to me to be symptomatic of Goldman's attitude throughout the book. If you define "fully revere" as "accept uncritically," then of course reverence and critique are mutually incompatible. What Goldman fails to acknowledge (here and elsewhere) is that there may be other ways to "fully revere" the text (or to respect traditions and rituals) that have the same spiritual impact for particular individuals as traditional observance plainly has for Goldman.

Being Jewish gives a comprehensive account of the spiritual and cultural practices of Judaism. Similar in content to Anita Diamant's Living A Jewish Life, Being Jewish discusses the many life cycle events of Judaism as well as the holidays and common practices of prayer, giving tzedakah, keeping kosher, etc..

An advantage of Being Jewish is the more specific examples of how the different denominations practice some of the customs of Judaism. The book has a very modern appeal and that is a plus.

However, the author does tend to cite a few times too many that there are people who vary the practice of Judaism to their own needs. To paraphrase the author, there are six million jews and six million interpretations. Whereas some Jews alter their beleifs somewhat, I would say its a bit extreme to say that Judaism can be catered to the individual. Goldman eventually does focus in on the core foundations of each custom, holiday, etc.

And its the history behind each ceremony that makes this book stand tall. Goldman really gives a very good account on the history of the Brith noting the rise and the fall of its prominence in today's society. He also gives a nice history of the first Bat Mitzvah and how this trend has caught the attention of the Jewish Community. Some good summaries from the Bible are included to illustrate such points of marriage and keeping kosher. Even issues of vegatarianism are discussed as a part of the stories of Noah and Adam.

Some good summaries exists at the end of each chapter which make for easy learning. One can utilize the Bibliography as a guide for suggested readings even if it is not too extensive.

A good guide for those intersted in pursuing Judaism further. It provides a good hsitorical point of view while adding a modern touch.

I bought this book after a few years of not being interested in being a Jew or following any Jewish traditions. However I did maintain a group of orthodox friends throughout that time but I was simply turned off by Judaism all together. After a trip to Israel this past summer, I became very interested in my religion and felt a need to get myself involved again ...but I had forgotten so much about various traditions and laws that I didn't know where to start. A good friend of mine recommended this book to me and after reading it I feel I understand more about various Jewish practices and feel comfortable in allowing Judaism into my life again. Goldman himself claims to be a "Orthodox pluralist" where he believes that the "right answer for me is not the right answer for everyone" and describes how each person can choose/accept different aspects of Judaism that fit them. Its important to remember that when reading the book...this book is a good introduction to being Jewish but understand that actions and participating in Judaism is important but being Jewish really begins with what is in your heart. And that is something Goldman left unsaid in this book.