THE MIRACLE OF THE SEVENTH DAY: A Guide to the Spiritual Meaning, Significance and Weekly Practice of the Jewish Sabbath
Adin Steinsaltz, . . Jossey-Bass, $22.95 (222pp) ISBN 978-0-7879-6545-7
This companion for the Sabbath table is intended for novices as well as those well-versed in Shabbat law and observance. It is a tribute to Steinsaltz—rabbi, scholar, author and teacher—that he navigates both audiences successfully, balancing a step-by-step guidebook with a treasury of information about the history, development and significance of prayers and traditions. The Sabbath, Steinsaltz explains, is not just a day of passivity based on a set of laws that prohibit work, but an opportunity to transform inactivity to joy and inner peace. He reveals the reasons for many customs and laws, from the number of loaves of bread (two, to match the double batch of manna that fell on the Sabbath) to the practice of standing during
Reviewed on: 03/31/2003
Genre: Nonfiction