Rabbi Schonbrun’s Bookshelf
The Rabbi’s Bookshelf
Below are some books that I find useful in my daily Jewish practice. I hope that you find them meaningful as well!
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism: Our Ancestors to Our Descendants, by Elliot Dorff
Conservative Judaism: The New Century by Neil Gillman
Taking Hold of Torah, by Arnold Eisen
Tradition Renewed, A History of The Jewish Theological Seminary of American, Volumes 1-2, edited by Jack Wertheimer
Jewish Values and Ethics
A Code of Jewish Ethics, Volumes 1 & 2 by Joseph Telushkin
Love Your Neighbor and Yourself: A Jewish Approach to Modern Personal Ethics, by Elliot Dorff
The Book of Jewish Values, by Joseph Telushkin
The Way Into Tikkun Olam, by Elliot Dorff
To Do the Right and the Good: A Jewish Approach to Modern Social Ethics, by Elliot Dorff
Introduction to Judaism
Choosing Judaism, by Lydia Kukoff
It’s a Mitzvah!, by Bradley Shavit Artson
Jewish Literacy, by Joseph Telushkin
Keeping Kosher: A Diet for the Soul, by Samuel Dresner
The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism, by Prager and Telushkin
The Shabbat Seder, Ron Wolfson
To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking, Harold Kushner
Why Be Jewish? David Wolpe
Holidays, Life Cycles, and Jewish Living
Bar and Bat Mitzvah
Danny Siegel’s Bar and Bat Mitzvah Mitzvah Book (A Practical Guide for Changing the World Through Your Simcha), Danny Siegel
Putting God on the Guest List: How to Reclaim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah, Jeffrey Salkin
Tough Questions Jewish Ask: A Young Adults Guide to Building A Jewish Life, Edward Feinstein
Whose Bar/Bat Mitzvah Is This, Anyway?, Judith Davis
Birth
Celebration and Renewal: Rites of Passage in Judaism, edited by Rella Geffen
Tears of Sorrow, Seeds of Hope: A Jewish Spiritual Companion for Infertility and Pregnancy Loss, Nina Beth Cardin
The Comprehensive Dictionary of English and Hebrew First Names, Kolatch
The Jewish Pregnancy Book, Sandy Falk, M.D., and Rabbi Daniel Judson
The New Jewish Baby Book: Names, Ceremonies & Customs – A Guide for Today’s Families, Anita Diamant
Death and Loss
A Time to Mourn, a Time to Comfort: A Guide to Jewish Bereavement, Ron Wolfson
Consolation: The Spiritual Journey Beyond Grief, Maurice Lamm
Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times, David Wolpe
Overcoming Life’s Disappointments, Harold Kushner
To Begin Again: The Journey Toward Comfort, Strength and Faith in Difficult Times, Naomi Levy
When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Harold Kushner
Divorce
Divorce Is A Mitzvah, Perry Netter
When There Is no Other Alternative, A Spiritual Guide For Jewish Couples Contemplating Divorce, Sanford Seltzer
Holidays
A Day Apart: Shabbat at Home, Noam Zachs Zion and Shawn Fields-Meyer
A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, Isaac Klein
The Jewish Holidays: A Guide and Commentary, Michael Strassfeld
The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays, Irving Greenberg
The Sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel
The Tapestry of Jewish Time: A Spiritual Guide to Holidays and Life-Cycle Events, Nina Beth Cardin
Jewish Living
A Book of Life: Embracing Judaism as a Spiritual Practice, Michael Strassfeld
Life’s Daily Blessings, Kerry Olitzky
The Rituals & Practices of a Jewish Life: A Handbook for Personal Spiritual Renewal, edited Kerry Olitzky and Daniel Judson
Marriage
Beyond The Chuppah, A Jewish Guide To Happy Marriages
The New Jewish Wedding, Anita Diamant
Parenting
The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children, Wendy Mogul
How To Be A Jewish Parent, Anita Diamant and Karen Kushner
Parenting as a Spiritual Journey, Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer
Parenting Jewish Teens: A Guide for the Perplexed, Joanne Doades
Raising a Mensch, Shelly Kapnek Rosenberg
Interfaith
Introducing My Faith and My Community: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide for the Christian in a Jewish Interfaith Relationship, Kerry Olitzky
Jewish Holidays: A Brief Introduction for Christians, Kerry Olitzky and Daniel Judson
Making A Successful Jewish Interfaith Marriage: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide to Opportunities, Challenges, and Resources, Kerry Olitzky and Joan Littman
Israel
Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present, Michael Oren
Saving Israel, Daniel Gordis
Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, Michael Oren
The Case For Israel, Alan Dershowitz
The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land, Donna Rosenthal
The Jewish Connection to Israel, the Promised Land: A Brief Introduction for Christians, Eugene Korn
Social Action
There Shall Be No Needy, Pursuing Social Justice through Jewish Law and Tradition, Jill Jacobs
Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call For Justice, edited by Or Rose, Jo Ellen Green Kaiser and Margie Klein
Spirituality and Mysticism
A Book of Life: Embracing Judaism as a Spiritual Practice, by Michael Strassfeld
Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, by Alan Morinis
Jewish Spiritual Practices, by Yitzhak Buxbaum
Modern Trends In Jewish Mysticism, Gershom Scholem
Reclaiming Judaism as a Spiritual Practice, by Rabbi Goldie Milgram
The Way Into Jewish Mystical Tradition, by Lawrence Kushner
The Jewish Lights Spirituality Handbook, edited by Stuart M. Matlins
The Seven Questions You’re Asked in Heaven: Reviewing and Renewing Your Life on Earth, Ron Wolfson
Yearnings: Embracing The Sacred Messiness of Life: Kula
Tefillah / Prayer
Entering Jewish Prayer: A Guide to Personal Devotion and the Worship Service, by Reuven Hammer
My People’s Prayer Book Series, Traditional Prayers, Modern Commentaries- Volumes 1-9, edited by Lawrence Hoffman
Making Prayer Real: Leading Jewish Spiritual voices on Why Prayer is Difficult and What do Do about It, Mike Comins
Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals by Reuven Hammer
Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays by Rueven Hammer
Talking to God: Personal Prayers for times of Joy, Sadness, Struggle, And Celebration
Theology and Jewish Thought
Healer of Shattered Hearts, David Wolpe
Jewish Wisdom, Joseph Telushkin
Jewish Theology In Our Time, A new Generation Explores the Foundations and Future of Jewish Belief, Elliot Cosgrove
Judaism and Modern Man, Will Herberg
Knowing God: Jewish Journeys to the Unknowable, Elliot Dorff
Sacred Fragments, Neil Gillman
Searching for Meaning in Midrash, Michael Katz and Gershon Schwartz
Swimming in the Sea of Talmud, Michael Katz and Gershon Schwartz
Teaching Your Children About God, David Wolpe
The Way Into Encountering God in Judaism, Neil Gillman
To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking, Harold Kushner
When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Harold Kushner
Who Needs God, Harold Kushner
Torah Study
Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, edited by David Lieber
How to Read the Bible, Marc Zvi Brettler
The Bedside Torah, Bradley Artson
The Contemporary Torah: A Gender-Sensitive Adaptation of the JPS Translation, edited by David S. Stein
The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary, Robert Alter
The Jewish Study Bible, edited by Adele Berlin, Marc Zvi Brettler and Michael Fishbane
The Modern Men’s Torah Commentary, edited by Jeffrey Salkin
The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, edited by Tamara Cohen and Andrea Weiss
Transformation of Synagogues
Becoming A Congregation of Learners by Isa Aron
Rethinking Synagogues: A New Vocabulary for Congregational Life, Lawrence Hoffman
Synagogues In A Time of Change, Zachary Heller
The Self-Renewing Congregation, Isa Aron
The Spirituality of Welcoming, How To Transform Your Community Into A Sacred Congregation, Ron Wolfson
This House We Build: Lessons for Healthy Synagogues and the People Who Dwell There, Terry Bookman and Bill Kahn
