The Kosher Pig: And Other Curiosities of Modern Jewish Life

By Richard J. Israel

Book Overview

From Booklist Rabbi Israel's collection of essays is 'about modernity and being Jewish, about the ironies that result from trying to appropriate the Jewish tradition while at the same time attempting... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 188128302X
• ISBN13: 9781881283027
• Release Date: July 1993
• Publisher: Alef Design Group
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 1.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Funny and interesting little book

I read this book during my flight, and was disappointed to have to put it down when the flight landed and I only had a few pages left. It is a very nicely written book that offers the author's (a traditional rabbi) interesting, funny, and touching perspective on everything from beekeeping to the Hevra Kaddisha (society that cares for the dead) to jogging and exercise. Altogether, the book gives you a fresh perspective on being Jewish in America and will make you laugh more than once as well. I'm really surprised I haven't heard of this book earlier!

A great book, and a deceptively wise one.

The Kosher Pig is one of the great undiscovered Jewish books of our generation. It is funny, charming, entertaining, eclectic, but it is also deceptively wise. Richard Israel is rooted in Jewish tradition, but he has spent a rich professional rabbinical career dealing with real live American Jews - and it shows. His Jewish knowledge in a technical sense is balanced and informed by his understanding of people. The combination is rare and valuable. His chapter on davenning [praying] is one of the best short introductions to the topic I've ever read. His essay on how to give a dvar torah [a short homiletical speech - except that's not quite right, because a dvar torah is so much less formal than the English "homiletical speech"] is absolutely the best on the topic I've ever read. A book to enjoy for oneself, and also a great gift for someone who is Jewishly questing and growing.

good book

I thought that this book was very funy about tackling a very solemn set of issues. I would reccommend it