Wise Words: Jewish Thoughts and Stories Through the Ages

By Jessica Gribetz

Book Overview

A comprehensive anthology of wise sayings, stories, and insights from the Jewish tradition addressing such topics as faith, friendship, ethics, nature, charity, kindness, marriage, death, the Holocaust, and Israel.

Wise Words celebrates the heart and soul of a people shaped by four thousand years of precepts, stories, rituals, recipes, and humor. It is an all-embracing collection of aphorisms and poetry from the Bible, the Talmud, Hasidic tales, and contemporary humor and literature -- with a special emphasis on the all-too-often-forgotten voices of women. On any given topic, you can read the words of Isaiah, the teachings of Maimonides, the mystical wisdom of the Kabbalah, passages from Grace Paley, Nora Ephron, and Isaac Bashevis Singer, along with a sprinkling of Yiddish folk sayings that often get right to the heart of any subject.

Often joyous, occasionally tragic, the material is divided by major themes, including Jewish writers' insights on life, death, friendship, family, marriage, charity, kindness, ethics, food, holidays, nature, and art. Each section is framed by the author's own recollections as a daughter, sister, wife, and mother.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060566930
• ISBN13: 9780060566937
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Wise Wonderful Words

I enjoyed reading this book very much and highly recommend it. What is wonderful about this book is that you can sit and read it for hours, or you can just read a few passages when you get a chance. The book leaves you with something to ponder, meditate and sometimes even with a chuckle, and let's admit the Jewish people are known for their humor. The author has compiled a collection of wise sayings, stories and insights regarding Jewish traditions. She writes about different important issues, such as life, death, friendship, family, marriage, charity, kindness, ethics, food, holidays, nature, and art. I enjoyed reading the beginning of each chapter where the author states her own recollections as a daughter, sister, wife, and mother. This would be a great book to give someone as a Hanukkah present.