- Cahill, T. (2010). The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
- Semi-historical work about the contribution of Jews to Western culture.
- Donin, H. (2019). To be a Jew: A Guide to Jewish Observance in Contemporary Life Selected and Compiled from the Shulhan Arukh and Responsa Literature and Providing a Rationale for the Laws and the Traditions. Basic Books.
- Foundational textbook to practical, everyday halacha.
- Fox, E. (1997). The Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Schocken Books.
- My favorite Torah translation. Bad English, but very good Hebrew-in-English, preserving many Hebrew puns and poetic forms which other translations tend to lose or interpret away.
- Gans, C. (2016). A Political Theory for the Jewish People: Three Zionist Narratives. Oxford University Press.
- Comprehensive review of various strands of Zionist thought and Levantine politics.
- Green, A. (2012). These Are the Words: A Vocabulary of Jewish Spiritual Life. Jewish Lights Pub.
- A short dictionary explaining common Jewish words.
- Hayes, C. E. (2012). Introduction to the Bible. Yale University Press.
- Excellent, digestible introduction to modern Hebrew Bible scholarship.
- Heschel, A. J. (1999). God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
- A comprehensive philosophy of Judaism as a religion of awe.
- Heschel, A. J. (2005). The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
- A short and beautiful text about the importance and meaning of Shabbat.
- Hurwitz, S. (2019). Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There). Spiegel & Grau.
- A brief exploration of the often-overlooked spiritual aspect of Judaism.
- Kushner, A. (2015). The Grammar of God: A Journey into the Words and Worlds of the Bible. Spiegel & Grau.
- A brief exploration of the role of Hebrew grammar in Biblical analysis.
- Shá¹ainzalts, Ê¿Adin. (2002). A Guide to Jewish Prayer. Schocken Books.
- Foundational textbook to practical Jewish prayer.
Revision History
- 2025-06-28: Original posting.