A substantial but accessible guide to reading and applying Reform responsa.
Washofsky helps curious Reform Jews navigate religious law in this critical work.
Where religious law and modern life meet, there are always questions. In a religious tradition as concerned with ethics as Reform Judaism, the number of questions is especially vast. With this volume, the author, a rabbi and emeritus professor of Jewish law and practice, attempts to address some of these questions by placing them within the context of Reform Jewish thought. “Responsa,” he writes in his introduction, refers to the practice in ancient Rome “in which judges and litigants sent difficult questions of law to legal experts who would respond in writing with learned opinions. We use the word today to describe a similar genre in Jewish law, the sh’eilot ut’shuvot, ‘questions and answers.’” Despite the Reform Jewish belief in personal religious autonomy—the freedom (within limits) of each person to make their own religious decisions—guidelines remain useful for those curious about how their personal religious choices fit within the Jewish tradition. This book includes responsa on several potentially controversial areas of modern Jewish life, from issues of medical privacy and labor unions to the appropriateness of cremation, secular holidays, and the flying of national flags at synagogues. Washofsky not only presents relevant responsa but offers critical readings of them, offering a practical demonstration of how to interpret and sometimes reject the claims made on the religious doctrine in question. His prose is deft and analytical without being abstruse, as seen here when the author considers a responsa that claims Jewish law supports the right of workers to organize unions: “We should greet a sweeping statement like this with attention and, perhaps, a degree of skepticism. Do the sources in fact support it? The concept of a ‘labor union’ is not found in the Talmud, the ultimate proof text for all halachic argument.” Those curious about the tradition of responsa in the Reform tradition, or merely about the intersection of Jewish law and modern life, will find much here of interest.
A substantial but accessible guide to reading and applying Reform responsa.Pub Date: March 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780881236439
Page Count: 288
Publisher: CCAR Press
Review Posted Online: March 7, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A hopeful civic sermon favoring inspiration over concrete prescriptions.
A New Jersey senator’s moral manifesto.
Booker situates his narrative in the wake of his 2025 record-breaking 25-hour stand on the Senate floor, an act of physical endurance and moral insistence that serves as its animating example. Though not framed as memoir, the episode implicitly positions Booker himself as a model of the virtues he argues are essential to democratic life. Organized around 10 qualities, including agency, vulnerability, truth, perseverance, and grace, the book advances a clear thesis. “In this book, I argue that many Americans who came before us, and many among us today, have consistently proven that virtues are practical: They expand our power, deepen our sense of belonging, and equip us to endure and ultimately prevail.” Booker illustrates this claim through figures such as the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, whose willingness to endure sacrifice for principle anchors the book’s moral lineage, and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, whose composure under public scrutiny is presented as an example of dignity as civic strength. These portraits reinforce Booker’s belief that character, sustained over time, can shape public life, even when political outcomes remain uncertain or incomplete. He supplements these examples with personal stories drawn from family, faith, and community, delivered with emotional conviction and a tone that remains affirming and carefully calibrated. Much of the narrative reads like an expansive commencement address, earnest and reassuring, offering moral affirmation at moments when readers might reasonably expect sharper confrontation. That rhetorical choice ultimately defines the book’s limits. Booker acknowledges political conflict and compromise, but rarely examines them in depth, and while urging leaders to take moral risks, he avoids sustained reflection on how some of his own political decisions have tested the virtues he promotes. The result is a principled but self-conscious work that affirms shared values while offering little guidance for navigating power and accountability.
A hopeful civic sermon favoring inspiration over concrete prescriptions.Pub Date: March 24, 2026
ISBN: 9781250436733
Page Count: 272
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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