Jewish Studies

Volume One of this series is an overview of the Jewish Life Cycle, with laws, customs and traditions from traditional Jewish practice. Original Biblical, Talmudic, or other sources are referenced so the student can continue learning and appreciating the vast scope of why and how such laws and traditions originated.

In this regard, the entirety of Jewish life cycle is reviewed, from birth through death, with details on how the practice should be considered with recommendations for practical implementation.

Introducing this large topic are two introductory sections, one on Jewish Symbolism and Faith, and the second, on Perceptions Over Time, how our five senses have changed over the course of thousands of years of history.

The book also includes a brief overview, together with reflection on select Jewish Annual Cycle holy days, to include: Rosh Hashanah, Chanukah, Passover and Shavuot. Each of these Jewish holy days has its own traditions, practices, and foods. The details provided for each of these gives the student the opportunity to be aware of, and practice these ancient traditions correctly.

The book concludes with tributes to Sam Dreben, my great-great-uncle, known as 'The Fighting Jew' and the two plaques now gracing the stained glass 'Shiviti' in the vestibule of Temple Mount Sinai, El Paso, Texas. I also included a reflection of two worlds, the real and ideal, we all struggle for. The last reflection is from Chaplain Robert Certain, previously an Air Force navigator, who was shot down over North Vietnam and spent time as a Prisoner of War in the 'Hanoi Hilton.'