Good reference book but sometimes very biased

books:


	• How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household Blu Greenberg Jason Aronson, 1997 - 526 pages average customer review:based on 25 reviews
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highly recommended

Good reference book but sometimes very biased

I own a copy of this book and have read it and sometimes use it as reference, however I am from a sephardic family. By "traditional" she means ashkenazi/Eastern European traditional, which is very different than Sephardic Judaism (which she totally ignores). One great thing about this book is that she explains Jewish rituals in a very easy-to-understand manner which is great for beginners. She also has an entire chapter devoted to Jewish prayer, which includes different prayers for different situations (such as for wearing new clothes, as one reviewer pointed out), which I really enjoyed. She has transliterated a lot of Hebrew prayers, so that people who can't read Hebrew can still learn the prayers. I believe that somewhere in there she says that this book is written from the *modern orthodox* perspective, but I think the major emphasis of this book is on orthodox, not *modern.* Overall this was a good solid book and will be a good reference for those who are raised in a non-practicing family and want to become more observant or those who are interested in learning more about orthodox Judaism in general.

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Impressions of a Xian

I'm a Presbyterian minister of quarter-Jewish descent with, obviously, a strong interest in Judaism.

I'm far from a specialist, so I don't have much to add to the conversation here other than my personal impressions. On the positive side, this book is a good read, highly accessible. It gives a very clear and beautiful window into the Greenbergs' household practices of Judaism. You can almost taste the food, see the candles, etc.

But, as some others have noted, having read similar Orthodox sources, I get the strong sense that Greenberg is not representaive of most in that wing of Judaism. She is clearly not only Modern Orthodox, but represents the left-wing of that progressive half of Orthodoxy. She is a strong feminist, for example. And she is also probably not as knowledgable as some rabbinic authors. Also, this is a little dated now, having been written in the 1980s.

For a more traditional guide to Orthodox practices and belief try some of the ArtScroll titles, like Rabbi Mord. Katz, Understanding Judaism.

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Thorough resource

Mrs. Greenberg is really an incredible woman; she finds time to write, lecture, run a traditional household, and to be the co-founder and first president of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, as well as serving on the boards of many other noble organisations and magazines. In this classic tome she gives detailed and thoughtful insights and instructions into how to live a traditional life and how to run a traditional household. There are chapters on taharat hamishpacha, weddings, birth, holidays, how to keep a Glatt kosher kitchen, recipes, prayer, Shabbos, and many other things. Many people think of Orthodoxy as rigid, unbending, and unchanging, but Mrs. Greenberg demonstrates that that's not so. She and her family are Modern Orthodox, a movement which reconciles modernity with tradition. Someone who is MO will of course put more weight on halacha and tradition, but will look for ways to be more part of the modern world, realising that the world of today isn't the same as it was in the Talmudic era, and that there are interpretations of certain things that allow for more flexibility, as opposed to how someone who is RWO or Hareidi will oftentimes seem to live as though it's still the 17th century and there is no room for change or an ongoing dialogue with the past that doesn't attempt to water down tradition while reinterpreting it for the modern era. Interspersed with her instructions on how to keep a traditional household are stories about her own family life. These anecdotes really illustrate the points she's talking about, making something like taharat hamishpacha or prayer relevant and meaningful to the reader.

However, I agree that there could stand to be an updated edition of this book. A lot has changed since 1981, not only socially but also in the Jewish world. Today, thanks to people like Mrs. Greenberg, there is more of a dialogue (at least within the MO world) about resolving difficult issues about womens' roles without drastically altering what Orthodoxy stands for. Things that are becoming more and more common today, such as women-led prayer services and female halachic authorities, were barely on the radar back in 1981. Another example of something dating this book is the section on pregnancy; she's advising her women readers about how to choose the right doctor, and mentions that a number of doctors don't really approve of their patients having natural deliveries, so one should choose a doctor who respects one's birth plan. Today twilight sleep is a thing of the past. And today you also see more and more people in Orthodoxy who are both connected with the real world and tradition; it's no longer as uncommon as it once was to see an Orthodox woman, say, wearing pants, or for a couple who will observe taharat hamishpacha but not to the strict level that a RWO or Hareidi couple will (e.g., they will handle an object at the same time or engage in non-sexual touching as opposed to having zero physical contact).

For anyone who's interested in learning more about tradition or wants some help in encorporating more tradition into one's life and household, this is a very good guidebook to get started with.

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Okay, but read with caution

Blu Greenberg's book is a good resource for those considering a more observant lifestyle. Good, but not great.
First of all, Rebbetzin Greenberg, who founded the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (great organization, by the way, which has done a lot for agunot), trots out her feminist views in areas where it is unnecessary. For instance, in her chapter on prayer, rather than alluding to a woman's unique role in prayer (influencing her children, the reasons women don't count in minyan), she instead talks about the strides women have made in taking a more active role in the synagogue. The tone throughout her book is one of "I am woman, hear me whine."
Also, the book is over twenty years old. I think an updated version would be important to address issues such as appropriate use of the Internet to Orthodox Judaism's shift to the right. Nowadays, Modern Orthodoxy is less "Modern" and more "Orthodox".
In short, use it as a reference when you set up a sukkah or clean for Pesach, but double check the information against the Shulchan Aruch or your own community standards

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How to run a traditional Jewish home

It is very informative and it is written in such a way that is a pleasant read as well as informative.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Never has such a complete and accurate guide to running a traditional Jewish household been so accessible and sympathetic to the uninitiated. Blu Greenberg at once guides nontraditional Jews who are looking to become more observant and allows traditional Jews to fine-tune the details of their own observant home lives.

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