This fine volume is one in a series of illustrated books designed to show young readers ages 6-10 the who, what, when, where, why, and how of traditional houses of worship; liturgical celebrations; and rituals of different world faiths. The goal is to empower readers to respect and understand their own religious traditions and those of their friends and neighbors.
Why do people go to synagogue? What is the Torah? Why is bar and bat mitzvah important? How do Jews pray? Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, the Barbara and Stephen Friedman Professor of Liturgy at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and Dr. Ron Wolfson, vice president and dean of the Fingerhut School of Education and director of the Whizin Center for the Jewish Future at the University of Judaism, answer these questions and more. They explain the connection between prayer and learning in the Jewish community, the importance of Shabbat, and the mission of fixing the world. There are also pieces on the Jewish tradition of remembering the past and making this concrete with ritual celebrations of holidays.
