I mean, any of these I'd recommend based on what someone was planning to study and what most interested them. It really depends on what you want to learn and in what order.
Most of these books I'd recommend to people because I think they're good books and I'm keeping them for a reason. However, obviously a lot will depend on where you feel you're at and what part of Judaism you want to explore in more detail which I honestly don't remember where you are, personally, on that figure.
Given I know you're working on Yentl's Revenge right now, Plaskow's book would likely be a good complement to it as its one of the historical defining Jewish feminism books. Depending on your tolerance for Orthodox stuff, I also liked Greenberg's book for that too, because it gives a more liberal outlook while grounding it in Jewish Law - but it can be a bit harsh on questions of the "need" for Jewish continuity ideals.
"Gates of Shabbat" might be a good book to read through for ideas about Shabbat as we've talked about elsewhere, as might Mishkan Moed which is the shorter book that goes into deep detail about the holidays vs Essential Judaism which is basically an encyclopedia and possibly too much for casual reading.
Lastly, I'd probably recommend the Short History just because it's one of the most accessible history books I've read that is actually accurate to what I know from non-Jewish sources on the subject.
Without a more detailed conversation about your personal hopes and goals in terms of where you are now for Jewish study, I really couldn't say more specifically. Good luck?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: Jun. 1st, 2018 16:34 (UTC)Most of these books I'd recommend to people because I think they're good books and I'm keeping them for a reason. However, obviously a lot will depend on where you feel you're at and what part of Judaism you want to explore in more detail which I honestly don't remember where you are, personally, on that figure.
Given I know you're working on Yentl's Revenge right now, Plaskow's book would likely be a good complement to it as its one of the historical defining Jewish feminism books. Depending on your tolerance for Orthodox stuff, I also liked Greenberg's book for that too, because it gives a more liberal outlook while grounding it in Jewish Law - but it can be a bit harsh on questions of the "need" for Jewish continuity ideals.
"Gates of Shabbat" might be a good book to read through for ideas about Shabbat as we've talked about elsewhere, as might Mishkan Moed which is the shorter book that goes into deep detail about the holidays vs Essential Judaism which is basically an encyclopedia and possibly too much for casual reading.
Lastly, I'd probably recommend the Short History just because it's one of the most accessible history books I've read that is actually accurate to what I know from non-Jewish sources on the subject.
Without a more detailed conversation about your personal hopes and goals in terms of where you are now for Jewish study, I really couldn't say more specifically. Good luck?