Rabbi Michael Strassfeld, coauthor of the three volumes of The Jewish Catalog and of A Night of Questions: A Passover Haggadah and author of The Jewish Holidays: A Guide and Commentary, is the rabbi of the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, a synagogue in Manhattan.

Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi

Part One AWAKENING TO THE DAY
Dawning 3
Speech 22
Work 37
Eating and Food 66
The End of the Day 94
Shabbat: A Day for Walking Softly Through the World 103

Part Two THE THREE PATHS
Torah: The Path of Study 139
Avodah: The Path of Prayer 176
Gemilut Hesed: The Path of Loving-kindness 206

Part Three LIVING THROUGH THE YEAR: THE FESTIVALS
The Festivals 227
The Jewish Calendar 229
Pesah/Passover 231
The Omer 244
Shavuot 253
The Three Weeks and Tisha be-Av 256
High Holidays: Rosh ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur 260
Sukkot 274
Shemini Atzeret and Simhat Torah 281
Hanukkah 284
Tu Bishvat 290
Purim 293

Part Four LIVING A LIFE OF HOLINESS
Genesis/Bereishit: Beginnings and Birth 304
Genesis/Bereishit: Conversion 324
Genesis/Bereishit: Parents and Children 337
Exodus/Shemot: Bar/Bat Mitzvah 345
Exodus/Shemot: On Being a Mentsch 353
Leviticus/Va-Yikra: Relationships and Sexuality 357
Leviticus/Va-Yikra: Marriage 373
Numbers/Be-midbar: Living in the Desert 396
Deuteronomy/Devarim: Aging 425
Deuteronomy/Devarim: Death 440

Part Five AFTER DEUTERONOMY: LIVING IN THE PROMISED LAND
Israel: Toward a Torah of Zion 467
Ecology 475
After the Words: God 487

A Note on Sources/Glossary 505