This is a good book for those who want to learn about the Orthodox practice of halacha, but doesn't always seem to have a positive view of the other systems. So good but slantied.

This book is as relevant today as it was when first written. A very good read.

Useful, informative introduction to Judaism. Helpful and well-written. I am not Jewish but this book helped me a lot to get a basic understanding of the practices and beliefs of Judaism. I think it would help other non-Jews too despite what some other reviewers said. If it assumes prior knowledge I honestly didn't notice and it's easy enough to look up vocabulary words if that's the biggest hurdle. That's what Wikipedia is for, right?

"To Be a Jew" was the first "Jewish" book I bought when I initially became interested in becoming Jewish. Although I originally chose this book due to it and Telushkin's "Jewish Literacy" being the only "Jewish" books available in my rural town's bookstore, "To Be a Jew" has proven to be an excellent resource over the past twenty years. I have since had to buy a new copy to replace the first one as this is a book that we commonly refer to in our home.
I would also highly recommend "To Pray as a Jew" and "To Raise a Jewish Child" once you have completed "To Be a Jew"

This book is a great resource for those living a Jewish lifestyle. If you were not raised as a practicing Jew this book is a MUST for you! You will learn about how to live out your Jewish identity throughout the pages of this wonderful book! Nicely written with great Table of Contents. Strongly recommend for anyone new to Judaism or returning to their faith.

This is a great comprehensive book on Jewish life and observances, from the Orthodox perspective. Good for serious students, Jewish or not.

To Be a Jew: A Guide to Jewish Observance in Contemporary Life

For a comprehensive of orthodox life in the Jewish world for those that need a review or the new comers excellent deeply thoughtful information.

For a comprehensive of orthodox life in the Jewish world for those that need a review or the new comers excellent deeply thoughtful information.

This is an extremly helpfull book for those wanting to know what Judaism is all about..I personally recommend it as a must for studying if thinking of converting, or just to understand Jewdaism as a whole..

This book is absolutley wonderful and amazing and it saved my life. The Rabbi's prose is eloquent and precise and his selection of source and quotations is intelligent and persuasive. This book is gold.

I often precede writing a review of a book on Amazon by reading the reviews of others. In reading these I am impressed by the unanimity of positive response to this guide. I was especially impressed by how many non- Jewish readers found this book an understandable introduction to Judaism.
But I also believe that those learned in Judaism can gain from reading this work. 'Learning ' after all in the Jewish tradition is often ' relearning' and Rabbi Donin has the great power to teach us again what we may already know in an inspiring and helpful way.

When I was first interested in learning about Judaism I really didn't know much. This book was recommended to me, so I got it. I kind of liked the first part and found some good information, but I got very bogged down just over half way through when it started to get into the ritual a bit more. I didn't really understand what I was reading so I put it down.

After some years and learning from other sources I picked this up again. I was amazed at how my perspective had changed. It suddenly had meaning and I find myself going back to it again and again for guidance and understanding in many areas.

If you are new to Judaism, you might have a hard time with this book, like I did (I found "To Pray as a Jew" even harder), but if you know a bit from other sources and you are really interested in really understanding and remembering the details this is a very good source.

Here is an excerpt to demonstrate how difficult it can be to understand, but how there are gems therein:

"A Jewish definition of holiness may be put in these terms: Holiness does not lie in the ascetic, saintly withdrawal from life, or in excessive denial to oneself of all human pleasures, of in the repression of all human drives. It consists, rather, of full participation in the stream of human community life, sharing the joyous as well as the sorrowful experiences which life has to offer, denying to oneself no legitimate pleasures; but at the same time so developing one's sense of discernment as to be able to distinguish and choose the right from the wrong, the true from the false, the good from the bad, the sacred from the profane, the pure from the impure, and the clean from the unclean. The greater the sense of ethical-moral-religious discrimination, the greater the holiness of the individual."

If you have trouble with this book I would recommend you skip the parts that are difficult for you or just put it aside for a while, but keep it nearby because it is very useful later. Many think of it as a classic. I don't think you'll find a compilation of information like this anywhere else. There is no book I'd recommend in its place.