This book is in no form an "Idiot's" guide. Rabbi Benjamin Blech does an absolute brilliant job articulating some of the most difficult concepts in Jewish thought and Judaism today. Based on his book "Understaing Judaism" published by Jason Aronson, Blech touches on almost every aspect of Jewish life and for the right amount of time. Not too little, yet not too boring.

After reading this book I realized that after years of study, I am still an "idiot".

A good basic yet comprehensive overview. Written with humor and good historical information. I would definitely recommend this. Much easier to read than others I had looked at. Well organized and fun tidbits on the sidebars. Enteratianing, enlightening and informative.

They need to remove the "Complete Idiot's Guide" from the title. I feel that this cheapens or insults the wonderful message and body of work inside this marvelous book. G-d's message and word should not be down played as this title implies.

With that said the Rabbi's message is very articulate and insightful. He is able to blend ancient teachings with modern analogies wonderfully. I highly recommend this book!!

This book provides an accurate basic account of the Jewish faith for all who are interested. It also adds amusing references to pop culture and real-life sitations.

This is a great book for a non Jew to get an overall appreciation for the beliefs, practices and customs of the Jewish religion. I am a Christian who wanted to get a better understanding and appreciation for Judaism. In Jan. 2007 I spent two weeks in the Holy Land and when I came back I wanted to get a fuller appreciation for Judaism. This book gave me that.

If you want to know what the Jewish faith is all about, read this book. It is easy to read, not dry and boring. Excellent book with loads of information.

If you want to know what the Jewish faith is all about, read this book. It is easy to read, not dry and boring. Excellent book with loads of information.

I wrote a negative review of this book. A 1-star review. It was removed. It was my opinion that this book is not so great. Whenever the author couldn't explain something he easily dismissed it. Basically, religion is made by man for man. Religion is believing in what someone else is telling you to believe. When someone in the modern world claims to speak with God, everyone thinks he/she is crazy, yet millions are so willing and gullible to believe it really happened in the distant past when man was more primitive and easily confused natural events for those of the supernatural. I finished this book with a very empty feeling.

I wrote a negative review of this book. A 1-star review. It was removed. It was my opinion that this book is not so great. Whenever the author couldn't explain something he easily dismissed it. Basically, religion is made by man for man. Religion is believing in what someone else is telling you to believe. When someone in the modern world claims to speak with God, everyone thinks he/she is crazy, yet millions are so willing and gullible to believe it really happened in the distant past when man was more primitive and easily confused natural events for those of the supernatural. I finished this book with a very empty feeling.

This book is a comprehensive, easy to read and understand, guide to Judaism. I think it is both a valuable tool for someone that is Jewish, and to remind them of the beauty and practices of the religion, but also great for someone like me, who read this book not knowing anything at all about Judaism. I had many misconceptions about this religion and it was definately an educational experience. I can now say I know what a mitzvah, a tallit and a kiddish are! This is a complex, yet lovely religion and Rabbi Benjamin Blech makes it so easy to understand. He is also very funny, with cute little jokes throughout the book.
The only thing I wished, although he did touch on briefly, is the subject of reform Judaism. He did write the book from the position of being a liberal Orthodox Rabbi, but with the fast growing numbers of reform Judaism, I would have liked to see a little more on that subject. But all in all it was a great read. To be able to say that about a religious book to a religion that I don't follow, is to say that it was very well written because night after night I couldn't put it down.

This book really opened my eyes to why I love Judaism so much and why I am so proud to be a Jew. The way Rabbi Ben Blech writes is so delightful, clear, and easy-to-read. He doesn't just explain what Jews do and believe, he also explains and clarifies *why* certain rituals and customs exist. Since reading this book, I have begun to attend synagogue (I never did before), I am going to classes with the Rabbi to learn more, and I am reading more books about Judaism (including my Chumash) etc. I love the way it goes through an entire person's life from birth to death, from a Jewish perspective, explaining what these stages of life mean to a Jew. I also like the way he goes through all the rooms in a person's home and explains how to run a jewish household/family. And of course, his excellent explanations about the Jewish holydays are superb! This book has really changed my life! I highly recommend this book to all Jews in all of the world and any non-Jew that is interested in learning about Judaism.