We Jews: Who Are We and What Should We Do? Book

Since there are so few reviews of this little tome I thought I'd offer some remarks. First, there is nothing "basic" about "We Jews." On the contrary, Rabbi Steinsaltz offers a concise analysis of some of the fundamental questions people ask about Jews (both Jews and non-Jews). The more a reader brings to this book vis-a-vis knowledge of Judaism - historical, cultural, legal - the more profound it may seem. Second, (for what it's worth) I don't recall reading anything like this before, and because he is a deep, brilliant and penetrating thinker, one should not be deceived by the simple format and short chapters. There is great wisdom here.

In the final few pages, he suggests that there is an opportunity for America to become like Bavel, which, in its heyday, rivaled, if not exceeded, Eretz Yisrael in learning. But I don't think we can draw practical conclusions from Rav Steinsaltz' observations, other than that Jews have a mission to live their lives fully as Jews, with all that this entails. As Hillel said: "the rest is commentary; go and study!" There is a great deal at stake.