Holidays, History, and Halakhah

This highly original book, spiced heavily with humor, is an anthology of essays about Jewish holidays and other calendar events. In the essays presented int he book, the reader will come to appreciate that practices considered indispensable to today's standards were once topics of heated controversy between proponents of differing interpretations of Judaism. Readers will glimpse into ancient and medieval sources and identify with predicaments that previous generations faced as they steered the precarious paths between loyalty to their heritage and relevance to their age, between pride in one's religious identity and receptiveness to outside cultures.