{
  "url": "https://staging.thenewjew.org/articles/essentials-essential-reading-essential-reading-a-starter-library.json",
  "path": "/articles/essentials-essential-reading-essential-reading-a-starter-library",
  "format": "json",
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Essential Reading: A Starter Library",
  "summary": "A small shelf of well-chosen books gives a New Jew everything needed for the first year.",
  "breadcrumbs": [
    {
      "title": "The New Jew",
      "href": "/index.json"
    },
    {
      "title": "Tools & Resources",
      "href": "/sections/library-tools.json"
    },
    {
      "title": "Essential Reading: A Starter Library",
      "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-reading-essential-reading-a-starter-library.json"
    }
  ],
  "alternates": {
    "html": "https://staging.thenewjew.org/articles/essentials-essential-reading-essential-reading-a-starter-library",
    "json": "https://staging.thenewjew.org/articles/essentials-essential-reading-essential-reading-a-starter-library.json",
    "xml": "https://staging.thenewjew.org/articles/essentials-essential-reading-essential-reading-a-starter-library.xml"
  },
  "data": {
    "article": {
      "slug": "essentials-essential-reading-essential-reading-a-starter-library",
      "title": "Essential Reading: A Starter Library",
      "deck": "A small shelf of well-chosen books gives a New Jew everything needed for the first year.",
      "summary": "Summary. The New Jew’s starter library should include one comprehensive reference (Telushkin’s Jewish Literacy), one practical guide (Donin’s To Be a Jew), one beautiful introduction to ideas (Green’s Judaism’s Ten Best Ideas), one Chumash with traditional commentary (Koren Shalem or Steinsaltz), one siddur (Koren Sacks), and one Holocaust memoir (Wiesel’s Night). With these six books, the New Jew has the spine of Jewish learning, the daily practice, and the historical conscience all on one shelf.",
      "level": "essential",
      "sectionSlug": "essentials",
      "tags": [
        "books",
        "reading list",
        "library"
      ],
      "publishedAt": "2026-07-06T02:19:03.001Z",
      "wordCount": 707,
      "readMinutes": 3
    },
    "section": {
      "slug": "library-tools",
      "title": "Tools & Resources"
    },
    "image": null,
    "blocks": [
      {
        "type": "summary",
        "body": "Summary. The New Jew’s starter library should include one comprehensive reference (Telushkin’s Jewish Literacy), one practical guide (Donin’s To Be a Jew), one beautiful introduction to ideas (Green’s Judaism’s Ten Best Ideas), one [Chumash](/glossary.json#letter-C) with traditional commentary (Koren Shalem or [Steinsaltz](/glossary.json#letter-A)), one [siddur](/glossary.json#letter-S) ([Koren Sacks](/glossary.json#letter-J)), and one Holocaust memoir (Wiesel’s Night). With these six books, the New Jew has the spine of Jewish learning, the daily practice, and the historical conscience all on one shelf.",
        "text": "Summary. The New Jew’s starter library should include one comprehensive reference (Telushkin’s Jewish Literacy), one practical guide (Donin’s To Be a Jew), one beautiful introduction to ideas (Green’s Judaism’s Ten Best Ideas), one Chumash with traditional commentary (Koren Shalem or Steinsaltz), one siddur (Koren Sacks), and one Holocaust memoir (Wiesel’s Night). With these six books, the New Jew has the spine of Jewish learning, the daily practice, and the historical conscience all on one shelf."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Books crowd into the home of every New Jew, and there are seasons when the shelf becomes overwhelming. A starter library is a short list of essentials, deliberately small, that gives full coverage with minimal redundancy. The Field Guide’s recommended starter library is six books.",
        "text": "Books crowd into the home of every New Jew, and there are seasons when the shelf becomes overwhelming. A starter library is a short list of essentials, deliberately small, that gives full coverage with minimal redundancy. The Field Guide’s recommended starter library is six books."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "1. Ideas: Arthur Green, Judaism’s Ten Best Ideas",
        "text": "1. Ideas: Arthur Green, Judaism’s Ten Best Ideas"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "The Editor’s top recommendation. A short, beautiful introduction to ten central Jewish ideas — image of God, [Torah](/glossary.json#letter-T), [mitzvah](/glossary.json#letter-M), [halachah](/glossary.json#letter-H), [tikkun](/glossary.json#letter-T), [Shabbat](/glossary.json#letter-S), [kavvanah](/glossary.json#letter-K), [simchah](/glossary.json#letter-S), [teshuvah](/glossary.json#letter-T), [chesed](/glossary.json#letter-C). Green writes from a [Renewal](/glossary.json#letter-R)/[Reconstructionist](/glossary.json#letter-R) place but the ideas are universal. The Editor recommends pairing it with Green’s [Ehyeh](/glossary.json#letter-E): A [Kabbalah](/glossary.json#letter-K) for Tomorrow for the mystical introduction.",
        "text": "The Editor’s top recommendation. A short, beautiful introduction to ten central Jewish ideas — image of God, Torah, mitzvah, halachah, tikkun, Shabbat, kavvanah, simchah, teshuvah, chesed. Green writes from a Renewal/Reconstructionist place but the ideas are universal. The Editor recommends pairing it with Green’s Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow for the mystical introduction."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "2. Reference: Joseph Telushkin, Jewish Literacy",
        "text": "2. Reference: Joseph Telushkin, Jewish Literacy"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "The single most useful one-volume reference for the New Jew. Telushkin organizes 350+ short chapters covering [Tanakh](/glossary.json#letter-T), history, holidays, theology, ethics, ritual, and contemporary issues. Each chapter is 2–5 pages and includes recommended further reading. And, every chapter is written as a stand-alone article, so the book may be read cover-to-cover, piecemeal, or as an easy reference volume. The revised edition (2008) is the current standard.",
        "text": "The single most useful one-volume reference for the New Jew. Telushkin organizes 350+ short chapters covering Tanakh, history, holidays, theology, ethics, ritual, and contemporary issues. Each chapter is 2–5 pages and includes recommended further reading. And, every chapter is written as a stand-alone article, so the book may be read cover-to-cover, piecemeal, or as an easy reference volume. The revised edition (2008) is the current standard."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "3. Practical: Hayim Halevy Donin, To Be a Jew",
        "text": "3. Practical: Hayim Halevy Donin, To Be a Jew"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Donin (a [Modern Orthodox](/glossary.json#letter-M) rabbi) wrote the classic English-language guide to observance: [kashrut](/glossary.json#letter-K), Shabbat, holidays, prayer, lifecycle. It is comprehensive, accessible, and trusted across the spectrum. Its companion, To Pray as a Jew, is the same author on the siddur.",
        "text": "Donin (a Modern Orthodox rabbi) wrote the classic English-language guide to observance: kashrut, Shabbat, holidays, prayer, lifecycle. It is comprehensive, accessible, and trusted across the spectrum. Its companion, To Pray as a Jew, is the same author on the siddur."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "4. Chumash: Koren Shalem Chumash with Rashi, Onkelos, and Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks",
        "text": "4. Chumash: Koren Shalem Chumash with Rashi, Onkelos, and Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "A Chumash is a Torah text with translation and commentary. The Koren Shalem edition includes [Rashi](/glossary.json#letter-R) (the indispensable medieval commentary), [Onkelos](/glossary.json#letter-T) (the Aramaic translation/paraphrase from the 1st–2nd century CE), and commentary by former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. The Steinsaltz Chumash and the ArtScroll Stone Chumash are also excellent. Read one [parshah](/glossary.json#letter-P) a week, matched to the synagogue cycle.",
        "text": "A Chumash is a Torah text with translation and commentary. The Koren Shalem edition includes Rashi (the indispensable medieval commentary), Onkelos (the Aramaic translation/paraphrase from the 1st–2nd century CE), and commentary by former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. The Steinsaltz Chumash and the ArtScroll Stone Chumash are also excellent. Read one parshah a week, matched to the synagogue cycle."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "5. Siddur: The Koren Shalem Siddur",
        "text": "5. Siddur: The Koren Shalem Siddur"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "See the Where to Start section for full discussion. The Koren Shalem Siddur (preferably The Lobel Edition) is the Editor’s recommended first siddur for almost any New Jew. For this reason, The New Jew includes a full transliteration, including print-at-home insertion pages, for the Koren Shalem Siddur Lobel Edition. However, in the spirit of cross-denominationalism, and in acknowledgement of the publication’s beauty and unmatched accessibility to new learners, the Editor also recommends the standard siddur of most [Reform](/glossary.json#letter-R) congregations, [Mishkan](/glossary.json#letter-M) T’Filah. And likewise for the beauty of its publication, as well for the completeness of its instructions, the Editor further recommends The Weiss Edition (very specifically The Weiss Edition) of the standard siddur of most [Chabad congregations](/glossary.json#letter-C), Siddur Tehillat [Hashem](/glossary.json#letter-H).",
        "text": "See the Where to Start section for full discussion. The Koren Shalem Siddur (preferably The Lobel Edition) is the Editor’s recommended first siddur for almost any New Jew. For this reason, The New Jew includes a full transliteration, including print-at-home insertion pages, for the Koren Shalem Siddur Lobel Edition. However, in the spirit of cross-denominationalism, and in acknowledgement of the publication’s beauty and unmatched accessibility to new learners, the Editor also recommends the standard siddur of most Reform congregations, Mishkan T’Filah. And likewise for the beauty of its publication, as well for the completeness of its instructions, the Editor further recommends The Weiss Edition (very specifically The Weiss Edition) of the standard siddur of most Chabad congregations, Siddur Tehillat Hashem."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "6. Memoir: Elie Wiesel, Night",
        "text": "6. Memoir: Elie Wiesel, Night"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Wiesel’s Holocaust memoir is short, devastating, and indispensable. It is the historical conscience of contemporary Judaism in 120 pages. Read it before reading anything else on the Holocaust.",
        "text": "Wiesel’s Holocaust memoir is short, devastating, and indispensable. It is the historical conscience of contemporary Judaism in 120 pages. Read it before reading anything else on the Holocaust."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "With these six books, the first year is well-equipped. The Books chapter and Books.xlsx of this Field Guide expand the library outward, by category and level.",
        "text": "With these six books, the first year is well-equipped. The Books chapter and Books.xlsx of this Field Guide expand the library outward, by category and level."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Where Denominations Diverge",
        "text": "Where Denominations Diverge"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Telushkin and Donin are Modern [Orthodox](/glossary.json#letter-O); Green writes from Renewal/Reconstructionist; Wiesel is “post-denominational”. The Koren Shalem is Orthodox; the Koren and Steinsaltz Chumashim are usable across the spectrum. For a Reform starter library, substitute Mishkan T’filah for the siddur. For a Conservative library, substitute [Sim Shalom](/glossary.json#letter-S), and include Robert Goldenberg’s The Origins of Judaism.",
        "text": "Telushkin and Donin are Modern Orthodox; Green writes from Renewal/Reconstructionist; Wiesel is “post-denominational”. The Koren Shalem is Orthodox; the Koren and Steinsaltz Chumashim are usable across the spectrum. For a Reform starter library, substitute Mishkan T’filah for the siddur. For a Conservative library, substitute Sim Shalom, and include Robert Goldenberg’s The Origins of Judaism."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Sources",
        "text": "Sources"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Books cited above by full bibliographic record in the Books chapter.",
        "text": "Books cited above by full bibliographic record in the Books chapter."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[URJ Introduction to Judaism Online: Course Books](https://reformjudaism.org/learning/judaism-classes/introduction-judaism/urj-introduction-judaism-online-course-books) — ReformJudaism.org.",
        "text": "URJ Introduction to Judaism Online: Course Books — ReformJudaism.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Can you recommend a Jewish prayer book for someone who is exploring Judaism? There are so many from which to choose.](https://reformjudaism.org/learning/answers-jewish-questions/can-you-recommend-jewish-prayer-book-someone-who-exploring) — ReformJudaism.org.",
        "text": "Can you recommend a Jewish prayer book for someone who is exploring Judaism? There are so many from which to choose. — ReformJudaism.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[The Chassidic Prayerbook — The Arizal's Prayer Liturgy, Redacted by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2089176/jewish/The-Chassidic-Prayerbook.htm) — Chabad.org.",
        "text": "The Chassidic Prayerbook — The Arizal's Prayer Liturgy, Redacted by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi — Chabad.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Onkelos Genesis](https://www.sefaria.org/Onkelos_Genesis) — Sefaria.",
        "text": "Onkelos Genesis — Sefaria."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Further Reading",
        "text": "Further Reading"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "See the Books chapter of this Field Guide and the companion Books.xlsx for the expanded library.",
        "text": "See the Books chapter of this Field Guide and the companion Books.xlsx for the expanded library."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "IV. Essential Prayers",
        "text": "IV. Essential Prayers"
      }
    ],
    "related": [
      {
        "slug": "essentials-essential-questions-who-is-a-jew",
        "title": "Who is a Jew?",
        "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-questions-who-is-a-jew.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-god",
        "title": "What Does Judaism Teach About God?",
        "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-god.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "essentials-essential-questions-do-jews-believe-in-an-afterlife",
        "title": "Do Jews Believe in an Afterlife?",
        "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-questions-do-jews-believe-in-an-afterlife.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "essentials-essential-questions-why-do-jews-not-believe-in-jesus",
        "title": "Why Do Jews Not Believe in Jesus?",
        "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-questions-why-do-jews-not-believe-in-jesus.json"
      }
    ],
    "goDeeper": [
      {
        "slug": "going-deeper-deeper-reading-a-going-deeper-library",
        "title": "A Going-Deeper Library",
        "level": "deeper",
        "href": "/articles/going-deeper-deeper-reading-a-going-deeper-library.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "websites-hadar",
        "title": "Hadar",
        "level": "deeper",
        "href": "/articles/websites-hadar.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "websites-pardes",
        "title": "Pardes",
        "level": "deeper",
        "href": "/articles/websites-pardes.json"
      }
    ],
    "glossary": {
      "adin-steinsaltz": {
        "term": "Adin Steinsaltz",
        "hebrew": "עדין שטיינזלץ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz (1937–2020) produced a monumental Hebrew translation and commentary on the entire Babylonian Talmud, later rendered into English, opening the Talmud to a generation of learners without a yeshiva background.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-facts-the-talmud-in-one-article"
      },
      "chabad": {
        "term": "Chabad",
        "hebrew": "חב״ד",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Chabad-Lubavitch is a Hasidic movement, historically headquartered in the Russian town of Lubavitch, known today for its worldwide network of Chabad Houses that offer hospitality, classes, and holiday services to Jews of every background, often in places with no other organized Jewish community.",
        "moreSlug": "community-finding-a-shul"
      },
      "chumash": {
        "term": "Chumash",
        "hebrew": "חֻמָּשׁ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Five Books of Moses in printed, bound form — from chamesh, 'five' — usually with translation and commentary, used to follow the Torah reading in synagogue.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "ehyeh": {
        "term": "Ehyeh",
        "hebrew": "אֶהְיֶה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The name by which God answers Moshe at the burning bush — 'Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh,' 'I Will Be What I Will Be' (Shemot 3:14) — a name that is a promise of presence rather than a definition.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "halacha": {
        "term": "Halacha",
        "hebrew": "הֲלָכָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Jewish law — literally \"the way one walks\" — the legal system that develops from the Torah's mitzvot through the Mishnah, Talmud, and the great codes; the movements differ on how binding it is, not on its centrality to the tradition.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-questions-what-is-halacha"
      },
      "hashem": {
        "term": "Hashem",
        "hebrew": "הַשֵּׁם",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally \"the Name\" — the everyday reverent way Jews refer to God outside of prayer, avoiding casual use of the divine names.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "jonathan-sacks": {
        "term": "Jonathan Sacks",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (1948–2020) served as Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and became one of the most widely read Jewish thinkers of his generation; his commentary anchors the Koren Shalem Siddur, the Field Guide's recommended first siddur for most New Jews.",
        "moreSlug": "where-to-start-your-first-siddur"
      },
      "kabbalah": {
        "term": "Kabbalah",
        "hebrew": "קַבָּלָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Jewish mystical tradition — literally \"that which is received\" — whose central text is the Zohar and whose distinctive teachings include the ten Sefirot and the infinite Ein Sof.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-questions-what-is-kabbalah"
      },
      "kashrut": {
        "term": "Kashrut",
        "hebrew": "כַּשְׁרוּת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The system of Jewish dietary law — which foods may be eaten, how animals must be slaughtered, and the strict separation of meat and dairy.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-facts-kashrut-the-basics"
      },
      "mishkan": {
        "term": "Mishkan",
        "hebrew": "מִשְׁכָּן",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally 'dwelling place' — the portable sanctuary the Israelites built and carried through the wilderness, the forerunner of the Temple in Jerusalem.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "modern-orthodox": {
        "term": "Modern Orthodox",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Modern Orthodoxy is the stream of Orthodox Judaism that combines full Halachic observance with active engagement in general society, secular education, and often Zionism — distinct from Haredi communities that maintain greater separation from the surrounding culture.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-judaica-kippah"
      },
      "orthodox-judaism": {
        "term": "Orthodox Judaism",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Orthodox Judaism holds Halacha as fully binding and the Shulchan Aruch as its canonical code; it spans Haredi and Hasidic communities as well as Modern Orthodoxy, and is the starting point from which this Field Guide is written, even as it engages seriously with other denominations.",
        "moreSlug": "how-to-use-this-field-guide"
      },
      "rashi": {
        "term": "Rashi",
        "hebrew": "רש״י",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (1040–1105) of Troyes, France, is the single most influential commentator on the Tanakh and the Talmud; his terse, page-anchoring commentary appears alongside almost every printed edition of both. A New Jew encounters Rashi constantly — in every Chumash, on every page of Talmud.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-judaica-mezuzah"
      },
      "reconstructionist-judaism": {
        "term": "Reconstructionist Judaism",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Founded by Mordecai Kaplan, Reconstructionist Judaism understands Judaism as an evolving religious civilization rather than a fixed set of supernatural commandments, and was an early adopter of patrilineal descent and full gender egalitarianism.",
        "moreSlug": "how-to-use-this-field-guide"
      },
      "reform-judaism": {
        "term": "Reform Judaism",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Reform Judaism treats Halacha as a source of values and meaning rather than binding law, emphasizing individual autonomy, ethical monotheism, and tikkun olam; it was the first movement to fully recognize patrilineal descent and ordain women as rabbis.",
        "moreSlug": "how-to-use-this-field-guide"
      },
      "renewal-judaism": {
        "term": "Renewal Judaism",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Jewish Renewal is a small but influential movement drawing deeply on Hasidism and Kabbalah, combined with feminist and ecological commitments and an experimental, often neo-Hasidic approach to prayer and spirituality.",
        "moreSlug": "how-to-use-this-field-guide"
      },
      "shabbat": {
        "term": "Shabbat",
        "hebrew": "שַׁבָּת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The seventh day — the weekly day of rest from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall, marked by candle lighting, kiddush, festive meals, and rest from creative work.",
        "moreSlug": "where-to-start-your-first-shabbat"
      },
      "sim-shalom": {
        "term": "Sim Shalom",
        "hebrew": "שים שלום",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'Grant peace' — the closing blessing of the Amidah, a prayer for peace, goodness, and blessing upon all Israel. It is also the name of a widely used Conservative siddur.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "tanakh": {
        "term": "Tanakh",
        "hebrew": "תנ״ך",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Hebrew Bible, named for the initials of its three sections: Torah (the Five Books), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings) — twenty-four books in the traditional count.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-facts-the-tanakh-in-one-article"
      },
      "targum-onkelos": {
        "term": "Targum Onkelos",
        "hebrew": "תרגום אונקלוס",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The ancient Aramaic translation of the Torah attributed to the convert Onkelos, printed alongside the Hebrew in traditional Chumashim and studied weekly with the parshah.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "teshuvah": {
        "term": "Teshuvah",
        "hebrew": "תשובה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally 'return' — repentance: the turning away from wrongdoing and back toward God and one's better self. It stands at the heart of the season from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, and is available all year.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "torah": {
        "term": "Torah",
        "hebrew": "תּוֹרָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Five Books of Moses — the scroll at the center of Jewish life — and, more broadly, the whole of Jewish teaching. 'Learning Torah' can mean anything from Chumash to Talmud.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "chesed": {
        "term": "chesed",
        "hebrew": "חֶסֶד",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Loving-kindness — generous care that goes beyond obligation, one of Judaism's central virtues. In Kabbalah, Chesed is also the Sefirah of divine graciousness.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "kavanah": {
        "term": "kavanah",
        "hebrew": "כַּוָּנָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Intention or inner focus — praying or performing a mitzvah with the heart engaged rather than by rote; in Kabbalah, kavvanot are specific meditative intentions attached to the prayers.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "mitzvah": {
        "term": "mitzvah",
        "hebrew": "מִצְוָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "A commandment — one of the Torah's 613 divine instructions, and by extension any religious duty or good deed. The plural is mitzvot.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-facts-the-613-mitzvot"
      },
      "parshah": {
        "term": "parshah",
        "hebrew": "פָּרָשָׁה",
        "translit": "parashah",
        "definition": "The weekly Torah portion — one of 54 divisions of the Torah, one (occasionally two) read each Shabbat so that the whole Torah is completed every year. The plural is parshiyot.",
        "moreSlug": "calendar-the-parshah-cycle"
      },
      "siddur": {
        "term": "siddur",
        "hebrew": "סידור",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Jewish prayer book (plural siddurim), from a root meaning 'order' — it arranges the daily, Shabbat, and festival prayers in their fixed sequence.",
        "moreSlug": "where-to-start-your-first-siddur"
      },
      "simchah": {
        "term": "simchah",
        "hebrew": "שמחה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Joy — and, by extension, a joyous occasion such as a wedding, brit, or bar or bat mitzvah. 'Celebrating a simchah' is a fixture of Jewish communal life.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "tikkun": {
        "term": "tikkun",
        "hebrew": "תיקון",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'Repair' or 'rectification' — in Kabbalah, the mending of a broken cosmos accomplished through mitzvot and holy living; the word also names texts arranged for special study sessions.",
        "moreSlug": null
      }
    }
  },
  "links": [
    {
      "rel": "parent",
      "title": "Tools & Resources",
      "href": "/sections/library-tools.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Who is a Jew?",
      "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-questions-who-is-a-jew.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "What Does Judaism Teach About God?",
      "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-god.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Do Jews Believe in an Afterlife?",
      "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-questions-do-jews-believe-in-an-afterlife.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Why Do Jews Not Believe in Jesus?",
      "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-questions-why-do-jews-not-believe-in-jesus.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "A Going-Deeper Library",
      "href": "/articles/going-deeper-deeper-reading-a-going-deeper-library.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Hadar",
      "href": "/articles/websites-hadar.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Pardes",
      "href": "/articles/websites-pardes.json"
    }
  ]
}
