Last week on the JPS interactive blog, Sarah Simkin wrote a thought-provoking post about the relevance of the Bible in the day-to-day lives of most American Jews.  She questions whether “contemporary Judaism [has] become estranged from [its] foundational text” – and her points should give us pause.  Most of us are largely unfamiliar with the Bible, and approaching it for the first time can seem extremely daunting.

Well, allow me to be the harbinger of at least a little bit of good news on that front. The Jewish Bible: A JPS Guide was just chosen as one of the 21 “The Best of the Best from the University Presses: Books You Should Know About“, by the American Library Association!

Not that I want to sound too smug, but I’m not surprised.  This book is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to know more about the Jewish Bible (or for anyone who wants to learn about it for the first time).  This incredible resource contains summaries of all the Biblical books; a glossary of Biblical terms, places, and people; and colored maps, charts, tables, timelines and family trees.  You’ll also find articles about: how the Bible became “The Bible”: its origins, content, and organization; distinctions between the Jewish Bible (the Tanakh) and Christian Bibles; a short history of Bible translations and how the differ from one another; and popular methods of Bible study.

So if you’d like to start studying the Bible for the first time, if you’d like to deepen your knowledge of the Bible and its history, or if you’d just like to know what the hullabaloo is all about, check out The Jewish Bible: A JPS Guide.  You won’t be disappointed – just look to the American Library Association for proof.

-Naomi