I am a Jewish girl who wants to learn more about Judiasm and Jewish culture?

Question

I'm a couple of years past Bat Mitzvah age. I guess my grandparents could teach me - if they didn't live so far away. How do I go about doing that?

I have parents, family, etc. but i never went to hebrew school.

Answer 1

well ... ur online ... google is a good start ..

Answer 2

If you live in a major city, there's almost certaintly a Chabad house nearby. Chabadniks are experts at teaching beginners about Judaism. (You can even chat on the internet with a Chabad rabbi at askmoses.com). Those people are amazing.

Some informative websites are http://www.chabad.org/ , http://www.askmoses.com/ , and http://www.aish.com .

Some good books to start with are: "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism" and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish History" by Rabbi Benjamin Blech, "If God is Good, Why is the World So Bad?", also by Benjamin Blech, pretty much everything by Aryeh Kaplan, "The Jewish Book of Why", by Alfred J. Kolatch, and "Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism", by Joseph Telushkin and Dennis Prager.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I can think of some good sites to get you started:

http://www.jewfaq.org
http://www.simpletoremember.com
http://www.aish.com
http://www.beingjewish.com

I can vouch for the quality and, um, Jewishness of the stuff on all those websites.

Of particular interest, especially if you're not geographically close to people from whom you could learn about Judaism, Simple to Remember has a lot of free media available for download - lectures and whatnot. The shiurim by Rabbi Lawrence Keleman, for example, are pretty entertaining, very insightful, and good for an intelligent "beginner."

If you're looking for a book, you might enjoy "The Thinking Jewish Teenager's Guide to Life," by Rabbi Akiva Tatz.

http://www.targum.com/product.php/41/the-thinking-jewish-teenager-s-guide-to-life

I was actually 20 or 21 (and hence not a teenager) when I first read it, but still found it enjoyable and informative.

There are lots more recommendations I could make, for websites or for books. If you could be more specific as to what aspects of Judaism and Jewish culture you'd like to learn about, I could probably be more helpful.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to contact me directly and, if I don't have the answers, I can point you to someone who does.

Oh, one other idea - depending on how much time and effort you want to put into your exploration of your heritage, there's this program called "Partners in Torah," where they set you up, for free, with a study partner to learn about a Jewish subject of your choice. Check them out here: http://www.partnersintorah.com/index.htm

There are other, more involved progams for Jewish learning (most of them available for free) that I know of, but a lot of that depends on, again, how much time you want to put into this, what your schedule is like, where you live, etc. For now, I'll just let you digest the above options.

I hope you find this information helpful, and again, for further assistance, feel free to contact me directly. Best of luck to you in your search, and happy Chanukah.

Answer 4

Many cities/towns have a JCC, too, which you could check out. They'd have info on your local synagogues and maybe even classes you could go to to learn more about your background. A friend of mine didn't have her Bat Mitzvah until she was a senior in high school, so I think it's never too late.

Answer 5

I strongly suggest you go to a synagogue and speak with your parents. Judaism is a religion that is rich in tradition and culture of over 5,000 years. That is a lot to learn and you could also start reading the Torah to get a ground on your history. Is also good that you research on the internet about Judaism. I think all of this will help you become more connected to your faith.

Answer 6

Are you an orphan? Have you no parents? Is there no Synagogue near where you live? Is there no Rabbi in your city? I would like a bit more data as to why it's so difficult for you to learn more about Judiasm and Jewish culture.

Answer 7

Do you go to temple? There are lots of opportunities for teens through the religious education folks there. Talk to your rabbi or your former Hebrew school teacher, they will be able to point you in the right direction.

Mazel Tov!

Answer 8

Be careful there are many very bad sources for information of Judaism. You may trust anything that is from Chabad, go to askmoses.com and chat with a live Rabbi they will be happy to get you started.

Answer 9

Check out http://www.whatjewsbelieve.org/

http://www.askmoses.com

http://www.jewsforjudaism.org

There are also many great books, I recommend:

'This Is My G-d' by Herman Wouk

And the novel 'Exodus' by Leon Uris, a MUST read for anyone of any religion who is interested in what it means to be Jewish.

Answer 10

Good luck in your search little one. I concur with the majority of responders to visit your local synagogue or go on line or go to the library or local bookstore.

Answer 11

First thing, take this Crash Course in Jewish History:
http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/

Once you have that background down, you can pick any topic you find interesting:
http://www.simpletoremember.com/audio/index.htm

Happy learning