Book Description
In times past, the average Jewish person was born in a shtetl, a small Jewish town, with a local kosher baker and fish market, with pious people in the study halls, and a Rabbi who knew both you (and your grandparents) by name. The spirit of the next holiday permeated the air. Life was rich. People were sincere. Jewish knowledge was simply absorbed from daily life. Tradition was cherished.
In our own times, the shtetl walls have come down. In Western society, Jewish beliefs and customs are largely ignored – and sometimes scorned. These days, nothing is automatic. Individuals must make their own choices and ask themselves:
Does Judaism make sense? Can a modern, thinking person identify with traditional Judaism?
In this remarkable book, Jewish belief is explained clearly and logically, for both the beginner and scholar, using a wide variety of both ancient and modern sources.
This fascinating book shows that there is a rational way of understanding traditional Jewish values.
About The Author
From an early age, Pinchas Taylor showed a particular interest in history and science. A top student, he decided to pursue the path to the rabbinate. After graduating from the Rabbinical College of America, he completed his formal rabbinic studies in Los Angeles, CA, and began teaching and counseling people in addiction recovery. After expanding Jewish educational and outreach activities in several communities around the globe, he and his wife Miriam returned to teach at the Rabbinical College of America.
In 2010, the Taylors moved to south Florida, where Rabbi Taylor serves as the Director of Adult Education and Outreach at the Chabad of Plantation. His regular Monday night lectures in Jewish Thought are very popular, and his writings and classes can be found all over the Web.
As an erudite and inspirational young scholar, Rabbi Taylor has become a sought-after educator and speaker. To contact him, please visit PinchasTaylor.com.
Praise
“Your book, Pillars of Faith, will enlighten the understanding of all who follow the
laws of the Torah, and serve as a source of knowledge and inspiration for those who
are seeking a life of truth.”
Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky
“… an invaluable aid to introduce one to the foundations of Jewish belief and also to
inspire and strengthen the faith of those already on the Torah path.”
Rabbi Zev Leff
“Impressive… clear and logical explanations of many difficult and complicated subjects.”
Rabbi Gedalia Dov Schwartz
Mendy –
This is the best book on Jewish foundations. A must read
Jeff –
My rabbi recommended Pillars of Faith to me since so many of my questions, he knew, were included in the text of this book. As soon as I picked it up and began reading, I couldn’t put it down. So many authors take a stance on a given subject, and become (or already were before) very rigid with a clear inability to accept new ideas or to have any flexibility in their beliefs. From my experience, this has been more common with religion and religious-based texts. However quite the contrary in this case, Pinchas doesn’t claim to know everything in this book. He does an outstanding job of presenting an abundance of information from many angles, with valid arguments on behalf of multiple points of view. A lot of people I’ve encountered in my life maintain a common misbelief, which is that science and religion can’t “coexist.” Their understanding (or misunderstanding), as was mine, was that, “if you can explain the what’s or why’s of something via a scientific explanation, that it automatically contradicts the presence of G-d or its origin being through G-d.” Pinchas uses real life examples to explain quite the opposite. He highlights many famous scientists, whom through experimentation, research & findings, they [scientists] in fact became MORE G-d believing, rather than less.
I personally loved this book, and how it challenged me to dig deep within myself and think critically about life from many different perspectives. Most people would agree with the idea that there is indeed randomness out there. I’m one of those people, and find it challenging at times to not feel that way. However, in this book you’ll have the opportunity to understand, that if you put together enough random occurrences, with enough random “things,” at enough random times, in enough random situations, at enough random places, with enough random people, it quite possibly could indicate no randomness at all… The entire world (and beyond) orchestrated by a higher level… Things put together so precise that their very existence is dependent on the minutest of details. Random? Maybe… Or maybe not…
Perfect book if you find yourself having those frequently exhausting 4:00am “what is the meaning of the world?” or “why are we here?” type conversations.
Sarah Rich –
Wonderfully written. Very insightful. Thank you Rabbi Pinchas Taylor! 🙂
Shayna Enkin –
Pillars of Faith is quite possibly the best work of this nature available today.