Recommended Books on Judaism:

The following is a list of the most basic and useful books for learning about Judaism. Included are links to purchase these books from the Barnes & Noble website. At the bottom of the page I also provide some general information about purchasing Jewish books. In addition to these basic books, you will find additional book recommendations on various topics throughout the Talmud Torah website. If you are looking for information on a particular subject, please find the relevant section of the site. For example, books on prayer can be found in the Prayer section of this site.

The Stone Chumash published by Artscroll - A translation and commentary on the five books of Moses. This is the most basic book for Judaism. Click here for a smaller and less expensive print of the same book.

The Stone Tanach published by Artscroll - A translation and brief commentary on the entire Jewish Scriptures. This includes the five books of Moses, however the commentary is very brief.

The Artscroll Siddur - The Jewish prayer book. Very important! The Artscroll Siddur is translated into clear modern English with basic commentaries, explanations, and clear instructions. A basic tool for Jewish studies.

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch by Rabbi Shlomo Gantzfried (1804-1886) - A classic work of Jewish law, the Kitzur covers all the basic issues in a reasonably concise manner but with sufficient detail to make it useful.

Pirkei Avos - Chapters of Our Fathers - The Talmudic tractate which deals almost exclusively with ethical and moral issues. A basic text for understanding Jewish thought. Numerous translations and commentaries are available. The particular edition I am linking here comes with extensive commentaries but is fairly expensive. For a more affordable edition with less commentary, try here.

The Nineteen Letters by Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, with the commentary by Rabbi Joseph Elias, published by Feldheim. This classical work by the great leader of the Orthodox community of 19th century Germany is the best introduction to Jewish thought I have found, and the commentary by Rabbi Elias is truly outstanding.

Masterplan by Rabbi Aryeh Carmell, published by Feldheim. Judaism: Its Program, Meanings, Goals. This outstanding book is perhaps the most comprehensive overview of Judaism available in English. It is also very affordable.

The Handbook of Jewish Thought Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, of sainted memory, one of the greatest Jewish educators of the last 50 years. These two volumes two volumes set cover an astonishingly wide range of basic ideas and concepts of Judaism. Heavily footnoted, these books are outstanding research tools.

The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 - These two volumes are a collection of shorter works written by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan. These books cover many of the most basic ideas and practices of Judaism, including the 13 Principles of Maimonides, the laws and concepts of Shabbos, the significance of the city of Jerusalem, the Jewish response to Christianity and many other important issues. Unlike the Handbook of Jewish Thought mentioned above, these books are written in a easy conversational style and are geared for a younger audience. Highly recommended!

In addition, any books published by the following publishers should be useful:

There are, of course, reliable books printed by other publishers. Nevertheless, great care should be taken only to rely on books from reliable sources and authors because for every good and reliable book on the market there are dozens of unreliable and inaccurate books. Without a good background in Jewish studies it can be very difficult to recognize the numerous errors propounded in these books.