Sound the Shofar: The Story and Meaning of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - Softcover

Chaikin, Miriam

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0899194273 ISBN 13: 9780899194271

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1986

Synopsis

Clarifies the meaning of the symbols, legends, and customs associated with the High Holy Days that start the Jewish calendar

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6Sound the Shofar is aimed at a younger audience than Greenfield's Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (Holt, 1979) . Greenfield's book is a brief, elegant description of the essential meaning and significance of the High Holy Days. Sound the Shofar in short sentences, brief paragraphs, accessible narrative broken up by subject headingscovers extensively and in detail the background and development of themes and traditions associated with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It includes anecdotes and interesting sidelights on different holiday customs around the world. Attractive, decorative blue-and-white drawings enhance and often amplify the text. One typographic error changes meaning: the text says that Jews in Spain who were forced to convert to Christianity ``secretly'' attended Church, but actually, they attended Church openly while secretly practicing traditional religious customs at home. Librarians will want to add this book to their Jewish holiday shelves. Phillis Gershator, Dober Elementary School, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

This latest volume in Chaikin's Jewish holiday series illuminates the Jewish New Year and Day of Atonement. The author tackles complex themescreation, divine judgment and forgivenessand provides familiar legends, interesting derivations for varying customs and food, and some thought-provoking explanations of the earliest celebrations. But graceless drawings accompany a rather awkward narrative ("They are days of awe because people feel fear as well as wonder and reverence. And people are fearful because of the special nature of the holidayit is a time of judgment"), which is weighed down with English transliterations and translations of Hebrew blessings and psalms. And Chaikin can be preachy: "Confession is not enough. People must do more. They must atone for their wrongs. . . . They must also feed the hungry. . . . They must also pray to God . . . must promise themselves to return to a path of moral goodness."
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 1986
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0899194273
• ISBN 13: 9780899194271
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Weihs Erika
• Number of pages: 90