What Can a Modern Jew Believe? is an attempt to present to intelligent, contemporary Jews a brief summation of basic beliefs and tenets of Judaism. Divided into sixteen chapters and an introduction, the book deals with salient principles of faith: Why Religion? What Can a Modern Jew Believe? What Can We Believe About God? Can We Believe in Revelation? What Is a Human Being? Are Jews the Chosen People? Halakhah: Divine or Human? Why Ritual? Why Pray? Why Eretz Yisrael? Tolerance? Pluralism? Which? Why Evil? Can We Repair the World? How Can Jews Relate to Other Faiths? Messiah: Fact or Fancy? Is There an Afterlife? Each chapter analyzes traditional interpretations of the themes, citing appropriate biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern texts. The chapters also include the views of contemporary Jewish thinkers as well as the positions of the various modern Jewish religious movements. The author critiques the diverse opinions and then offers his own insights as to the significance and relevance of these principles for contemporary Jews. "Points to Ponder" follow each chapter and are designed to stimulate discussion and further reading and thinking.
