From Publishers Weekly
This companion for the Sabbath table is intended for novices as well as those well-versed in Shabbat law and observance. It is a tribute to Steinsaltz-rabbi, scholar, author and teacher-that he navigates both audiences successfully, balancing a step-by-step guidebook with a treasury of information about the history, development and significance of prayers and traditions. The Sabbath, Steinsaltz explains, is not just a day of passivity based on a set of laws that prohibit work, but an opportunity to transform inactivity to joy and inner peace. He reveals the reasons for many customs and laws, from the number of loaves of bread (two, to match the double batch of manna that fell on the Sabbath) to the practice of standing during kiddush, the blessing over the day with a cup of wine. (This, he says, is like bearing testimony, which Jewish law stipulates must be done standing up.) His illuminating commentaries, replete with mystical allusions, are not for those who want a quick or abridged version of Sabbath ritual. Instead, Steinsaltz provides the text for a lengthy celebration meant to extend the joy of Shabbat, complete with zemirot (traditional Shabbat songs). All texts appear in Hebrew, with a transliteration and English translation. A few quibbles include the non-grammatical line breaks in the Hebrew text; traditional gendered translations; and lack of music for the songs. These considerations, however, should not deter readers from absorbing Steinsaltz's scholarship and carefully crafted wisdom. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Review
This companion for the Sabbath table is intended for novices as well as those well-versed in Shabbat law and observance.  It is a tribute to Steinsaltz—rabbi, scholar, author and teacher—that he navigates both audiences successfully, balancing a step-by-step guidebook with a treasury of information about the history, development and significance of prayers and traditions.  The Sabbath, Steinsaltz explains, is not just a day of passivity based on a set of laws that prohibit work, but an opportunity to transform inactivity to joy and inner peace.  He reveals the reasons for many customs and laws, from the number of loaves of bread (two, to match the double batch of manna that fell on the Sabbath) to the practice of standing during kiddush, the blessing over the day with a cup of wine.  (This, he says, is like bearing testimony, which Jewish law stipulates must be done standing up.)  His illuminating commentaries, replete with mystical allusions, are not for those who want a quick or abridged version of Sabbath ritual.  Instead, Steinsaltz provides the text for a lengthy celebration meant to extend the job of Shabbat, complete with zemirot (traditional Shabbat songs).  All texts appear in Hebrew, with the transliteration and English translation.  A few quibbles include the non-grammatical line breaks in the Hebrew text; traditional gendered translation; and lack of music for the songs.   These considerations, however, should not deter readers from absorbing Steinsaltz’s scholarship and carefully crafted wisdom. Apr.) (Publishers Weekly, March 31, 2003)


Review
"In this modest but powerful book the great teacher and scholar Adin Steinsaltz brings the gift of Shabbat's rest and joy to all readers, whether or not they are Jewish or, for that matter, whether or not they call themselves religious at all." — Robert Pollack, professor of biological sciences and director of the Center for the Study of Science and Religion, Columbia University

"Adin Steinsaltz's insights into the Sabbath could not be more timely. The light he casts on Judaism's reflective, receptive surrender to the holy day of rest will open both Jewish and Christian readers' eyes to long-lost dimensions of their own spiritual traditions." — Stephen J. Dubner, author, Turbulent Souls and Confessions of a Hero Worshiper

"For decades, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz has come to be relied upon by countless Jews throughout the world as our teacher and spiritual guide. With The Miracle of the Seventh Day, Rabbi Steinsaltz once again reveals both the basic information we need to know as well as a doorway to the beauty, inner depths, a nd profound nature of his subject. This is an essentia l book for every Jewish home where the Sabbath is remembered and observed." — Arthur Kurzweil, author and teacher


Book Description
In The Miracle of the Seventh Day, the internationally renowned and highly acclaimed Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz offers the definitive explanation of the miraculous potential of the Sabbath— what it means, and how it can be observed at home with your family. Much like the Haggadah, the guide to the Passover seder, with its step-by-step directions and explanations, this book provides a simple but complete guide to the spiritual content and ritual practice of the seventh day in the home, including commentary on every appropriate observance, ritual, prayer, and song. The book is both an introduction and a program for observing the Sabbath at home, focused on the core intention and goal of this weekly spiritual renewal.


From the Inside Flap
In the fourth of the Ten Commandments, God instructs us to observe the Sabbath, to withdraw temporarily from our workaday activities and to rest, to conduct our lives on the seventh day in a way that brings us back in touch with the miracles of life, the people we love, the world we live in, and our connection to the Divine. Consequently, Jews have been taking this commandment very seriously ever since, understanding that the Sabbath is God's gift to humankind and an opportunity for each of us to renew our self and experience personal transformation.

In The Miracle of the Seventh Day, the internationally renowned and highly acclaimed Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz offers the definitive explanation of the miraculous potential of the Sabbath¾what it means, and how it can be observed at home with your family. Much like the Haggadah, the guide to the Passover seder, with its step-by-step directions and explanations, this book provides a simple but complete guide to the spiritual content and ritual practice of the seventh day in the home, including commentary on every appropriate observance, ritual, prayer, and song. The book is both an introduction and a program for observing the Sa bbath at home, focused on the core intention and goal of this weekly spiritual renewal.

Impeccably written and beautifully designed, The Miracle of the Seventh Day is a book that will be cherished by Jewish families and individuals for a lifetime of reading and reference.


From the Back Cover
The observance of the Sabbath is one of the most important precepts in Judaism. In The Miracle of the Seventh Day, world-renowned Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz provides an ideal companion and guide for the Sabbath table at home. The book is designed for both those who know very little and for those well-versed in the rituals, traditions, and customs of Shabbat, as celebrated in the family at home. For those with little knowledge, it may serve as a guidebook to assist them in following or conducting a Shabbat meal, complete with blessings before and after the meal and hymns sung at the table. For those already knowledgeable, the book will shed new light upon the spiritual significance of various elements of the Sabbath and provide further insight into the history and development of the prayers and traditions of the day. This is a definitive work that every Jewish individual and family should have for basic reference and lifetime of practical use.


About the Author
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is internationally regarded as one of the greatest rabbis of this century and of the last. Scholar, teacher, mystic, scientist, and social critic— and hailed by Time magazine as "once-in-a-millennium scholar"— Rabbi Steinsaltz has been a resident scholar at Yale University, at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton, and at the Woodrow Wilson Institute in Washington, D.C. Best known for his monumental translation of and commentary on the Talmud, Rabbi Steinsaltz has also founded a network of educational institutions and outreach programs in the United States, Israel, and the former Soviet Union, Great Britain, and Australia. He is the recipient of the Israel Prize and of the French Order of Arts and Literature. The author of many books including the contemporary classic, The Thirteen Petalled Rose, Rabbi Steinsaltz is widely known throughout the world as an extraordinary teacher. He has been featured on Good Morning America and National Public Radio, as well as in People, Newsweek, and many other publications and media.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In The Miracle of the Seventh Day, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz offers the definitive explanation of the miraculous potential of the Sabbath - what it means, and how it can be observed at home with your family. Much like the Haggadah, the guide to the Passover seder, with its step-by-step directions and explanations, this book provides a simple but complete guide to the spiritual content and ritual practice of the seventh day in the home, including commentary on every appropriate observance, ritual, prayer, and song. The book is both an introduction and a program for observing the Sabbath at home, focused on the core intention and goal of this weekly spiritual renewal.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly