Telushkinisms: Wisdom to the Point
By Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
Many of the truths that matter most are brief but powerful. You can read the book itself in an hour or two, but the lessons it contains – largely drawn from Jewish sources thousands of years old – can bless and enrich your life for as long as you live. In addition, practicing the activities described inside will also make you a happier person.
What more could one want from a book?
Albert Einstein is reputed to have said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” In Telushkinisms, Joseph Telushkin supplies concrete suggestions of activities that can be immediately incorporated into your life.
Joseph Telushkin, named by Talk magazine as one of the 50 best speakers in the United States, is the author of Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History. The most widely selling book on Judaism of the past two decades, Jewish Literacy has been hailed by leading figures in all the major movements of Judaism, and has been published in a third edition (June, 2008).
In 2006, Bell Tower/Crown published the first volume of his monumental work, A Code of Jewish Ethics: You Shall be Holy, a comprehensive presentation of Jewish teachings on the vital topic of personal character and integrity. Richard Joel, president of Yeshiva University, called the book, “a gift to humankind,” and Rabbi David Wolpe hailed it “as a remarkable guide to goodness.” In 2007, A Code of Jewish Ethics won the National Jewish Book Award as the Jewish book of the year. Volume 2 of the Code, subtitled, “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” was published in 2009 to great acclaim.
In September, 2010, Telushkin published Hillel: If Not Now, When? A biography of the great talmudic sage that makes the argument as to why Hillel should emerge as the great rabbinic figure of the 21st century. The book discussed in detail Hillel’s open and encouraging attitude to non-Jews interested in Judaism and in converting. Telushkin is currently writing a study of the life and impact of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Rabbi Telushkin’s earlier book, Words that Hurt, Words that Heal became the motivating force behind Senators Joseph Lieberman and Connie Mack’s 1996 Senate Resolution # 151 to establish a “National Speak No Evil Day” throughout the United States.
He has also written Jewish Humor: What the Best Jewish Jokes Say About the Jews. Larry Gelbart, author of Mash and Tootsie said that “I don’t know if Jews are really the chosen people, but I think Joseph Telushkin’s book makes a strong argument that we’re the funniest.” Telushkin is also co-author with Dennis Prager of one of the most influential Jewish books published in the last thirty-five years, The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism, hailed by Herman Wouk as “the intelligent skeptic’s guide to Judaism.”
In 1997, his novel, An Eye for an Eye, became the basis for four episodes of David Kelley’s Emmy Award-winning ABC TV series, The Practice, and he co-write (with Allen Estrin) three additional episodes of the program. Telushkin was the co-writer with David Brandes and the Associate Producer of the 1991 film, The Quarrel. The film, an American Playhouse production, and the winner of the Santa Barbara Film Festival, was released theatrically throughout the United States.
Rabbi Telushkin was ordained at Yeshiva University in New York, and pursued graduate studies in Jewish history at Columbia University. He resides in New York City with his wife, Dvorah Menashe Telushkin, and they have four children. Telushkin lectures throughout the United States, serves as a Senior Associate of CLAL, and on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Book Council.
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