Reddit reviews Jewish Literacy Revised Ed: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History

It helps to have more specific questions, but of course, having specific questions usually requires some basic level of knowledge.

jewfaq.org is pretty good. we have some decentish resources in our wiki. there's a judaism stackexchange, but like stackexchange as a whole it tends a bit towards elitist, high-level, and unfriendly to beginners.

The standard book recommendations when this situation comes up is To Be a Jew and Jewish Literacy.

Also possibly relevant, depending on your tastes, This is My God by Herman Wouk. Was reminded of this book by this Ask the Rabbi, which also recommends Partners in Torah -- possibly relevant, depending on your level of investment in learning more (sets you up with a weekly study partner)

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did a quick google, this looks relevant: https://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/found-out-jewish-ancestry-in-20s

So does the book Suddenly Jewish, which I found via this article

oh and there's this post from a day ago: judaism for beginners

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also, for your perusal, the search results for "found out jewish" on this sub

was this on your mother's side or your father's side? Given that most cultures give you a last name based on your father's side I'm going to assume father's..in which case most jews would not consider you jewish since judaism is 'passed down' through women, but not men. There are some groups that consider judaism as "passed down' from both women and men but only if you yourself were raised jewish (which clearly you weren't). Anyway this doesn't mean that you might not want to learn more about judaism given you still have jewish ancestry but you should be aware....

Also ashkenazi's aren't a tribe per se, more of an ethnic group that means your anscensters were european (mostly central/eastern european) jews. There is another group called sephardis that are descended from jews in spain/the iberian peninsula (and many from north africans who moved there after the spanish expulsion of jews), and then there are mizrachis which are descended from middle easterners. But all 3 groups are supposedly descended from the original group of jews who lived in Israel and were expelled by the romans (and moved to different areas afterwards and developed somewhat different traditions and foods and stuff, but were still pretty similar).

If you are interested in learning more about judaism and how it is currently practiced, I would recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Literacy-Revised-Ed-Important/dp/0061374989 although it's kinda like an encyclopedia so might be boring AF at times.

You may be better served posting this in r/judaism , this page is more for people who grew up as religious jews and no longer keep the religion.

Just to start off, its shabbos in much of the world so you won't get so many responses for a bit.

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Lots and lots of people grew up with some Jewish identity, didn't do much, and later became religious. Seriously, its a whole movement. Of course everyone's situation is unique, but you aren't the first to struggle with this kinda thing. Thankfully, that has meant a ton of books and resources for people in your shoes, who want to learn more and do more but didn't grow up with it. Some of the biggest resources online are Aish and Chabad, I just found NJOP but it doesn't have as much on the site.

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Now, as you know, the first step is to find a synagogue. I'd recommend looking for a Chabad or a young adults organization like a Young Jewish Professionals type of thing. They will have lots of classes for people from all sorts of backgrounds and will be super happy to help you find good resources, to teach you, etc. Chabad especially is everywhere, the joke is that only Coca-Cola and Chabad are worldwide. Next weekend is actually The Shabbos Project, which brings together people from all sorts of background to do a shabbos in a community. Actually one of these helped me really finalize my decision to become religious. And there are people here from all over who can recommend places.

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So there are lots of basic books out there. One thing I would definitely recommend is to get a Chumash, I'd recommend the Stone Edition since its the most common but the Steinsaltz one also came out recently. A Chumash has the whole Torah and the Haftorot (the section from the Prophets read in synagogues every shabbos) with commentaries. Both the ones I linked have stuff from all sorts of commentators that help explain the text. One section of Torah is read every week on shabbos, so it makes for a great reading guide.

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A good beginner book is To Be a Jew by Rabbi Hayim HeLevy Dovin. That one is absolutely classic. He also has another one, To Pray as a Jew, that's also excellent. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin also has a great one, Jewish Literacy, that goes through everything from Bible stories and characters to Jewish historical figures and writings. R' Teluskhin has tons of good stuff, I also have his A Code of Jewish Ethics, Jewish Wisdom, and a daily study book The Book of Jewish Values, they are all great learning resources. I'd also recommend Exploring Jewish Tradition, it really gets to the basics of Jewish practices. The 'Jewish Book of Why' set is also good, there are two volumes. There's no need to dive full on into halacha (Jewish law) and like books on Talmud right away, take the basics and then explore what is interesting to you. People sometimes burn out if they try too much too quick, but others love to just jump in full on and learn a bunch really quick (I'm the second but know people in the first category, both are totally ok ways to be).

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If there is any specific thing you would like to read more about, I can recommend more stuff after shabbos. Its only been a year since I decided to become religious so I know the position you are in. And if you have any questions, there are lots of great resources online and lots of knowledgeable people here. Of course, as I'm sure your mother can attest, there are unhealthy Jewish communities. But I firmly believe for every bad one there are far more great ones. I'm pretty new to it but the couple places I have been are both very welcoming and I have made friends from most of the major areas. It does not have to be suffocating, and there's nothing wrong with learning and doing more at your own pace. If its ever too much, slow down and reassess before jumping in further. If you listen to what your neshama (soul) is saying it'll guide you right!

I know you were asking for Tanakh specifically, but you'll probably have better results with a book like Jewish Literacy.

It has a summary of the Tanakh along with sections on history, beliefs & practices, etc.

Personally I'd just recommend picking up a copy of Jewish Literacy. It's very large but very readable. Covers many different areas. Great place to start. You might be able to find it in a library as well depending on your location.

http://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Literacy-Revised-Ed-Important/dp/0061374989/

1. It is generally permitted for a non-Jew to perform מצוות (God's commandments) except learning the תורה שבעל פה (Oral Torah) for its own sake (i.e. learning the Oral Law in order to keep the Law is permitted.) Learning the Written Law (the "Hebrew Scriptures") is fine. It is generally agreed that it is not appropriate for non-Jews to keep שבת (the Sabbath) entirely.
   
   
2. You may find Jewish Literacy to be of use.
   
   
3. If your interest in Judaism continues, conversion is an option.
   
   Keep in touch if you have more questions!
   
   Edit: BTW this is merely one perspective from an Orthodox perspective. I don't mean to discount the other opinions here.

For a scholarly translation: The JPS Study Bible

For a more "traditional" translation, The Artscroll Tanach

However, I need to note that you won't learn about Judaism or Jewish practice from reading the Tanach. I hear Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Telushkin is a very good starting place.

You would probably like Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. I personally found it even more thorough than Essential Judaism.

https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Literacy-Revised-Ed-Important/dp/0061374989

Keep in mind though that the Jewish religion and culture is filled with an enormous range of beliefs. It is a culture that has always allowed interpretation and practically motivates one to question and argue with the texts. So her 'beliefs' will not be found in a book, but by talking with her and asking about her upbringing.

Becoming a Jew is a great overview of the conversion process (from an orthodox perspective but imo a lot can translate to conservative judaism too), with stories written by converts. It's not specifically a religious text, but it's a great book for converts.

Jewish Literacy by Telushkin is also a good bet, but it's very much a 'broad strokes' overview of many individual stories in Tanakh. If you really have ZERO knowledge of Tanakh, it's a good place to start before you dive deeper.

• Jews, God, and History would actually be a good pairing for your book now - while Johnson is more Zionist and philosemitic, Dimont takes a stance similar to Spinoza, which - while still of course being 'pro-Jew,' is more cultural in the context of the world than religious as the 'Chosen People.'
  
• Jewish Literacy is what you are guaranteed to find on every single rabbi's shelf on Earth. Telushkin is an excellent writer, and is concise in his explanations of why we are the way we are and why we do what we do. It's less about a strict history than explaining all those things, but it's still valuable if you want to really get to your roots.
  
• History of the Jewish People - I read this in college. More of a text for students, but valuable all the same.
  
• Josephus is a historical text by one of the greatest historians from the turn of the first millennium. If you choose to get this, I highly recommend having Wikipedia open as you read it.

For a good overview of Judaism: Jewish Literacy

Might I recommend https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Literacy-Revised-Ed-Important/dp/0061374989.

It's an encyclopedia with short blurbs on the Jewish religion, people, and history. Reading through it will give you a great breadth of knowledge related to Judaism.

If you want another book to better learn about the Jewish people and our history, read Joseph Telushkin's Jewish Literacy

One of the most comprehensive and well written books is "Jewish Literacy" by Joseph Telushkin.

my guess is the latter is a bigger problem than the former to them

the two books to read would be

To be a Jew
https://www.amazon.com/Be-Jew-Jewish-Observance-Contemporary/dp/0465086322

and Jewish literacy

https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Literacy-Revised-Ed-Important/dp/0061374989

I apologize if anyone is coming off as rude. The mention of kabbalah just touches a lot of nerves around here. Here are a few books that I think most of us here would agree are good places to start:

• http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Our-Heritage-Eliyahu/dp/0873067630
  
• http://www.amazon.com/To-Be-Jew-Observance-Contemporary/dp/0465086322/ref=pd_sim_b_2
  
• http://www.amazon.com/This-Is-God-Herman-Wouk/dp/0316955140/ref=pd_sim_b_3
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Literacy-Revised-Ed-Important/dp/0061374989/ref=pd_sim_b_6

Jewish Literacy by Telushkin

Second on Telushkin's Jewish Literacy. For theology: God in Search of Man by R. Heschel. Also, Basic Judaism by R. Milton Steinberg

• Crash Course in Jewish History
  
• Jewish Literacy
  
  Once you've got a broad perspective, if there's a particular area you'd like to understand in greater depth, come back and we'll make more recommendations.
  

Well, if you are interested, we have an excellent community here on Reddit. /r/judaism would be glad to answer any questions you have. Just remember that Judaism encompasses a wide range of opinions on many issues, so there is very rarely any one answer to any one question. For example, a lot of the more mystically-minded Jews believe that the souls of the departed "rest" in heaven for a while before being reincarnated and sent back down to Earth. Our Talmud is the record of the ancient debates and discussions that rabbis of the past had on a multitude of biblical topics. There is a saying that when you ask two Jews a question, they'll give you three opinions!

We have a nice little FAQ about Judaism you can read if you're interested.

Here is an article they wrote on why we don't believe in Jesus, and another on the differences between Christianity and Judaism. I really recommend reading that one.

If you want a book to read, Jewish Literacy by Joseph Telushkin is one that is frequently recommended on our sub.

^ This so much. Also, another great introductory book is Joseph Telushkin's Jewish Literacy.

Find a rabbi you are comfortable with, and don't be shy to meet with a few before moving forward.

I had met with two rabbis before choosing the one who made me feel the most comfortable with my decision. The first two I met with were orthodox, quite conservative and I didn't click with either and the process seemed a bit too intense for what my fiance and I were looking for. Then we came across a reform synagogue and we fell in love with the rabbi there and we're completing our first round of classes in a couple of weeks.

It's been a beautiful process so far and it's exciting! There are several books I too found good, some of them were provided with our classes as well:

• What is a Jew? by Morris Kertzer
  
• Living a Jewish Life by Anita Diamant
  
• Jewish Literacy by Joseph Telushkin
  
• Jewish Book of Why by Alfred Kolatch
  
  Best of luck in your research!

Jewish Literacy by Joseph Telushkin covers pretty much all the basic stuff you should know regarding Jewish traditions and their roots