David Gelernter wrote a book about how Jews act differently from other group of religion. For example, in his book Judaism: A way of being he gave four basic theme and the answer to them that describe the Jewish life. With those four themes he hope to answer one question. Gelernter (2009) "what is it about Judaism that is transfixing enough to have kept a brilliant, fractious, bickering, relentlessly skeptical people alive for three thousand years, made them the senior nation of the western world, and turned them into a marvel and an obsession to so many of their fellow human beings?" (pg.1). I will now present the four themes and their associated questions: (1) Separation: what is the point of halakha, the Jewish religious law? (2) Veil: How…show more content… He also wanted the readers to visualize the central synagogue in Manhattan that are framed by two identical towers. next, the people need to visualize the red sea splitting apart to allow the Israelites to escape Egypt. The splitting of the red sea shows an example of separation. Another example he gave is the difference between kosher and non-kosher foods. For the second theme, erase the images that you were visualizing so you can have glimpse of the second theme which is “Veil”. In synagogue the man that was holding the Torah is getting ready to put on his tallit gadol (the large tallis that is worn at morning prayer). He holds it above his head while they are saying the blessing. A tallis is a large sheet of cloth that is often made of white cotton and is decorated with black stripes at each ends with ritual fringes at the four corners. A Jew is instructed in the Talmud to imagine himself in God’s presence when it is time to say Judaism most fundamental prayer. To start the third chapter which is about veil, the author start by asking a question. Gelernter (2009), "How can a Jew understand and deal with a God as abstract and indescribable as the unique God of Judaism"
