Common Prayers

I have learned much about faith and biblical tradition by studying about Jewish holidays and theological reflection associated with them. My basic rule: let Jewish believers instruct you on Judaism. And for every rule, there's an exception. Here it is: read Harvey Cox's Common Prayers: Faith, Family, and a Christian's Journey Through the Jewish Year.

Cox is a Christian and teaches at Harvard Divinity School. You may member his best seller from many years ago, The Secular City. After a failed first marriage, Cox remarried a Wellesley professor who was Jewish. They both retained their respective faith traditions and decided to raise the child from their marriage in the Jewish faith.

In Common Prayers, you hear the reflections of a Christian theologian who, through his personal life, comes to new insights into Jewish tradition and the lessons they provide to Christians. Organized around the major Jewish holidays, each chapter is a stand-alone essay on faith that helps us to better understand Judaism and our own Christian journey.