"Judaism itself is a language, a group's way of expressing beliefs, longings, aspirations and dreams. The vocabulary of Jewish life is the framework used to hand the past on to children. It is also the vocabulary that people of other faiths need to know to understand Judaism and Jewish life.".

"In this book, Jews and non-Jews alike can learn more about the meaning, history and origin of the core Hebrew words that are shared and understood throughout the Jewish world and why it is important for people to know and use these words in Hebrew. From Adonai ("My Lord") to zekhut ("merit"), these are the words that constitute the basic vocabulary of Jewish communal and religious identity."--BOOK JACKET.