An insightful look at one of the most unusual written works ever created. Compiled centuries ago by a group of wise men as a way to preserve the oral traditions of the Jewish faith, the Talmud has challenged and thrilled some of the world’s greatest minds with its complex approach to exploring ideas and subjects from virtually every possible angle. This essential guide makes the ancient text of the “oral Torah” accessible for all readers, whether they’re Jewish or not. In this Complete Idiot’s Guide®, you get. • An examination of Talmudic logic and debate. • Discussion of how science and medicine relate to Talmudic philosophies. • Description of proper behavior and conduct as expected within Talmudic lifestyle. • The significance of seeds and blessings found in the Talmud.

You're no idiot, of course. You can serve up a mean s'il vous plaît in a French bistro, live la vida loca for a night of margaritas, and manage a sayonara! after sushi, sake, and karaoke. But when it comes to throwing around a little Yiddish, you feel like a total nebbish! Don't throw up your hands in a helpless “Oy, vey” just yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Learning Yiddish is your guide to this unique tongue, whether you're tackling rules of grammar or just throwing around some key phrases so you sound a little less goyish. In this Complete Idiot's Guide® you get: --A fascinating explanation of how and why Yiddish developed. --An easy introduction to the Yiddish alphabet, as well as to the distinctive sound of Yiddish. --All the Yiddish you'll need for communicating with family and friends or for bargain-hunting on New York's Lower East Side. --A treasury of Yiddish words and phrases for everything.

Gain some insight into the game of life... Game Theory means rigorous strategic thinking. It is based on the idea that everyone acts competitively and in his own best interest. With the help of mathematical models, it is possible to anticipate the actions of others in nearly all life's enterprises. This book includes down-to-earth examples and solutions, as well as charts and illustrations designed to help teach the concept. In The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Game Theory, Dr. Edward C. Rosenthal makes it easy to understand game theory with insights into: • The history of the discipline made popular by John Nash, the mathematician dramatized in the film A Beautiful Mind • The role of social behavior and psychology in this amazing discipline • How important game theory has become in our society and why

You're no idiot, of course. You're familiar with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and Judgement Day, especially in the wake of the new millennium. However, the Book of Revelation has existed for almost 2,000 years and is open to countless interpretations. Don't get confused by scholarly analysis and religious dogma! 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Book of Revelation' shows you how so many meanings are derived from the books' text. In this 'Complete Idiot's Guide', you getL -Various ways to interpret Revelation and its symbols. -A detailed examination of the key elements, including the Seven Seals and the Antichrist. -A look at how the Jewish Old Testament and prophecies related to Revelation.

“An important beginning to understanding the truth over myth about Judaism in American history” (New York Journal of Books), Steven R. Weisman tells the dramatic story of the personalities that fought each other and shaped this ancient religion in America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The struggles that produced a redefinition of Judaism illuminate the larger American experience and the efforts by all Americans to reconcile their faith with modern demands. The narrative begins with the arrival of the first Jews in New Amsterdam and plays out over the nineteenth century as a massive immigration takes place at the dawn of the twentieth century. First there was the practical matter of earning a living. Many immigrants had to work on the Sabbath or traveled as peddlers to places where they could not keep kosher. Doctrine was put aside or adjusted. To take their places as equals, American Jews rejected their identity as a separate nation within America. Judaism became an American religion. These profound changes did not come without argument. Steven R. Weisman’s “lucid and entertaining” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) The Chosen Wars tells the stories of the colorful rabbis and activists—including Isaac Mayer Wise, Mordecai Noah, David Einhorn, Rebecca Gratz, and Isaac Lesser—who defined American Judaism and whose disputes divided it into the Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox branches that remain today. “Only rarely does an author succeed in writing a book that reframes how we perceive our own history. The Chosen Wars is...fascinating and provocative” (Jewish Journal).

Supreme God: Body, Will, Wisdom, and Work by Prof. Jitendra Dhoj Khand This book is a driving force to understand Supreme God. Will is bone marrow, semen is Wisdom, vital air is Work, and the living individual body is related to God's small Body. Supreme God consists of Supreme Nature and Supreme Law. The creation of universe is based on dot/Bindu and Sound/Nada or word. The nucleus of the universe is Nepal based on several sources. The 24 elementary particles are element of Supreme Nature/Female. The 4 forces related to Supreme God/Male. The unified function is related Supreme Law. Supreme God is everywhere even the living soul to reward and punishment to the people based on their past and present work/Karma.

Every 3rd issue is a quarterly cumulation.

Traditionally, university students have gained access to world religions by reading primary texts. Discovering World Religions at 24 Frames Per Second takes students beyond the written page, offering an exploration of the same religious traditions through the study of feature films. The many definitions of religion are examined along with its various components, including doctrine, myth, ethics, ritual, and symbol. Specific religious traditions, including Hinduism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, popular religion, and Shinto are examined. Biographical sketches of directors whose films tend to focus on a particular religious tradition are also included, such as Zhang Yimou, Hayao Miyazaki, Deepa Mehta, and Akira Kurosawa. Discovering World Religions at 24 Frames Per Second is unique in the area of religion and film studies in that it isn't just a collection of essays. Instead it provides the introductory student with the necessary background information on the various religions before looking at how their ideas can be understood not through texts but through the cinematic medium. To keep the conversation fresh, most of the films used in the book were made within the last decade. Furthermore, examples range from popular, mainstream fare, such as Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings trilogy to lesser-known foreign films, such as The Wooden Man's Bride and The Great Yokai War. Several films with a 'cult-like' following are also discussed, including Fight Club, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Jacob's Ladder. This book is also unique in that instead of drawing upon the Judeo-Christian tradition, it draws from Eastern traditions.

"Adam Parfrey is one of the nation's most provocative publishers."—Seattle Weekly "Secret society historian Craig Heimbichner follows the Middle Path to wisdom. He works the graveyard shift in the secret lodge."—Joan d'Arc, Paranoia magazine Secret societies—now a staple of bestseller novels—are pictured as sinister cults that use hooded albinos to menace truth-seekers. Some conspiracy books claim that fraternal orders are the work of serpentine aliens and interbred humans who wish to supplant earth of its energy, and later, its very existence. On the other side of the aisle, books by high-ranked Freemasons—skeptical in tone but no less partisan in approach—protect their organization's public image by denying the existence of its most contentious ideas. Ritual America reveals the biggest secret of them all: that the influence of fraternal brotherhoods on this country is vast, fundamental, and hidden in plain view. In the early twentieth century, as many as one-third of America belonged to a secret society. And though fezzes and tiny car parades are almost a thing of the past, the Gnostic beliefs of Masonic orders are now so much a part of the American mind that the surrounding pomp and circumstance has become faintly unnecessary. The authors of Ritual America contextualize hundreds of rare and many never-before printed images with entertaining and far-reaching commentary, making an esoteric subject provocative, exciting, and approachable. Adam Parfrey is the author of Cult Rapture: Revelations of the Apocalyptic Mind and It's a Man's World: Men's Adventure Magazines, the Postwar Pulps. He is editor of the influential Apocalypse Culture series Love, Sex, Fear Death: The Inside Story of the Process Church of the Final Judgment. Craig Heimbichner has recently appeared on a National Geographic documentary about the Bohemian Grove, contributed to the Feral House compilation Secret and Suppressed II, and wrote about the famous occult order the O.T.O. in Blood and Altar.

The mother of all books on Mary, Mother of Jesus. Most people agree that Mary of Nazareth was an actual historical figure. But how did this average Jewish girl become the woman that Christians the world over adore—and call the Mother of God? This fascinating guide explores Mary in Scripture, Mary in tradition, and Mary today; Mary’s links to the Earth Mother and the Buddhist Kwan-Yin; Mary apparitions and shrines throughout the world; and Mary in art, music, and literature.