There are a number of great ideas that literally form the backbone of Judaism. Without knowledge of these ideas, it is virtually impossible to know how Judaism came to be as it is today or how it functions. What the Handbook does is it shows how the great Jewish ideas flow naturally from one to another. The reader is then able to see Judaism as a unified whole, rather then as a set of fragmented ideas. Beginning with the idea of G-d and His purpose in creation, the Handbook goes on to show how this implies the concepts of man, Israel, revelation, the Torah and the commandments.
by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan