This companion for the Sabbath table is intended for novices as well as those well-versed in Shabbat law and observance.  It is a tribute to Steinsaltz—rabbi, scholar, author and teacher—that he navigates both audiences successfully, balancing a step-by-step guidebook with a treasury of information about the history, development and significance of prayers and traditions.  The Sabbath, Steinsaltz explains, is not just a day of passivity based on a set of laws that prohibit work, but an opportunity to transform inactivity to joy and inner peace.  He reveals the reasons for many customs and laws, from the number of loaves of bread (two, to match the double batch of manna that fell on the Sabbath) to the practice of standing during kiddush, the blessing over the day with a cup of wine.  (This, he says, is like bearing testimony, which Jewish law stipulates must be done standing up.)  His illuminating commentaries, replete with mystical allusions, are not for those who want a quick or abridged version of Sabbath ritual.  Instead, Steinsaltz provides the text for a lengthy celebration meant to extend the job of Shabbat, complete with zemirot (traditional Shabbat songs).  All texts appear in Hebrew, with the transliteration and English translation.  A few quibbles include the non-grammatical line breaks in the Hebrew text; traditional gendered translation; and lack of music for the songs.   These considerations, however, should not deter readers from absorbing Steinsaltz’s scholarship and carefully crafted wisdom. Apr.) (Publishers Weekly, March 31, 2003)