Beginning with the idea of G-d and His purpose in creation, these Handbooks go on to show how this implies the concepts of man, Israel, revelation, the Torah and the commandments. The concept of revelation is then developed to show how the Torah was revealed, the Bible written, and the Oral Torah transmitted. This in turn leads to a discussion of how authority in Judaism is defined, leading to a presentation of the concepts of the Sanhedrin, halachah, and custom.
There are many threads in classical Judaic literature. There is the Bible and its commentaries, the Talmud and its commentaries, Midrash, Halachah, responsa, philosophy, Chassidic literature, mussar, and various combinations of the above. In order to understand Judaism in its fullest sense, all these threads must be woven together to form a full fabric.. In essence, this is what the Handbook sets out to accomplish.