This compelling book pours a clear light onto the concealed reasons why certain events appear in our lives and the world at large. Exploring the ancient principles of Kabbalistic Astrology reveals that each of us is born into an astrological environment best suited for the completion of the corrections that we must make in our lives."--Publisher description.
The prayer book is our Jewish diary of the centuries, a collection of prayers composed by generations of those who came before us, as they endeavored to express the meaning of their lives and their relationship to God. The prayer book is the essence of the Jewish soul." This stunning work, an empowering entryway to the spiritual revival of our times, enables all of us to claim our connection to the heritage of the traditional Jewish prayer book. It helps rejuvenate Jewish worship in today's world, and makes its power accessible to all. Framed with beautifully designed Talmud-style pages, commentaries from 11 of today's most respected Jewish scholars from all movements of Judaism examine Seder K’riat Hatorah from the perspectives of ancient Rabbis and modern theologians, as well as feminist, halakhic, Talmudic, linguistic, biblical, Chasidic, mystical, and historical perspectives. This fourth volume of the series unfolds the many layers of meaning in Seder K’riat Hatorah, the ritual and prayers surrounding the communal reading of Torah. More than any other section of the prayer book, the Torah service reflects all of Jewish history. Vol. 4 helps us to understand how the reading of Torah is an affirmation, powerful and dramatic, of the continuing covenant between the community of Israel and God. Vol. 4—Seder K’riat Hatorah (The Torah Service) features the authentic Hebrew text with a new translation designed to let people know exactly what the prayers say. Introductions tell the reader what to look for in the prayer service, as well as how to truly use the commentaries, to search for—and find—meaning in the prayer book. Even those not yet familiar with the prayer book can appreciate the spiritual richness of Seder K’riat Hatorah. My People’s Prayer Book enables all worshipers, of any denomination, to encounter their own connection to 3,000 years of Jewish experience with the world and with God.
A varied and fascinating look at sin, confession and pardon in Judaism. Through a series of lively introductions and commentaries, almost forty contributors—men and women, scholars, rabbis, theologians and poets, representing all Jewish denominations—examine the history of confession in Judaism, its roots in the Bible, its evolution in rabbinic and modern thought, and the very nature of confession for men and women today. Featuring the traditional prayers—provided in the original Hebrew and a new and annotated translation—this third volume in the Prayers of Awe series explores the relevance of confession today in what is bound to be the most up-to-date, comprehensive and insightful reconsideration of sin and confession in Judaism.
An engaging and sobering look at memorializing in Judaism and why memory—ours and God's—is so central to people. Through a series of lively introductions and commentaries, over thirty contributors—men and women, scholars, rabbis, theologians and poets, representing all Jewish denominations—examine the history and ideas behind Yizkor, the Jewish memorial service, and this fascinating chapter in Jewish piety. Featuring the traditional prayers—provided in the original Hebrew and a new and annotated translation—this fourth volume in the Prayers of Awe series explores the profound theological questions at the core of this service and our own humanity: What happens to us after we die? Is there really an afterlife? Does our fate after death depend on the goodness with which we have pursued our earthly life? And more. Prayers of Awe: A multi-volume series designed to explore the High Holy Day liturgy and enrich the praying experience for everyone—whether experienced worshipers or guests who encounter Jewish prayer for the very first time. Contributors: Yoram Bitton Dr. Annette M. Boeckler Dr. Marc Zvi Brettler Rabbi Lawrence A. Englander, CM, DHL Rabbi Edward Feinstein Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof, PhD (z"l) Dr. Eric L. Friedland Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand Rabbi Edwin Goldberg, DHL Rabbi Andrew Goldstein, PhD Dr. Joel M. Hoffman Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD Rabbi Walter Homolka, PhD, DHL Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur Rabbi Karyn D. Kedar Rabbi Daniel Landes Catherine Madsen Rabbi Jonathan Magonet, PhD Rabbi Dalia Marx, PhD Rabbi Charles H. Middleburgh, PhD Rabbi Jay Henry Moses Rabbi Aaron D. Panken, PhD Rabbi Jakob J. Petuchowski, PhD (z”l) Rabbi Jack Riemer Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso Rabbi David Stern Rabbi David A. Teutsch, PhD Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig, DD Dr. Ron Wolfson Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel Dr. Wendy Zierler
This compelling book pours a clear light onto the concealed reasons why certain events appear in our lives and the world at large. Exploring the ancient principles of Kabbalistic Astrology reveals that each of us is born into an astrological environment best suited for the completion of the corrections that we must make in our lives."--Publisher description.
October 7, 2023 was not just one of the most tragic days in modern Jewish history; it represented a profound moral and spiritual challenge to liberal Jewish denominations in America. It’s a challenge Jews have faced before, and we rose to the occasion; but are Jews of today up to the challenge? We have the opportunity—and the obligation—to reclaim a Jewish vocabulary of sanctity, activism, and the desire to stand apart from today’s world. Tikkun Ha’am/Repairing Our People is a cry from the heart by one of American Judaism’s most prolific voices. His message: the role of faith is to challenge us as individuals and to challenge society. Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin challenges us to rethink contemporary Jewish identity, Israel, spirituality, and popular culture. Rabbi Salkin invites readers to think deeply about the contemporary world, showing that Judaism has a stake in our world’s political, religious, and cultural battles.
Can the teachings of Judaism provide a sacred framework for repairing the world? In this groundbreaking volume, leading rabbis, intellectuals, and activists explore the relationship between Judaism and social justice, drawing on ancient and modern sources of wisdom. The contributors argue that American Jewry must move beyond “mitzvah days” and other occasional service programs, and dedicate itself to systemic change in the United States, Israel, and throughout the world. These provocative essays concentrate on specific justice issues such as eradicating war, global warming, health care, gay rights and domestic violence, offering practical ways to transform theory into practice, and ideas into advocacy. Rich and passionate, these expressions will inspire you to consider your obligations as a Jew, as an American and as a global citizen, while challenging you to take thoughtful and effective action in the world. Contributors: Martha Ackelsberg, PhD • Rabbi Rebecca Alpert, PhD • Diane Balser, PhD • Jeremy Benstein, PhD • Rabbi Phyllis Berman • Ellen Bernstein • Marla Brettschneider, PhD • Rabbi Sharon Brous • Aryeh Cohen, PhD • Stephen P. Cohen, PhD • Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, PhD • Aaron Dorfman • Jacob Feinspan • Rabbi Marla Feldman • Sandra M. Fox, LCSW • Julia Greenberg • Mark Hanis • Rabbi Jill Jacobs • Rabbi Jane Kanarek, PhD • Rabbi Elliot Rose Kukla • Joshua Seth Ladon • Arieh Lebowitz • Rabbi Michael Lerner, PhD • Shaul Magid, PhD • Rabbi Natan Margalit, PhD • Ruth Messinger • Jay Michaelson • Rabbi Micha Odenheimer • Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner • Judith Plaskow, PhD • Judith Rosenbaum, PhD • April Rosenblum • Adam Rubin, PhD • Danya Ruttenberg • Rabbi David Saperstein • Joel Schalit • Rabbi Sidney Schwarz, PhD • Martin I. Seltman, MD • Dara Silverman • Daniel Sokatch • Shana Starobin • Naomi Tucker • Abigail Uhrman • Rabbi Arthur Waskow, PhD • Rabbi Melissa Weintraub
The Jews are known for their intuitive genius in getting out of a pickle. With their long history of persecution, they've developed a knack for escaping seemingly hopeless predicaments: when your back is against the wall, you learn to think fast. Centuries of reasoning and interpreting the Holy Scriptures have also contributed to the Jews' skill in solving the most puzzling problems. This astute way of thinking is known in Yiddish as yiddishe kop, literally "Jewish head." Through Jewish humor, folklore, and tales of the great rabbis, Rabbi Nilton Bonder presents the basic principles of this creative approach to thinking, which sees beyond appearances to the hidden truth of any problem. Once these are mastered, they may in turn be applied to many "impossible" situations that arise in business and in life. The book focuses on four levels of solving a problem: 1. On the level of Information, we approach problems literally, in response to the obvious and the concrete. 2. On the level of Understanding, we obtain concealed information through techniques such as questioning, reframing, and emptying the mind. 3. On the level of Wisdom, we access the world of intuition, where a "fool" can achieve the impossible by relying on feelings, premonitions, dreams, and coincidences. 4. On the level of Reverence, we discover the hidden Reality behind appearances. This is the realm of those who dare to take risks, make commitments, and learn from mistakes, who act out of their living experience without relying solely on reason and conceptual thinking.
The Tzniyus Book presents not only explanations for, but also the Biblical and Talmudic sources of traditional practices of dress and comportment among observant Jews. If a person has an idea what's what, but may not be sure why, The Tzniyus Book lays it out in a down-to-earth, contemporary fashion.
In short, I believe, a little bit of religion is a good thing whether or not you fully embrace the idea of God. I believe that Judaism should accept this approach and help its adherents translate their deep, inherent religious needs with the symbols and practices of our ancient tradition. Judaism understands that not only does it have to adapt as part of its cultural dance, but it also has to choose and to create in order to complete its mission: to help modern Jews, the children of Spinoza, and the disciples of Einstein, to stay on course, to see the poetry written into the cosmos, and to help one another on the road to contentment with kindness, with concern and with love. Every once in a while, somebody comes to me and says: “Rabbi, I’m so glad I’m Jewish.” “Rabbi, I’m lucky. I have what I need. I have what I want.” And I smile and count my blessings, too.
Techniques explained by the masters—for today’s spiritual seeker Meditation is designed to give you direct access to the spiritual. Whether it’s through deep breathing during a busy day, listening to the quiet after turning off the car radio, chanting in prayer, or ten minutes of visualization exercises each morning, meditation takes many forms. But it is always a personal method of centering our spiritual self. Meditation has long been practiced in the Jewish community as a powerful tool to transcend words, personality, and ego and to directly experience the divine. Inspiring yet practical, this introduction to meditation from a Jewish perspective approaches it in a new and illuminating way: As it is personally practiced by today’s most experienced Jewish meditators from around the world. A “how to” guide for both beginning and experienced meditators, Meditation from the Heart of Judaism will help you start meditating or help you enhance your practice. Meditation is a Jewish spiritual resource for today that can benefit people of all faiths and backgrounds—and help us add spiritual energy to our lives. Contributors include:
Coincidence can color our experiences in ways that cannot be predicted. When the ordinary becomes the extraordinary, it transforms commonplace happenings and gives them new signifi cance and wonder. For half a century, Rabbi David H. Chanofsky has witnessed these transformative miracles, and here, he shares some of his favorite memories and lessons. He shares tales from his years of fighting anti-Semitism in America and of his efforts to defend the rights of Jews everywhere. Through the prism of humor and pathos as they relate to Jewish life, his experiences seek to inspire thought, laughter, tears, and debate. Is there such a thing as conservative and reform Judaism? How does Judaism view intermarriage? Why do so many people feel alone in a crowded synagogue? Is there a solution? What happens when religion and politics intersect in Israel? Who are your Jewish superheroes? The rabbi's early experiences gave him a lifelong commitment to Jewish survival and a zealous love of the United States. Judaism is central to his insights, and he approaches these issues with strong, often controversial points of view that he hopes will challenge your perceptions.
Random thoughts on pastoral care. Every person derives the meaning of their lives from relationships with specific people, faith, work, leisure, family, an unfinished task or a discipline such as science, politics, drama or the visual arts to name only a few. These are spiritual resources that give meaning to the patient's life. Meaning usually refers to how the patient made a large or small difference in the life of others or in the world at large. When a person falls ill or is dying, these meaning making relationships or activities are lost or have become distant or strained, creating a crisis in the meaning of the life of the patient. It is the task of a chaplain or a pastoral care giver to encourage the ill or dying patient to discover or rediscover those sources of meaning that have been lost or from which the patient feels distant. These sources may be family relationships, life events, unfinished tasks, spiritual practices, real or unfinished work related tasks, or real objects in the patient's life from which the patient derives meaning. When a pastoral care giver or chaplain enters a patient's room, after following infection control protocols, the chaplain carefully listens to what the patient says about why the patient is in the hospital, what resources of meaning are available or not available and how the patient can reestablish those relationships while in hospital. The chaplain may derive spiritual interventions such as prayer, meditation, ritual objects, encouraging visits by important people in the patient's life, engaging in life review with the patient or simply encouraging hospital staff to be in contact with the patient who may feel left alone. This is the task of pastoral or spiritual care givers.
Does God really have a chosen people? Do Jews believe in an afterlife? Why do all Jewish holidays begin at night? When is it okay to tell a lie? What does Judaism say about being gay? From the mundane to the perplexing, Rabbi Ron Isaacs answers all your questions about the Jewish faith in a manner that is warm, wise, and witty. Isaacs brings his many years of experience as a rabbi and scholar to create a family-friendly resource that you and your children can use again and again to answer questions as they arise in your day-to-day lives— such as questions about: worship services, blessings, famous people in the Bible, miracles, fast days, Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, the Seder, circumcision, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, marriage, keeping kosher, sex, death and dying, medical ethics, Jewish beliefs, Hasidim, Jewish denominations, rabbis and cantors, black Jews, Jewish professions, what others think of the Jews, Israel, ritual garments, the Torah, the mezuzah, Anti-Semitic documents and statements, Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews, language, Jews and cults, kabbalah, and classic Jewish books.
The third in the five-volume Torah Encounters series, Leviticus offers Torah commentary and discussion guides for each Torah portion. It shares observations drawing from each parasha and from historical and contemporary commentators and Rabbi Pressman. A wonderful resource for clergy, personal study, or adult or high school Hebrew education.
For people who don't believe that God can intervene in our lives, and why Judaism is still important. ''Judaism has so much to teach us about how we treat ourselves, each other, and our planet.... Of course, you can learn these values elsewhere. But as a people, Jews have thousands of years of experience turning this kind of stuff over and over. [We've] had millions of users working to debug the system. Rather than look to other sources for guidance, let us turn to our own people's past to discover what it has to say about our present and our future.'' - from the Introduction For some people, the biggest stumbling block in religion is God - even for an ordained rabbi who admits her rational mind ''can't buy into a God in the sky who writes down our deeds and rewards and punishes us accordingly.'' But not being sold on an intervening God shouldn't bar you from living a vibrant and fulfilling Jewish life. The God concept has seen many upgrades over the centuries and it is these reinterpretations that have kept Judaism relevant. In this provocative look at the ways in which God concepts have evolved and been upgraded through the centuries, Adventure Rabbi Jamie Korngold examines how our changing ideas of God have shaped every aspect of Judaism. With enthusiasm and humor, she shows that by aligning our understanding of God with modern sensibilities, Judaism can be made more meaningful, accessible and fully compatible with twenty - first - century life.
Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a rabbi? If you have, then this book is for you! Rabbi Apple, with humor and openness, describes his childhood, youth, and what influenced him to become a rabbi. He is candid about his life in three congregational pulpits and his long career as a Navy chaplain. Fortunately for many people, Rabbi Apple never listened to his mother when she kept telling him, “What kind of job is this for a nice Jewish boy?”
You've Got Questions. Judaism Has Answers. In this groundbreaking book, written for both observant and secular Jews, Rabbi Naftoly Bier, Co-Founder of the Kollel of Greater Boston presents Judaism's answers to some of the toughest questions life sends our way.
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