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The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World
Par Sharon Brous. 2024
The national bestsellerFrom one of our country&’s most prominent rabbis, an inspiring book about the power of community based on…
one of her most impactful sermons.In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society?Sharon Brous—a leading American rabbi—makes the case that the spiritual work of our time, as instinctual as it is counter-cultural, is to find our way to one other in celebration, in sorrow, and in solidarity. To show up for each other in moments of joy and pain, vulnerability and possibility, to invest in relationships of shared purpose and build communities of care. Brous contends that it is through honoring our most basic human instinct-- the yearning for real connection-- that we reawaken our shared humanity and begin to heal. This kind of sacred presence is captured by the word amen, a powerful ancient idea that we affirm the fullness of one another&’s experience by demonstrating, in body and word: &“I see you. You are not alone.&” An acclaimed preacher and story-teller, Brous pairs heart-driven anecdotes from her experience building and pastoring to a leading-edge faith community over the past two decades with ancient Jewish wisdom and contemporary science. The result is a clarion call: the sense of belonging engendered by our genuine presence is not only a social and biological need, but a moral and spiritual necessity.With original insights and practical tools, The Amen Effect translates foundational ideas into simple practices that connect us to our better angels, offering a blueprint for a more meaningful life and a more connected and caring world.Circumventing the Law: Rabbinic Perspectives on Loopholes and Legal Integrity (Jewish Culture and Contexts)
Par Elana Stein Hain. 2024
Circumventing the Law probes the rabbinic logic behind the use of loopholes, the legal phenomenon of finding and using gaps…
within law to achieve otherwise illegal outcomes. The logic of ha’aramah, a subset of rabbinic legal circumventions mostly defined as a tool for private life, underpins both well-known circumventions, such as selling leaven before Passover, and lesser-known mechanisms, such as designating an animal intended for sacrifice “blemished” before birth to allow it to be slaughtered for food instead. Elana Stein Hain traces the development of these loopholes over time, revealing that rabbinic literature does not consistently accept or reject loopholes. Instead, rabbinic Judaism applies categories of evasion (prohibited), avoidance (permitted), and avoision (contested) to loopholes on a case-by-case basis. The intended outcome of a given loophole determines its classification, as does the legal integrity of the circumventive process in question.Yet these understandings of loopholes are not static—instead, rabbinic attitudes toward loopholing change over time. Early works display an objective, performative understanding of the self and of intention, but evolve over time to reflect more subjective and intimate understanding of the self and intention. This evolution redefines what legal integrity means in Jewish legal philosophy.Circumventing the Law brings readers through the Second Temple period to the modern era to see how loopholing has evolved over millennia. With a focus on late antiquity, Stein Hain explores tannaitic literature, the Palestinian Talmud, and contemporaneous Greco-Roman and Persian thought to show that when warranted, Jewish rhetoric and philosophy around understandings of loopholes was a unique phenomenon that relied on changes in understanding the definition of integrity itself, a key finding for scholars of Jewish Studies and of religious and of secular law writ large.Kosher Lust: Love is Not the Answer
Par Shmuley Boteach. 2024
As many as one in three long-term marriages in America are sexless, and most people accept this as the inevitable…
course of a romantic relationship. In this groundbreaking book, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach explains why the prioritizing of love and companionship in marriage is all wrong, and why we should not go quietly into that dark night of celibate marriage. It is not love, Rabbi Shmuley shows, but lust that is the glue of a marriage. In this book you will learn how to restore lust to its rightful place as the central pillar of marriage. You will learn about the three principles of lust, and how to tap into them to keep the flames burning in the family hearth. Finally, you will discover the incredible emotional and spiritual potential of the intimate marital bond. In a wide-ranging discussion that plumbs the depths of the erotic mind, Rabbi Shmuley delivers a revolutionary message with the power to completely transform your most important relationship.Far from Zion: In Search of a Global Jewish Community
Par Charles London. 2009
"Are you Jewish?"It was a question Charles London heard everywhere he went. Raised in a nonreligious Jewish family, London knew…
his heritage but had no strong desire to experience it personally. He even spent much of his teen years pretending not to be Jewish. But in the summer of 2004, while doing relief work with children in Bosnia, he stumbled upon a community the likes of which he had not seen before—where Jews worked alongside Muslims and Christians to rebuild a city ravaged by war. London liked this idea of a humanitarian Judaism, and though he didn't realize it at the time, this encounter gave him the idea for a journey that would take him around the world and back to his roots. The Jews' frequent flights from persecution have seen the establishment of communities in some of the most surprising places, and despite efforts by Israel to bring these scattered people home to Zion, many have chosen to remain in the land of their birth. From a shopkeeper selling Jewish trinkets in Iran, to a Hanukkah celebration in an Arkansas bowling alley; from Rangoon, where a fifty-seven-year-old chain-smoking caretaker keeps watch over an all-but-forgotten synagogue, to an engineering professor in Cuba proud of his Jewish heritage, yet even prouder of his Communist ideals, pockets of the Diaspora endure, despite intense pressure to flee. Their decision to stay put offers hope that peace may lie not in congregating behind borders but in the promise of a global community of neighbors. Far from Zion is the story of these Jews in far-flung places, and it's through their experiences that London examines his own identity. As he explores widespread Jewish communities struggling with their relationship to the larger world, he too grapples with his heritage and comes to terms with his own connection to Zion.The Great Shift: Encountering God in Biblical Times
Par James L. Kugel. 2016
The renowned author of How to Read the Biblereveals how a pivotal transformation in spiritual experience during the biblical era…
made us who we are today. A great mystery lies at the heart of the Bible. Early on, people seem to live in a world entirely foreign to our own. God appears to Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and others; God buttonholes Moses and Isaiah and Jeremiah and tells them what to say. Then comes the Great Shift, and Israelites stop seeing God or hearing the divine voice. Instead, later Israelites are &“in search of God,&” reaching out to a distant, omniscient deity in prayers, as people have done ever since. What brought about this change? The answers come from ancient texts, archaeology and anthropology, and even modern neuroscience. They concern the origins of the modern sense of self and the birth of a worldview that has been ours ever since. James Kugel, whose strong religious faith shines through his scientific reckoning with the Bible and the ancient world, has written a masterwork that will be of interest to believers and nonbelievers alike, a profound meditation on encountering God, then and now.&“Fascinating.&”—The New York Times Book Review&“Biblical exegesis at its best: a brilliant and sensitive reading of ancient texts, all with an eye to making them meaningful to our time by making sense of what they meant in their own.&”—Kirkus Reviews(starred review)&“A magnificent job of bringing important ideas from the academy to a broad readership . . . Kugel gives readers a sense of history&’s convoluted texture, its ironies, and thus its beauty.&”—The Jewish Review of BooksAnd the Sages Did Not Know: Early Rabbinic Approaches to Intersex
Par Rabbi Sarra Lev. 2024
This book explores the question: How did the rabbis of the first two centuries CE approach bodies that are born…
with variant genitals—bodies that they could not identify as definitely male or female? The rabbis had constructed a system in which every behavior was governed by one’s sex/gender, posing a conundrum both for people who did not fit into that model and for the rabbinic enterprise itself. Despite this, their texts contain dozens of references to intersex.And the Sages Did Not Know examines the rabbis’ legal texts and concludes that they had multiple approaches to intersex people. Sarra Lev analyzes seven different rabbinic responses to this conflict of their own making. Through their rulings on how intersex people should conduct themselves in multiple circumstances, the early rabbis treat intersex people as unidentifiable males or females, as indeterminate, as male, as non-gendered, as sui generis, as part-male/part-female, as a sustainable paradox, and, finally, as a way for them to think about gender, having nothing to do with intersex people themselves.This is the first such work that concentrates primarily on the potential effects of these rabbinic texts on intersex persons themselves rather than focusing on what the texts offer readers whose interest is rabbinic approaches to sex and gender or gender diversity. Although the rabbinic texts do not include the voices of known intersex people, these materials do offer us a window into how one small group of people approached intersex bodies, and how those approaches were both similar to and different from those we recognize today.Wisdom from the Witch of Endor: Four Rules for Living
Par Tikva Frymer-Kensky. 2024
Four simple rules, amazing results—how wisdom from an overlooked biblical hero can change your life! Tikva Frymer-Kensky shows readers…
how a seemingly minor story in the first book of Samuel can teach them key lessons to dramatically improve their lives. Saul, abandoned by God, approaches a medium in the village of Endor to call up the spirit of Samuel. Though Saul had outlawed her craft, she helped him when he promised her safety. And after Samuel prophesied Saul&’s death, she showed the shaken king hospitality. Determination. Excellence. Caution. Benevolence. Four qualities of the &“witch&” of Endor will bring you success, even when the whole world stands against you. Are you ready to follow your dreams? To succeed when others tell you to give up? Embrace the wisdom of a little-known hero from the Bible—and see how it leads you to the life you were meant to live.The Rabbi of 84th Street: The Extraordinary Life of Haskel Besser
Par Warren Kozak. 2004
The Essential Guide to Jewish Prayer and Practices (Essential Guide)
Par Andrea Lieber. 2012
An insightful and illuminating guide to Judaism's basic tenets and practices. The Essential Guide to Jewish Prayer and Practices offers…
a more profound understanding of Judaism-for practicing Jews and non-Jews alike-by explaining the key concepts of Jewish thought, including the sanctity of human life, Judaism's concept of God, and the role of the Torah in guiding Jewish spiritual life. Judaic studies scholar Andrea Lieber introduces readers to the form of Jewish prayer-the structure of Jewish worship and the different kinds of prayers that make up Jewish liturgy. The perfect guide for Jewish spirituality for affiliated and non- practicing Jews as well as people of other faiths Provides essential knowledge of the meaning of the Torah and the rituals of worship and prayerJudaism: An Introduction to Jewish Beliefs and History (Idiot's Guides)
Par Rabbi Jeffrey Wildstein. 2015
Idiot's Guides: Judaism is written by an accomplished Rabbi and teacher for both a non-Jewish person, as well as any…
Jewish person who wishes to learn more. The book offers a thorough examination and covers the five books of Moses, Jewish law, history, and important Jewish scholars. Jewish life, Holy Days, and a comparison to Christianity are also included, along with twenty frequently asked questions.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.The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish History and Culture
Par Rabbi Benjamin Blech. 1999
You're no idiot, of course. You know that Judaism began with Abraham and that Moses led the children out of…
slavery in Egypt. But when it comes to knowing who Elijah, Esther, and Judah Maccabee were, and their significance to Judaism, you feel like you've been wandering in the desert for 40 years. Don't feel Jewish guilt just yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Jewish History and Culture provides you with a complete, authoritative account of the Jewish people—from Abraham, Moses, and King David to Golda Meir, Menachem Begin, and Yitzhak Rabin.The Complete Idiot's Guide to Kabbalah: Make Your Life’s Path a Spiritual One
Par Collin Canright, Rav Michael Laitman. 2007
What the Kabbalah can do for you. According to the authors of this comprehensive guide, the Kabbalah that Madonna popularized…
is far from authentic. In fact, the Kabbalah is much bigger—and better. Here, readers will discover how it can deliver money, love, health, and many other things.- An international authority on authentic Kabbalah was a consultant for this book.- Blends religion/spirituality with New Age mysticism.The Committed Life: Principles for Good Living from Our Timeless Past
Par Esther Jungreis. 1998
Drawing on the timeless wisdom of the Torah. Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis reminds us of the principles necessary for living a…
better and more committed life. Inspirational and deeply moving. This book will touch your heart like no other.Strictly Observant: Amish and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Women Negotiating Media
Par Rivka Neriya-Ben Shahar. 2024
The Amish and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities have typically been associated with strict religious observance, a renunciation of worldly things, and…
an obedience of women to men. Women’s relationship to media in these communities, however, betrays a more nuanced picture of the boundaries at play and women’s roles in negotiating them. Strictly Observant presents a compelling ethnographic study of the complex dynamic between women in both the Pennsylvanian Old Order Amish and Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities and contemporary media technologies. These women regularly establish valuable social, cultural, and religious capital through the countless decisions for use and nonuse of media that they make in their daily lives, and in ways that challenge the gender hierarchies of each community. By exhibiting a deep awareness of how media can be managed to increase their social and religious reputations, these women prompt us to reconsider our outmoded understanding of the Amish and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, the role that women play in these communities as agents of change, and our own relationship to media today.