Author : Lawrence W. Raphael
Publisher : Jewish Lights Publishing
Page : 258 pages
File Size : 36,75 MB
Release : 2001
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 1580231098
This anthology of 13 mystery stories touches on various aspects of Judaism, with selections from Kinky Friedman, Stuart Kaminsky and more.
Author : Lawrence W. Raphael
Publisher : Jewish Lights Publishing
Page : 305 pages
File Size : 21,29 MB
Release : 1999
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 1580230555
Confront murder, mayhem--and your own mysteries of being. From a corporate giant's kidnapping of a rabbi, to the disappearance of the clarinetist in a klezmer band, to four rabbis' use of their text interpretation skills to help a detective solve a murder that one of them has committed, this unique collection of mysteries will enlighten you at the same time it intrigues and entertains. While featuring enough death and deception to keep the detective protagonists on their toes, each story presents the uncertainties that are a part of contemporary Jewish identity--inviting us all to confront our own mysteries of being. Throughout the stories' tangled puzzles and suspenseful adventures, the characters solve not only the "whodunit"-type mysteries, but also struggle to solve the mystery of their spiritual lives. Mystery Midrash will be a lasting delight for mystery buffs of all faith traditions. Contributors include: Joel Siegel * Lawrence W. Raphael * Toni Brill * Howard Engel * Richard Fliegel * Michael A. Kahn * Stuart M. Kaminsky * Faye Kellerman * Ronald Levitsky * Ellen Rawlings * Rabbi Bob Sloan * Janice Steinberg * James Yaffe * Batya Swift Yasgur
Author : Rabbi Nilton Bonder
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 33,85 MB
Release : 1997-04-22
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1590303326
Negative emotions have much to teach us about ourselves and our relationships with others and the world at large. In The Kabbalah of Envy, Rabbi Nilton Bonder draws on the wisdom of the Talmud, Hasidic tales, and Jewish mystical lore in presenting insights into the effects of envy, jealousy, hatred, and anger. He shows that whether we are on the giving or the receiving end of these unpleasant emotions, we can learn to transform them and live peacefully in the spirit of the biblical commandment "Love your neighbor as yourself." Among the topics discussed are: • the consequences of malicious gossip, slander, and insults • cultivating humility as the middle path between pride and lack of self- esteem • learning to rejoice in the happiness and success of others • knowing when it's better not to be nice • the proper way to correct or criticize others • living with ill-will and avoiding fights • forgiveness and reconciliation • turning your enemy into your best friend
Author : Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
Page : 261 pages
File Size : 42,62 MB
Release : 2010-09-15
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1580235638
Flashes of insight—surprising, entertaining, inspiring—from one of the most creative spiritual thinkers in America. "The goal of all spiritual life is to get your ego out of the way—outwit the sucker; dissolve it; shoot it; kill it. Silence the incessant planning, organizing, running, manipulating, possessing, and processing that are the ineluctable redoubts of the ego. Not because these activities are bad or wrong or even narcissistic ... but because they preclude awareness of the Divine. To paraphrase the Talmud, God says, 'There ain't room enough in this here world for your ego and Me. You pick.’" —from the Introduction Tapping the experiences and wisdom of his career as a spiritual leader, Lawrence Kushner delights, surprises, challenges and inspires us. With his signature candor, wit and compassion, he helps us reconnect with the why and how of our spiritual lives. He encourages us to find new perspectives on the “life-stuff” that shapes them, and gently reminds us of the Source of it All. These inspiring—often startling—insights will warm you during the dark times of your own doubts even as they brighten your quest for meaning, faith, identity, community—and holiness.
Author : Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
Page : 178 pages
File Size : 24,59 MB
Release : 2011-07-26
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1580234887
Selected as a Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) “Significant Jewish Book” Jacob was running away from home. One night he lay down in the wilderness to sleep and had one of the great mystical experiences of Western religion. He dreamed there was a ladder, with angels ascending and descending, stretched between heaven and earth. For thousands of years, people have tried to overhear what the messengers came down to tell Jacob, and us. Now in a daring blend of scholarship and imagination, psychology and history, Lawrence Kushner gathers an inspiring range of interpretations of Genesis 28:16 given by sages, from Shmuel bar Nachmani in third-century Palestine to Hannah Rachel Werbermacher of Ludomir who lived in Poland two hundred years ago. Through a fascinating new literary genre and Kushner’s creative reconstruction of the teachers’ lives and times, we enter the study halls and sit at the feet of these spiritual masters to learn what each discovered about God’s Self and ourselves as they ascend and descend Jacob’s ladder. In this illuminating journey, our spiritual guides ask and answer the fundamental questions of human experience: Who am I? Who is God? What is God’s role in history? What is the nature of evil? How should I relate to God and other people? Could the universe really have a self? Rabbi Lawrence Kushner brilliantly reclaims a millennium of Jewish spirituality for contemporary seekers of all faiths and backgrounds. God Was in This Place & I, i Did Not Know is about God and about you; it is about discovering God’s place in the universe, and yours.
Author : Ruth Pearl
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
Page : 412 pages
File Size : 20,49 MB
Release : 2011-08-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1580234895
Being Jewish. What does it mean—today—and for the future? Listen in as Jews of all backgrounds reflect, argue, and imagine. When Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was brutally murdered in Pakistan, many Jews were particularly touched by his last words affirming his Jewish identity. Many were moved to reflect on or analyze their feelings toward their lives as Jews. The saying "two Jews, three opinions" well reflects the Jewish community's broad range of views on any topic. I Am Jewish captures this richness of interpretation and inspires Jewish people of all backgrounds to reflect upon and take pride in their identity. Contributions, ranging from major essays to a paragraph or a sentence, come from adults as well as young people in the form of personal feelings, statements of theology, life stories, and historical reflections. Despite the diversity, common denominators shine through clearly and distinctly. Contributors include: Ehud Barak • Sylvia Boorstein • Edgar M. Bronfman • Alan Colmes • Alan Dershowitz • Kirk Douglas • Richard Dreyfuss • Kitty Dukakis • Dianne Feinstein • Tovah Feldshuh • Debbie Friedman • Milton Friedman • Thomas L. Friedman • Ruth Bader Ginsburg • Nadine Gordimer • David Hartman • Moshe Katsav • Larry King • Francine Klagsbrun • Harold Kushner • Lawrence Kushner • Shia LaBeouf • Norman Lamm • Norman Lear • Julius Lester • Bernard-Henri Lévy • Bernard Lewis • Daniel Libeskind • Joe Lieberman • Deborah E. Lipstadt • Joshua Malina • Michael Medved • Ruth W. Messinger • Amos Oz • Cynthia Ozick • Shimon Peres • Martin Peretz • Dennis Prager • Anne Roiphe • Sandy Eisenberg Sasso • Vidal Sassoon • Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi • Daniel Schorr • Harold M. Schulweis • Lynn Schusterman • Natan Sharansky • Gary Shteyngart • Sarah Silverman • Michael H. Steinhardt • Kerri Strug • Lawrence H. Summers • Mike Wallace • Elie Wiesel • Leon Wieseltier • Sherwin T. Wine • Ruth R. Wisse • Peter Yarrow • A. B. Yehoshua • Eric H. Yoffie
Author : Nan Fink Gefen
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
Page : 198 pages
File Size : 10,38 MB
Release : 2011-09-12
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1580235034
A breakthrough "how to meditate" guide! “Jewish meditation is a practice that can sustain you and deepen your connection to the Divine over the course of your lifetime. Seekers throughout history have practiced it and reaped its rewards, and today many people are making it a significant part of their everyday spiritual practice.” —from the Introduction A supportive and wise guide that is an absolute must for anyone who wants to learn Jewish meditation or improve their practice—now updated and expanded. Nan Fink Gefen teaches you how to meditate on your own, and starts you on the path to a deeper connection with the Divine and to greater insight about your own life. Whatever your level of understanding, she gives you the tools and support you need to discover the transformative power of meditation. This most comprehensive introduction to a time-honored spiritual practice: Answers commonly asked questions about the nature and history of Jewish meditation, and examines how it differs from other meditative practices Shows beginners how to start their practice, including where and how to do it Gives step-by-step instructions for meditations that are at the core of Jewish meditative practice Explains the challenges and rewards of a Jewish meditative practice
Author :
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 29,68 MB
Release : 2011-11-16
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1580235441
A challenging look at two great Jewish philosophers, and what their thinking means to our understanding of God, truth, revelation and reason. Moses Maimonides (11381204) is Jewish historys greatest exponent of a rational, philosophically sound Judaism. He strove to reconcile the teachings of the Bible and rabbinic tradition with the principles of Aristotelian philosophy, arguing that religion and philosophy ultimately must arrive at the same truth. “p>Baruch Spinoza (163277) is Jewish historys most illustrious heretic. He believed that truth could be attained through reason alone, and that philosophy and religion were separate domains that could not be reconciled. His critique of the Bible and its teachings caused an intellectual and spiritual upheaval whose effects are still felt today. Rabbi Marc D. Angel discusses major themes in the writings of Maimonides and Spinoza to show us how modern people can deal with religion in an intellectually honest and meaningful way. From Maimonides, we gain insight on how to harmonize traditional religious belief with the dictates of reason. From Spinoza, we gain insight into the intellectual challenges which must be met by modern believers.
Author : Alan Lew
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
Page : 277 pages
File Size : 36,82 MB
Release : 2011-09-28
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 1580235182
From Zen Buddhist practitioner to rabbi, East meets West in this firsthand account of a spiritual journey. Rabbi Alan Lew is known as the Zen Rabbi, a leader in the Jewish meditation movement who works to bring two ancient religious traditions into our everyday lives. One God Clappingis the story of his roundabout yet continuously provoking spiritual odyssey. It is also the story of the meeting between East and West in America, and the ways in which the encounter has transformed how all of us understand God and ourselves. Winner of the PEN / Joseph E. Miles Award Like a Zen parable or a Jewish folk tale, One God Clapping unfolds as a series of stories, each containing a moment of revelation or instruction that, while often unexpected, is never simple or contrived. One God Clapping, like the life of the remarkable Alan Lew himself, is a bold experiment in the integration of Eastern and Western ways of looking at and living in the world.
Author :
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
Page : 283 pages
File Size : 18,91 MB
Release : 2010-12-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1580235662
A powerful and challenging examination of what Jews believe today—by a new generation's dynamic and innovative thinkers. At every critical juncture in Jewish history, Jews have understood a dynamic theology to be essential for a vital Jewish community. This important collection sets the next stage of Jewish theological thought, bringing together a cross section of interesting new voices from all movements in Judaism to inspire and stimulate discussion now and in the years to come. Provocative and wide-ranging, these invigorating and creative insights from a new generation’s thought leaders provide a coherent and inspiring picture of Jewish belief in our time.
