Mourning & Mitzvah


Book Description

An innovative integration of Jewish tradition and modern professional resources gives spiritual insight and healing wisdom to those who are mourning a death, to those who would help them, and to those who face a loss of any kind. This revised edition features a new introduction, new writing exercises, and resource lists.




Mourning & Mitzvah


Book Description

While it follows the Jewish mourning process and tradition, this book is not just for Jews, but for all people who would gain strength to heal and insight from the Bible and teachings of Jewish tradition. "It is the best book on the subject that I have ever seen".--Rabbi Levi Meier, Ph.D. Over 60 guided meditations.




Mourning and Mitzvah (25th Anniversary Edition)


Book Description

Fully revised with a new author's preface, epilogue, and over a dozen new guided exercises, Anne Brener brings us an innovative integration of Jewish tradition and modern professional resources in this 25th anniversary edition of a modern classic. Mourning & Mitzvah gives spiritual insight and healing wisdom to those who mourn a death, to those who would help them, and to those who face a loss of any kind Mourning & Mitzvah teaches you the power and strength available to you in the fully experienced mourning process. When the temple stood in the ancient city of Jerusalem, mourners walked through the gates and into the courtyard along a specifically designated mourner’s path. As they walked, they came face to face with all the other members of the community, who greeted them with the ancestor of the blessing, “May God comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.” In this way, the community embraced those suffering bereavement, yet allowed for unique experiences of grief.




Mourning and Mitzvah


Book Description

Fully revised with a new author's preface, epilogue, and over a dozen new guided exercises, Anne Brener brings us an innovative integration of Jewish tradition and modern professional resources in this 25th anniversary edition of a modern classic. Mourning & Mitzvah gives spiritual insight and healing wisdom to those who mourn a death, to those who would help them, and to those who face a loss of any kind Mourning & Mitzvah teaches you the power and strength available to you in the fully experienced mourning process. When the temple stood in the ancient city of Jerusalem, mourners walked through the gates and into the courtyard along a specifically designated mourner's path. As they walked, they came face to face with all the other members of the community, who greeted them with the ancestor of the blessing, "May God comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem." In this way, the community embraced those suffering bereavement, yet allowed for unique experiences of grief.




Mourning and Mitzvah


Book Description

''It is hard to work through one's grief when there are so many cover - ups and so many different kinds of denial at work within the culture. And that is why this book is of so much importance. Anne Brener has crafted a walkway through the valley of the shadow of death. The walkway has thorns and bramble bushes on it but it leads to the other side, beyond grief, for those who are willing to stay the course. Keep this book for time of need and do the grief - work in which it instructs us and you will see that this long and wise heritage of ours still has the power to speak, to heal and to comfort - even in our time.'' - from the Foreword by Rabbi Jack Riemer For those who mourn a death, for those who would help them and for those who face a loss of any kind, Mourning & Mitzvah teaches you the power and strength available to you in the fully experienced mourning process. When the temple stood in the ancient city of Jerusalem, mourners walked through the gates and into the courtyard along a specifically designated mourner's path. As they walked, they came face to face with all the other members of the community, who greeted them with the ancestor of the blessing, ''May God comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.'' In this way, the community embraced those suffering bereavement, yet allowed for unique experiences of grief. In this new and expanded edition of a modern classic, Anne Brener brings us an innovative integration of Jewish tradition and modern professional resources. It gives spiritual insight and healing wisdom to those in our own time who mourn a death, to those who would help them and to those who face a loss of any kind.




A Time To Mourn, a Time To Comfort (2nd Edition)


Book Description

A Step-by-Step Guide for Honoring the Dead and Empowering the Living When someone dies, there are so many questions—from what to do in the moment of grief, to dealing with the practical details of the funeral, to spiritual concerns about the meaning of life and death. This indispensable guide to Jewish mourning and comfort provides traditional and modern insights into every aspect of loss. In a new, easy-to-use format, this classic resource is full of wise advice to help you cope with death and comfort others when they are bereaved. Dr. Ron Wolfson takes you step by step through the mourning process, including the specifics of funeral preparations, preparing the home and family to sit shiva, and visiting the grave. Special sections deal with helping young children grieve, mourning the death of an infant or child, and more. Wolfson captures the poignant stories of people in all stages of grieving—children, spouses, parents, rabbis, friends, non-Jews—and provides new strategies for reinvigorating and transforming the Jewish ways we mourn, grieve, remember, and carry on with our lives after the death of a loved one.




Divorce is a Mitzvah


Book Description

If your marriage must come to an end, do it the right way--with wisdom, practicality and understanding. What does Judaism tell you about divorce? What guidance, strength and insight can Judaism provide? In this first-of-its-kind handbook, Perry Netter--divorcé, father, congregational rabbi and pastoral counselor--shows how wholeness can be found in the midst of separation and divorce. With a title drawn from the words of the eleventh-century biblical commentator known as Rashi, Divorce Is a Mitzvah provides practical wisdom, information and strength from a Jewish perspective for those experiencing the challenging life-transition of divorce. Drawing on wisdom from centuries of biblical and rabbinic teachings, as well as modern psychological research, Netter offers suggestions for transitioning through the stages of separation and building a new life. This indispensable guide for people in crisis--and the family members, friends and counselors who interact with them--shows us how to transform a traumatic time of life into one of growth, right behavior and greater spiritual understanding.




Gates of Mitzvah


Book Description

This comprehensive guide to Jewish observance throughout the life cycle is the best introduction to Reform Jewish practice available.




1,000 Mitzvahs


Book Description

When her father passed away in 2006, Linda Cohen’s busy life as a mother, wife, and entrepreneur came to a screeching halt. She took a spiritual sabbatical to work through her grief, and she came out of it resolved to embark upon a project: perform one thousand acts of kindness—mitzvahs—to honor her father’s memory. 1,000 Mitzvahs shares Cohen’s two-and-a-half-year journey from sorrow to inspiration through simple daily acts of kindness. She presents each mitzvah as a short vignette, and the myriad forms they take—from helping the elderly to donating to good causes to baking and collecting food for others—highlight the many ways in which one person can touch the lives of others. As she pursues her quest, Cohen finds that her life is improved by these small acts—that every time she goes out of her way to do something good for someone else, she enhances her own well-being. More than a touching story of a daughter’s love for her father, 1,000 Mitzvahs is a testament to the transformational power of kindness, and a call to arms for those who would like to follow in Cohen’s footsteps with their own mitzvahs—no matter how large or how small.




To Comfort the Bereaved


Book Description

To Comfort the Bereaved takes the fear out of the prospect of visiting the shivah home and offers much encouragement in the performance of this great act of kindness.