This book explores the ramifications of being infertile in the medieval Arab-Islamic world by examining legal texts, medical treatises, and works of religious preaching. Sara Verskin illuminates how attitudes toward mixed-gender interactions; legal theories pertaining to marriage, divorce, and inheritance; and scientific theories of reproduction contoured the intellectual and social landscape infertile women had to navigate.

The author uses the heb-sed, or Sed-festival, an ancient Egyptian religious festival that can be traced to the Archaic period, as the basis for a comparative study for providing insights into the controversial reign of Amenhotep IV - Akhenaten.

The scientific debates on border crossings and cultural exchange between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have much increased over the last decades. Within this context, however, little attention has been given to the biblical Exodus, which not only plays a pivotal role in the Abrahamic religions, but also is a master narrative of a border crossing in itself. Sea and desert are spaces of liminality and transit in more than just a geographical sense. Their passage includes a transition to freedom and initiation into a new divine community, an encounter with God and an entry into the Age of law. The volume gathers twelve articles written by leading specialists in Jewish and Islamic Studies, Theology and Literature, Art and Film history, dedicated to the transitional aspects within the Exodus narrative. Bringing these studies together, the volume takes a double approach, one that is both comparative and intercultural. How do Jewish, Christian and Islamic texts and images read and retell the various border crossings in the Exodus story, and on what levels do they interrelate? By raising these questions the volume aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of contact points between the various traditions.

"Harmonizing Similarities" is a study of the legal distinctions (al-furuq al-fiqhiyya) literature and its role in the development of the Islamic legal heritage. This book reconsiders how the public performance of Islamic law helped shape legal literature. It identifies the origins of this tradition in contemporaneous lexicographic and medical literature, both of which demonstrated the productive potential of drawing distinctions. Elias G. Saba demonstrates the implications of the legal furuq and how changes to this genre reflect shifts in the social consumption of Islamic legal knowledge. The interest in legal distinctions grew out of the performance of knowledge in formalized legal disputations. From here, legal distinctions incorporated elements of play through its interactions with the genre of legal riddles. As play, books of legal distinctions were supplements to performance in literary salons, study circles, and court performances; these books also served as mimetic objects, allowing the reader to participate in a session virtually. Saba underscores how social and intellectual practices helped shape the literary development of Islamic law and that literary elaboration became a main driver of dynamism in Islamic law. This monograph has been awarded the annual BRAIS - De Gruyter Prize in the Study of Islam and the Muslim World.

"Wir Singen Wir Bleiben Zusammen (We Sing We Stay Together) - Gebete zum Morgengottesdienst am Shabbat" ist ein besonders benutzerfreundliches Gebetsbuch zum Mitsingen fur den Morgengottesdienst am Shabbat (Samstag) in der Synagoge, mit TRANSKRIBIERTEM ENGLISCHEM TEXT und einer Transliteration des Gottesdienstes mit Erklarungen. Hauptsachlich will das Werk beim Hoeren und Mitsingen der 64 Titel des gleichnamigen CD-Musikalbums das Erlernen der Gebete ganz besonders erleichtern; doch auch fur sich genommen dient es als Hilfsmittel zum Erlernen der verwendeten Begriffe und der Ablaufe des Gottesdienstes. Unsere judischen Gebete sind wunderschoene Liebeslieder; voller Gute, Warmherzigkeit, Anbetung, Hoffnung, Freundlichkeit und Edelmut. Sie sind uns eingraviert, selbst wenn wir sie nicht kennen, denn diese Gebete, die gleich unserer Religion sind, haben das judische Volk, seine Denkweise und die Ausbildung gepragt und uns zu dem gemacht, was wir sind und fur was wir einstehen. Im Judentum geht es vor allem darum, zu sich selbst, der Familie, der Gemeinde und allen Mitmenschen gut und positiv zu sein - und das aus dem Respekt und der Liebe zu Hashem heraus. Das erfullt mich mit Dankbarkeit, Demut und Stolz. Unser Erbe ist ein intellektueller, kultureller, spiritueller und religioeser Segen - aber wir brauchen jemanden, der uns Zugang dazu gewahrt. Ich konnte nie am Shabbat-Morgengottesdienst teilnehmen, geschweige denn, ihn geniessen, doch ich liebte jene Momente, in denen die ganze Gemeinde zusammenkam und einige kurze Gebete in bewegenden Melodien singt. Man konnte einfach nicht genug davon bekommen, und deshalb brauchen wir mehr Lieder, noch viel mehr! Die Gemeinde sind die Familie und die Freunde, und wir alle sind Freunde - so heisst es sogar in einem unserer Gebete. Unsere Gebete verlangen danach, mit grosser Freude deutlich und harmonisch gesungen zu werden. Das gemeinsame Gebet bringt Zugehoerigkeit und Gemeinschaftsgeist, und das ist nur moeglich, wenn jeder von uns gleich ist. Dazu brauchen wir gut verstandliche Worte, die man leicht lernt und die zu singen Freude macht. Ich widme dieses Projekt der Vertonung von Gebeten zum Shabbat-Morgengottesdienst und der Niederschrift eines Gebetsbuchs zum Mitsingen all denjenigen, die den Fortbestand der Juden, das Judentum, die Thora, und den Nationalstaat des judischen Volks, Israel, lieben und schatzen, und ich widme das Werk unseren wunderbaren Freunden, den Gerechten unter den Voelkern. Denken Sie immer daran: Wenn wir zusammen singen, dann bleiben wir zusammen. AM ISRAEL CHAI- das Volk Israels lebt. Mit Liebe und Hoffnung fur unsere Kinder, Richard Collis

'The monk who taught the world mindfulness' Time This is the definitive book on mindfulness from the beloved Zen master and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh. With his signature clarity and warmth, he shares practical exercises and anecdotes to help us arrive at greater self-understanding and peacefulness, whether we are beginners or advanced students. Beautifully written, The Miracle of Mindfulness is the essential guide to welcoming presence in your life and truly living in the moment from the father of mindfulness. 'One of the most influential spiritual leaders of our times' Oprah

For anyone with an interest in Judaica and sacred objects, this book presents some of the most outstanding examples of contemporary Judaica-sacred Jewish objects-that have been created over the last 30+ years. Fifty-three makers have told their stories in their own words, giving incredible insights into why they make Judaica and what it means in their lives and in their journeys as artists. The featured works include Seder plates, ketubah (Jewish marriage documents), kiddush cups, hand-lettered Torahs, and even a Tefillin Barbie. Stretch your perception of Judaica and gain insights into the next generation of makers and how Judaica responds to significant social issues affecting Jews and the world population as a whole. More than 250 color photographs illustrate the makers' works, and Jewish artists from the United States, Israel, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are featured.

The Kanwar is India's largest annual religious pilgrimage. Millions of participants gather sacred water from the Ganga and carry it across hundreds of miles to dispense as offerings in Siva shrines. These devotees-called bhola, gullible or fools, and seen as miscreants by many Indians-are mostly young, destitute men, who have been left behind in the globalizing economy. But for these young men, the ordeal of the pilgrimage is no foolish pursuit, but a means to master their anxieties and attest their good faith in unfavorable social conditions. Vikash Singh walked with the pilgrims of the Kanwar procession, and with this book, he highlights how the procession offers a social space where participants can prove their talents, resolve, and moral worth. Working across social theory, phenomenology, Indian metaphysics, and psychoanalysis, Singh shows that the pilgrimage provides a place in which participants can simultaneously recreate and prepare for the poor, informal economy and inevitable social uncertainties. In identifying with Siva, who is both Master of the World and yet a pathetic drunkard, participants demonstrate their own sovereignty and desirability despite their stigmatized status. Uprising of the Fools shows how religion today is not a retreat into tradition, but an alternative forum for recognition and resistance within a rampant global neoliberalism.

This text presents a holistic view of the ways that art, ritual and performance interrelate within the seamless fabric of Balinese life.

The bond between humans and horses is deep. For humans, horses provide freedom. Riding on horses and horse-drawn chariots or carts has allowed humans to go farther and faster than they could on their own. Horses (now high-horsepower cars) are our wings. As a result, their images show up in our dreams and our personal and cultural stories as symbols not only of freedom, but of power, swiftness, nobility, and beauty. Equine images empower us to ride on inner journeys, explore the mysteries of the soul, and carry the human spirit forward. In bringing to life the horse tales of many cultures throughout the ages, Riding on Horses' Wings is as whimsical and magical as it is inspiring. From the white-winged Pegasus and part-human Centaurs in ancient Greek myths, Epona in ancient Celtic lore, the eight-legged Sleipnir in Nordic tales, and Kanthaka in Buddhist lore, to the many horses in Native American mythologies and today's literary and fine arts, movies, YouTube videos, and beyond, horses touch our hearts and elevate our imaginations. In this book, Janet Bubar Rich taps into our love of horses and horse tales, inspiring us all to take life by the reins, make the changes needed to improve our lives, and create sustainable futures for horses, humans, and other species on earth, our home.

The Kanwar is India's largest annual religious pilgrimage. Millions of participants gather sacred water from the Ganga and carry it across hundreds of miles to dispense as offerings in Siva shrines. These devotees-called bhola, gullible or fools, and seen as miscreants by many Indians-are mostly young, destitute men, who have been left behind in the globalizing economy. But for these young men, the ordeal of the pilgrimage is no foolish pursuit, but a means to master their anxieties and attest their good faith in unfavorable social conditions. Vikash Singh walked with the pilgrims of the Kanwar procession, and with this book, he highlights how the procession offers a social space where participants can prove their talents, resolve, and moral worth. Working across social theory, phenomenology, Indian metaphysics, and psychoanalysis, Singh shows that the pilgrimage provides a place in which participants can simultaneously recreate and prepare for the poor, informal economy and inevitable social uncertainties. In identifying with Siva, who is both Master of the World and yet a pathetic drunkard, participants demonstrate their own sovereignty and desirability despite their stigmatized status. Uprising of the Fools shows how religion today is not a retreat into tradition, but an alternative forum for recognition and resistance within a rampant global neoliberalism.

Translating Totality in Parts offers an annotated translation of two of preeminent Chinese Tang dynasty monk Chengguan's most revered masterpieces. With this book, Chengguan's Commentaries to the Avatamsaka Sutra and The Meanings Proclaimed in the Subcommentaries Accompanying the Commentaries to the Avatamsaka Sutra are finally brought to contemporary Western audiences. Translating Totality in Parts allows Western readers to experience Chengguan's important contributions to the religious and philosophical theory of the Huayan and Buddhism in China.