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."

An accessible introduction to how to read, study, and understand Torah the Bible and related sacred texts that have grown up around it.

For everyone who wants to understand Torah, this book shows the way into an essential aspect of Judaism, and allows you to interact directly with the sacred texts of the Jewish tradition.

Guided by Dr. Norman J. Cohen, rabbi and professor of midrash at Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion, "The Way Into Torah" helps us explore the origins and development of Torah, why it should be studied, and how to do it. What Torah is. The texts, and beyond: Not simply the Five Books of Moses, Torah refers to much more than written words.The different approaches to studying Torah. The many ways Jews have interacted with Torah through the ages and how, by learning to read Torah ourselves, we can connect it to our lives today.The levels of understanding Torah. How Torah can come alive in different ways, at different times; and how new meanings of Torah are discovered by its readers. Why Torah study is a part of the Jewish experience. How it allows us to experience God s presence and why the Rabbis called Torah study more important even than belief in God.

This guide offers an entrance into the world of Torah, and to its meaning for our lives. "The Way Into Torah" shows us why reading Torah is not the same as reading anything else and enables us to become a part of a chain of Jewish tradition that began millennia ago, and remains unbroken today.

The first state-of-the-art, comprehensive resource to encompass the wide breadth of the rapidly growing field of Judaism and health.

"For Jews, religion and medicine (and science) are not inherently in conflict, even within the Torah-observant community, but rather can be friendly partners in the pursuit of wholesome ends, such as truth, healing and the advancement of humankind." from the Introduction

This authoritative volume part professional handbook, part scholarly resource and part source of practical information for laypeople melds the seemingly disparate elements of Judaism and health into a truly multidisciplinary collective, enhancing the work within each area and creating new possibilities for synergy across disciplines. It is ideal for medical and healthcare providers, rabbis, educators, academic scholars, healthcare researchers and caregivers, congregational leaders and laypeople with an interest in the most recent and most exciting developments in this new, important field."

"According to the Hebrew Bible, God made the world with words. God just spoke and the world became reality. (The Aramaic for 'I create as I speak' is avara k davara, or in magician s language, abracadabra.) . . . This does not protect words from the numbing effects of overuse in any religious tradition. . . . We need to dust off the words, shake away the accretions, wonder again about what they originally might have meant and enable ourselves to live in the word." from the Introduction

With creativity and poetry (and occasional heresy) Kushner dusts off thirty classical Hebrew words, shakes them free of the effects of generations of overuse, re-translates them, and liberates their ancient holy power. The result is a contemporary spiritual guide for your personal religious life.

According to the Hebrew Bible, God made the world with words. God just spoke and the world came into being. Words therefore are not merely sounds signifying something else; they are instruments of creation, primary reality itself. They need only to be read, spoken, and interpreted. And to know them is to know reality itself.

Kushner has designed the book himself, seamlessly blending graphics and content. In doing so he evokes the aesthetics of an ancient manuscript and a vision of our power to shape the future.

Each finely crafted chapter begins with a Hebrew word and Kushner s provocative English translation. At the bottom of the page is a transliteration of the Hebrew along with its more customary English rendering. In addition to his own intriguing definition, he includes a biblical citation anchoring the word, along with a more recent text showing the word s evolution. Finally, we are offered a personal, meditative exercise designed to enable you to live in the word. "

Unlock the powerful truths that shattered ancient beliefs and paved the way for the new and revolutionary religion that became Judaism.

This is a unique look at the Torah the foundation of Jewish existence and the revolutionary teachings of Moses embedded within it that gave birth to Judaism and influenced the world.

Dr. Reuven Hammer presents fourteen radical ideas found in Torah, explains their original intentions, and shows how understanding these "truths" can help you better understand the narrative and laws of Judaism. He shows how when taken together, these value concepts present a picture of human life that is surprisingly modern and relevant to our goals for repairing the world today:

Humanity is one as God is one

Human beings are responsible for their actions and have the choice to do good or evil

Poverty, deprivation, slavery and hatred are evils that must be eradicated

The earth is not ours to destroy

The love of others is a divine command

And much more ..."

The kids companion to the award-winning" Putting God on the Guest List, " 3rd Ed.: "How to Reclaim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Child s Bar or Bat Mitzvah "

Used as an inspiring part of bar/bat mitzvah preparation for parents in hundreds of congregations around the world.

Jewish youngsters and their parents need to turn inward at bar and bat mitzvah time and ask themselves these hard questions: Why are we doing this? What does it all mean?

At last, a guide especially for kids, to help them spiritually prepare for their bar/bat mitzvah. Explains the core spiritual values of Judaism to young people in a language they can understand. Questions at the end of each chapter engage kids and let them offer their own thoughts. A special section helps parents and kids find places to perform acts of "tzedakah" to honor the event newly revised and updated.

An indispensable resource for everyone who cares about the Jewish future. Every passage of Torah has the potential to be someone s personal story and teaching and that definitely includes you as a teenager. If you read these stories, and if you really let these holy texts into your mind and into your soul, your life will be deeper and richer, and even happier. from the Introduction

Young people need to be included in the struggle for meaning, for the right questions to ask and the search for useful and relevant answers. This is "the" book that has been missing from the ever-expanding bookshelf of Torah commentaries a collection of messages on each Torah portion, specifically for today s teens. It shows them how each Torah portion contains worlds of meaning for them, for what they are going through in their lives, and how they can shape their Jewish identity as they enter adulthood.

Addressing the concerns of young adults, it shows how the Torah can help teens deal with issues including: Interpersonal relationships Social justice Sexuality and gender issues Personal ethics Responsibility to family Community and the Jewish people Body image Tattoos Community service The meaning of faith Authority and rebellion The role of ritual Personal theology Prayer Civility Living safely Dealing with disabilities Challenges of eating morally

This groundbreaking spiritual resource is truly transdenominational including the insights of over 100 Jews who identify as Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Renewal, post-denominational and just Jewish. They are rabbis, cantors, educators, authors and community leaders. Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Renewal, post-denominational and just Jewish. They are rabbis, cantors, educators, authors and community leaders."

This work is not addressed only to scholars of Judaism or theologians, but also, and primarily, to all Jews and non-Jews who would like to share the thoughts and struggles of a person who loves Torah and Halakhah, who is committed to helping make room for and celebrate the religious and cultural diversity present in the modern world, and who believes that a commitment to Israel and to Jewish particularity must be organically connected to the rabbinic teaching, Beloved are all human beings created in the image of God. from the Introduction

With clarity, passion, and outstanding scholarship, David Hartman addresses the spiritual and theological questions that face all Jews and all people today. From the perspective of traditional Judaism, he helps us understand the varieties of twentieth-century Jewish practice and shows that commitment to both Jewish tradition and to pluralism can create bridges of understanding between people of different religious convictions.

Rabbis Sherwin and Cohen bring the genre of Jewish ethical literature from its origins in the ancient and medieval worlds straight into twenty-first-century lives, highlighting a wide variety of classic texts. This manual for living, with teachings from rabbis across the ages, invites readers to explore how to deal with ego, be wise, die, behave sexually, believe in God, study the Torah, treat their parents, be a parent, speak about one another and more.

"While raising our three children, we learned a parenting secret: that bringing up a child transforms us and transforms our world. We discovered that being parents is a spiritual journey that begins in an act of love and continues through intentional actions. The Holy One bequeaths to us minimally formed creatures, all potential, morally neutral. As parents we transform those children into compassionate, loving human beings. We become partners with God."
―from the Introduction

Parenting has never been easy―but in a culture that encourages more screen time than face time, how can you make sure that your children stay connected to what really matters in life?

In this guidebook for building a strong framework for a Jewish life, Rabbi Paul Kipnes and Michelle November, MSSW, reveal the spiritual wisdom they have learned and the hard-won parenting techniques they developed that shaped their children as individuals and their family as a whole. Together, they explore spiritually nourishing approaches to help you foster essential Jewish values like gratitude, joy and honesty in your children. Kipnes and November also share timeless teachings and spirit-filled activities, rituals and prayers that will help you cultivate strong Jewish values and cherished spiritual memories in your own family

A Vital, Living Judaism Can Be Found When the Voice of the Past Engages Modern Experience

" This] synthesis of tradition and modernity is not a philosophy meant to serve as the platform for a new movement or institution, but a process of living experience among individuals and communities that choose to adopt its angle of vision. It is a process that demands constant introspection and renewal and cannot be branded or co-opted by any formal or official frame of reference. It stands separate from all expressions of institutionalized Judaism, as it never knows what new forces it will absorb as it moves into the future." from the Introduction

Dr. David Hartman, the world's leading modern Orthodox theologian, presents his own painful spiritual evolution from defender of the rule-based system of Jewish law to revolutionary proponent of a theology of empowerment, one that encourages individuals and communities to take greater levels of responsibility for their religious lives. In this daring self-examination, he explains how his goals were not to strip halakha or the past of its authority but to create a space for questioning and critique that allows for the traditionally religious Jew to act out a moral life in tune with modern experience.

In achieving this synthesis of tradition with the sensibilities of contemporary Judaism, Hartman captures precisely what creates vitality in living Judaism and charts the path to nurture its vitality forever."

Many people are familiar with the story of Jewish support for the American civil rights movement, but this history has another side
one that has not been fully told until now.

Outlines a compelling image of relations between the two communities . In "Shared Dreams, " Rabbi Schneier reiterates our commonality, as upheld by Martin Luther King, Jr., and fuels the reader to continue to work for the advancement of race relations among all God s children. from the Preface by Martin Luther King III

"Shared Dreams "brings to life the impressive, surprising, and long-neglected history of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. s efforts in support of the Jewish community. This is a story that sheds new light on the commitment and the relationship between the Jewish and African-American communities as they have struggled together to fight for justice and civil rights in our nation, and our lives.

What can Kabbalah teach us about our lives today?
What can it teach us about our future?

According to the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah, " Ehyeh, "or I shall be, is the deepest, most hidden name of God. Arthur Green, one of the most respected teachers of Jewish mysticism of his generation, uses this simple Hebrew word to unlock the spiritual meaning of Kabbalah for our lives.

When Moses experienced his great moment of call at the Burning Bush, he asked God, When people ask me, What is His name? what should I say to them? God answers with this mysterious phrase, I shall be what I shall be, and says to Moses, Tell them that I shall be sent you.

God s puzzling answer makes the conversation sound like a koan-dialogue between a Zen master and disciple . Like the koan, the text here is reaching to some place beyond words, seeking to create a breakthrough in our consciousness. What is it trying to tell us? from the Introduction

Blending Jewish theology and mysticism, Arthur Green invites us on a contemporary exploration of Kabbalah, showing how the ancient Jewish mystical tradition can be retooled to address the needs of our generation.

Drawing on the Zohar and other kabbalistic texts, Green examines the fundamental ideas and spiritual teachings of Kabbalah, encouraging today s modern seeker to stretch to new ways of thinking with both heart and mind, setting us on a rewarding path to the wisdom Kabbalah has to offer.

A spiritual keepsake that will become a family heirloom.The companion book to the author's Putting God on the Guest List: How to Reclaim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Child's Bar or Bat Mitzvah 100,000 copies in print The perfect gift to help a bar or bat mitzvah preserve the spiritual memories of this sacred event. This hands-on album updated and expanded for this second edition is designed to help everyone involved better participate in creating the spiritual meaning of this joyful rite of passage.

Created by Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, author of the award-winning classic Putting God on the Guest List: How to Reclaim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Child s Bar or Bat Mitzvah, and his wife, author Nina Salkin, this guided album is a wonderfully interactive way to remember important moments and details. Included are special sections to record your family s history; the hopes, wishes, and memories of influential people in the bar/bat mitzvah s life; mitzvot performed; contributions to tzedakot and more.

With ample space for writing, reflecting and pasting mementos, this spiritual keepsake gives young people a place to treasure their special experiences and encourages them to prepare for spiritual life as Jewish adults."

An accessible introduction to the concepts of Jewish mysticism, their religious
and spiritual significance, and how they relate to our lives.

"The Way Into Jewish Mystical Tradition" allows us to experience and understand mysticism s inexpressible reverence before the awe and mystery of creation, and celebrate this rich tradition s quest to transform our ordinary reality into holiness.

Midrash provides a revolutionary guide through the most difficult passages of our life stories.

This groundbreaking volume examines the spiritual shortfalls of our current healing environment and explores how midrash can help you see beyond the physical aspects of healing to tune in to your spiritual source.

Pushing the boundaries of Jewish knowledge, physicians, rabbis, social workers, psychologists and philosophers investigate the role of midrashic thinking in addressing seemingly intractable social and personal issues. Topics discussed include: How metaphors and parables can aid healingHow Jewish tradition can inform and enrich health, hospice and nursing-home careNew ways of reading Jewish texts in the discussion of medical ethicsThe role of community in addressing aging, loss and suffering.

The God of AbrahamThe God of IsaacThe God of JacobThe God of SarahThe God of RebeccaThe God of RachelThe God of Leah the God of Me

There is no easy prescription for how to know God, yet everyone can pursue a personal relationship with God, just as our patriarchs and matriarchs did in their lives. How we come to know God, however, is unique to each of us, influenced by our study of Torah, the insights of the Rabbis of antiquity, as well as our own experiences throughout our lifetime.

To open the way for you to find God's presence in your life, Rabbi David Lyon uses the central prayer in Jewish worship, the Amidah, as a starting point, and guides you compellingly through classic Torah texts and midrash. He helps you clear away preconceived images of God from your childhood or dogmas that restrict your experience of God in personal and meaningful ways today.

Combining profound teachings from Jewish sources with insights and experiences from real life, he shows how you can enjoy a unique relationship with God the God of you, your God of me."

We all are growing older. "A Heart of Wisdom "shows us how to understand and meet the challenges of our own process of aging and the aging of those we care about from a Jewish perspective, from midlife through the elder years.

How does Jewish tradition influence our own aging? What are the tasks and the meaning of aging? How does being Jewish inform our relationships with the elderly? How does living, thinking and worshipping as a Jew affect us as we age? How can Jewish tradition help us retain our dignity as we age?

Over 40 contributors people who themselves are dealing with the unique life passages that aging brings; their loved ones; and the rabbis, social workers, and other professionals who assist them offer their insights about the changes and new perspectives that come with aging, retiring, growing, learning, caring for elderly parents, living, and dying. By sharing experiences in direct and personal narratives, poems, ceremonies, and stories, they help us explore: What traditional religious texts have to teach us about aging. Ways to cherish the integrity of the aging process. Women's unique roles as they age in our changing society. Advice for all generations on how to meet the opportunities and difficulties of aging. Creative ceremonies to mark milestones in our lives and in the lives of senior citizens.

Offering enlightenment from Jewish tradition, " A Heart of Wisdom" is not just for the middle-aged, the old or the soon-to-be old. It is for all of us.

Share in the wisdom of the model of leadership
tap into your own potential for greatness

Leaders are not simply born; they are molded through life s victories and failures, triumphs and defeats. No one exemplifies this process better than Moses, the most important and celebrated character in the Hebrew Bible. Faced with great internal and external challenges, he was sculpted into a great leader not only by circumstance, but also by his own determination and devotion to his people.

In this powerful and probing examination of the enduring texts in the biblical tradition, scholar and popular teacher Dr. Norman Cohen examines Moses s journey to leadership and what he can teach you about the vision, action and skills you need to be a successful leader. Cohen relives Moses s development from lonely shepherd to founder of a nation, emphasizing the salient points you can use to enrich the different leadership roles you are called on to play in your daily life, whether it be in business, religion, politics, education or other arenas.

Drawing from Moses s life, you will learn to: Articulate your expectations of others, as a group and as individuals Empower those around you to lead more responsible, ethical lives Support your co-workers and family even when they fail Challenge others to reach their highest potential

Create a meaningful and happy Hanukkah in your home with story, celebration, food and song.

This newly-designed, easy-to-use edition of a classic spiritual sourcebook offers updated information, more family ideas, and new resources for every aspect of your holiday celebration.

Information on every aspect of Hanukkah is covered, including: The story of Hanukkah Celebrating for families of every constellation Songs and prayers in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish (with clear transliterations) Recipes for traditional and modern Hanukkah foods December Dilemmas coping with other traditions celebrations Firsthand explanations and ideas from real-life families around America

Hands-on advice and practical suggestions invite families into Hanukkah s spirituality and joys, from the making of luscious latkes and Hanukkah crafts to the stories of the heroism and the miracle that are remembered every year with the lighting of the "hanukkiyah."

An updated and expanded examination into the groundbreaking
exploration and connection of two of the most powerful mystical traditions.

Patterns in our lives may escape us; reasons for our behavior often confuse us. To help us better understand the interplay of these dynamics, Rabbi Howard A. Addison combines two of the most powerful maps of consciousness known to humanity: the Tree of Life (the sefirot) from the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah, and the nine-pointed Enneagram that was developed over several generations by mystics of several spiritual traditions.

Individually, each offers guidance and wisdom; together, they show the forces that propel us and shape our personalities and behavior. Most important, the two suggest how we can live more harmoniously with ourselves and with others, minimize friction and tension and discover our own spiritual gateway to God.

In this updated and expanded edition of his pioneering book, Rabbi Addison explores new understandings of the stages and pitfalls we experience along life s journey and the ways we can transcend the limits of our personalities in search of greater wholeness. He shows that, when brought together, the Enneagram and Kabbalah may enhance understanding of humanity s deepest motivations both individually and collectively thus opening wider the gate to personal growth.

The first comprehensive, down-to-earth introduction to explain the primary message of Kabbalah that we are to become like God.

Unlike the faddish books that just discuss Kabbalah as a magical system, or those that treat it as if it were separable from Judaism, this inspiring book makes accessible the mysteries of Kabbalah with thorough scholarship and depth of spiritual insight. It traces the evolution of Kabbalah in Judaism and sets forth its most important gift: a way of revealing the connection that exists between our "everyday" life and the spiritual oneness of the universe. Including hands-on "personal Kabbalah" exercises that help bring the teachings into your life, "The Gift of Kabbalah"explores: Healing from the Source Holiness in the Ordinary Contemplating Your Place in History Building a Positive Structure for Life The Soul's Contract with God ... and much more.