Part 1 of the latest volume in "The Jewish Law Annual" comprises a symposium on parent and child, examining such issues as parental authority and the contrast between the Bible and Rabbinic law. Part 2 covers current legal thought on religious freedom in the United States as well as contemporary developments in Jewish laws in Israel. Part 3 is a major survey of recently published titles, organized according to major legal categories.

First Order: Zeraim / Tractates Kilaim and eviit ist der dritte Band in der Edition des Jerusalemer Talmuds und ein grundlegendes Werk der Judischen Patristik. Der Band prasentiert grundlegende judische Texte aus dem Bereich der Landwirtschaft: verbotene Mischungen von Saaten, Tieren und Geweben (Kilaim) sowie das Verbot landwirtschaftlicher Tatigkeit im Sabbatjahr, in dem auch alle Schulden zu erlassen sind ( eviit). Dieser Teil des Jerusalemer Talmuds hat so gut wie keine Entsprechung im Babylonischen Talmud. Ohne seine Kenntnis bleiben die diesbezuglichen Regeln der judischen Tradition unverstandlich."

Insights, ideas and activities for discussing with students the toughest questions of Jewish life. A step-by-step guide to creative use of the award-winning Tough Questions Jews Ask in the classroom. Each lesson includes: w A clearly stated goal w An opening hook to grab students' attention w Excerpts from the book followed by a series of engaging discussion questions w A selection of Jewish sources addressing these important issues. This comprehensive teaching tool will help you guide each student toward a more mature, carefully thought-out set of personal beliefs.

According to historical teaching, a Jewish man should give thanks each day for ''not having been made a gentile, a woman, nor a slave.'' Yoel Kahn's innovative study of a controversial Jewish liturgical passage traces the history of this prayer from its extra-Jewish origins across two thousand years of history, demonstrating how different generations and communities understood the significance of these words in light of their own circumstances. Marking the boundary between ''us'' and ''them,'' marginalized and persecuted groups affirmed their own identity and sense of purpose. After the medieval Church seized and burned books it considered offensive, new, coded formulations emerged as forms of spiritual resistance. Owners voluntarily carefully expurgated their books to save them from being destroyed, creating new language and meanings while seeking to preserve the structure and message of the received tradition. Renaissance Jewish women ignored rabbis' objections and assertively declared their gratitude at being ''made a woman and not a man.'' Illustrations from medieval and renaissance Hebrew manuscripts demonstrate creative literary responses to censorship and show that official texts and interpretations do not fully represent the historical record. As Jewish emancipation began in the 19th century, modernizing Jews again had to balance fealty to historical practice with their own and others' understanding of their place in the world. Seeking to be recognized as modern and European, early modern Jews rewrote the liturgy to fit modern sensibilities and identified themselves with the Christian West against the historical pagan and the uncivilized infidel. In recent decades, a reassertion of ethnic and cultural identity has again raised questions of how the Jewish religious community should define itself. Through the lens of a liturgical text in continuous use for over two thousand years, Kahn offers new insights into an evolving religious identity and recurring questions of how to honor both historical teaching and contemporary sensibility.

Shalom Sadik interrogates the nature of Maimonides' religious philosophy through examination of secrets in the philosopher's Guide for the Perplexed, the role of dialectic in his philosophy, the relationship between natural law and God's commandments, and the question of free will.

Learn to Apply the Timeless Lessons of Jewish Wisdom Writings to Improve Your Daily Life.

Drawing on a broad range of Jewish wisdom writings, distinguished rabbi and psychologist Levi Meier takes a thoughtful, wise and fresh approach to showing us how to apply the stories of the Bible to our everyday lives and let them work their inspirational magic. The courage of Abraham, who left his early life behind and chose a new, more difficult and more rewarding path; the ability of Joseph to forgive his brothers the quests and conflicts of the Bible are still relevant, and still have the power to inform and change our lives."

First Published in 1990. With the publication of this book, the author inaugurates a new series at the Institute of Jewish Law. In recent years there has been a growing interest in Jewish law in American law schools. In turn, this casts an obligation on those involved in Jewish law to make available in the English language publications which focus on contemporary issues and their analysis in traditional Jewish sources. Jewish Law inContext will attempt to do precisely this by presenting Jewish law in its own context as well as in the context of our milieu. This is Volume I.

This textbook not only provides a historical overview but also uses modern-day case studies to examine the topic. Making this a a very comprehensive overview of the subject areas. Each chapter includes a helpful pedagogy including a general overview, case studies, suggestions for further reading, and questions for discussion. Making this the ideal textbook for students approaching the topic for the first time. The textbook explores controversial topics which will engage students and instigate debate.

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."

How to transform the model of twentieth-century Jewish institutions into twenty-first-century relational communities offering meaning and purpose, belonging and blessing.

"What really matters is that we care about the people we seek to engage. When we genuinely care about people, we will not only welcome them; we will listen to their stories, we will share ours, and we will join together to build a Jewish community that enriches our lives." from the Introduction

Membership in Jewish organizations is down. Day school enrollment has peaked. Federation campaigns are flat. The fastest growing and second largest category of Jews is Just Jewish. Young Jewish adults are unengaged and aging baby boomers are disengaging. Yet, in the era of Facebook, people crave face-to-face community.

It's all about relationships. With this simple, but profound idea, noted educator and community revitalization pioneer Dr. Ron Wolfson presents practical strategies and case studies to transform the old model of Jewish institutions into relational communities. He sets out twelve principles of relational engagement to guide Jewish lay leaders, professionals and community members in transforming institutions into inspiring communities whose value-proposition is to engage people and connect them to Judaism and community in meaningful and lasting ways."

Combine the ancient practice of hatha yoga with theshapes and mystical meanings of the Hebrew letters toenhance your physical health and deepen your spiritual life.

This unique guide shows both the yoga enthusiast and the yoga novice how to use hatha yoga postures and techniques to physically connect with Jewish spirituality.

"If you are curious about hatha yoga, Aleph-Bet Yoga provides a safe introduction to the basic yoga postures and techniques. If you are one of the tens of thousands of Jews who already practice hatha yoga, Aleph-Bet Yoga will connect your yoga to something explicitly Jewish. With its Jewish content and intent, Aleph-Bet Yoga will enhance rather than interfere with your religious identity." from the Introduction

As we move our bodies through the Hebrew aleph-bet, turning toward the inner meaning of the letters, we can tap into the deep connections between our body, mind and spirit.

Drawing on the sacred texts and mystical writings of Judaism, combined with the insights of yoga teacher Steven Rapp, Aleph-Bet Yoga is an East-meets-West experience for our whole selves.

Aleph-Bet Yoga makes it easy for anyone to incorporate yoga into their life, and combines the physical and spiritual aspects of Judaism. It features step-by-step instructions, photographs clearly demonstrating each yoga pose, and insightful words to inspire and guide us in connecting the spiritual meaning of the Hebrew letters to our yoga practice."

This book examines the most frequent form of Jew-hatred: Israel-related antisemitism. After defining this hate ideology in its various manifestations and the role the internet plays in it, the author explores the question of how Israel-related antisemitism is communicated and understood through the language used by readers in below-the-line comments. Drawing on a corpus of over 6,000 comments from traditionally left-wing news outlets The Guardian and Die Zeit, the author examines both implicit and explicit comparisons made between modern-day Israel and both colonial Britain and Nazi Germany. His analyses are placed within the context of resurgent neo-nationalism in both countries, and it is argued that these instances of antisemitism perform a multi-faceted role in absolving guilt, re-writing history, and reinforcing in-group status. This book will be of interest not only to linguistics scholars, but also to academics in fields such as internet studies, Jewish studies, hate speech and antisemitism.

This book continues a series of volumes containing the papers read at an annual conference held in turn by Tel Aviv and Bochum in the course of a co-operation between the Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities, Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies, the Department of Bible of Tel Aviv University and the Faculty of Protestant Theology in the University of the Ruhr, Bochum, since 1985. As a collection the book focuses on the important role religious views have played in critical moments during Jewish and Christian history. It argues for the significance that the role religious beliefs play in political and economic decision-making and the formation of worldviews; as well as demonstrating common convictions held by both Jewish and Christians that can be used as a foundation to find similar answers to actual problems. Focusing on the conference held in March 2005 at Tel Aviv, the book contains a collected biography of the literature quoted as well as a list of standard abbreviations.

This is a study of the Old Testament as the story of a people. The author describes the growth of Israel from its beginnings through to Moses, the reigns of David and Solomon and into the Hellenistic era. Aided by maps, charts and photographs the book analyzes and interprets the familiar biblical narrative in the context of our modern knowledge of the ancient world. New features of this edition include a series of definitions of key terms, new illustrations and it also takes into account more recent archaeological discoveries.

In Israel, where the Orthodox rabbinate wields historically sanctioned influence over the legal definitions of marriage and parenthood, same-sex parenthood raises important questions such as what constitutes belonging to the national collective, who has the authority to define the norms of reproduction, and where the boundaries of Orthodox Judaism begin and end. Judaism in Motion addresses these questions from a transgenerational perspective that pays heed to how religiously informed rules, norms, and practices of transferring material properties, names, and societal belonging are adopted and transformed. It presents a detailed ethnographic account of the dynamic interaction between kinship, religion, and the state that complicates the commonly held assumption that places same-sex parenthood in a radically secular sphere that stands in stark opposition to Orthodox Judaism. Taking same-sex parenthood as a prism through which society at large is reflected, this volume further explores how transformations of societal structures take place, and what flexibility and leeway exist in organized religions.

Opens up the traditional Jewish prayer book as a spiritual resource....This groundbreaking new series involves us in a personal dialogue with God, history and tradition, through the heritage of prayer.

"The prayer book is our Jewish diary of the centuries, a collection of prayers composed by generations of those who came before us, as they endeavored to express the meaning of their lives and their relationship to God. The prayer book is the essence of the Jewish soul."

This stunning work, an empowering entryway to the spiritual revival of our times, enables all of us to claim our connection to the heritage of the traditional Jewish prayer book. It helps rejuvenate Jewish worship in today's world, and makes its power accessible to all.

Vol. 9 Welcoming the Night: Minchah and Ma ariv (Afternoon and Evening Prayer) features the authentic Hebrew text with a new translation designed to let people know exactly what the prayers say. Introductions tell the reader what to look for in the prayer service, as well as how to truly use the commentaries and to search for and find meaning in the prayer book.

Framed with beautifully designed Talmud-style pages, commentaries from many of today s most respected Jewish scholars from all movements of Judaism examine Minchah and Ma ariv from the perspectives of ancient Rabbis and modern theologians, as well as feminist, halakhic, Talmudic, linguistic, biblical, Chasidic, mystical, and historical perspectives."

This volume provides a historical narrative, historiographical reviews, and scholarly analyses by leading scholars throughout the world on the hitherto understudied topic of Shanghai Jewish refugees. Few among the general public know that during the Second World War, approximately 16,000 to 20,000 Jews fled the Nazis, found unexpected refuge in Shanghai, and established a vibrant community there. Though most of them left Shanghai soon after the conclusion of the war in 1945, years of sojourning among the Chinese and surviving under the Japanese occupation generated unique memories about the Second World War, lasting goodwill between the Chinese and Jews, and contested interpretations of this complex past. The volume makes two major contributions to the studies of Shanghai Jewish refugees. First, it reviews the present state of the historiography on this subject and critically assesses the ways in which the history is being researched and commemorated in China. Second, it compiles scholarship produced by renowned scholars, who aim to rescue the history from isolated perspectives and look into the interaction between Jews, Chinese, and Japanese.

A spiritual memoir by the author of "God Is a Verb."

"This book is a treasure map, but not like any you have seen before. Most people believe that the object of a treasure hunt is to find a chest of gold. The mystical approach, however, is that the search itself is the treasure . Here is an invitation to begin an exploration of the treasure fields of your own mind the most exciting and rewarding adventure you will ever take." from the Introduction

Here is an insider s look at a spectrum of mystical traditions by someone who is remarkably fluent in the language of each. Three Gates to Meditation Practicechronicles more than fifteen years in the spiritual journey of "post-denominational" Rabbi David A. Cooper and his wife Shoshana years that led the Coopers everywhere from a secluded mountain hut in New Mexico to the Sinai desert, from chanting Sufi dhikr and meditation with Buddhist masters to studying Kabbalah and esoteric Judaism in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Coopers story is an intimate account of what intensive spiritual practice is like, with an ultimate message that is supremely inspiring: The spiritual path is completely within our reach, whoever we are, whatever we do, as long as we are willing to try.

A lively, thoughtful history of America's Jews, exploring their complex relationships with national culture, identity, and politics-and each other. You can be called a Bad Jew-by the community or even yourself-if you don't keep kosher, don't send your children to Hebrew school, or enjoy Christmas music; if your partner isn't Jewish, or you don't call your mother enough. But today, amid fears of rising antisemitism, what makes a Good or Bad Jew is a particularly fraught question. There is no answer, argues Emily Tamkin. Several million now identify as American Jews; but they don't all identify with one another. American Jewish history, like all Jewish history, has been about transformation-and full of discussions, debates and hand-wringing over who is Jewish, how to be Jewish, and what it means to be Jewish. Bad Jews is a rich, absorbing reflection on 100 years of American Jewish identities and arguments. Tamkin's fascinating, diverse interviews explore the complex story of American Jewishness, and its evolving, conflicting positions, from assimilation, race, and social justice; to politics, Zionism, and Israel. She pinpoints the one truth about Jewish identity: It's always changing.