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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Worship
The religious buildings of the Jewish community in Britain have
never been explored in print. Lavishly illustrated with previously
unpublished images and photographs taken specially by English
Heritage, this book traces the architecture of the synagogue in
Britain and Ireland from its discreet Georgian- and Regency-era
beginnings to the golden age of the grand "cathedral synagogues" of
the High Victorian period. Sharman Kadish sheds light on obscure
and sometimes underappreciated architects who designed synagogues
for all types of worshipers--from Orthodox and Reform congregations
to Yiddish-speaking immigrants in the 1900s. She examines the
relationship between architectural style and minority identity in
British society and looks at design issues in the contemporary
synagogue. Published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in
British Art
Social Functions of Synagogue Song: A Durkheimian Approach by
Jonathan L. Friedmann paints a detailed picture of the important
role sacred music plays in Jewish religious communities. This study
explores one possible way to approach the subject of music s
intimate connection with public worship: applying sociologist Emile
Durkeim s understanding of ceremonial ritual to synagogue music.
Durkheim observed that religious ceremonies serve disciplinary,
cohesive, revitalizing, and euphoric functions within religious
communities. Drawing upon musical examples from different
composers, regions, periods, rites, and services, Friedmann
demonstrates how Jewish sacred music performs these functions.
Nurture your inner monk and surrender to the natural grace and
rhythm of your heart's deepest longings. "The whole world is, in
fact, a text of sacred revelation. All experience has the potential
to be revelatory, and God is singing one unending song seducing
each of our hearts. So the call is to listen, to attune to the
words God utters in the world." —from the Afterword Break open
this ancient contemplative practice of listening deeply for God's
voice in sacred texts. Drawing on her own experience as a monk in
the world, Christine Valters Paintner introduces the foundations
for a practice of lectio divina. She closely examines each of the
four movements of lectio divina as well as the rhythm they create
when practiced as a process. She then invites you to expand your
practice beyond traditional sacred texts to a sacred reading of the
world through image, sound, nature and life experience. Whether you
want to start a contemplative prayer practice or deepen your
experience of lectio divina in new ways, you are invited to savor
the gifts lectio divina has to offer your heart and spirit.
Daily Meditations and Prayers from Around the World "...I hope that
people of all faiths as well as those who do not believe in a
religion will find inspiration and understanding here that in some
way contributes to their own inner peace." -The Dalai Lama #1 New
Release in Buddhism, Sacred Writings Discover the power to heal
through many meditation and prayer voices. This interfaith book
provides insight from various religious and cultural texts that
touches on our pain and inspires the healer within all of us to be
reminded of hope and faith so that we may live a deeper, more
meaningful, and fully self-expressed life. Create a tapestry of
comfort and inspiration. Maggie Oman creates a healing space for
readers in her deeply spiritual book Prayers for Healing: 365
Blessings, Poems, & Meditations from Around the World. During
moments that are filled with despair, illnesses, depression, or
spiritual longing, Prayers for Healing draws on the power of wise
and healing devotionals for reflection and deep mediation. Embrace
physical, emotional, and spiritual transformation. Prayers for
Healing demonstrates the transformative nature woven through the
power of prayer and wisdom. It draws from a select collection of
influential spiritual leaders, philosophers and thinkers of our
time that include: The Tao Te Ching, The Koran, The Torah, Native
American texts, The Bible, Thich Nhat Hanh, Wendell Berry, ack
Kornfield, Rumi, Rainer Maria Rilke, Marian Wright Edelman, Martin
Luther King, Jr., and Marianne Williamson. If you have found that
works such as Prayers That Bring Healing, Earth Prayers, Prayers of
Hope for Caregivers, Prayers for Hard Times, or Prayers for Hope
and Healing have brought inspiration into your life, then this book
is an invitation to strengthen your inner healer.
Read the Jewish Idea Daily's review here. In 1789, when George
Washington was elected the first president of the United States,
laymen from all six Jewish congregations in the new nation sent him
congratulatory letters. He replied to all six. Thus, after more
than a century of Jewish life in colonial America the small
communities of Jews present at the birth of the nation proudly
announced their religious institutions to the country and were
recognized by its new leader. By this time, the synagogue had
become the most significant institution of American Jewish life, a
dominance that was not challenged until the twentieth century, when
other institutions such as Jewish community centers or Jewish
philanthropic organizations claimed to be the hearts of their
Jewish communities. Concise yet comprehensive, The Synagogue in
America is the first history of this all-important structure,
illuminating its changing role within the American Jewish community
over the course of three centuries. From Atlanta and Des Moines to
Los Angeles and New Orleans, Marc Lee Raphael moves beyond the New
York metropolitan area to examine Orthodox, Reform, Conservative,
and Reconstuctionist synagogue life everywhere. Using the records
of approximately 125 Jewish congregations, he traces the emergence
of the synagogue in the United States from its first instances in
the colonial period, when each of the half dozen initial Jewish
communities had just one synagogue each, to its proliferation as
the nation and the American Jewish community grew and diversified.
Encompassing architecture, forms of worship, rabbinic life,
fundraising, creative liturgies, and feminism, The Synagogue in
America is the go-to history for understanding the synagogue's
significance in American Jewish life.
The essay The Afro-Cuban Festival 'Day of the Kings""' by Fernando
Ortiz, founder of Afro-Cuban studies, describes how, as in Brazil,
Catholic priests and the colonial government as early as 1573
allowed and encouraged the African slaves to celebrate Epiphany,
the Festival of the Three Kings...Free people joined in and the
dances, music and costumes paraded by the various eyewitnesses
demonstrate how early and how immense were the African
contributions to what was to become the carnival of the African
Diaspora. ""Bettelheim's second essay, The Tumba Francesa and
Tajona of Santiago de Cuba,' describes two...groups which descend
from the Creole-speaking Hatians called Franceses. In their long
history of race pride, revolt and rebellion, is a previously
unknown revelation of diasporic history. The intense interplay of
sub-rosa and African-connected groups is perhaps the most important
revelation made by these essays.
In South India there is a society where priests and lay people
claim supernatural powers. Where a sophisticated medical system
underlies a quest for physical longevity and psychic immortality
and where arcane and sexual rituals take place that are far removed
from the Brahmanic tradition of the rest of India. That society is
the Tamil Siddhas. Here expert Kamil Zvelebil offers a vivid
picture of these people: religious beliefs, magical rites,
alchemical practices, complex system of medicine, and inspired
tradition of poetry. Topics covered include: On Siddhas medicine;
The ideological basis of Siddhas quest of immortality; Basic tenets
of Siddhas medicine; Diseases and their cure; Yoga in Siddhas
tradition; Daily regime; Siddhas alchemy; Rejuvenation, longevity,
and 'immortality'; Doctrines and traditions of the Siddhas; Tantrik
Siddhas and Siddhas attitudes to sex; Siddhas poetry and other
texts.
The rising population known as "nones" for its members' lack of
religious affiliation is changing American society, politics, and
culture. Many nones believe in God and even visit places of
worship, but they do not identify with a specific faith or belong
to a spiritual community. Corinna Nicolaou is a none, and in this
layered narrative, she describes what it is like for her and
thousands of others to live without religion or to be spiritual
without committing to a specific faith. Nicolaou tours America's
major traditional religions to see what, if anything, one might
lack without God. She moves through Christianity's denominations,
learning their tenets and worshiping alongside their followers. She
travels to Los Angeles to immerse herself in Judaism, Berkeley to
educate herself about Buddhism, and Dallas and Washington, D.C., to
familiarize herself with Islam. She explores what light they can
shed on the fears and failings of her past, and these encounters
prove the significant role religion still plays in modern life.
They also exemplify the vibrant relationship between religion and
American culture and the enduring value it provides to immigrants
and outsiders. Though she remains a devout none, Nicolaou's
experiences reveal points of contact between the religious and the
unaffiliated, suggesting that nones may be radically revising the
practice of faith in contemporary times.
Deepen your understanding of Shabbat, awaken to the
possibilities,
and experience the day with an extra measure of holiness.
"Seventh Heaven" delves into the art of consciously observing
Shabbat exploring many of the day s traditional religious practices
within the context of life s spiritual dynamics. With the help and
wisdom of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov one of the most important of the
early Hasidic masters this guidebook offers insight into the deeper
meaning and purpose of a broad range of Shabbat observances and
seeks to show how each custom or law fits within the whole.
In accessible, easy-to-understand language, "7th Heaven" is a
spiritual guide for all levels of Shabbat observance: If Shabbat is
new to you, or you ve experienced it only in its popular form, but
would like to deepen your understanding and connection. If Shabbat
is something you grew up with, but you were never taught the inner
meaning of all the customs and laws you were told to obey. If
Shabbat has never been a part of your spiritual practice, but you
would like to learn more about the Jewish pathway to wholeness and
higher consciousness.
Based on the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772 1810)
and those of his closest disciple, Reb Noson, the deep insights
into Torah and spirituality revealed by these great Hasidic
luminaries are as relevant in today s world as they were some two
centuries ago, when they were first taught.
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