This book is not just for Jewish people. It's for all people who would gain insight and strength to heal from Jewish tradition. All people who are in trouble with alcohol, drugs, or other addictions food, gambling, and sex Anyone seeking an understanding of the Twelve Steps from a Jewish perspective regardless of religious background or affiliation Alcoholics and addicts in recovery Codependents Adult children of alcoholics Specialists in recovery and treatment An updated and expanded edition of a recovery classic. A rabbi, a psychiatrist, and many recovering Jewish people share their understanding of the Twelve Jewish Steps of recovery from addiction of all kinds based on conversations with each other and with God. They present a Jewish perspective on the Twelve Steps and offer consolation, inspiration, and motivation for recovery for people of all faiths and backgrounds by drawing on traditional and contemporary Jewish sources and by sharing what recovering people say about their experiences. They explore why some Jews are uncomfortable with the Twelve Steps, as well as how the Jewish understanding of the Twelve Steps differs from the Christian understanding of it."

Wake up to the divine abundance that is all around you

This inspirational companion helps you recognize God s gifts in the everyday world around you. For each day of the year, an inspiring quote from a Jewish source and a personal reflection on it help you focus on your spiritual life and all the things you have to be grateful for.

Using both the secular and Jewish calendar as a framework, this daily devotional helps you honor the special and holy events of the year as well as identify the sacred in the mundane moments of your life. It draws on the wisdom of Jewish sources and teachings, and ancient and contemporary spiritual thinkers, to gain perspective on the abundance that is all around you in your achievements and challenges, relationships and personal time, joy and suffering, job and home. It will help you elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary every day of the year.

At day's end, quiet your mind and unburden your heart. These peaceful reflections offer wisdom to "sleep on." For each night of the year, an inspiring quote from a Jewish source and a personal reflection on it from an insightful spiritual leader help you to focus on your spiritual life and the lessons your day has offered.

Jewish tradition encourages study as a way of honoring the memory of those who are no longer among us. "Grief in Our Seasons "offers a comforting link between study and the tradition of saying Kaddish, helping those who are mourning to heal at their own pace and to cherish the memory of their loved ones each and every day.

Each section of "Grief in Our Seasons" is devoted to a stage of mourning, providing daily readings from sacred Jewish texts and words of inspiration, comfort, and understanding. Meditations Before Saying Kaddish share the insights of others who have faced the challenges of mourning, and tell how they found solace during the process.

This book is not just for Jewish people.It is for all people who would gain strength to heal and insightfrom the Jewish tradition.

Using a one-day-at-a-time monthly format, a spiritual leader who continues to reach out to addicted people, and all those seeking spiritual renewal, reflects on the rhythm of the Jewish calendar with recovering people and other teachers. Together they bring insight to recovery from addictions and compulsive behaviors of all kinds. This sensitive volume soars with the spirit of the Jewish soul and year. Its "exercises" help us move from thinking to doing.

Using a seven-day/weekly guide format, a recovering person and a spiritual leader who is reaching out to addicted people reflect on the traditional weekly Bible reading. They bring strong spiritual support for daily living and recovery from addictions of all kinds: alcohol, drugs, eating, gambling and sex. A profound sense of the spirit soars through their words and brings all people in Twelve Step recovery programs home to a rich and spiritually enlightening tradition.

This book is not just for Jewish people. It s for all people who would gain strength to heal and insight from the Bible and the teachings of Jewish tradition.

An inspiring how-to guide to help you understand
and participate in a Jewish spiritual life.

Across the spectrum of Jewish observance, people are seeking ways to give higher meaning to their spiritual lives but how do you know where to begin, and what should you do first?

This easy-to-use handbook explains the why, what and how of ten specific areas of Jewish ritual and practice. Each chapter provides you with guidance and background if you are just beginning to explore Jewish ritual and practice, and offers creative ways to deepen the meaning of Judaism in your daily life, even if you are experienced with ritual observance.

All of the chapters have personal stories of people who have taken on Jewish ritual, and will inspire you to consider how to infuse your life with the wisdom of Jewish tradition.

Straightforward and nonjudgmental advice for dating couples, partners,
husbands and wives, in-laws, counselors and others.

Interfaith relationships are commonplace; the challenges that go along with them are not. An interfaith couple will have to confront tough questions, yet it s often difficult to find answers, especially when traditional sources of help family, friends, clergy and counselors are unable or unwilling to understand the problems. >

From a Jewish perspective, this book guides interfaith couples at any stage of their relationship from dating and engagement, to the wedding and marriage and the people who are affected by their relationship in any way, including their families and counselors who work with interfaith couples.

While making no judgments or dictating answers, and supporting individual choice, topics covered include: What is an intermarriage? Why do people intermarry? When do you bring up the subject of religion? What is conversion and is it necessary? When do you discuss and decide how children will be raised? and much more

A window into Judaism s sacred days throughout history and today.
Written especially for Christians.

Holy days and holidays provide the peak experiences of Jewish life. These moments speak deeply to the Jewish soul and animate Judaism s culture. They encourage Jews to participate in their shared historical experience, which reflects their covenantal relationship with God, and articulate Jewish values that have allowed for the survival of the Jewish people. But what can they mean to Christians seeking to understand their own faith?

In this special book, Rabbis Olitzky and Judson guide you through the major Jewish holidays and what they mean for the Jewish people. Each chapter explores a different holiday and explains the origin, historical background, customs and rituals that are part of observance and the holiday s Christian parallels. Examining observance in both home and synagogue and in all Jewish denominations this easy-to-use guide to the Jewish holidays will be a valuable resource for your own understanding of Jewish sacred time throughout the year. And by linking the Jewish holidays to familiar Christian holidays and practices, you will be better able to appreciate the roots of Christianity and how the fundamentals of Judaism relate to and reflect your own spiritual foundation. Rosh Hashanah New Year Yom Kippur Day of Atonement Sukkot Feast of Booths (Fall Harvest Festival) Simchat Torah Rejoicing in the Torah Hanukkah Rededication Purim (Festival of Survival) Pesach Passover Shavuot (Receiving the Torah) Tisha B Av (Mourning and Commemoration) and Other Special Days Shabbat (Day of Rest)

What a wonderful way to start each day. An inspirational companion of comfort, reassurance, and hope that helps you start each day of the year on a positive note with a powerful quote from a Jewish source, and a brief, striking reflection on it from an inspiring spiritual leader."

You can understand your Jewish friends and
loved ones more fully. A hands-on guide to the most important questions.

Introducing My Faith and My Communityprovides an introduction to both the basics and complexities of Judaism and Jewish life through the lens of an interfaith relationship. Rather than providing stock answers to questions about Jewish rituals or values, or giving a broad overview of Jewish history and theology, Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky addresses topics that will encourage understanding and stimulate discussion between you and your Jewish partner, relative, or friend. Topics include: Beliefs, Religion, and the Place of God in the Jewish Faith Study, Learning, and Charity as Core Values in Jewish Life Food, Holidays, Humor, and Ethnicity as Part of Jewish Culture The Importance of Synagogue, Israel, and Community to American Jews

Wake up to the divine abundance that is all around you! This inspirational companion helps you recognize God’s gifts in the everyday world around you. For each day of the year, an inspiring quote from a Jewish source and a personal reflection on it help you focus on your spiritual life and all the things you have to be grateful for. Using both the secular and Jewish calendar as a framework, this daily devotional helps you honor the special and holy events of the year as well as identify the sacred in the mundane moments of your life. It draws on the wisdom of Jewish sources and teachings, and ancient and contemporary spiritual thinkers, to gain perspective on the abundance that is all around you—in your achievements and challenges, relationships and personal time, joy and suffering, job and home. It will help you elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary every day of the year.

A window into the meaning of Jewish rituals throughout history and today
written especially for Christians.

Ritual moments and opportunities guide the daily life of practicing Jews. These spiritual practices give expression to Jewish identity and reflect Judaism s core beliefs and values. But what can they mean to Christians seeking to understand their own faith? In this special book, Rabbis Olitzky and Judson guide you through the whys and hows of nine specific areas of Jewish ritual. Observing the Sabbath Keeping Kosher Putting on Tefillin (Prayer Boxes) Wrapping the Tallit (Prayer Shawl) Covering the Head Studying Torah Praying Daily Saying Blessings throughout the Day Going to the Ritual Bath

Providing you with the biblical and historical background of each practice, insight into its contemporary use and significance including the often divergent approaches of different Jewish movements and personal stories from rabbis and lay people, this easy-to-understand guide illustrates the deep meaning these rituals have in the Jewish relationship with God. Linking these practices to familiar rituals in the Christian tradition, Olitzky and Judson help you better understand the roots of Christianity and how the fundamentals of Judaism relate to and reflect your own spiritual foundation.

“In codependence, the emphasis is on everyone and everything but ourselves....In recovery, we learn how to say no, to set boundaries in relationships, and then perhaps walk away—if necessary—sometimes for a long time, perhaps forever. It's not without effort....Even if a relationship is worth saving, your active codependence can destroy it. It will not help it or you and will certainly not convince the other person in your life to stop drinking or using or gambling or eating compulsively or running around. But your recovery can nurture a relationship with God while it nurtures you at the same time.� —From Recovery from Codependence This book is not just for Jewish people. It's for all people who would gain strength to heal and insight from the Bible and the wisdom of Jewish tradition. With the same groundbreaking insight of his Twelve Jewish Steps to Recovery: A Personal Guide to Turning From Alcoholism and Other Addictions and Renewed Each Day: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Meditations Based on the Bible, Kerry Olitzky has produced an inspiring new volume that brings healing wisdom to those whose lives are most directly affected by the addiction of a loved one. Recovery From Codependence: A Jewish Twelve Steps Guide to Healing Your Soul explains how the Twelve Steps of Co-Dependents Anonymous are relevant for Jewish people and all people who would gain strength to heal and insight from Jewish tradition. You may be a codependent person if you are in a relationship with an alcoholic or addicted person, someone who has an eating disorder, engages in compulsive gambling or sex, if you are addicted to a relationship, or if you are part of a dysfunctional family. Though you may be suffering, broken in spirit, this book can help you be healed, be empowered to take hold of your life, and be made to feel spiritually whole once again. Using the familiar Twelve Step model, Dr. Olitzky, known for his spiritual leadership and for reaching out to help people in recovery, takes the codependent person on a Jewish journey through the Twelve Steps. Rabbi Olitzky's inspiring message draws on the experience of Jewish tradition and the personal experiences of recovering codependent people. He provides Twelve Step support for people of all faiths and backgrounds.

At day's end, quiet your mind and unburden your heart. These peaceful reflections offer wisdom to "sleep on." For each night of the year, an inspiring quote from a Jewish source and a personal reflection on it from an insightful spiritual leader help you to focus on your spiritual life and the lessons your day has offered. Contributors include: Yosef I. Abramowitz • Bradley Shavit Artson • Leila Gal Berner • Jonathan Jaffe Bernhard • Tsvi Blanchard • Barry H. Block • Terry A. Bookman • Herbert Bronstein • Ayelet Cohen • Jerome K. Davidson • Avram Davis • Lavey Derby • Malka Drucker • Amy Eilberg • Edward Feinstein • Yehudah Fine • Mordecai Finley • James A. Gibson • Melvin J. Glazer • James Scott Glazier • Edwin C. Goldberg • Elyse Goldstein • James Stone Goodman • Irving Greenberg • Daniel Gropper • Judith HaLevy • Brad Hirschfield • Elana Kanter • Stuart Kelman • Francine Klagsbrun • Peter S. Knobel • Jeffrey Korbman • Jonathan Kraus • Irwin Kula • Neil Kurshan • Mark H. Levin • Levi Meier • Steven Heneson Moskowitz • David Nelson • Vanessa L. Ochs • Nessa Rapoport • Jack Riemer • Jeffrey Salkin • Nigel Savage • Ismar Schorsch • Harold M. Schulweis • Rami Shapiro • Rick Sherwin • Jeffrey Sirkman • Marcia Cohn Spiegel • Liza Stern • Michael Strassfeld • Michael White • Arnold Jacob Wolf • Joel H. Zaiman • Josh Zweiback • Raymond A. Zwerin

What a wonderful way to start each day. An inspirational companion of comfort, reassurance, and hope that helps you start each day of the year on a positive note—with a powerful quote from a Jewish source, and a brief, striking reflection on it from an inspiring spiritual leader. Contributors include: Judith Z. Abrams • Bradley Shavit Artson • Tsvi Blanchard • Lester Bronstein • Nina Beth Cardin • Michael M. Cohen • William Cutter • Amy Eilberg • Dov Peretz Elkins • Edward Feinstein • Mordecai Finley • Nancy Flam • Elyse Frishman • David Gelfand • Neil Gillman • James Stone Goodman • Leonard Gordon • Irving (Yitz) Greenberg • Joel Lurie Grishaver • Lawrence A. Hoffman • Abie Ingber • Elana Kanter • Irwin Kula • Lawrence Kushner • Lori Lefkovitz • Adina Lewittes • Arthur J. Magida • Vivian Mayer • Michael Paley • James Ponet • Bernard S. Raskas • Rachel T. Sabath • Jeffrey K. Salkin • Sandy Eisenberg Sasso • Amy Scheinerman • Harold Schulweis • Rami M. Shapiro • Mychal B. Springer • Ira Stone • Joseph Telushkin • Harlan J. Wechsler • Sharon L. Wechter • David Wolpe