." . . a rare jewel, a powerhouse of spiritual wisdom that you can read and reread."--Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. author of "A Woman's Journey to God and Seven Paths to God"

" "Open Secrets"] invites us into the most intimate of settings, the whispered wisdom passed from an authentic Hasidic master to his student. It radiates warmth, passion for the divine, and earthy confidence in sacredness. A treasure for the spiritual seeker of any tradition." --Judith Simmer-Brown, Naropa University, author of "Dakini's Warm Breath"

""Open Secrets" is my favorite way to introduce readers to the essence and depth of Judaism."--Bo Lozoff, author and founder of the Human Kindness Foundation

"A master teacher."--Thomas Keating

"A prophetic voice for a 21st-century Judaism"--Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

The fictional East European Hasidic Master Reb Yerachmeil writes to his hasid Herschel who has moved to America, in response to his student's perennial questions about God, what it means to be Jewish, whether all religions are true, about death, the soul, good deeds, intermarriage and more. The rebbe writes, "My Judaism seeks only the heart of the teaching and the essence of the practice and leaves the details to others." At the urging of his own rebbe, Shapiro, through these letters, creates a ." . . a Judaism for people who wish to learn from it as they do from Buddhism or Sufism, a Judaism for everyone."

Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro is regarded as one of the most creative voices in contemporary American Judaism. He is an award-winning poet and essayist, and his liturgies are used in prayer services throughout North America. His previous books include "Minyan: 10 Principles for Living a Life of Integrity" and "The Way of Solomon: Finding Joy and Contentment in the Wisdom of Ecclesiastes."

Deepen Your Capacity to Live Free from Addiction and from Self and Selfishness

"Twelve Step recovery is much more than a way to escape the clutches of addictive behaviors. Twelve Step recovery is about freeing yourself from playing God, and since almost everyone is addicted to this game, Twelve Step recovery is something from which everyone can benefit." from the Introduction

In this hope-filled approach to spiritual and personal growth, the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are uniquely interpreted to speak to everyone seeking a freer and more God-centered life. This special rendering makes them relevant to those suffering from specific addictions alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, sex, shopping as well as the general addictions we wrestle with daily, such as anger, greed, and selfishness.

Rami Shapiro describes his personal experience working the Twelve Steps as adapted by Overeaters Anonymous and shares anecdotes from many people working the Steps in a variety of settings. Drawing on the insights and practices of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Islam, he offers supplementary practices from different religious traditions to help you move more deeply into the universal spirituality of the Twelve Step system."

Fresh translation and facing-page annotations bring the compelling wisdom of the Hebrew prophets to life.

Hundreds of commentaries and dozens of Bible translations make the Hebrew prophets available to modern-day readers, but most often these sources focus on history or apologetics, losing the reader who is searching for spiritual insight.

"The Hebrew Prophets: Selections Annotated & Explained" makes the wisdom of these timeless teachers available to readers with no previous knowledge of the prophets. With fresh, contemporary commentary, Rami Shapiro reveals the central themes covered by all the prophets: moving from ignorance to wisdom, injustice to justice, cruelty to compassion, and despair to joy.

This unique look at the Hebrew Prophets sharpens the personal nature of their message and highlights their critique of the spiritual errors we all face in life, challenging readers to correct those errors and experience a life of awakening and joy.

The clear and compelling wisdom of the rabbinic sages can
become a companion for your own spiritual journey.

At the heart of Judaism is an ethical imperative to live life from your true self, as the image and likeness of God. To do this, you must see the greatness of God manifest in all things, and therefore engage each moment with grace, humility, and justice. This imperative flowers in the words of the early Rabbis (250 BCE 250 CE), who captured God s call to be holy in Pirke Avot, a collection of pithy sayings on how best to live an ethical life.

This engaging introduction to the wisdom sayings of the rabbinic sages puts you in direct conversation with them, allowing the sages to speak directly to you about what matters in life and how to live it with dignity. With fresh, contemporary translation and provocative commentary, Rabbi Rami Shapiro focuses on the central themes in this Jewish wisdom compendium study, kindness, compassion. He clarifies the rabbinic proverbs and parables in order to expose the ethical principles at their root. By recalling the ancient voices of the rabbinic sages, he shows us the contemporary significance of their timeless wisdom and distills Pirke Avot not as a book about ethics but as a practical guide to living ethically today.

Now you can experience the wisdom of the early Rabbis even if you have no previous knowledge of Judaism or rabbinic literature. This SkyLight Illuminations edition presents the ethical teachings of the rabbinic sages, with insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that conveys Pirke Avot s core challenge of God to the Jewish people, and through them all humanity: We are to be holy as God is holy. We are to be, in a human way, what God is in a divine way.

This book starts with a clear-headed look at the Ten Commandments and rephrases them in terms that go straight to the heart, such as "Do not murder": "Aware of the suffering caused by the needless and wanton destruction of life, I vow to cultivate compassion and justice, and learn ways to protect the well-being of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I recognize that murder refers not only to the literal taking of life but to the killing of dignity", etc.

It then examines the hasidic tradition founded by the Baal Shem Tov in 18th-century Europe shows how this view of the world epitomizes Jewish spirituality. Drawing on the wisdom of those sages who followed in the Baal Shem Tov's footsteps, Shapiro offers his tenfold path for making Jewish spiritual practice central to our lives: meditation, repetition of a sacred phrase, inspirational reading, attention to the present moment, generosity, kindness performed with no thought of reward, dreamwork, ecokashrut or ethical consumption, self-perfection, and celebration of the sabbath (this is what hooked me). Shapiro offers a Judaism so immediate and vital to living with integrity and enjoyment that I foresee groups springing up in communities everywhere to put his teaching into practice. I started one the day I finished the manuscript. This is magnificent stuff. I urge you all to try it