Download or read book Bar Bat Mitzvah Basics 2 E written by Cantor Helen Leneman and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-09-08 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How to manage the process with grace, joy and good sense. A practical guide that gives parents and teens the "how-to" information they need to navigate the bar/bat mitzvah process and grow as a family through this experience. For the first time in one book, everyone directly involved offers practical insights into how the process can be made easier and more enjoyable for all. Rabbis, cantors and Jewish educators from the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist movements, parents, and even teens speak from their own experience. • What's it all about? • Preparation for Parent and Child • Tutoring, stress, expectations, enjoyment, planning for children with special needs • Negotiating the ceremony and celebration • Designing a creative service, heightening the spiritual exercise, special issues related to divorced and interfaith families, planning a party that neither breaks the bank nor detracts from the inherent spirituality of the event.
Download or read book Bar Bat Mitzvah Basics 2 e written by Helen Leneman and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 2001 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How to manage the process with grace, joy and good sense. A practical guide that gives parents and teens the "how-to" information they need to navigate the bar/bat mitzvah process and grow as a family through this experience. For the first time in one book, everyone directly involved offers practical insights into how the process can be made easier and more enjoyable for all. Rabbis, cantors and Jewish educators from the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist movements, parents, and even teens speak from their own experience. - What's it all about? - Preparation for Parent and Child - Tutoring, stress, expectations, enjoyment, planning for children with special needs - Negotiating the ceremony and celebration - Designing a creative service, heightening the spiritual exercise, special issues related to divorced and interfaith families, planning a party that neither breaks the bank nor detracts from the inherent spirituality of the event.
Download or read book Bar bat Mitzvah Basics written by Helen Leneman and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 1996 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This practical guide gives families the how-to information they need-not only how to navigate the bar/bat mitzvah process, but how to grow as a family through this coming-of-age experience. All who are directly involved in bar & bat mitzvah offer their practical insights into how the process can be made easier & more enjoyable for everyone. Topics include: What it's all about from start to finish, tutoring, stress, expectations, negotiating the ceremony (including issues related to divorced & interfaith families), how to design a creative service, & advice on planning a reception that neither breaks the bank nor detracts from the inherent spirituality of the event. Contributors include: Rabbis, cantors, & educators-Reform, Conservative, & Reconstructionist; fathers & mothers of bar/bat mitzvah boys & girls; post b'nai mitzvah teens; party planners.
Download or read book The Mitzvah Project Book written by Elizabeth Suneby and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 2011 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Make the world a better place through good deeds--big or small. "Thank you, really, for devoting your energies to making the world just a little bit better. By doing so, you are saying to yourself, and to others, that this whole Bar/Bat Mitzvah thing is real and important. And, this book will help you figure out great ways to put your own passions, interests, and hobbies to work for mitzvah." --from the Foreword Are you searching for a meaningful and fun mitzvah project? This inspiring book is packed with ideas to help you connect something you love to a mitzvah project or tikkun olam initiative that you can be passionate about. It is filled with information, ideas and activities to spark your imagination, as well as a planning guide to get you organized and off to a good start. Creativity and Compassion Arts & Crafts - Clothes & Fashion - Computers & Technology - Food & Cooking - Movies & Drama - Reading & Writing Putting Mitzvot in Motion Animals - Camp - Fitness - Health - Music & Dance - Sports Your World, Our World Environment - Family - Friends, Neighbors & Your Community - Global Community - Israel - Your Jewish Heritage
Download or read book The Jewish Family Fun Book written by Danielle Dardashti and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 2008 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This celebration of Jewish family life is the perfect guide for families wanting to put a new Jewish spin on holidays, holy days, and even the everyday. Full of activities, games, and history, it is sure to inspire parents, children, and extended family to connect with Judaism in fun, creative ways.
Download or read book Sacred Treasure the Cairo Genizah written by Mark Glickman and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 2011 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code in an old Egyptian synagogue--the amazing story of one of the most important discoveries in modern religious scholarship. In 1896, Rabbi Solomon Schechter of Cambridge University stepped into the attic of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, and there found the largest treasure trove of medieval and early manuscripts ever discovered. He had entered the synagogue's genizah--its repository for damaged and destroyed Jewish texts--which held nearly 300,000 individual documents, many of which were over 1,000 years old. Considered among the most important discoveries in modern religious history, its contents contained early copies of some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, early manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, and other sacred literature. The importance of the genizah's contents rivals that of the Rosetta Stone, and by virtue of its sheer mass alone, it will continue to command our attention indefinitely. This is the first accessible, comprehensive account of this astounding discovery. It will delight you with its fascinating adventure story--why this enormous collection was amassed, how it was discovered and the many lessons to be found in its contents. And it will show you how Schechter's find, though still being "unpacked" today, forever transformed our knowledge of the Jewish past, Muslim history and much more.
Download or read book Confronting Scandal written by Dr. Erica Brown and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-03-03 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "We can battle insensitivity, immorality, and dishonesty in our lives individually and collectively as a people. We have a wonderful road map in the Torah and its traditions. It is time to think seriously about our reputation in the world and what we can do to enhance it, not because we want to look good but because we want to be good." —from Chapter 6. What should we do when we see other Jews behaving badly? Most Jews are good, upstanding people who live by a strong moral code and follow Isaiah's words to be a light to others. But when Jews in the public sphere make headlines for being caught in scandals, their actions can provoke anger, shame and a sense of betrayal in the larger Jewish community. In this insightful and timely book, Jewish scholar Dr. Erica Brown presents an intentional, disciplined framework to explore the emotions provoked in the Jewish community by reports of Jews committing crime. She proposes that we transform our sense of shame into actions that inspire and sustain a moral culture. Drawing from the Hebrew Bible, Talmud and our centuries-long Jewish commitment to ethics, she outlines ways you can activate and operate your personal moral compass, and shows how you can empower yourself with sacred obligation, responsibility, kindness and knowledge to increase Jewish pride.
Download or read book I m God You re Not written by Lawrence Kushner and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "For most of us, only at the end of a lifetime do we begin to understan that even our life stories are sacred and that God has been involved all along."---from "The Life of Torah" --
Download or read book Making Prayer Real written by Mike Comins and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Join over fifty Jewish spiritual leaders from all denominations in a candid conversation about the why and how of prayer: how prayer changes us and how to discern a response from God. In this fascinating forum, they share the challenges of prayer, what it means to pray, how to develop your own personal prayer voice, and how to rediscover meaning and God's presence in the traditional Jewish prayer book. Book jacket.
Download or read book The Book of Miracles written by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2012-02-24 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is a book of spiritual adventure. From the miracle at the Red Sea to the miracle of waking up this morning, this intriguing book introduces young people to a way of spiritual thinking to last a lifetime. Kushner, whose award-winning books have brought spirituality to life for countless adults, here reveals the essence of Judaism in a way kids can understand and enjoy. Easy to read and imaginatively illustrated by the author, The Book of Miracles helps young people make—and treasure—the connections between religion, spirituality and everyday life. For parents to read to their children, for children to read to their parents, The Book of Miracles encourages kids' awareness of their own spirituality, and shows young people how to use Judaism as a foundation on which to build their lives.
Download or read book Ehyeh written by Dr. Arthur Green and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-11-16 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Empowered Judaism written by Rabbi Elie Kaunfer and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2012-12-16 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The inside story and practical lessons from one of the most exciting developments in contemporary Judaism. Part description and part prescription, Empowered Judaism is a manifesto for transforming the way Jews pray andmore broadlyfor building vibrant Jewish communities. [It] represents the latest chapter in [an] uplifting history of religious creativity. This is a book that every Jewish leader will want to read and every serious Jew will want to contemplate. from the Foreword by Prof. Jonathan D. Sarna Why have thousands of young Jews, otherwise unengaged with formal Jewish life, started more than sixty innovative prayer communities across the United States? What crucial insights can these grassroots communities provide for all of us? Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, one of the leaders of this revolutionary phenomenon, offers refreshingly new analyses of the age-old question of how to build strong Jewish community. He explores the independent minyan movement and the lessons it has to teach about prayer, community organizing and volunteer leadership, and its implications for contemporary struggles in American Judaism. Along with describing the growth of independent minyanim across the country, he examines: The roles of liturgy, space, music and youth in this new approach to prayer Lessons to be learned from the concept of immersive, intensive Jewish learning in an egalitarian context Jewish values in which we must invest to achieve a vibrant, robust American Jewish landscape for the twenty-first century
Download or read book The Spirituality of Welcoming written by Dr. Ron Wolfson and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-06-22 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A practical guide for envisioning—and transforming—your synagogue into a powerful new congregation of welcoming, learning and healing. "The new synagogue we envision is a spiritual center for all those who set foot inside it. It is a kehillah kedoshah, a sacred community, where relationships are paramount, where worship is engaging, where everyone is learning, where repair of the world is a moral imperative, where healing is offered, where personal and institutional transformation are embraced. The times are ripe for this spiritual call." —from the Introduction So often we want our congregations to be more—more compelling, more member-focused, more spiritual and yet more useful for our daily lives. Through reflection, examples, tips and exercises—and incorporating the fruits of Synagogue 2000 (now Synagogue 3000), a groundbreaking decade-long program investigating the challenges facing modern synagogues—this inspiring handbook both establishes a sound foundation for why a deep hospitality is crucial for the survival of today's spiritual communities, and dives into the practical hands-on how of turning your congregation into a place of invitation and openness that includes: Prayer that is engaging, uplifting and spiritually moving • Institutional deepening that is possible because of an openness to change • Study that engages adults and families, as well as children • Good deeds—the work of social justice—as a commitment of each and every member • An ambience of welcome that creates a culture of warmth and outreach • Healing that offers comfort and support at times of illness and loss • ... and much more.
Download or read book Judaism and Justice written by Rabbi Sidney Schwarz, PhD and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-05-02 with total page 445 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Jewish Gardening Cookbook written by Michael Brown and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-09-29 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A down-to-earth approach to spirituality that links your garden with biblical tradition. “Perhaps you’re asking, ‘What is a “Jewish garden”?’ Though it is essentially a collection of plants, it’s really more than that. You don’t just grow plants in a Jewish garden; you incorporate them into your life. Some will help transport you to different times and places; others will provide your senses with aromas, tastes, and beauty. All will help you experience a more personal attachment to God and to Judaism.” —from the Introduction This guide shows how your gardening can sustain your spirit in new ways, whether you grow one fig tree on an apartment terrace, or five acres of wheat in the country. It may also help you realize, as never before, that for each fruit and vegetable associated with every holiday, there is a profound and sustaining reason. To ancient Jews, figs symbolized prosperity, grapes signified fertility, and olives represented the renewal of life. Barley was the chief cooking staple, and dates were a honey substitute. The Jewish Gardening Cookbook gives clear and easy-to-follow instructions on how these foods—and more—can be grown and used for holidays, festivals, and life cycle events. For example, following the cycle of the Jewish year, it explains how to grow apples to bake in apple-raisin-nut cake at Rosh Hashanah, potatoes for latkes at Hanukkah, and ways to maximize use of your zucchini crop with zucchini nut bread at Purim. The Jewish Gardening Cookbook provides tasty vegetarian recipes so that what you grow can be enjoyed during holiday meals, bringing our biblical past into our lives as people who have a profound relationship with the Land of Israel.
Download or read book The Book of Words written by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-04-01 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "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.”
Download or read book Jewish Ritual written by Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-04-23 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
