Download or read book Introducing My Faith and My Community written by Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-04-23 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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
Download or read book Christians Jews Faith to Faith written by Rabbi James Rudin and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2013-07-13 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In time for Pope Francis's new initiatives. We now have the potential to end two thousand years of hostility—will we succeed? New in paperback! With keen wisdom and a masterful understanding of history, Rabbi James Rudin, an acclaimed authority in the field of Jewish-Christian relations, provides the context necessary for Christians and Jews to recognize the critical challenges posed by the past—and the future—of their two religions. Spanning twenty centuries of controversy, horror and promise, Rudin's narrative examines: The sources of both conflict and commonality between the two religions The need to address and redress past wrongs The agenda required to create a shared future free of bigotry It includes proven approaches for successful interreligious dialogues, including tips on session organization, project ideas and a discussion guide to enhance Christians’ and Jews’ knowledge of each other.
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 The Death of Death written by Rabbi Neil Gillman, PhD and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-11-16 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does death end life, or is it the passage from one stage of life to another? In The Death of Death, noted theologian Neil Gillman offers readers an original and compelling argument that Judaism, a religion often thought to pay little attention to the afterlife, not only presents us with rich ideas on this subject—but delivers a deathblow to death itself. Combining astute scholarship with keen historical, theological and liturgical insights, Gillman outlines the evolution of Jewish thought about bodily resurrection and spiritual immortality. Beginning with the near-silence of the Bible on the afterlife, he traces the development of these two doctrines through Jewish history. He also describes why today, somewhat surprisingly, more contemporary Jewish scholars—including Gillman—have unabashedly reaffirmed the notion of bodily resurrection. In this innovative and personal synthesis, Gillman creates a strikingly modern statement on resurrection and immortality. The Death of Death gives new and fascinating life to an ancient debate. This new work is an intellectual and spiritual milestone for all of us interested in the meaning of life, as well as the meaning of death.
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 These are the Words written by Arthur Green and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 2012 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Judaism itself is a language, a group's way of expressing beliefs, longings, aspirations and dreams. The vocabulary of Jewish life is the framework that Jews use to hand their past down to their children. It is, also, the vocabulary that people of other faiths need to know to understand Judaism and Jewish life. In this revised edition of the ultimate Jewish primer, one of the greatest spiritual teachers of our time takes readers on a historical and spiritual journey through Judaism.
Download or read book God the What written by Carolyn Jane Bohler and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-03-31 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Challenge our common images of God by blowing the lid off conventional God-descriptors. “We do not have to let go of one sense of God to take up another. Neither do we need to go about challenging old metaphors. What is crucial is to find a metaphor—or two, or six—that creatively point toward what we believe.” —from Chapter 1 Let Carolyn Jane Bohler inspire you to consider a wide range of images of God in order to refine how you imagine God to have and use power, and how God wills and makes divine will happen—or not. By tapping into your God-given ability to re-imagine God, you will have a better understanding of your own beliefs and how you, God, and the world relate to each other. Wonderfully fresh and down to earth, Bohler uses playful images, moving stories, and solid scholarship to empower you to break free of old habits and assumptions, whatever your faith tradition. She encourages you to explore new names for God that are not only more consistent with what you believe, but will also deepen and expand your experience of God. Think about... God the Choreographer of Chaos God the Nursing Mother God the Jazz Band Leader God the Divine Blacksmith God the Divine Physical Therapist God the Team Transformer ... and more
Download or read book Blessing the Animals written by Lynn L. Caruso and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2008-09 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Make a spiritual journey through this beautiful collection of blessings, prayers and meditations about the creatures, wild and tame, that inhabit our world. These moving contributions about all types of animals?playful dogs and beloved cats, giant whales and powerful elephants, tiny insects and delicate birds?are drawn from many faith traditions, including Native American, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist.A special section also provides animal blessing ceremonies you can use to memorialize the loss of a companion animal, offer prayers for an animal suffering illness or injury or simply recognize the spiritual connection we create when we fully appreciate another member of God?s creation.
Download or read book The Handbook of Jewish Meditation Practices written by David A. Cooper and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 2000 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To nourish your spiritual self you need "rest" from your hectic life. This book shows you how to do it. "Renew the soul and your perspective of daily life will completely change. It is simply a matter of taking time, slowing down, shifting mundane consciousness into realms of higher insight and giving yourself the gift of reflection and contemplation." --from the Introduction While broad interest in Jewish meditation is a relatively new phenomenon, meditative practices have been deeply rooted in Judaism for thousands of years. Here, Rabbi David A. Cooper shows newcomers and experienced meditators alike how Jewish meditation can be an integral part of daily life, and can refresh us in our day-to-day encounters with ourselves, other people and in ritual, prayer, Torah study and our celebration of the Sabbath and other holy days.
Download or read book Freedom Journeys written by Rabbi Arthur O. Waskow and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-02-01 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How does the story of the Exodus echo in our own generation and in our own lives? "For us to hear the Oneness of God, we must grow into a place where the cosmic and the political are deeply the same truth." —from Part V The story Jews retell on Passover is about rising up against tyranny, about the triumph of the God who sides with the despised against a resplendent emperor. Exploring how this tale applies to our own time enriches the ancient account—and it expands and transforms the community for which Exodus is a collective family story. Exodus is not only the saga of the escape from slavery, but also a story of courage, celebration, rebirth and community from which people of all faith traditions have learned and can continue to learn. Calling us to relearn and rethink the Passover story, Rabbi Arthur O. Waskow and Rabbi Phyllis O. Berman share: The enduring spiritual resonance of the Hebrews' journey for our own time Social justice, ecological and feminist perspectives on the Exodus How the Passover story has been adapted and used by African American as well as Christian and Muslim communities to provide insight and inspiration. With contributions by Dr. Vincent Harding: “Exodus in African America: A Great Camp Meeting” Dr. S. Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana: “Exodus in the Qur’an: Mercy, Compassion, and Forgiveness” Ched Myers and Russell Powell: “Exodus in the Life and Death of Jesus”
Download or read book The Case for Jewish Peoplehood written by Erica Brown and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 2009 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This clarion call to the Jewish community explores the purpose, possibilities, and limitations of peoplehood as a unifying concept of community for a people struggling profoundly with Jewish identity. It defines what peoplehood is--and is not--and explores both collective and personal Jewish identity and the natue of identity construction.
Download or read book Proverbs written by and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2011 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than commonplace truisms, the Book of Proverbs is an anthology of teachings designed to help you live with a sense of self-responsibility. Its wisdom, compiled in the seventh century BCE and credited to King Solomon, transcends nationality and politics, addressing instead the individual seeking the true satisfaction and tranquility that comes from living with an honest perception of reality. In this fresh translation of an ancient "how-to," Rami Shapiro unpacks the proverbs, demonstrating how these complex poetic forms are actually straightforward instructions to live simply, without rationalizations and excuses. He shows how unlike almost anything else in the Hebrew Bible, the truths claimed in the Book of Proverbs are testable and verifiable. They force us to examine our lives and how we are living them without the benefit of psychological sophistry and New Age babble: We are either doing good or doing bad; we are either disciplined or lazy; we are either students of wisdom o
Download or read book Hearing the Call Across Traditions written by Adam Davis and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2009 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore the connections between faith, service, and social justice through the prose, verse, and sacred texts of the world's great faith traditions-Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and more. Drawing from diverse literary genres, religious and philosophical perspectives, and historical periods, these short and provocative readings cut to the heart of the many obstacles and joys that accompany lives devoted to faith and service: This rich collection will create a platform for discussing and understanding the faith-based service of others as well as inspire you to reflect on the meaning behind your own commitment to improving the world. Book jacket.
Download or read book Does the Soul Survive written by Elie Kaplan Spitz and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2012-12-14 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Near-death experiences? Past-life regression? Reincarnation? Are these sorts of things Jewish? With a blend of candor, personal questioning, and sharp-eyed scholarship, Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz relates his own observations and the firsthand accounts shared with him by others, experiences that helped propel his journey from skeptic to believer that there is life after life. From near-death experiences to reincarnation, past-life memory to the work of mediums, Rabbi Spitz explores what we are really able to know about the afterlife, and draws on Jewish texts to share that belief in these concepts—so often approached with reluctance—is in fact true to Jewish tradition. “The increasing interest and faith in survival of the soul may grow into a cultural wave that is as potentially transformative for society as the civil rights movement and feminism. A renewed faith in ‘the soul’s journeys’ will call for a reassessment of our priorities, and will enable traditional religions to renew and transform their adherents.” —from the Introduction
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 Book of Jewish Sacred Practices written by CLAL—The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2012-02-24 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover how to make virtually any moment in your day a significant part of a meaningful Jewish life. As we have discovered, and as our sages have long known, there is no experience in the life of a Jew that cannot be marked in Jewish ways.... The book you hold in your hands is the result of the kinds of rituals we have sculpted together over the years. It is not a prayer book or even a compendium of obligatory Jewish rituals. Rather, it is a source for all to use creatively. —from the Introduction Decades of experience by CLAL—The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership in connecting spirituality with daily life come together in this one comprehensive handbook. In these pages, you have access to teachings that can help to sanctify almost any moment in your day. Offering a meditation, a blessing, a profound Jewish teaching, and a ritual for more than one hundred diverse everyday events and holidays, this guide includes sacred practices for: Lighting Shabbat candles Blessing your parents Running a marathon Visiting the sick Building a sukkah Seeing natural wonders Moving into a new home Saying goodbye to a beloved pet Making a shiva call Traveling ... and much more Drawing from both traditional and contemporary sources, The Book of Jewish Sacred Practices will show you how to make more holy any moment in your daily life.
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
