The Jewish Lights Spirituality Handbook

Description

What is “Jewish Spirituality”? How do I make it part of my life?
Today’s foremost spiritual leaders share their ideas and experience.

Whether you are just curious, intently searching for greater personal meaning, or actively seeking ideas, information, practices and inspiration to enrich your spiritual life, The Jewish Lights Spirituality Handbook is the ideal companion for your journey as it explores:

• Awakening the Possibilities: What Is Jewish Spirituality?
• The Worlds of Your Life: Where Is Spirituality Found?
• The Times and Seasons of Your Life: When Does Spirituality Enter?
• Swords and Plowshares: How to Forge the Tools that Will Make It Happen
• So What Do You Do With It? Why Spirituality Should Be Part of Your Life

Fifty of our foremost spiritual leaders invite you to explore every aspect of Jewish spirituality—God, community, prayer, liturgy, healing, meditation, mysticism, study, Jewish traditions, rituals, blessings, life passages, special days, the everyday, repairing the world, and more—offering, in one place, everything you need to discover allthe directions that Jewish spirituality can go and can take you.

,b>The royalties from The Jewish Lights Spirituality Handbook are donated by the contributors and publisher to America’s Jewish seminaries.

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Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Jewish holiday
• Judaism
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 01 novembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781580236935
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

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Contributors

Isa Aron
Miriam Carey Berkowitz
Ellen Bernstein
Sylvia Boorstein
Eugene B. Borowitz
Anne Brener
Norman J. Cohen
David A. Cooper
Avram Davis
Wayne Dosick
Edward Feld
Nancy Flam
Tamar Frankiel
Nan Fink Gefen
Neil Gillman
Elyse Goldstein
Arthur Green
Judy Greenfeld
David Hartman
Mark Hass
Lee Meyerhoff Hendler
Lawrence A. Hoffman
Karyn D. Kedar
Lawrence Kushner
Jane Rachel Litman
Stuart M. Matlins
Daniel C. Matt
Levi Meier
James L. Mirel
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
Kerry M. Olitzky
Jonathan Omer-Man
Debra Orenstein
Daniel F. Polish
Jack Riemer
Debra Judith Robbins
Jeffrey K. Salkin
Sandy Eisenberg Sasso
Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi
Dannel I. Schwartz
Sharon L. Sobel
Rifat Sonsino
Elie Kaplan Spitz
Nathaniel Stampfer
Ira F. Stone
Leora Tanenbaum
Arthur Waskow
Karen Bonnell Werth
Ron Wolfson
David Zeller
Sheldon Zimmerman
For the authors and readers of Jewish Lights books who have brought us to this place.

Yose ben Yoezer said, Let your house be a meeting place for the wise; sit humbly at their feet; and, with thirst, drink in their words.
Joshua ben Perachyah said, Get yourself a teacher, find someone to study with, and judge everyone favorably. -Pirke Avot
Contents
On the Spiritual Journey REBBE NACHMAN OF BRESLOV
Introduction
Part I A WAKENING THE P OSSIBILITIES : W HAT I S J EWISH S PIRITUALITY ?
Ru aniyyut ARTHUR GREEN
Neshamah ARTHUR GREEN
Self LAWRENCE KUSHNER
Jewish Definitions of Spirituality RIFAT SONSINO
The State of the Faith WAYNE DOSICK
The Personal God-and Beyond DANIEL C. MATT
God IRA F. STONE
Va-era : The Many Names of God KARYN D. KEDAR
Breathing LAWRENCE KUSHNER
Y-H-W-H ARTHUR GREEN
Adonai ARTHUR GREEN
Elohim ARTHUR GREEN
God-Language ELYSE GOLDSTEIN
Part II T HE W ORLDS OF Y OUR L IFE : W HERE I S S PIRITUALITY F OUND ?
God Within WAYNE DOSICK
Seeing the Invisible NEIL GILLMAN
Federal Express LAWRENCE KUSHNER
I [Am the One] EUGENE B. BOROWITZ
Nitzavim : Women and the Covenant MIRIAM CAREY BERKOWITZ
Two Universes LAWRENCE KUSHNER
The Spice of Desire DANIEL C. MATT
The Meaning of Illness and Healing in Jewish Tradition KERRY M. OLITZKY
A Splendid Way to Live DAVID ZELLER
Midnight: Mysticism, Sexuality, and Creation JAMES L. MIREL AND KAREN BONNELL WERTH
Jewish Mysticism Reconsidered LAWRENCE KUSHNER
Be Mystical. Be Happy. DANNEL I. SCHWARTZ WITH MARK HASS
A Note on the History of Kabbalah TAMAR FRANKIEL
Is Kabbalah Only for Jews? TAMAR FRANKIEL
How Wilderness Forms a Jew ELLEN BERNSTEIN
Study: Our Relationship with Community JAMES L. MIREL AND KAREN BONNELL WERTH
Community KARYN D. KEDAR
On the Fringes ARTHUR WASKOW
Terumah : Community as Sacred Space SHARON L. SOBEL
Living in This Life IRA F. STONE
Creating Sanctuary KARYN D. KEDAR
The Community of a Congregation: The Congregation as Community ISA ARON
Part III T HE T IMES AND S EASONS OF Y OUR L IFE : W HEN D OES S PIRITUALITY E NTER ?
Time and Eternity IRA F. STONE
How the Jewish Calendar Works KERRY M. OLITZKY
The Sacred and the Everyday LAWRENCE A. HOFFMAN
Blessings! LAWRENCE A. HOFFMAN
The Feel of the Seasons and Becoming Deeply Human LAWRENCE A. HOFFMAN
Shabbat ARTHUR GREEN
Being LAWRENCE KUSHNER
Making Shabbes RON WOLFSON
Resting in the Moment DAVID A. COOPER
The History and Observance of Rosh Hodesh LEORA TANENBAUM
What to Say to Your Child on the Bimah SANDY EISENBERG SASSO
From Age-ing to Sage-ing ZALMAN M. SCHACHTER-SHALOMI
Part IV S WORDS AND P LOWSHARES : H OW TO F ORGE THE T OOLS T HAT W ILL M AKE I T H APPEN
Torah ARTHUR GREEN
The Study of Torah NORMAN J. COHEN
The Importance of Torah Study NORMAN J. COHEN
The Joy of Study DAVID HARTMAN
Midrash: Sacred Stories NORMAN J. COHEN
How to Create a Contemporary Midrash DEBRA ORENSTEIN AND JANE RACHEL LITMAN
The Power of Psalms DANIEL F. POLISH
What Is a Congregation of Learners? ISA ARON
Hebrew Is the Jewish Language WAYNE DOSICK
History Today EDWARD FELD
Spiritual Yearning and Prayer ANNE BRENER
Yearning for God NANCY FLAM
All the World Is a Place for Prayer LAWRENCE A. HOFFMAN
Script LAWRENCE KUSHNER
Introduction to the Liturgy: What to Look for in the Service LAWRENCE A. HOFFMAN
Silent Prayer, Breathing Prayer DANIEL C. MATT
Recovering the Sweetness of Sleep TAMAR FRANKIEL AND JUDY GREENFELD
A Prayer for Prayer SHELDON ZIMMERMAN
Hitbodedut ARTHUR GREEN
What Is Jewish Meditation? NAN FINK GEFEN
The Practice of Jewish Meditation NAN FINK GEFEN
Why Meditate? DANIEL C. MATT
The Roots and Fruits of Meditation DAVID A. COOPER
Noble Boredom: How to View Meditation JONATHAN OMER-MAN
On Mindfulness SYLVIA BOORSTEIN
Best Practices: A Distillation of Techniques and Outlook AVRAM DAVIS
Part V S O W HAT D O Y OU D O WITH I T ? W HY S PIRITUALITY S HOULD B E P ART OF Y OUR L IFE
Tikkun Olam ARTHUR GREEN
Partners in Redemption NEIL GILLMAN
Choices LEVI MEIER
Confronting Our Borders: Spirituality and Life Are One AVRAM DAVIS
Managing and Leading WAYNE DOSICK
Smuggling Religion into Work JEFFREY K. SALKIN
Spirituality, Schmerituality: Getting There through Deeds LEE MEYERHOFF HENDLER
Writing an Ethical Will JACK RIEMER AND NATHANIEL STAMPFER
Field of Dreams LAWRENCE KUSHNER
Miketz : In Search of Dreamers DEBRA JUDITH ROBBINS
Malachey Elyon : Messengers of the Most High LAWRENCE KUSHNER
Live Now Gratefully and Responsibly ELIE KAPLAN SPITZ
Yourself LAWRENCE KUSHNER
On the Spiritual Journey REBBE NACHMAN OF BRESLOV
Notes
About the Contributors
Index of Contributors

About the Editor
Copyright
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On the Spiritual Journey
Rebbe Nachman said that, often, even just his daily religious obligations felt like a crushing burden. But the Rebbe found a way to bear the weight of his devotions by each morning saying to himself, I will ignore tomorrow and all future tomorrows-today is all there is!
The Rebbe understood that what wears us down most on our spiritual journey is the feeling that there is too much to accomplish. Instead, he advised focusing only on the task at hand. By doing so, we can overcome even the most daunting obstacles.

Spiritual awakening begins with inspiration coming from Without. Then, once you are already on the road, the real work begins. Keep at it and inspiration will come from within.
-from The Empty Chair: Finding Hope and Joy-Timeless Wisdom from a Hasidic Master, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov Adapted by Moshe Mykoff and the Breslov Research Institute
Introduction
STUART M. MATLINS
Why are you reading this? Is it just a random event that has caused you to pick up this book, or is it part of a larger plan? Is it just a way to pass some time, or will it affect your life? Are you just mildly curious, or are you intently searching for greater personal meaning on your life s journey? Do you yearn for a sense of a closer personal relationship with God? Whatever your reason, this handbook offers a way to enter the world of Jewish spirituality.
Personally, I believe there are too many places I have been taken on my own Jewish journey for it all to be merely coincidence. In those places-from Jerusalem to Los Angeles, from Toronto to Rio de Janeiro, and lots of stops in between-I have been fortunate enough to meet and learn from some of the great spiritual teachers in the Jewish world today: rabbis, cantors, educators from all movements. A significant part of their teaching has become the books published by Jewish Lights. The purpose of this book is to share their wisdom with you.
The central question to address as a Jew, Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman told me twenty years ago, is What does God want you to do with your life? It has not been fashionable for very long for people like me to admit openly that they are on a spiritual search, particularly not in the Jewish world. For me-totally career involved-religion had its separate place, within limits of time and style. Coming from a very traditional Orthodox background, and attending Orthodox yeshiva as a child, did not provide me with a religious life model with which I was comfortable as an adult.
But, at the same time, for reasons I have never understood, since childhood I have always felt a very personal connection to God. In times of personal crisis, I never felt alone. It is not something that I talked about openly or often, and still don t very much. In fact, writing this makes me feel uncomfortable, personally exposed and vulnerable. Perhaps you feel the same way as you deal with these matters in your own life. Every once in a while I would meet someone who shared similar feelings of strong spiritual connection; but, interestingly, almost all of them were Christians. Jewish people I knew didn t seem to talk about such things. We would talk tentatively about a vague sense of something beyond ourselves, of trying to integrate the seemingly incompatible worlds of religion, social and work life, of trying to figure it out. But I was groping in the dark. While secularly well educated, I had no understanding of the rich Jewish resources-ancient and modern-available to me, waiting for me to engage them,