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Insights, Ideas and Activities for exploring the lessons and wisdom of Jewish folktales.A step-by-step guide to creative use of The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey in the classroom. Each lesson includes:A clear summary of the story-its origins and what it can teach usA series of thought-provoking questionsAn engaging activity relating to the story's theme or the art of storytellingThis comprehensive teaching tool will help you guide students toward understanding the timeless lessons of traditional Jewish folktales and their relevance to our lives today.

The essential reference for rabbis, cantors and laypeople called to spiritually accompany those encountering joy, sorrow and change. This groundbreaking volume offers guidance from both Jewish tradition and the classical foundations of pastoral care.

Imaginatively invites children of all faiths and backgrounds to encounter God openly in their lives-and helps the adults who love them to be a part of those encounters and to nurture and encourage children as they make meaning of their world.

Lawrence Kushner, author, lecturer and spiritual leader, is regarded as one of the most creative religious thinkers and writers in America. A commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, he has focused us on spiritual renewal with wisdom and humor. Through his books and lectures, people of every faith and background have found inspiration and new strength for spiritual search and growth. It has been said that some spiritual leaders blend religion and psychology to help us walk better on the ground, but Lawrence Kushner draws on the wisdom of the mystics to help us dance better on the ceiling.Kushner's acclaimed books include I'm God; You're Not: Observations on Organized Religion & Other Disguises of the Ego; Honey from the Rock: An Easy Introduction to Jewish Mysticism; Invisible Lines of Connection: Sacred Stories of the Ordinary; The Book of Letters: A Mystical Hebrew Alphabet; Jewish Spirituality: A Brief Introduction for Christians; and In God's Hands, an inspiring fable for children, with Gary Schmidt (all Jewish Lights).Kushner served as rabbi at Congregation Beth El in Sudbury, Massachusetts, for almost thirty years; he is currently the Emanu-El scholar at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco, and an adjunct faculty member at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He is fascinated by graphic design and computers (designing most of his Jewish Lights books). He enjoys Mozart, hanging around sailboats, and making his granddaughters giggle.

This groundbreaking book-written specifically for community rabbis and religious counselors-reflects the wisdom of seasoned professionals, who provide clear guidelines and sensible strategies for effective rabbinic counseling.

N'ilah, "the closing of the gates" is, in many ways, the most anticipated worship service in the entire Jewish calendar. Coming at the end of the 24-hour fast that characterizes Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement), it symbolizes the days of old when the gates of the ancient Temple closed at last, and with them, the last chance for prayers of atonement and reconciliation with God and with others. Nowadays, the synagogue service that replaced the Temple cult marks the occasion with heightened fervor: the only time all year when the gates of the ark that houses the Torah scroll remain open throughout the service; telltale melodies accompany the occasion; a final blast of the shofar (the ram's horn) symbolizes the end of the fast and the new beginning that follows; special prayers celebrate the human capacity to create a life that matters beyond our own mortality -- and the presence of God who "reaches out a hand" to invite us into the new Jewish year that N'ilah's final shofar blast inaugurates.All of this is the topic for volume eight in "Prayers of Awe," the series devoted to exploring the depth of the Jewish High Holy Days. As with prior volumes, this one too comes with introductory essays on the history, theology, and deeper meaning behind the prayer experience. It then assembles some 40 short and accessible essays designed to unlock the mystery and depth of the occasion. Authors come from all walks of life - clergy and laypeople, scholars and artists, men and women across the generations - and from seven countries (Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Israel, the UK and USA).What music appreciation is to classical music, this series on prayer is to Jewish worship. This volume, in particular, explores Judaism's timeless message of divine purpose and the ongoing search for meaning in a world of human frailty but also promise.

In these old prayerbook-like pages you will enter a world of sacred tradition and religious feeling. Weaves Talmudic commentary, Hasidic folktales and Kabbalistic mysteries around the Hebrew alphabet to reveal each letter's special personality and meaning.

This volume of the My People's Prayer Book series helps us to understand how this collection of short prayers and a call to study recognizes each new day: we awaken as individuals but quickly affirm our role in the covenant with God.

Contributors from across the spectrum of Jewish life chart the importance of the Thirteen Attributes of God. They explore the kind of God Jews meet in prayer and the consequent self-reflection about the human condition that Judaism recommends on the basis of its idealized image of God as, above all, merciful and gracious.

A provocative look at the ideals that define what it means to be a Jewish man. Shows how a new generation of Jewish men can grow spiritually and strengthen the intangible bonds of family, love, duty and truth which ultimately lead to God.

This inspirational companion helps you recognize God's gifts in the everyday world. For each day of the year, an inspiring quote from a Jewish source and a reflection on it will help you find the sacred in both the celebrated and mundane moments of life.

Women rabbis are changing the face of Judaism. Here, for the first time, women's unique experiences and perspectives are applied to the entire Five Books of Moses, offering all of us a comprehensive commentary by women across all denominations.

In this challenging and inspiring look at the dynamics of religious experience and "seeing God," award-winning author and theologian Neil Gillman helps you develop and refine your own spiritual vision and discern the presence of God in unanticipated ways.

With a journalist's ear and a seeker's heart, Paula Amann shows how secular and nominal Jews are blazing their own trails toward a vibrant Judaism. A tapestry of human stories-of alienation, connection, spiritual detours and unexpected portals into faith.

Inspiring essays on Israel from a cross-section of influential American Jews, covering the entire denominational spectrum of Jewish life in America today. Will encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to think about what Israel means to them.

Examines Jewish dedication to causes of equality, human rights and peace, showing how the idea of justice shapes Jewish attitudes even as the community wrestles with its instincts for self-preservation and its desire to serve as a "light to the nations."

Synagogues can re-emerge as a center of sacred creativity, spirituality and ethics. A challenge rather than a manual, this honest and compelling analysis of synagogues provides an entirely new set of concepts to facilitate transformative conversation.

Charts a path to a spiritually rich Judaism, explaining traditional rituals and offering new ones for modern life. Encourages daily spiritual awareness as we seek the two fundamental goals of Judaism: to become better humans and to be in God's presence.

Explores the relationship Jews have with the natural world and the ways in which Judaism contributes to contemporary social and environmental issues. Shows where Judaism is part of the problem and how it can be part of the solution.

This volume of the My People's Prayer Book series underscores the mystery of the twilight moments and the opportunity for insight that they bring.

Access Judaism's spiritual pathways and principles and be empowered to test their value within your life. With step-by-step guides to Jewish practices and examples of how they might unfold inside your life, shows how the traditions can refuel your spirit.

This collection of entertaining and insightful stories presents the wisdom of Rebbe Nachman, illuminated by commentary drawn from the works of his. Experience the rich heritage of Torah and Kabbalah that underlies each word of his inspirational teachings.

Helps people find core spiritual values in American Jewry's most misunderstood ceremony-bar and bat mitzvah. In a joining of explanation, instruction and inspiration, Rabbi Salkin helps both parent and child truly be there when the moment of Sinai is recreated in their lives.

out of print

Kabbalah is primarily a path of action, one that enables us to transform the world. This accessible, intelligent guide gives you the vocabulary and the tools to begin to understand the intricate world of this long-standing mystical tradition.