A Prayer book for our times, it speaks to today's Jew, relating the thoughts and words of our heritage to the mind and heart of modern, sophisticated Jews.

    This is the inspiring story of the life and impact of R' Yaakov Yosef Herman, a Torah pioneer in America, told by his loving daughter. This powerful book will enchant and uplift, and will take the reader back in time to glimpse a portrait of the great personalities of yesteryear.

    But at its very beginning it tells us that even this part of Jewish life came from Sinai. All of that is part of Judaism. This volume presents a new translation and concise commentary on Avos, and contains an Overview that sheds new light on this book. By Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz

    and the U.N., traces four thousand years of Jewish experience.

    Today, a new generation of disciples is learning, as did the disciples of old, the necessity and power of prayer. We struggle with prayer, as did they. We, too, ask, "Lord, teach us to pray."Can the time-worn and perhaps overly-familiar words of the "Lord's Prayer" be more than a kind of spiritual pacifier for us today? Are there hidden in these simple words concepts that can stimulate and challenge us? Happily, the answer to both questions is yes, as the reader of this booklet by Brad Young will discover. We believe what is printed here merits the attention of Bible scholars, of clergy, and of serious lay persons.

    This is the story of a self-described "brash young man from Brooklyn" who went on to become a founding father of "serious" American music with works that include "Appalachian Spring, " "Lincoln Portrait, " the movie scores for "Of Mice and Men" and "Our Town, " and numerous orchestral and chamber works. The book charts his early years.The celebrations marking Aaron Copland's centenary will include numerous musical festivals such as the Tanglewood Festival, The New York City Opera, the American Musical Festival, The Library of Congress, and more.

    

    Essays analyze the major traditional texts of Judaism from literary, historical, philosophical, and religious points of view.

    is a brilliant work." Choice "[Sternberg] has written a very important book, both for his comprehensiveness and for the clearly-avowed faith stance from which he understands and interprets the strategies of the biblical narratives... a superb overview ... " Theological Studies " ... rated very highly indeed. It is a book to read and then reread." Modern Language Review " ... Sternberg has accomplished an enormous task, enriching our understanding of the theoretical basis of biblical narrative and giving us insight into a remarkable number of particular texts." Journal of the American Academy of Religion " ... an important book for those who seek to take the Bible seriously as a literary work because it shows, more clearly and emphatically than any book I know, that the Bible is a serious literary work - a text manifesting a highly sophisticated and successful narrative poetics." Adele Berlin, Prooftexts

    

    Jacob Needleman Professor of Philosophy, San Francisco State University Safed Spirituality: Rules of Mystical Piety, The Beginning of Wisdom translated and introduced by Lawrence Fine preface by Louis Jacobs Prepare the meal of the King. This is the meal of the Holy Ancient One, And the Impatient and the Field of holy apples. Behold, they come to share the meal with him. Isaac Luria (1534-1572) The renaissance of Jewish mystical life which took place in the Galilean city of Safed in the sixteenth century is one of the most significant and remarkable chapters in the history of Judaism. The ideas which developed there, the rich literature which was produced, the stunning array of teachers which it nurtured, established Safed as one of the great centers of Jewish creativity. So writes Professor Lawrence Fine in the foreword of this volume. Collected here are the Hanhagot of Moses Cordovero, Abraham Galante, Abraham be Eliezer ha-Levi Berukhim, Joseph Karo, and Isaac Luria, plus the mystical-ethical treatise, Reshit Hokhmah (The Beginning of Wisdom) by Elijah de Vidas. In these writings the unique blend of kabbalistic tradition and messianic enthusiasm, which is characteristic of Safed spirituality, comes alive. The importance of the Safed tradition for today is perhaps best summed up by Louis Jacobs' description of the Safed mystics as mighty God seekers; at times perhaps, over-credulous and superstitious from the contemporary point of view, but daring stormers of the heavens. Their intense devotional piety, their efforts to imbue even the most mundane event with religious meaning and their insistence on the cosmic significance of all human action make their thought a relevant, stimulating source of spiritual insight for our age. +