More recently, Kabbalah nearly disappeared—as most of its practitioners perished in the Holocaust. Now this powerful spiritual tradition, after centuries of secrecy and near-extinction, is explained clearly in this book by one of its most prominent teachers.Who are we? Where did we come from? Where are we going? How do we get there? These questions have fueled Kabbalists for nearly a millennium. Rabbi David A. Cooper is the first to bring this obscure and difficult tradition to a mainstream audience in a way that gently leads us to the heart of the subject, showing us how to transform profound teachings into a meaningful personal experience—and appreciate fully this great mystical process we know as God.

    In Biblical Literacy, Telushkin turns his attention to the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament), the most influential series of books in human history. Along with the Ten Commandments, the Bible's most famous document, no piece of legislation ever enacted has influenced human behavior as much as the biblical injunction to "Love your neighbor as yourself." No political tract has motivated human beings in so many diverse societies to fight for political freedom as the Exodus story of God's liberation of the Israelite slaves--which shows that God intends that, ultimately, people be free.The Bible's influence, however, has conveyed as much through its narratives as its laws. Its timeless and moving tales about the human condition and man's relationship to God have long shaped Jewish and Christian notions of morality, and continue to stir the conscience and imagination of believers and skeptics alike.There is a universality in biblical stories:The murder of Abel by his brother Cain is a profound tragedy of sibling jealousy and family love gone awry (see pages 11-14).Abraham',s challenge to God to save the lives of the evil people of Sodom is a fierce drama of man in confrontation with God, suggesting the human right to contend with the Almighty when it is feared He is acting unjustly (see pages 32-34).Jacob's, deception of his blind father, Isaac raises the timeless question: Do the ends justify the means when the fate of the world is at stake (see pages 46-55).Encyclopedia in scope, but dynamic and original in its observations and organization, Biblical Literacy makes available in one volume the Bible's timeless stories of love, deceit, and the human condition; its most important laws and ideas; and an annotated listing of all 613 laws of the Torah for both layman and professional, there is no other reference work or interpretation of the Bible quite like this Stunning volume.

    That singular collection worthy of comparison is its counterpart, the New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, edited by Colin Brown. This 5 volume addition to that acclaimed work, though intimidating in the achievement it embodies, is intended for serious Old Testament and exegetical study by men and women of all walks of life -- both academics and pastors, students and laypersons. Volume one contains a Guide to Old Testament Theology and Exegesis in which ten essays have been compiled to thoroughly explain proper hermeneutics and interpretation, as well as guidelines for using this source material. Volumes one through four contain the Lexicon of the Old Testament, all words found in the text ordered by Hebrew alphabetization for easy reference, and coupled with a Goodrick / Kohlenberger cross-referencing number to be used in conjunction with Strong's numbering system. The relationship of each word in different contexts and languages is also explained, including alternative words, and the particulars of their semantic domain. All this information is, of course, complete with bibliography. Volume four also begins the Topical Dictionary. Therein can be found articles on the theology of each Old Testament book individually, as well as discussion of biblical concepts, people, places, events, and literary pieces, all information that is cross-referenced to the preceding Hebraic Lexicon. Finally, volume five contains a series of indexes: Hebrew Index, Scripture Index, Subject Index, and an index of Semantic Fields. Taken as a whole, the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology andamp; Exegesis is an unparalleled accomplishment in the field of biblical hermeneutics.

    It is a commonplace to note how the landless and scattered Jewish communities have, from the time of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. until the founding of modern Israel in 1948, cleaved to the text and derived their identity from it. But the story is far more complex. The shift from the Bible to the Torah, from biblical religion to rabbinic Judaism mediated by the Sages, and the sealing of the canon together with its continuing interpretive work demanded from the community, amount to what could be called an unparalleled obsession with textuality. Halbertal gives us insights into the history of this obsession, in a philosophically sophisticated yet straightforward narrative.People of the Book offers the best introduction available to Jewish hermeneutics, a book capable of conveying the importance of the tradition to a wide audience of both academic and general readers. Halbertal provides a panoramic survey of Jewish attitudes toward Scripture, provocatively organized around problems of normative and formative authority, with an emphasis on the changing status and functions of Mishnah, Talmud, and Kabbalah. With a gift for weaving complex issues of interpretation into his own plot, he animates ancient texts by assigning them roles in his own highly persuasive narrative.

    Used together, the two books are a complete self-study course. 76 pages.

    Sacks proposes a new politics of responsibility in which all portions of society have a part to play - a politics not of interest but of involvement - and hope.

    This notable work enables the reader to meet the intellectual and spiritual challenge of learning Rashi: to appreciate Rashi's unique style and language and to comprehend the analytical logic that lies behind his brilliant interpretation.

    It advocates the acceptance of lesbians into the Jewish tradition by offering new interpretations of the Torah traditionally regarded as prohibitive of homosexuality. The book counters the millenia of Midrashim (scholarly comment on the Torah) condemning gays and lesbians, by examining the culture of biblical lawgivers and the culture of the commentators themselves.

    Rabbi Tuvia Basser extracts and clarifies many of the complex ideas found in Derech Chaim, Maharal's commentary to Avos.

    In Stalking Elijah, Kamenetz takes his wild mind on the road, seeking the counsel of spiritual teachers across the country as he searches for his own Jewish truth. Entertaining, illuminating, and deeply moving, Stalking Elijah takes us all on a remarkable journey through the new landscape of Jewish practice.

    

    Rabbi Marc Angel looks at the Jewish holidays from the perspective of a Sephardic Jew.

    Ranging from the end of the nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth, these poems explore the immigrant experience in America, assimilation and anti-Semitism, the legacy of the Holocaust and two world wars, Israel and modern Jewish life. They delve into religious matters: the Bible and ancient Jewish history, theology and mysticism, holidays and ritual. And they movingly illuminate universal concerns: relationships between parents and children, the search for love and community, the pain of death and loss, the quest for the meaning of life.Telling and Remembering offers the work of exceptional poets, including Allen Ginsberg, Louise Gluck, Anthony Hecht, John Hollander, Maxine Kumin, Stanley Kunitz, Denise Levertov, Philip Levine, Eve Merriam, Howard Nemerov, Cynthia Ozick, Grace Paley, Marge Piercy, Adrienne Rich, Muriel Rukeyser, Delmore Schwartz, and Karl Shapiro.

    In this exhaustive study of the topic, Rabbi Seth Kadish gathers and analyzes the wealth of rabbinic teachings and academic studies on the topic of "rote versus meaning" in Jewish prayer. By gathering into one volume all of the material on this important subject, he has enabled Jews who search for solutions to the problem of rote prayer to have a comprehensive resource for answers. The concept of kavvana can be explained as directing one's heart, or having conscious intent, in performing a mitzvah (sacred deed). In relation to the mitzvah of prayer, kavvana can more specifically be understood as sincerity or concentration in one's communication with God. In Judaism, praying with renewed intensity at each of the three daily prayer services is complicated by the liturgy, which is standardized. How can Jews approach each prayer service with vitality and attention, especially when the same words are uttered time after time? The author assists the reader in recognizing the vast scope of the "rote prayer" problem by illustrating that even the greatest sages have confronted in with limited success. He also reminds the reader to understand the problem, to a certain extent, as a by-product of our innate human limitations. Most importantly, by bringing together the many possible solutions found in Jewish and scholarly sources, the reader is encouraged to search for solutions that best fit his or her individual needs. Rabbi Kadish provides a lucid explanation of the rabbinic sources that he has collected and presentsthem in a format aimed at both new and advanced students of Jewish texts. Scholarly writings of Jewish philosophy and history, as well as many academic works that are not written from a Jewish perspective, are analyzed with equal clarity. The siddur (prayer book) and individual pray

    A story of the Israeli wars in the 1940s by a Christian author who was in Jerusalem at the time.

    It dispenses invaluable information that is relevant to Jewish families today, whether the family has a mixed marriage, two parents, a single parent, or adoptive parents. The book's three parts--Traditions, Holidays and Values--investigate contemporary issues in raising children and show concrete ways in which Judaism can play a practical role in enriching a family's spiritual and moral education. Each chapter includes lively, hands-on activities that you can do with your kids and simultaneously instill vital cultural and religious education. Vetted by a prestigious advisory board that is co-chaired by Nobel Prize-winner Elie Weisel, this book with help unify the family and re-establish rich traditions that have been lost over the generations.

    Its goal is to reveal the hidden nature of Existence, in particular, one’s own being.Herein are explained many meditative techniques and some of the mystical experiences they can produce.Be aware, sometimes the answer is so simple few can see it. Then, when the fog does burn away it returns so very quickly. Such is the path that takes an entire lifetime to walk.The One who put you here will guide you. Be diligent. Listen and watch carefully. You will find your way.Approximately one half of the present publication was first printed in 1997 as “The Raging Mind.”

    Certainly, the open society has its own problems, not least that of citizens in search of meaning. The Good Society has to square the circle of prosperity, civility and liberty. Social science can help us understand what needs to be done, and intellectuals have a responsibility to initiate and accompany change. All this raises questions for Europe which extend far beyond the all too narrow confines of the European Union.

    Teubal peels away millenia of patriarchal distortion to reveal the lost tradition of biblical matriarchs. In Ancient Sisterhood: The Lost Traditions of Hagar and Sarah (originally published as Hagar the Egyptian), she shows that Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, was actually lady-in-waiting to the priestess Sarah and participated in an ancient Near Eastern custom of surrogate motherhood.Ancient Sisterhood cites evidence that Hebrew women actually enjoyed the privileges and sanctity of their own religious practices. These practices, however, were gradually eroded and usurped by the establishment of patriarchal monarchies that were based on militaristic conquest and power. Teubal examines the figures of Hagar and Sarah from a feminist perspective that combines thorough scholarship with an informed and detailed understanding of the cultural and religious influences from which the mysterious biblical figure of Hagar emerged. She looks at Hagar’s important role in the genesis of Hebrew culture, her role as mother of the Islamic nations, and her power as a matriarch as opposed to her apparent status as a concubine.Teubal posits two distinct sources for the Hagar episodes: Hagar as companion to Sarah and an unknown woman whom she refers to as the desert matriarch. She explores whether Hagar was a slave to Abraham or Sarah, the differences between Hagar and the desert matriarch, and the obscurantism of these important elements in biblical texts. Teubal sheds considerable light on two central figures of these world religions and “the disassociation of woman from her own female religious experience.”

    Maintaining that Jews, women, and Jewish women are not necessarily secure within this construction of the state, Laura Levitt links this contractual construction of belonging and acceptance to legacies of marriage as a contractual home for Jewish women.Exploring the immigration of Jews from Eastern Europe for America, as well as their desire to make this country their permanent home, Levitt raises questions about the search for stability in specific Jewish religious and cultural traditions which is linked to the liberal academy as well as feminist study, thus offering an account of an ambivalent Jewish feminist embrace of America as home.

    This unique three-volume collaboration brings together women writers, rabbis and scholars to create the first comprehensive work on Jewish lifecycle that fully includes women's perspectives.Lifecycles, V. 2 explores the impact that biblical texts have on our lives and the impact our lives have on those texts. It delves into the human themes found both in the first five books of the Bible, and in women s lives today, themes of:Genesis Our roots and beginnings, family and homeExodus Transformations to freedom, holiness and TorahLeviticus Food and sacrifice, health and the body, sexuality, the power of wordsNumbers Creating community in times of transitionDeuteronomy Leadership, law and revisioning the futureWith a rich diversity of voices, the contributors show us how to understand the power of biblical texts, and then how to use those texts to find our own connections of self, spirit and community.Introductions by Orenstein and Litman offer a broader context for the concepts explored in each section, and an afterword provides further advice on "Engaging with Torah," including a section on how to create a midrash. In a personal, insightful and creative style, Lifecycles, V. 2 opens opportunities for us to grow from the intersection of the texts of our heritage and the lessons of our lives.Contributors: Martha Ackelsberg Penina V. Adelman Rachel Adler Arlene Agus Meg Akabas Rebecca T. Alpert Amy Bardack Barbara Eve Breitman Esther Cameron Nina Beth Cardin Amy Eilberg Dianne O. Esses Ruth S. Fagen Emily Feigenson Merle Feld Miriam Flock Debbie Friedman Judith Glass Debra Orenstein Jane Rachel Litman Zilla Jane Goodman Barbara D. Holender Vicki Hollander Margaret Holub Beth Huppin Shirley Idelson Francine Klagsbrun Gail Labovitz Ellen LeVee Rose L. Levinson Jane Rachel Litman Leah Bat Luria Jody Elizabeth Myers Michelle Nordon Vanessa L. Ochs Debra Orenstein Alicia Ostriker Judith Plaskow Ora Horn Prouser Einat Ramon Rosie Rosenzweig Susan Schnur Drorah O Donnell Setel Alice Shalvi Gloria Steinem Ellen M. Umansky Sheila Peltz Weinberg Florence Weinberger Shohama Harris Wiener Elizabeth Weiss Stern Elana Zaiman Leora R. Zeitlin"

    Leading scholars reflect on the 1492 expulsions of the Jews from Spain.