Facing unprecedented internal and external pressures, Israel today is at a moment of existential crisis. Through revealing stories of significant events and of ordinary individuals—pioneers, immigrants, entrepreneurs, scientists, army generals, peaceniks, settlers, and Palestinians—Israeli journalist Ari Shavit illuminates many of the pivotal moments of the Zionist century that led Israel to where it is today. We meet the youth group leader who recognized the potential of Masada as a powerful symbol for Zionism; the young farmer who bought an orange grove from his Arab neighbor in the 1920s, and with the Jaffa orange helped to create a booming economy in Palestine; the engineer who was instrumental in developing Israel’s nuclear program; the religious Zionists who started the settler movement. Over an illustrious career that has spanned almost thirty years, Shavit has had rare access to people from across the Israeli political, economic, and social spectrum, and in this ambitious work he tells a riveting story that is both deeply human and of profound historical dimension.As it examines the complexities and contradictions of the Israeli condition, My Promised Land asks difficult but important questions: Why did Israel come to be? How did it come to be? And can Israel survive? Culminating with an analysis of the issues and threats that Israel is currently facing, both internal and external, My Promised Land uses the defining events of the past to shed new light on the present. The result is a landmark portrait of a small, vibrant country living on the edge, whose identity and presence play a crucial role in today’s global political landscape.

    Samson, the vigilante superhero of Judges, slaughters thousands of Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. David, the Machiavellian prince of Samuel and Kings, is one of the great literary figures of antiquity. A ruthless monarch, David embodies a life in full dimension as it moves from brilliant youth through vigorous prime to failing old age. Samson and David play emblematic roles in the rise and fall of ancient Israel, a nation beset by internal divisions and external threats. A scattering of contentious desert tribes joined by faith in a special covenant with God, Israel emerges through the bloody massacres of Canaanite populations recounted in Joshua and the anarchic violence of Judges. The resourceful David consolidates national power, but it is power rooted in conspiracy, and David dies bitterly isolated in his court, surrounded by enemies. His successor, Solomon, maintains national unity through his legendary wisdom, wealth, and grand public vision, but after his death Israel succumbs to internal discord and foreign conquest. Near its end, the saga of ancient Israel returns to the supernatural. In Elijah's fiery ascent to heaven many would find the harbinger of a messiah coming to save his people in their time of need.

    With deep learning and elegance, David Nirenberg shows how foundational anti-Judaism is to the history of the West. Questions of how we are Jewish and, more critically, how and why we are not have been churning within the Western imagination throughout its history. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; Christians and Muslims of every period; even the secularists of modernity have used Judaism in constructing their visions of the world. The thrust of this tradition construes Judaism as an opposition, a danger often from within, to be criticized, attacked, and eliminated. The intersections of these ideas with the world of power the Roman destruction of the Second Temple, the Spanish Inquisition, the German Holocaust are well known. The ways of thought underlying these tragedies can be found at the very foundation of Western history.

    This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to his life and work, revealing how his philosophical sensibility and outlook informed his interpretation of Jewish tradition.Moshe Halbertal vividly describes Maimonides's childhood in Muslim Spain, his family's flight to North Africa to escape persecution, and their eventual resettling in Egypt. He draws on Maimonides's letters and the testimonies of his contemporaries, both Muslims and Jews, to offer new insights into his personality and the circumstances that shaped his thinking. Halbertal then turns to Maimonides's legal and philosophical work, analyzing his three great books--Commentary on the Mishnah, the Mishneh Torah, and the Guide of the Perplexed. He discusses Maimonides's battle against all attempts to personify God, his conviction that God's presence in the world is mediated through the natural order rather than through miracles, and his locating of philosophy and science at the summit of the religious life of Torah. Halbertal examines Maimonides's philosophical positions on fundamental questions such as the nature and limits of religious language, creation and nature, prophecy, providence, the problem of evil, and the meaning of the commandments.A stunning achievement, Maimonides offers an unparalleled look at the life and thought of this important Jewish philosopher, scholar, and theologian.

    These spiritual seekers make up 20 percent of the adult American population; they are the spiritual equivalent of political independents. Refusing to limit themselves to one religion or another, these seekers without borders are open to wisdom wherever it can be found.This is a "bible" for this vast and growing social movement. It weaves sacred texts and teachings from the world's major religions--Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and more--into a coherent exploration of the five core questions at the heart of every religion's search:- Who am I? - Where did I come from? - Where am I going? - How shall I live? - Why?It couples these sacred teachings with modern commentary designed to help readers use these texts in their daily lives. It also provides the basics of spiritual mentor Eknath Easwaran's Passage Meditation to help you internalize the texts that articulate your deepest insights and values.

    THE ORTHODOX JEWISH TANAKH TORAH NEVI’IM KETUVIM BOTH TESTAMENTS The Orthodox Jewish Bible is an English language version that applies Yiddish and Hasidic cultural expressions to the Messianic Bible.

    When we genuinely care about people, we will not only welcome them; we will listen to their stories, we will share ours, and we will join together to build a Jewish community that enriches our lives."--from the IntroductionMembership in Jewish organizations is down. Day school enrollment has peaked. Federation campaigns are flat. The fastest growing and second largest category of Jews is "Just Jewish." Young Jewish adults are unengaged and aging baby boomers are disengaging. Yet, in the era of Facebook, people crave face-to-face community."It's all about relationships." With this simple, but profound idea, noted educator and community revitalization pioneer Dr. Ron Wolfson presents practical strategies and case studies to transform the old model of Jewish institutions into relational communities. He sets out twelve principles of relational engagement to guide Jewish lay leaders, professionals and community members in transforming institutions into inspiring communities whose value-proposition is to engage people and connect them to Judaism and community in meaningful and lasting ways.

    Contained within these exchanges are profound life-lessons in relationships, parenting, leadership, faith, and personal well-being. This book of wisdom has the power to enrich your life and help effect personal growth and meaningful living.

    Instead of emphasizing the differences between the two religions, this groundbreaking text explains how the concepts of vicarious atonement, mediation, incarnation, and Trinity are actually rooted in classical Judaism. Using the cutting edge of scholarly research, Rabbi Zaslow dispels the myths of disparity between Christianity and Judaism without diluting the unique features of each faith. Jesus: First Century Rabbi is a breath of fresh air for Christians and Jews who want to strengthen and deepen their own faith traditions.

    If you don't want to be a divorce statistic and are ready for a long-lasting relationship, this book's for you. In today's divorce culture, too many people have stopped trusting their ability to build a loving and lasting marriage. Now renowned relationship coach and counselor Chana Levitan reveals the 10 essential questions everyone should ask before saying "I do." Readers will learn how to: spot long-term potential; know the difference between infatuation and love-how they work against each other and yet how they can work together; reevaluate their approach to love and what they really need to succeed in building a loving marriage; gain the confidence to steer through the decision making process of dating; and more. Filled with real-life anecdotes and insightful advice, I ONLY WANT TO GET MARRIED ONCE helps readers get it right the first time.

    But they’re not. In Dateline Jerusalem,CBN News correspondent Chris Mitchell connects the dots and unveils Jerusalemas the epicenter and crossroads of the spiritual, political, and, yes,supernatural worlds.For thousands of years, Jerusalem’s powerfuldraw has always transcended simple economics, military strategy, and religiousaffiliation.In our own time, as the Arab Spring threatensto become an Islamic Winter, one commentator warns: “The Arab Spring doesn’tlead to democracy, it leads to Jerusalem.” Indeed, the fragile peace of Israelis in new peril as violent Islamic factions vie for control of surrounding nations.Yet Muslims are converting to Christianity in record numbers. DatelineJerusalem untangles and chronicles all this through the riveting narrativeof a Christian reporter in the upheaval of the modern Fertile Crescent.We live in a world where we cannotafford to be ill informed. What happens in the strategic Middle East, Israel,and Jerusalem is critical. It matters to you. Today’s news might focus onWashington, New York, London, or Moscow, but history’s final chapter will bewritten in Jerusalem. Chris Mitchell ’s firsthandexperiences and reporting uniquely qualify him to expound on and explain themajor trends and developments sweeping the Middle East and affecting the world.Mitchell has served as the bureau chief for CBN News since August 2000.

    This encyclopedic volume will surprise and challenge you with the compelling words of Jewish sages and rabbis over the last 2,000 years, many in English for the first time.

    Beloved by audiences the world over, performed from rural high schools to grand state theaters, Fiddler is a supremely potent cultural landmark.In a history as captivating as its subject, award-winning drama critic Alisa Solomon traces how and why the story of Tevye the milkman, the creation of the great Yiddish writer Sholem-Aleichem, was reborn as blockbuster entertainment and a cultural touchstone, not only for Jews and not only in America. It is a story of the theater, following Tevye from his humble appearance on the New York Yiddish stage, through his adoption by leftist dramatists as a symbol of oppression, to his Broadway debut in one of the last big book musicals, and his ultimate destination—a major Hollywood picture.Solomon reveals how the show spoke to the deepest conflicts and desires of its time: the fraying of tradition, generational tension, the loss of roots. Audiences everywhere found in Fiddler immediate resonance and a usable past, whether in Warsaw, where it unlocked the taboo subject of Jewish history, or in Tokyo, where the producer asked how Americans could understand a story that is "so Japanese."Rich, entertaining, and original, Wonder of Wonders reveals the surprising and enduring legacy of a show about tradition that itself became a tradition.Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles.

    He has been hailed as a hero, honored as a visionary, and endlessly quoted as a devotional writer. In this sympathetic, yet critical, examination, Shai Held elicits the overarching themes and unity of Heschel's incisive and insightful thought. Focusing on the idea of transcendence--or the movement from self-centeredness to God-centeredness--Held puts Heschel into dialogue with contemporary Jewish thinkers, Christian theologians, devotional writers, and philosophers of religion.

    This book brings to life an irresistible blend of healing stories, fascinating history, and a fair-minded perspective on Israel-Palestine, inviting us to use privilege to shift power and midwife justice. Includes action-oriented Reader's Guide, for groups or individuals.

    In I Kings: Torn in Two, master educator Alex Israel uncovers the messages hidden between the lines of the biblical text and draws rich and indelible portraits of its great personalities. Revealing a narrative of political upheaval, empire building, religious and cultural struggle, national fracture, war and peace, I Kings: Torn in Two depicts the titanic clashes between king and prophet and the underlying conflicts that can split apart a society. Using traditional commentaries and modern literary techniques, the author offers a dynamic dialogue between the biblical text and its interpretations. The result is a compelling work of contemporary biblical scholarship that addresses the central themes of the Book of Kings in a wider historical, political and religious perspective.

    miracles that sound magical; a good God vs. the tragedies that strike all living creatures; a God who knows the future absolutely vs. an open future that you help to shape through your choices.This fascinating introduction to Process Theology from a Jewish perspective shows that these are false choices. Inspiring speaker, spiritual leader and philosopher Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson presents an overview of what Process Theology is and what it can mean for your spiritual life. He explains how Process Theology can break you free from the strictures of ancient Greek and medieval European philosophy, allowing you to see all creation not as this or that, us or them, but as related patterns of energy through which we connect to everything. Armed with Process insights and tools, you can break free from outdated religious dichotomies and affirm that your religiosity, your spirit, your mind and your ethics all strengthen and refine each other.

    It was called, The First Step: A Primer of a Jew's Spiritual Life, and was printed in a simple stapled booklet edition which he mailed out to friends and students. But it was not long before this humble booklet had reached readers as diverse as President Zalman Shazar of Israel and the famous author of The Seven Storey Mountain, Father Thomas Merton. In 1965, it was included as a chapter in the widely influential Jewish Catalog, and read by thousands of young Jews in the late 60s and early 70s looking for an authentically Jewish approach to meditation. Then, for many years, the booklet fell out of use until it was completely revised and updated in 1993, in a new booklet called, Gate to the Heart: An Evolving Process, which was again privately printed and distributed within the Jewish Renewal movement. In this expanded version, the booklet inspired a whole new generation of Jewish contemplatives looking for a manual of Jewish practice. Now, after being revised and supplemented once again, Reb Zalman's first and most personal book, the culmination of over 60 years of spiritual guidance work, is finally being published and made available to the general public. "For me, Gate to the Heart is the one essential book by Reb Zalman. Although there are others that go into more depth, and are more expansive on certain topics, none convey his authentic voice and brilliant creativity more that this one. It is the book that I want to carry with me at all times, a true vade mecum that one can consult again and again to renew one's spiritual practice." --- Netanel Miles-Yepez, co-author of A Heart Afire: Stories and Teachings of the Early Hasidic Masters

    Tevye, the wisecracking, Bible-quoting man of God, tells the story of his family’s new life against the backdrop of the conflict between Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land prior to the establishment of the State of Israel.In AFTER ANATEVKA, Tevye decides to take his wife and three youngest daughters (the three eldest remain in Russia with their husbands) to live on a kibbutz where he must adjust to a secular lifestyle and struggle with the tension between the kibbutzniks’ “religion” of labor and his Jewish beliefs. While Tevye is uncomfortable with the lack of religiosity on the kibbutz, he is gratified to be the one who can teach the laws and traditions of Judaism to the members. As the most learned man on the secular kibbutz, Tevye takes on his long desired role to be the authority on Jewish law who is sought out for answers to difficult questions of law and religion. The clash between tradition and life in Palestine manifests itself, however, in Tevye’s relationship with his daughters, who become assimilated in the kibbutz culture. For example, Tevye is thrilled to learn that one daughter wants to marry the son of a wealthy Jew from the city, but is dismayed when he discovers the young man is a socialist who is estranged from his family. A second daughter, Devorah, works in the kibbutz infirmary and falls in love with an injured fighter from the Jewish underground. When the injured fighter is arrested, Devorah goes to take his place. To Tevye's chagrin, she eschews a traditional female role and becomes a soldier who eventually assists with the illegal immigration of Jews to Palestine. Through her efforts to save Jews, Tevye learns the full horror of the Holocaust.For Tevye's wife, Golde, the most important thing in life is keeping her family together. Golde secretly stays in touch with her daughters Hodel and Tzeitel in Russia, and Chava, who married out of the faith, and moves to the United States. Tevye has disowned Chava and, despite Golde's pleas, refuses to utter her name. Despite the time and distance apart, Golde dreams that the family will someday be reunited.AFTER ANATEVKA is set against the backdrop of the Zionist conflict with the Arabs. Tevye develops a relationship with a Bedouin sheikh, who explains why the Arab claim to Palestine is as valid as that of the Jews, which convinces Tevye war is inevitable. Before fighting for survival in Palestine, however, the Zionists must first win the political battle at the United Nations where a vote will be held to determine whether Palestine should be divided into a Jewish and an Arab state.Millions of people around the world are familiar with the stories of Sholom Aleichem from the movie and play, Fiddler on the Roof, which was an amalgamation of stories about Tevye and his family. The author wrote other stories involving Tevye, however, which were not in Fiddler. AFTER ANATEVKA is inspired by one of those stories, “Tevye Goes to Palestine.”

    Plus, Jamie offers a whole chapter on the art of making challah, 10 sweet and savory recipes, holiday menus, a special Passover section.

    When the renowned modern artist Dietrich Junger is condemned by Hitler's puritanical artistic purge, his daughter Anke finds herself abandoned by the two men she loved most. One is dead; one has fled. An expert on the object of Nazi obsession, the medieval Ghent Altarpiece, Anke is threatened by those desperate to loot Europe's great treasures. She must walk a tightrope between her desire to rebel and her instinct to survive. Erik Brossler, a young Jewish art historian, is the man who fled, emigrating to America with his parents just in time. Erik is haunted by the loss of Anke and the imminent danger for Europe's priceless art. When America enters the war, Erik's new journey takes him right into the heart of the inferno, brings him to the breaking point, and returns to him the great love of his life. From historian and author Lauren Fogle Boyd comes a harrowing and heartwarming story about love, art, and humanity-in a Europe devastated by war and atrocity. "With The Altarpiece, Boyd has written a novel of impressive depth and human warmth. She has brought to life a fascinating and moving episode of history, taking the reader across continents, across time. Vivid, thought-provoking, and moving, this is an account of war, a story of love, and a tale of intrigue. The Ghent altarpiece is one of the most beloved artworks of human history, and Boyd's novel shows us how a painting can grip the soul, and how its loss and liberation can become emblematic of the trials and tribulations of war, its recovery an analogy for the triumph of humanity." Heidi Gearhart, PhD Assistant Professor of Art History Assumption College

    . . As a biography, Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution is literature in its own right; and as a historical document, it startles with revelation after revelation.”—Cynthia Ozick Rav Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935) was one of the most influential—and controversial—rabbis of the twentieth century. A visionary writer and outstanding rabbinic leader, Kook was a philosopher, mystic, poet, jurist, communal leader, and veritable saint. The first chief rabbi of Jewish Palestine and the founding theologian of religious Zionism, he struggled to understand and shape his revolutionary times. His life and writings resonate with the defining tensions of Jewish life and thought.A powerfully original thinker, Rav Kook combined strict traditionalism and an embrace of modernity, Orthodoxy and tolerance, piety and audacity, scholasticism and ecstasy, and passionate nationalism with profound universalism. Though little known in the English-speaking world, his life and teachings are essential to understanding current Israeli politics, contemporary Jewish spirituality, and modern Jewish thought. This biography, the first in English in more than half a century, offers a rich and insightful portrait of the man and his complex legacy. Yehudah Mirsky clears away widespread misunderstandings of Kook’s ideas and provides fresh insights into his personality and worldview. Mirsky demonstrates how Kook's richly erudite, dazzlingly poetic writings convey a breathtaking vision in which "the old will become new, and the new will become holy."About Jewish Lives:  Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present. In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.More praise for Jewish Lives: "Excellent." –New York Times "Exemplary." –Wall Street Journal "Distinguished." –New Yorker "Superb." –The Guardian

    Seevers paints a realistic picture of how Israel and the surrounding nations did battle, adding depthand impact to the relevant biblical accounts. Filled with illustrations, this full-color volume explores the archaeological evidenceand early writings that shed light on biblical warfare between Israel and its neighbors: Egypt, Philistia, Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. Of special interest are Seevers's treatments of the role that religion played in these ancient warfare practices.

    On each page the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) Hebrew text is laid out word-by-word above an English gloss showing the basic meaning and morphology of each word. For reference, the ESV text is presented separately in a column alongside the Hebrew and English gloss. The Hebrew-English Interlinear ESV Old Testament also features important notes from the BHS critical apparatus related to the textual tradition of the ESV. This is an important resource for pastors, scholars, students, and others who regularly work with the Hebrew Old Testament. Size: 7.625" x 9.25" 8-point type 2,032 pages Critical apparatus

    Raised in a Black-Jewish household in Providence, Rhode Island, Samuels is an award-winning poet, educator, and community organizer who has compiled a new collection of naked, poetic work shared at readings in prisons and workshops all across the US.

    It outlines the origins of Kabbalah in biblical, mythological and metaphysical terms that explain the origins of Existence according to Jewish mysticism. Kabbalistic cosmology and psychology are discussed, as are schools of the soul, true and false teachers and working methods, in order to reveal the process of evolution and its aim ‘to aid God to behold God.’ This book is a synthesis of Halevi’s works. Contains 147 figures/illustrations. Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi is the Hebrew name of Warren Kenton. He was born in 1933 into a Sefardi Jewish Levite family in England. He was educated at St Martin's School of Art and the Royal Academy, where he was taught to see beyond the obvious. This acquired awareness led him to study the esoteric and Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition. Out of this came visits to its ancient and medieval spiritual centres in Europe, North Africa and Israel. Since 1970 he has taught groups all over the world, founded the international Kabbalah Society and written fifteen books that are now in fifteen languages, including Russian, Japanese and Hebrew. He has fraternal connections with other spiritual traditions and is a Fellow of the Temenos Academy in London where he lives and works.

    Rabbi Shefa Gold, beloved teacher of chant, Jewish mysticism, prayer and spirituality, introduces you to this transformative spiritual practice as a way to unlock the power of sacred texts and take prayer and meditation into the delight of your life. She illuminates the usefulness, benefits and blessings of chant by:Teaching you the theory and foundations of chant--its relation to beauty, pleasure and the deep wisdom buried in sacred textsProviding--for the first time--complete musical notations for many of her popular chants and practical instruction for how to use them to cultivate self-awareness and love.

    It is the apostles' dream of a unified expression of faith in which Jew and Gentile worship the God of Abraham together and serve him in the redemption of the world. What can you do to contribute toward the restoration of this vision? This book may help you find the answer to that question.

    Soulful and meticulously crafted, says the Jerusalem Post Magazine, this resource offers prayers of joy, thanks and praise for people of all faiths. It has been used and endorsed by rabbis, priests and ministers. It tackles challenging topics including cancer, infertility, living with Alzheimer s disease, gun violence and alcoholism and includes a variety of memorial prayers. Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing is an essential addition to a life of prayer, including more than 150 new prayers, a prologue by Rabbi Susan Silverman and a forward by Rabbi William H. Lebeau. Many of the prayers include English, Hebrew and transliterated closings. Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing is a resource for moments of sorrow and celebration. It will deepen your spiritual voice and become a vital guide to personal prayer.

    Every day is a gift, but we often squander it by missing what matters most."--from the IntroductionEvery day we are faced with choices that entail saying no--and frankly we're not very good at it. Whether it's the desire to please, get ahead, accumulate or impress, our lives have become so full and so busy that it is hard to determine what we really need and what's really important to us.The purpose of this book is to help you regain control of the things that matter most in your life. It taps timeless Jewish wisdom that teaches how to "hold on tightly" to the things that matter most while learning to "let go lightly" of the demands, worries, activities and conflicts that do not ultimately matter. Drawing insights from ancient and modern sources, it helps you identify your core values as well as the opportunities that do not reflect those values, and that you can learn to pass up. It also shows you how to establish a disciplined practice to help you adhere to your choices.Whether it's letting go of resentment, learning to say "no" at work or to your loved ones, downsizing your diet or asking less of the earth, this book will help you distinguish between the trivial and the profound.

    It began as a sobering reflection on theJews killed by the Crusaders who destroyed Jewishcommunities in the Rhineland on their way to theHoly Land. Its signature line, Yizkor ("May Godremember"), headed up the memory books in whichJews listed the names of their dead, with the ferventhope that God would remember them. Other prayersfollowed, including El malei rachamim ("God, full ofcompassion"), a response to the Chmielnicki pogromsin 1648 Ukraine. Jews in the nineteenth centuryenlarged this original set of prayers to become thelengthy and touching service that we have today.May God Remember provides the history and theideas behind this fascinating chapter in Jewish piety.The fourth volume in the Prayers of Awe series, itassembles the collective thought of thirty contributorsfrom all denominations, and from the UnitedStates, Canada, England, France, Germany and Israel.Appendices provide the Sefardi memorial prayer calledHashkavah, and a translation and annotation of theoriginal elegy for the dead in 1648 whose loss spurredthe creation of El malei rachamim, the most famousof our memorial prayers and a staple for the funeralliturgy as well. For a complete list of contributors, seewww.jewishlights.com.

    Recasting our understanding of Soviet Jewish history, Becoming Soviet Jews demonstrates that the often violent social changes enforced by the communist project did not destroy continuities with prerevolutionary forms of Jewish life in Minsk. Using Minsk as a case study of the Sovietization of Jews in the former Pale of Settlement, Elissa Bemporad reveals the ways in which many Jews acculturated to Soviet society in the 1920s and 1930s while remaining committed to older patterns of Jewish identity, such as Yiddish culture and education, attachment to the traditions of the Jewish workers' Bund, circumcision, and kosher slaughter. This pioneering study also illuminates the reshaping of gender relations on the Jewish street and explores Jewish everyday life and identity during the years of the Great Terror.

    Not a single word was considered haphazard or inconsequential. This understanding of how Scripture mystically relates to all of life is the fertile ground from which the Midrash emerged.  Here Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso explores how Midrash originated and how it is still practiced today, and offers new translations and interpretations of twenty essential, classic midrashic texts. You will never read the Bible the same way again!

    The prevailing view is that Ottoman Jews were protected and privileged by imperial policies and in return offered their unflagging devotion to the imperial government over many centuries. In this book, Julia Phillips Cohen offers a corrective, arguing that Jewish leaders who promoted this vision were doing so in response to a series of reforms enacted by the nineteenth-century Ottoman state: the new equality they gained came with a new set of expectations. Ottoman subjects were suddenly to becomeimperial citizens, to consider their neighbors as brothers and their empire as a homeland.Becoming Ottomans is the first book to tell the story of Jewish political integration into a modern Islamic empire. It begins with the process set in motion by the imperial state reforms known as the Tanzimat, which spanned the years 1839-1876 and legally emancipated the non-Muslims of the empire.Four decades later the situation was difficult to recognize. By the close of the nineteenth century, Ottoman Muslims and Jews alike regularly referred to Jews as a model community, or millet-as a group whose leaders and members knew how to serve their state and were deeply engaged in Ottomanpolitics. The struggles of different Jewish individuals and groups to define the public face of their communities is underscored in their responses to a series of important historical events.Charting the dramatic reversal of Jews in the empire over a half-century, Becoming Ottomans offers new perspectives for understanding Jewish encounters with modernity and citizenship in a centralizing, modernizing Islamic state in an imperial, multi-faith landscape.

    Shalev argues that the effort to shape the United States as a biblical nation reflected conflicting attitudes within the culture—proudly boastful on the one hand but uncertain about its abilities and ultimate destiny on the other. With great nuance, American Zion explores for the first time the meaning and lasting effects of the idea of the United States as a new Israel and sheds new light on our understanding of the nation’s origins and culture during the founding and antebellum decades.

    Providing a glimpse into the world of these sages, their own teachers' rabbis, the authors outline the ideas and deeds, the values and ethics by which Jews should live. This is not a book about what once was: It is a book about what should, and can, be now and forever in Jewish life.

    Delving deep into Sasanian material culture and literary remains, Shai Secunda pieces together the dynamic world of late antique Iran, providing an unprecedented and accessible overview of the world that shaped the Bavli.Secunda unites the fields of Talmudic scholarship with Old Iranian studies to enable a fresh look at the heterogeneous religious and ethnic communities of pre-Islamic Iran. He analyzes the intercultural dynamics between the Jews and their Persian Zoroastrian neighbors, exploring the complex processes and modes of discourse through which these groups came into contact and considering the ways in which rabbis and Zoroastrian priests perceived one another. Placing the Bavli and examples of Middle Persian literature side by side, the Zoroastrian traces in the former and the discursive and Talmudic qualities of the latter become evident. The Iranian Talmud introduces a substantial and essential shift in the field, setting the stage for further Irano-Talmudic research.

    But is it effective? Can old messages speak to a new generation? Or is a new approach called for? LOVING THE REAL ISRAEL draws from the writings of Jewish philosophers, educational theorists, and Bible scholars to offer principles for a new liberal Zionist engagement. LOVING THE REAL ISRAEL provides guidance for educators in constructing meaningful Israel educational experiences, as well as for liberal Zionists who want to discuss Israel issues with their friends, family, and community. About the Author Alex Sinclair is director of programs in Israel Education for the Jewish Theological Seminary. He received his PhD in Jewish Education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has taught at the Hartman Institute, the Schechter Institute, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and served as director of research for MAKOM, the Israel Engagement think tank of the Jewish Agency. Advance Praise Alex Sinclair brilliantly and critically addresses ones of the central challenges facing the Jewish people today: the relationship between Israel and world Jewry. In arguing for a new Israel engagement agenda founded on the amalgamation of the principles of passion, caring and anger, Alex challenges us to redefine the foundations of the relationship and sets the ground for a possible future free from paternalism, passivity and alienation. - Rabbi Donniel Hartman, president, Shalom Hartman Institute and director of its iEngage Project An intelligent guide to teaching and communicating to Jewish audiences about Israel in a manner that is loving but frank. An important addition to the discourse on Israel education. I recommend it highly. - Dr. Donald A. Sylvan, former president of Jewish Education Service of North America Sinclair proposes a bold new agenda for Israel/Zionism education in the Diaspora, an educational vision that calls for a substantive shift in how many Israel educators think and teach. His ideas are well developed and carefully researched, though not without controversy. I encourage all those who care about Israel to read this book. - Dr. Marc N. Kramer, executive director, RAVSAK: The Jewish Community Day School Network A thought-provoking and timely book. - Tom Dine, former executive director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)

    He awakens us to the knowledge that upon arrival at our final destination all things, even the most damaged will be good.This remarkable perspective helps us to view with awe the system the Creator has given us to develop and grow, and to gain certainty in the end of the journey. How will the process work? For this information, you’ll want read the second essay, One Precept and experience for yourself the route to consciousness that Rav Ashlag so aptly charts out for us.As the handwriting of a righteous person contains spiritual energy, On World Peace includes copies of Rav Ashlag's original writings. The book is nothing less than a gift to humanity.

    Key Selling Points:Shows how the Hebrew Bible was shaped by Ancient Near East texts, addressing literary, historical, and cultural contextsOffers Hebrew Bible texts with side-by-side comparison to Ancient Near East textsIdeal for introductory courses in Hebrew Bible

    Born in adversity but purportedly nurtured by liberal ideals, Israel has never known peace, experiencing instead a state of constant war that has divided its population along the stark and seemingly unbreachable lines of dissent around the relationship between unrestricted citizenship and Jewish identity. By focusing on the perceptions and histories of Israel’s most marginalized stakeholders—Palestinian Israelis, Arab Jews, and non-Israeli Jews—Atalia Omer cuts to the heart of the Israeli-Arab conflict, demonstrating how these voices provide urgently needed resources for conflict analysis and peacebuilding. Navigating a complex set of arguments about ethnicity, boundaries, and peace, and offering a different approach to the renegotiation and reimagination of national identity and citizenship, Omer pushes the conversation beyond the bounds of the single narrative and toward a new and dynamic concept of justice—one that offers the prospect of building a lasting peace.

    Scholem’s "Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism" was published in New York in 1941; Heschel’s essay was completed four years later, albeit published in 1949. Heschel finished his essay at the age of 38. Scholem delivered the lecture behind his essay in 1938 at the age of 41. In 1944, Heschel reviewed Scholem’s book in "The Journal of Religion" and then wrote in "Al Ruach HaQodesh Bimei Beinayim," that "they still have not evaluated properly the place of mystical experience in Jewish life." In the first week of 1945, Heschel lectured at YIVO in Yiddish on "The East European Era in Jewish History" which became the basis of "The Earth Is the Lord’s", finished in 1948. His discussion of Kabbalah there, minus the quotations, is from "The Mystical Element in Judaism." Thus already in 1944 Heschel was involved in revising Scholem’s thesis as attested to by his essays on medieval religious experience and "The Mystical Element in Judaism," all composed in the 1940’s. Recent research has vindicated Heschel’s focus on the dynamics of the religious life and on the foundations of Kabbalistic thought in classical Jewish thinking. The change that Heschel initiated in assessing Kabbalah’s intellectual roots is part of a trend in recent scholarship highlighting continuities over discontinuities. The perception of discontinuities in historical research is frequently due to the lack of data. As data grows so grows the perception of continuities. In Heschel’s case, however, it was not so much the discovery of new data as the reconceptualizing of old data that made him the trendsetter in disclosing the links between the Biblical and the Rabbinic, the Rabbinic and the Kabbalistic, the Kabbalistic and the Hasidic. See also - Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition by Gershom G. Scholem (Paperback) - http://amzn.to/1c67KbP

    Rabbi Shalom Arush has not merely written another elaboration of Torah, but has taken the light of Genesis, showing us how its inner messages can illuminate our daily lives.

    

    The Zionist Bible explores the ways in which modern political Zionism and Israeli militarism have used the Bible - notably the Book of Joshua and its description of the entry of the Israelites into the Promised Land - as an agent of oppression and to support settler-colonialism in Palestine. The rise of messianic Zionism in the late 1960s saw the beginnings of a Jewish theology of zealotocracy, based on the militant land traditions of the Bible and justifying the destruction of the previous inhabitants. The Zionist Bible examines how the birth and growth of the State of Israel has been shaped by this Zionist reading of the Bible, how it has refashioned Israeli-Jewish collective memory, erased and renamed Palestinian topography, and how critical responses to this reading have challenged both Jewish and Palestinian nationalism.

     A Hebrew blessing is a powerful thing—a short, deeply meditative exercise exploring the nature of God and the dynamic relationship between God, human consciousness and the unfolding universe. Written in clear, illuminating prose, this book will guide you through the opening words of a Hebrew blessing—six words which embody the depth of Jewish spirituality—revealing how the letters and words combine to promote joy and appreciation, wonder and thankfulness, amazement and praise. Each word becomes an invitation to discover the Presence of God flowing through even the smallest actions of our lives. Examine the deeper meaning behind: Barukh • Ata • Adonay • Eloheynu • Melekh • Ha’Olam In the ancient language of the Jewish mystical tradition and the modern language of hasidism, creation theology and psychology, The Path of Blessing brings the words of the Hebrew invocation dramatically alive.

    "These poems explore subjects drawn from the Hebrew Bible and Jewish mysticism as well as contemporary Jewish American life and imagination"--

    Numerous editions of the text exist. Each describes the creation of the universe in different ways. The differences relate to the different Kabbalistic Schools that used the text. No edition contains the full knowledge of the different Schools; thus, it is necessary to study the different versions of the Sefer Yetzirah to gain a fuller understanding of the Kabbalah.

    An astounding compilation of primary source documents dealing with all aspects of Jewish daily life in the Russian empire

    The imaginary American Jewish friend to whom Halkin directs his onrush of argument is an equally committed young Jew who, however, upholds the possibility of a viable Jewish life outside of Israel. He has just returned to the United states after his second visit to Israel and written a letter of his impressions, which triggers the present correspondence. The two friends argue about Zionism, Israel, Jewish history and culture, the nature of Jewishness. As the gauntlet is flung back and forth, Halkin elaborates his case that Jewish history and Israeli history are two lines in the process of converging, so that for all practical purposes the struggle for Jewish survival and the struggle for Israel are the same; and that any Jew who chooses, in the absence of extenuating circumstances, not to live in Israel is removing himself to the peripheries of the struggle for Jewish survival and away from the center of Jewish history. Either/or...sooner or later, today or tomorrow, you will have to decide, Halkin concludes.

    Richly illustrated and beautifully produced, the book features more than 150 authoritative and accessible articles by an international team of leading experts in history, politics, literature, anthropology, and philosophy. Organized thematically and chronologically, this indispensable reference provides critical facts and balanced context for greater historical understanding and a more informed dialogue between Jews and Muslims.Part I covers the medieval period; Part II, the early modern period through the nineteenth century, in the Ottoman Empire, Africa, Asia, and Europe; Part III, the twentieth century, including the exile of Jews from the Muslim world, Jews and Muslims in Israel, and Jewish-Muslim politics; and Part IV, intersections between Jewish and Muslim origins, philosophy, scholarship, art, ritual, and beliefs. The main articles address major topics such as the Jews of Arabia at the origin of Islam; special profiles cover important individuals and places; and excerpts from primary sources provide contemporary views on historical events.Contributors include Mark R. Cohen, Alain Dieckhoff, Michael Laskier, Vera Moreen, Gordon D. Newby, Marina Rustow, Daniel Schroeter, Kirsten Schulze, Mark Tessler, John Tolan, Gilles Veinstein, and many more.Covers the history of relations between Jews and Muslims around the world from the birth of Islam to todayWritten by an international team of leading scholarsFeatures in-depth articles on social, political, and cultural historyIncludes profiles of important people (Eliyahu Capsali, Joseph Nasi, Mohammed V, Martin Buber, Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin, Edward Said, Messali Hadj, Mahmoud Darwish) and places (Jerusalem, Alexandria, Baghdad)Presents passages from essential documents of each historical period, such as the Cairo Geniza, Al-Sira, and Judeo-Persian illuminated manuscriptsRichly illustrated with more than 250 images, including maps and color photographsIncludes extensive cross-references, bibliographies, and an index

    The consequent enshrinement of texts as the sole source of authenticity is explored in depth, along with its implications for religious performance, religious education, and the scope of religion in the political arena.