Creating an Ethical Jewish Life: A Practical Introduction to Classic Teachings on How to Be a Jew
A handbook of Jewish ethical values and literature. Life as an art form—an invitation to Jewish ethical living.
“It is the human task to complete God’s unfinished artistic masterpiece—the human person.”
—from the Introduction
The classic texts of Jewish ethical literature—works little-known to most of us—are now readily available for personal study. This one-of-a-kind book brings the genre of Jewish ethical literature from its origins in the ancient and medieval worlds, straight into our 21st-century lives.
An invitation into a history rich with wisdom and guidance, Creating an Ethical Jewish Life offers traditional texts, clear explanations, and ways for us to use them in our lives. Rabbis Sherwin and Cohen highlight a wide variety of classic texts, including the Zohar, The Holy Letter, The Path of the Upright by Moshe Hayyim Luzzatto, Duties of the Heart by Bahya ibn Pakudah, and Nachmanides’ Commentary on the Torah. These timeless texts are combined with the authors’ insightful commentary to address the ultimate human moral issue, the most intimate personal question: How can I best live the life God has entrusted into my care?
With expertise and passion, Sherwin and Cohen show us how these unusual texts not only inform—but can transform our lives.
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Book details
- Author
- Byron Sherwin, Seymour Cohen
- Imprint
- Jewish Lights, an imprint of Turner Publishing Company
- Published
- Formats
- Paperback, Hardcover
- Subjects
- Religion › Judaism
- Topics
- Jewish ethics · Jewish spirituality · Jewish theology · ethical living · classic Jewish texts · Jewish values · Judaism
- ISBN-13
- 9781580231145 (Paperback)9781683360162 (Hardcover)
About the author
BYRON L. SHERWIN was Distinguished Service Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Mysticism and Director of Doctoral Programs at Chicago’s Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, and the author or editor of more than 28 books and 150 articles and monographs. His books include Jewish Ethics for the 21st Century and In Partnership with God: Contemporary Jewish Law and Ethics.
In 1995, Sherwin received the Officer’s Order of Merit from Polish President Lech Wałęsa. In 1996, he received honorary doctorates from both the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Spertus Institute.
Sherwin was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he studied under Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, and held his position at the Spertus Institute from 1970 until his death. He died at age 69 in Chicago.