A Book of Life: Embracing Judaism as a Spiritual Practice
A book that charts a clear path to a more spiritually rich practice of Judaism―from the coauthor of the best-selling Jewish Catalog volumes.
For all the cycles of life, best-selling author Rabbi Michael Strassfeld presents traditional Jewish teachings as a guide to behavior and values. Where the tradition is replete with rituals (for example, the Sabbath), he describes them and shows how they can enrich spiritual living. Where rituals are sparse or nonexistent (for example, returning home at the end of the workday), he suggests new ones gleaned from his own study and experience.
Strassfeld also brings the principles of "insight meditation" to Jewish life, using this practice to recover and reconstruct Judaism's spiritual dimension. He describes a Judaism that encourages within us a spiritual awareness as we participate in both traditional Jewish practices and the mundane activities of daily life. By engaging with Jewish tradition in ways that recapture its original kavanah, or intention, we will, Strassfeld maintains, achieve the two fundamental goals of Judaism-to become better human beings and to be in God's presence.
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Book details
- Author
- Michael Strassfeld
- Imprint
- Jewish Lights, an imprint of Turner Publishing Company
- Published
- Formats
- Paperback
- Subjects
- Religion › Judaism
Religion › Judaism › Rituals & Practice - Topics
- Jewish rituals · Sabbath · Jewish values · meditation · Jewish life cycles · faith and daily living
- ISBN-13
- 9781580232470
About the author
RABBI MICHAEL STRASSFELD is an American rabbi, educator, and author who co-edited the best-selling three-volume Jewish Catalog series in the 1970s. His recent books include Judaism Disrupted: A Spiritual Manifesto for the 21st Century, A Night of Questions: A Passover Haggadah and A Book of Life: Embracing Judaism as a Spiritual Practice.
Strassfeld graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with honors in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and holds an M.A. from Brandeis in the same field. He received rabbinical ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1991 and served as rabbi of Congregation Ansche Chesed in Manhattan and later of the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, where he now holds the title of Rabbi Emeritus.