God Was in This Place & I, I Did Not Know―25th Anniversary Ed: Finding Self, Spirituality and Ultimate Meaning
"A profound exploration of the necessity of paying attention to God's presence."
—Library Journal
In a daring blend of scholarship and imagination, psychology and history, Lawrence Kushner gathers an inspiring range of interpretations of Genesis 28:16 given by sages, from Shmuel bar Nachmani in third-century Palestine to Hannah Rachel Werbermacher of Ludomir who lived in Poland two hundred years ago. Through a fascinating new literary genre and Kushner’s creative reconstruction of the teachers’ lives and times, we enter the study halls and sit at the feet of these spiritual masters to learn what each discovered about God’s Self and ourselves as they ascend and descend Jacob’s ladder.
In this illuminating journey—celebrated in this special 25th anniversary edition with a new preface by the author—our spiritual guides ask and answer the fundamental questions of human experience: Who am I? Who is God? What is God’s role in history? What is the nature of evil? How should I relate to God and other people? Could the universe really have a self?
Book details
- Author
- Lawrence Kushner
- Imprint
- Jewish Lights, an imprint of Turner Publishing Company
- Published
- Formats
- Paperback, Hardcover
- Subjects
- Religion › Judaism
Religion › Judaism › Kabbalah & Mysticism - Topics
- Jewish spirituality · Kabbalah · biblical interpretation · self-discovery · mysticism · Jewish sages · Genesis · Jacob's ladder
- ISBN-13
- 9781580238519 (Paperback)9781683360902 (Hardcover)
About the author
LAWRENCE KUSHNER is an American Reform rabbi, educator, and lecturer specializing in Jewish mysticism and spirituality who has authored or co-authored more than 18 books. His recent books include Kabbalah: A Love Story, Because Nothing Looks Like God and Honey from the Rock.
Kushner was ordained as a rabbi by Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in 1969 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Cincinnati. He holds the position of Emanu-El Scholar at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco and serves as an adjunct faculty member at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion.
When he’s not writing, Kushner has served as a commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered. His books, published primarily by Jewish Lights Publishing, reflect his lifelong focus on Jewish mysticism and spirituality.
Lawrence lives in San Francisco.
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