The Book of Words: Talking Spiritual Life, Living Spiritual Talk
With creativity and poetry (and occasional heresy) Kushner dusts off thirty classical Hebrew words, shakes them free of the effects of generations of overuse, "re-translates" them and liberates their ancient holy power. The result is a contemporary spiritual guide for your personal religious life.
According to the Hebrew Bible, God made the world with words. God just spoke and the world came into being. Words therefore are not merely sounds signifying something else; they are instruments of creation, primary reality itself. They need only to be read, spoken and interpreted. And to know them is to know reality itself.
Kushner has designed the book himself, seamlessly blending graphics and content. In doing so he evokes the aesthetics of an ancient manuscript and a vision of our power to shape the future.
Each finely crafted chapter begins with a Hebrew word and Kushner’s provocative English translation. At the bottom of the page is a transliteration of the Hebrew along with its more customary English rendering. In addition to his own intriguing definition, he includes a biblical citation anchoring the word, along with a more recent text showing the word’s evolution. Finally, we are offered a personal, meditative exercise designed to enable you to “live in the word.”
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Book details
- Author
- Lawrence Kushner
- Imprint
- Jewish Lights, an imprint of Turner Publishing Company
- Published
- Formats
- Paperback, Hardcover
- Subjects
- Religion › Judaism
Religion › Spirituality - Topics
- Jewish spirituality · Hebrew language · Jewish theology · meditation · Hebrew Bible · Jewish religious life · spirituality
- ISBN-13
- 9781580230209 (Paperback)9781683363484 (Hardcover)
About the author
RABBI LAWRENCE KUSHNER is a rabbi and author whose books include I'm God; You're Not, In God’s Hands and Jewish Spirituality: A Brief Introduction for Christians.
Kushner served as rabbi at Congregation Beth El in Sudbury, Massachusetts, for almost thirty years and is the Emanu-El scholar at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion and has appeared as a commentator on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered.
When he’s not writing, Kushner designs his own books and pursues an interest in graphic design and computers. He also enjoys Mozart and spending time around sailboats.
Lawrence lives in San Francisco.