Choosing Hope
The Heritage of Judaism
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
2023 Reference Book of the Year from the Academy of Parish Clergy
Throughout our history, Jews have traditionally responded to our trials with hope, psychologist David Arnow says, because we have had ready access to Judaism’s abundant reservoir of hope.
The first book to plumb the depths of this reservoir, Choosing Hope journeys from biblical times to our day to explore nine fundamental sources of hope in Judaism:
• Teshuvah—the method to fulfill our hope to become better human beings
• Tikkun Olam—the hope that we can repair the world by working together
• Abraham and Sarah—models of persisting in hope amid trials
• Exodus—the archetype of redemptive hope
• Covenant—the hope for a durable relationship with the One of Being
• Job—the “hard-fought hope” that brings a grief-stricken man back to life
• World to Come—the sustaining hope that death is not the end
• Israel—high hope activists work to build a just and inclusive society for all Israelis
• Jewish Humor—“hope’s last weapon” in our darkest days
Grounded in a contemporary theology that situates the responsibility for creating a better world in human hands, with God acting through us, Choosing Hope can help us both affirm hope in times of trial and transmit our deepest hopes to the next generation.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Former clinical psychologist Arnow (My People's Passover Haggadah) unearths the hopefulness baked into Judaism in this stimulating if esoteric work. He outlines nine "sources of hope" in Judaism, including the biblical stories of Job and Exodus, the rabbinical concepts of teshuvah (repentance) and tikkun olam (repairing the world), and cultural tendencies such as "Jewish humor."Arnow finds in teshuvah an enduring promise that humans "truly can change for the better," and in tikkun olam the motivation to act on hope to create a better future. Humor, according to Arnow, fosters solidarity within Jewish communities and "fortifies the social bonds that support hope." The author is at his best when raising alternative ways of looking at familiar stories, such as when he recasts the tragedies of the Book of Job as a lesson on choosing hope over despair. Arnow does an admirable job of explaining most of his material, but frequent arcane references to Talmudic discussions might frustrate novices. Additionally, the section on Israel gets lost in the weeds tackling too many ideas that stray from the author's core arguments. Beginners may feel lost, but Arnow's unique perspectives on Judaism will enlighten those with a background in Jewish tradition and thought.
