Reclaiming Judaism as a Spiritual Practice
Holy Days and Shabbat
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
Wake up your Jewish spiritual life and restore your soul.
“Has your heart ever been broken—by loss, divorce, disappointment, awe, fear, hope? Have you multitasked, worked past the level of your endurance, accumulated possessions, jumped the hurdles, and gotten the grades only to wonder, “Is that all there is?” Do you wish for a life that is physically grounded, emotionally satisfying, intellectually expansive, and profoundly connected? These are the qualities Judaism can provide when you understand how to practice it.”
—from the Introduction
This inspiring guidebook is your wake-up call for understanding the powerful intellectual and emotional tools that are essential for a lively, relevant, and fulfilling Jewish spiritual practice.
Designed to become a lifelong resource for holy days and Shabbat, it presents Judaism as an evolving tradition in which you are the entrusted heir. The exercises and practices draw from the foundations of Judaism and empower you to create meaningful, satisfying, contemporary Jewish experiences for how you live today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The Judaism that Rabbi Milgram describes growing up with "desiccated, disappointing, depressing, and quite frankly, boring" is what she hopes to counteract in this guide to Jewish holidays and Shabbat, designed to restore the soul of the tradition through a variety of Jewish practices. Structured as a tasting menu with "recipes" to enrich religious experience, the book is divided into two lopsided parts: holidays (150 pages) and Shabbat (30 pages), followed by a 20-page glossary. Each chapter explains history and customs, provides contemporary relevance, presents creative perspectives and raises provocative questions. Milgram, a self-described "postdenominational, or reconformadox" rabbi and teacher, promotes a Judaism that is "inclusive, egalitarian, nonhierarchical nontriumphalist," but sometimes New Agey and overly saccharine. (An example of a "forgiveness call" before Yom Kippur begins: "Sandra? This is Reb Goldie. I feel there is some negative energy between us....") Milgram proposes Sukkot visualizations, especially for those who work indoors all day, allowing them to reconnect to nature; a "spiritual menu" for a Passover seder; a "Shabbat box" in which to deposit cell phones, TV remotes and disruptive thoughts that belong to the workday world; and even a meditation for preparing and baking challah. For those who want to sample Judaism's sensible and spiritual diet, Milgram's guide whets the appetite, pointing them toward enjoying the entire meal.
