Text Messages
A Torah Commentary for Teens
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
An indispensable resource for everyone who cares about the Jewish future.
“Every passage of Torah has the potential to be someone’s personal story and teaching—and that definitely includes you as a teenager. If you read these stories, and if you really let these holy texts into your mind and into your soul, your life will be deeper and richer, and even happier.”
—from the Introduction
Young people need to be included in the struggle for meaning, for the right questions to ask and the search for useful and relevant answers. This is the book that has been missing from the ever-expanding bookshelf of Torah commentaries—a collection of messages on each Torah portion, specifically for today’s teens. It shows them how each Torah portion contains worlds of meaning for them, for what they are going through in their lives, and how they can shape their Jewish identity as they enter adulthood.
Addressing the concerns of young adults, it shows how the Torah can help teens deal with issues including:
Interpersonal relationships Social justice Sexuality and gender issues Personal ethics Responsibility to family Community and the Jewish people Body image Tattoos Community service The meaning of faith Authority and rebellion The role of ritual Personal theology Prayer Civility Living safely Dealing with disabilities Challenges of eating morally
This groundbreaking spiritual resource is truly transdenominational—including the insights of over 100 Jews who identify as Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Renewal, post-denominational and “just Jewish.” They are rabbis, cantors, educators, authors and community leaders. Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Renewal, post-denominational and “just Jewish.” They are rabbis, cantors, educators, authors and community leaders.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Salkin, a rabbi, writer, and editor, has selected 53 brief excerpts from the Five Books of Moses that he thinks contain a message for teen-age Jews. To deliver the message, he has recruited rabbis, cantors, Jewish educators, Jewish social workers and other Jewish community leaders to spell out the meaning of these teachings. To insure that those who read the book will find it clear, thirteen youngsters served as a teen editorial advisory board. Inevitably, with such a large number of authors, the quality of contributions varies. The writers generally succeed, however, in not haranguing readers but rather encouraging them to follow the lesson of the passages. For example, the book opens with Cain's answer to God on being asked where Abel is: "Am I my brother's keeper?" First, the author expands the meaning of "brother" to include others who are not relatives. Then, the assertion is made that one should "think of the other person as much as you think of yourself." Finally, the lesson: "But when you learn what it means to protect your brother (and when you figure out who your brother' really is), that will be the moment you become an adult." This will be a useful book for Jewish teen-agers who read it, and a potential bar- or bat-mitzvah gift.
