Turner Publishing Company

The quest for spirituality is universal, but with so many paths of spiritual nourishment to explore, how do we begin to find the one that is right for us?

“Our tradition provides us with appropriate vehicles to express our spirituality within the framework of Judaism. Jewish sages, taking into account the need and makeup of the individual Jew, have been very generous in outlining for us various alternatives…. As you become aware of your emotional and intellectual needs, and search for an appropriate path to meet them with integrity, you will soon realize that you have a preference for certain paths among the many.”
—from Chapter 9

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino—a self-proclaimed rationalist—offers a candid, comprehensive discussion of the major paths to spirituality within the framework of Judaism, and the differing way each path can help us on our quest to nourish the soul and enlighten the mind.

Acts of transcendence, prayer, meditation, study, ritual, relationship and good deeds…which is the best path for you? How can you follow it?

Turn your recreation in the snow into a spiritual high point!

Activities that are exhilarating and fun are not usually thought of as spiritual. But to the contrary, such ventures may well point us to our most profound spiritual connections. For when we are able to come fully into the present moment, turn off the noise in our minds, feel our true essence as complete union of body-mind-spirit, we enter into a kind of other worldly state of ecstasy that we can experience only as a spiritual dimension.from Chapter 1

Debunking the myth that your body has nothing to do with your spiritual life, avid winter sports enthusiasts Dr. Marcia McFee and Rev. Karen Foster demonstrate how spirituality is fed by play and challenge and how your snow-filled adventures can serve as a set of metaphors for seeing lifes ups and downs as part of a sacred rhythm.

Whether you have a need for speed or are drawn toward more lyrical motion, McFee and Foster offer poignant insights on how you can find your peak spiritual life in your favorite snow sport, no matter your skill level. Learn how to:

• Reduce stress and embrace your need for fun
• Achieve harmonious integration of mind, body, and spirit
• Trust your bodys inherent wisdom
• Appreciate the details in nature and everyday life
• Clear your head and persevere in difficult times
• Cultivate a sense of community

Ramakrishna experienced the truth of all religions, inspiring seekers of
every creed. Now his “gospel” is made accessible to all readers.

Ramakrishna is India’s greatest example of God-consciousness and mystical ecstasy in recent history. He became known to the world not merely as a saint but as a divine incarnation and a “supremely realized self.” His message has inspired millions of devotees for more than a century—and now his teachings are made accessible to many more.

Introduces the fascinating world of the Indian mystic and the universal appeal of his message. Now, readers can explore this classic text without any prior knowledge of Hinduism. Selections from the original text and insightful yet unobtrusive facing-page commentary highlight the most important and inspirational teachings, including:

• How to see God and how to live in the world.
• Religious harmony.
• The dynamics of spiritual awakening.
• The spiritual power of the Feminine.
• Prayer and meditation.

Celebrate the joy of “making Shabbat” each week in your home—with rituals, prayers, blessings, food, and song.

This expanded, easy-to-use edition of the classic spiritual sourcebook offers updated information, more ideas, and new resources for every aspect of the holy day.

An inspiring how-to guide to every aspect of Shabbat, including:

• History and meaning
• How to prepare
• Rituals, prayers, and blessings (step-by-step)
• The Sabbath day
• Havdalah
• Songs and prayers in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish (with clear transliterations)
• Recipes for traditional and modern foods to spice up the Shabbat menu
• Family activities to enhance the experience

Enriched by real-life voices sharing practical suggestions and advice, this creative resource helps us to reacquaint ourselves with time-tested traditions and discover old and new ways to celebrate Shabbat, including biblically-inspired songs and games, Shabbat-related crafts, and more family-tested ideas.

Many people are familiar with the story of Jewish support for the American civil rights movement, but this history has another side—
one that has not been fully told until now.

“Outlines a compelling image of relations between the two communities…. In Shared Dreams, Rabbi Schneier reiterates our commonality, as upheld by Martin Luther King, Jr., and fuels the reader to continue to work for the advancement of race relations among all God’s children.”
—from the Preface by Martin Luther King III

Shared Dreams brings to life the impressive, surprising, and long-neglected history of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s efforts in support of the Jewish community. This is a story that sheds new light on the commitment and the relationship between the Jewish and African-American communities as they have struggled together to fight for justice and civil rights in our nation, and our lives.

The new Jewish spirituality lies somewhere between God's elusive presence in our world and our search for authentic language to describe it. 

"Personal journeys seldom have a clear beginning, and they rarely have a definite end. If there is an end to our journey, surely it is one that leads to some measure of wisdom, and thence back to its own beginning. But somewhere along the way, we come to realize that we must know where we have been going, why we have been going. Most of all, we come to understand as best we can the One who sends us on our way." —from the Introduction 

Rabbi Arthur Green leads us on a journey of discovery to seek God, the world, and ourselves. One of the most influential Jewish thinkers of our time, Green has created a roadmap of meaning for our lives in the light of Jewish mysticism, using the Hebrew letters that make up the divine name: 

Yod— Reality at the beginning. God as the oneness of being at the outset, before it unfolds into our universe. 

Heh— Creation and God’s presence in the world. A renewed faith in God as Creator has powerful implications for us today. 

Vav— Revelation, the central faith claim of Judaism and the claim it makes on our lives. 

Heh— Redemption and our return to God through the life of Torah and by participating in the ongoing repair of the world. 

A personal and honest framework of understanding for the seeker, this revised and updated edition of a classic sheds new light on our search for the divine presence in our everyday lives.

An ancient spiritual practice rediscovered—and re-imaginated—for today.

This fascinating introduction to an ancient spiritual practice is for all of us who are searching for fresh spiritual insight. People of all faiths—and even those with no particular religious involvement—are discovering spiritual direction.

Traditionally identified with Christianity, but also resembling the relationship between teacher and student in Buddhism, sheikh and disciple in Islam, and rebbe and Hasid in Judaism, spiritual direction is a distinct kind of relationship for enhancing spiritual growth. And its renewed popularity has led to a now uniquely accessible modern phenomenon: interfaith spiritual direction.

Howard Addison presents personal accounts from the lives of people representing a broad spectrum of religious and spiritual traditions to show how we can find guidance and inspiration from people of other faiths—without ever leaving our own. This one-of-a-kind guide explores:

• Where to find spiritual guidance within your own faith community or beyond it.
• How spiritual direction can help you, even if you come from no formal religious background.
• Why and when it may be appropriate to seek a spiritual guide from a faith other than your own.
• What interfaith spiritual direction means for the future of religion and spirituality in our world.

How do I find greater wholeness in my life and in my family’s life?

"To appreciate the importance of the Bible and gain insight about ourselves from it, both Jews and Christians can use the process of midrash: The attempt to find contemporary meaning in the biblical text. The term midrash comes from the Hebrew root darash which means to seek, search, or demand (meaning from the biblical text). The starting point of our search for personal meaning is the Bible itself.… Each generation, each reader, can approach the text anew and draw meaning from it."
—from Self, Struggle & Change

The stress of late-20th-century living only brings new variations to timeless personal struggles. The people described by the biblical writers of Genesis were in situations and relationships very much like our own, and their stories still speak to us because they are about the same basic problems we deal with every day.

Learning from Adam and Eve, can we find the courage not only to face our other side, but to draw strength from it? Learning from Leah and Rachel, can we stop competing with our loved ones, and begin to accept them and find ourselves? Sarah, Hagar, Lot, Ishmael and Isaac, Rebekkah, Joseph and his brothers, Jacob and Esau…this vibrant cast of characters offers us new ways of understanding ourselves and our families and healing our lives.

A modern master of biblical interpretation brings us greater understanding of the ancient biblical text, and of the insights its characters give us about ourselves and our families today.

By bringing the people in Genesis to life—husbands and wives, fathers and sons, brothers and sisters— Self, Struggle & Change shows us how to find wholeness in our lives.

A companion to the classic guide to Shabbat Celebration: Shabbat: The Family Guide to Preparing for and Celebrating the Sabbath. A step-by-step guide to the traditional Shabbat Seder, containing the complete Hebrew, Hebrew transliterations, and English translations of the Shabbat Seder blessings and prayers. Designed to be used in conjunction with Shabbat: The Family Guide to Preparing for and Celebrating the Sabbath and its companion audiocassette of the blessings and songs.

We Are All Learners, Struggling to Pray

Prayer can be intimidating. The idea of speaking directly to God can leave you tongue-tied, not sure what words to use, how to begin or how to end. This compelling, multifaith guidebook offers you companionship and encouragement on the journey to a healthy prayer life. Unlocking six secrets about what prayer actually is, it invites you into the practices of prayer, meditation and contemplation, showing you that prayer doesn’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t need formulas and it doesn’t have to be planned.

Discover secrets that will expand your prayer life:

• There Are Multiple Ways of Experiencing the Holy
• Your Body Is a Source of Energy for Prayer
• Your Senses Are Vehicles of Prayer
• Diversity Nourishes Prayer
• Interconnectedness Gives Prayer Life
• To Learn about Prayer, You Need to Pray

Trust the Creativity within You—Then Get Out of Its Way

“[This] is the invitation of the inner creative spirit: you are created to create. The creative potential within you is one of the things that makes you ‘in the image and likeness of God.’ Whether your medium be music, watercolors, clay, gardening, woodworking, writing, cooking, dance or voice, the Creator has gifted you with creativity. Your gift in return is to use it.”
—from the Conclusion

This inspiring guide shows you how to cultivate your creative spirit, particularly in the second half of life, as a way to encourage personal growth, enrich your spiritual life and deepen your communion with God.

Each chapter provides questions for reflection to help you identify your creative energy, overcome your insecurities, and connect with your chosen method of expression. Practical exercises at the end of each chapter help you awaken your creative spirit within.

Whether you’re a novice or expert; young adult, middle age or golden age; you will be challenged by this invigorating call to set free your creative potential.

Many people are familiar with the story of Jewish support for the American civil rights movement, but this history has another side—
one that has not been fully told until now.

“Outlines a compelling image of relations between the two communities…. In Shared Dreams, Rabbi Schneier reiterates our commonality, as upheld by Martin Luther King, Jr., and fuels the reader to continue to work for the advancement of race relations among all God’s children.”
—from the Preface by Martin Luther King III

Shared Dreams brings to life the impressive, surprising, and long-neglected history of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s efforts in support of the Jewish community. This is a story that sheds new light on the commitment and the relationship between the Jewish and African-American communities as they have struggled together to fight for justice and civil rights in our nation, and our lives.

For people who never thought they would read a book of theology—let alone understand it, enjoy it, savor it and have it affect the way they think about their lives.

In forty-five intense meditations, each a page or two in length, Stone takes us on explorations of the most basic human struggles: life and death, love and anger, peace and war, covenant and exile.

Deepen your understanding of Shabbat, awaken to the possibilities,
and experience the day with an extra measure of holiness.

Seventh Heaven delves into the art of consciously observing Shabbat—exploring many of the day’s traditional religious practices within the context of life’s spiritual dynamics. With the help and wisdom of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov—one of the most important of the early Hasidic masters—this guidebook offers insight into the deeper meaning and purpose of a broad range of Shabbat observances and seeks to show how each custom or law fits within the whole.

In accessible, easy-to-understand language, 7th Heaven is a spiritual guide for all levels of Shabbat observance:

• If Shabbat is new to you, or you’ve experienced it only in its popular form, but would like to deepen your understanding and connection.
• If Shabbat is something you grew up with, but you were never taught the inner meaning of all the customs and laws you were told to obey.
• If Shabbat has never been a part of your spiritual practice, but you would like to learn more about the Jewish pathway to wholeness and higher consciousness.

Based on the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810) and those of his closest disciple, Reb Noson, the deep insights into Torah and spirituality revealed by these great Hasidic luminaries are as relevant in today’s world as they were some two centuries ago, when they were first taught.

This sixteenth-century mystic, whose mission was to ignite a love of Jesus in the hearts of all, can be a companion for your own spiritual journey.

Ignatius of Loyola, sixteenth-century mystic, spiritual director, and founder of the Society of Jesus, is considered to be among the greatest educators in the history of western civilization. While the Jesuits went on to establish one of the largest educational networks in the world, Ignatius's initial vision was simply "the help of souls." Even today, his writings continue to inspire Christians in their quest for a meaningful holy life. The Spiritual Exercises alone—Ignatius’s most well-known work—has guided the retreat experience of over a million Christians over nearly five centuries.

This fascinating introduction to Ignatian spirituality draws from contemporary translations of original texts focusing on the practical mysticism of Ignatius of Loyola. Excerpts from The Spiritual Exercises, his autobiography, and his collected letters and instructions provide direct insights from Ignatius about the role of humility, obedience, discernment, sin and selfawareness in spiritual life. Substantive facing-page commentary illuminates Ignatius’s perspectives on many key aspects of Christian spirituality, including trusting in God, imitating Jesus and the saints, love and the common good, and much more.

A companion to the classic guide to Shabbat Celebration: Shabbat: The Family Guide to Preparing for and Celebrating the Sabbath. A step-by-step guide to the traditional Shabbat Seder, containing the complete Hebrew, Hebrew transliterations, and English translations of the Shabbat Seder blessings and prayers. Designed to be used in conjunction with Shabbat: The Family Guide to Preparing for and Celebrating the Sabbath and its companion audiocassette of the blessings and songs.

The new Jewish spirituality lies somewhere between God's elusive presence in our world and our search for authentic language to describe it. Personal journeys seldom have a clear beginning, and they rarely have a definite end. If there is an end to our journey, surely it is one that leads to some measure of wisdom, and thence back to its own beginning. But somewhere along the way, we come to realize that we must know where we have been going, why we have been going. Most of all, we come to understand as best we can the One who sends us on our way. —from the Introduction Rabbi Arthur Green leads us on a journey of discovery to seek God, the world, and ourselves. One of the most influential Jewish thinkers of our time, Green has created a roadmap of meaning for our lives in the light of Jewish mysticism, using the Hebrew letters that make up the divine name: Yod— Reality at the beginning. God as the oneness of being at the outset, before it unfolds into our universe. Heh— Creation and God’s presence in the world. A renewed faith in God as Creator has powerful implications for us today. Vav— Revelation, the central faith claim of Judaism and the claim it makes on our lives. Heh— Redemption and our return to God through the life of Torah and by participating in the ongoing repair of the world. A personal and honest framework of understanding for the seeker, this revised and updated edition of a classic sheds new light on our search for the divine presence in our everyday lives.

Insights, Ideas and Thoughtful Questions for Discussing with Students the Wisdom Tales of the Ancient Rabbis

A helpful guide to creative use of Sage Tales: The Wisdom and Wonder of the Rabbis of the Talmud in the classroom. Includes:

• An overview of how to use Sage Tales in a variety of educational settings
• A lesson plan for how to teach Sage Tales in seven to nine sessions
• Intriguing discussion questions to guide students in an exploration of key themes found in the wisdom tales of the ancient rabbis

This teaching tool will help you guide each student to a deeper understanding of early rabbinic Judaism and the wise lessons hidden within the narratives of the rabbis of that time.

A fresh look at the Bible reveals a richness of insight about sex and sexuality

For some people, the Bible’s perspectives on sex may seem too one-dimensional or antiquated to apply to modern-day life. Others may hold up the Bible as the ultimate moral guideline when it comes to sex and human sexuality. A close reading of the Bible reveals that while its rules and lessons about sex and sexuality may not be applicable to all people at all times, this sacred scripture does offer surprising insight into our modern sexual lives.

This intriguing guide demystifies the Bible, synthesizing basic historical, theological, literary and linguistic ideas about the Bible’s texts with our modern attitudes about sex. Thoughtful new translation and provocative commentary bridge the divide between biblical authority and our present-day views on gender roles, marriage, sexual orientation, virginity, lust and sexual pleasure. Drawing from Hebrew and Christian scripture, it examines the ways that the language of religion and the language of sex intersect.

Now you can discover what the Bible says about sex with no previous background in theology or religious history. This SkyLight Illuminations edition offers insightful and engaging commentary that explains the historical context and religious worldviews of those who wrote the Bible as well as the role their perspectives play in current social debates. You will be encouraged to form your own opinion about what the Bible has to say about sex and gain a deeper understanding of your own sexuality.

An inspiring introduction to the most important lesson for today's busy world: the take-away is to take away.

"All we can hope to accomplish—by paying attention—is to learn to live with the mystery, become more comfortable with not knowing and try to enjoy life's uncertainty. Every day is a gift, but we often squander it by missing what matters most."
—from the Introduction

Every day we are faced with choices that entail saying no—and frankly we’re not very good at it. Whether it’s the desire to please, get ahead, accumulate or impress, our lives have become so full and so busy that it is hard to determine what we really need and what’s really important to us.

The purpose of this book is to help you regain control of the things that matter most in your life. It taps timeless Jewish wisdom that teaches how to "hold on tightly" to the things that matter most while learning to “let go lightly” of the demands, worries, activities and conflicts that do not ultimately matter. Drawing insights from ancient and modern sources, it helps you identify your core values as well as the opportunities that do not reflect those values, and that you can learn to pass up. It also shows you how to establish a disciplined practice to help you adhere to your choices.

Whether it’s letting go of resentment, learning to say “no” at work or to your loved ones, downsizing your diet or asking less of the earth, this book will help you distinguish between the trivial and the profound.

Stress is a part of modern life—discover how to use it to grow spiritually, emotionally and psychologically.

"Stress takes life and gives life.... It can propel us forward into new opportunities but can also hold us back in fear and exhaustion. It is our mission to help you learn how to adopt [new] strategies and turn stress into a positive force in your life."
—from the Introduction

Stress can limit our perspective, leaving us feeling trapped and out of control. But stress can also be a force for good: It is our challenges that most compel us to reach out for relationship. And our proudest moments come after overcoming obstacles we thought were insurmountable.

Based on personal experience and their work as therapists, and drawing on decades of psychological research, George R. Faller, MS, LMFT, and The Rev. Dr. Heather Wright have come to see that stress can be healthy and positive. They equip us with the skills and the knowledge we need to reframe our thinking about stress, understand and embrace our darker emotions, and become stronger through difficulty.

An ancient spiritual practice rediscovered—and re-imaginated—for today.

This fascinating introduction to an ancient spiritual practice is for all of us who are searching for fresh spiritual insight. People of all faiths—and even those with no particular religious involvement—are discovering spiritual direction.

Traditionally identified with Christianity, but also resembling the relationship between teacher and student in Buddhism, sheikh and disciple in Islam, and rebbe and Hasid in Judaism, spiritual direction is a distinct kind of relationship for enhancing spiritual growth. And its renewed popularity has led to a now uniquely accessible modern phenomenon: interfaith spiritual direction.

Howard Addison presents personal accounts from the lives of people representing a broad spectrum of religious and spiritual traditions to show how we can find guidance and inspiration from people of other faiths—without ever leaving our own. This one-of-a-kind guide explores:

• Where to find spiritual guidance within your own faith community or beyond it.
• How spiritual direction can help you, even if you come from no formal religious background.
• Why and when it may be appropriate to seek a spiritual guide from a faith other than your own.
• What interfaith spiritual direction means for the future of religion and spirituality in our world.

This sixteenth-century mystic, whose mission was to ignite a love of Jesus in the hearts of all, can be a companion for your own spiritual journey.

Ignatius of Loyola, sixteenth-century mystic, spiritual director, and founder of the Society of Jesus, is considered to be among the greatest educators in the history of western civilization. While the Jesuits went on to establish one of the largest educational networks in the world, Ignatius's initial vision was simply "the help of souls." Even today, his writings continue to inspire Christians in their quest for a meaningful holy life. The Spiritual Exercises alone—Ignatius’s most well-known work—has guided the retreat experience of over a million Christians over nearly five centuries.

This fascinating introduction to Ignatian spirituality draws from contemporary translations of original texts focusing on the practical mysticism of Ignatius of Loyola. Excerpts from The Spiritual Exercises, his autobiography, and his collected letters and instructions provide direct insights from Ignatius about the role of humility, obedience, discernment, sin and selfawareness in spiritual life. Substantive facing-page commentary illuminates Ignatius’s perspectives on many key aspects of Christian spirituality, including trusting in God, imitating Jesus and the saints, love and the common good, and much more.

A first-of-its-kind combination of the legendary wisdom stories of Islam's great comic foil with spiritual insights for seekers of all traditions—or none.

"We would do well to heed the Mulla's wisdom. One day, inevitably, our personal storms will not abate before causing destruction. Something will break our hearts and cause us to ask deeper questions. At that point we will become spiritual seekers, each in our own way.... We will begin to hear deep inside the mysterious calling of our soul to fulfill the purpose for which we were created."
—from the chapter "The Storms in Our Lives"

The mythical Mulla Nasruddin is a village simpleton and sage rolled into one. His wisdom stories, timeless and placeless, emanate from a source beyond book learning, and contain several layers of meaning.

In this unique presentation, Imam Jamal Rahman weaves together spiritual insights with the Mulla's humorous teaching stories and connects them to the issues at the heart of the spiritual quest. Addressing such topics as human vulnerability, the rigors of inner and outer spiritual work, the hazards of the ego and more, he roots the Mulla’s stories in Islamic spirituality by pairing them with sayings from the Qur’an, the Prophet Muhammad, Rumi, Hafiz and other Islamic sages.

Together, these sources combined with spiritual practices will awaken your spirit with laughter and inspire you to transform yourself and the world around you.

What is the spiritual message of each of the Jewish holidays?
How do we teach it to our children?

Many books tell children about the historical significance and customs of the holidays. Now, through engaging, creative stories about one family's spiritual preparation, Sharing Blessings explores ways to get into the spirit of the holidays all year long.

Musleah, mother and journalist, and Klayman, father and rabbi, gently give our children the spiritual message and help adult and child explore it together. For 13 different holidays and festivals, there is a story about David, Ilana, and their mom and dad�a story focusing on the spiritual value embodied in each holiday.

Being afraid of the dark, taking a walk in the woods with Grandpa, arguments between David and Ilana, sharing family photos; all become opportunities for learning about how each holiday's meaning is related to our daily life. Each story begins with a brief explanation of the holiday and concludes with a special prayer that child and adult can share to bring the spiritual meaning of the holiday into their own lives.

Shabbat Family • Rosh Hashanah Responsibility • Yom Kippur Prayer • Sukkot Peace • Simchat Torah Joyousness • Hanukkah Convictio • Tu B'Shevat Wonder • Purim Gratitude • Pesach Continuity • Yom Ha-shoah Free Will • Yom Ha-atzma'ut Community • Shavuot Education • Tisha B'Av Rebuilding

Ramakrishna experienced the truth of all religions, inspiring seekers of
every creed. Now his “gospel” is made accessible to all readers.

Ramakrishna is India’s greatest example of God-consciousness and mystical ecstasy in recent history. He became known to the world not merely as a saint but as a divine incarnation and a “supremely realized self.” His message has inspired millions of devotees for more than a century—and now his teachings are made accessible to many more.

Introduces the fascinating world of the Indian mystic and the universal appeal of his message. Now, readers can explore this classic text without any prior knowledge of Hinduism. Selections from the original text and insightful yet unobtrusive facing-page commentary highlight the most important and inspirational teachings, including:

• How to see God and how to live in the world.
• Religious harmony.
• The dynamics of spiritual awakening.
• The spiritual power of the Feminine.
• Prayer and meditation.

These ancient stories whisper truth to your soul.

Great stories have the power to draw the heart. But certain stories have the power to draw the heart to God and awaken the better angels of our nature. Such are the tales of the rabbis of the Talmud, colorful, quirky yarns that tug at our heartstrings and test our values, ethics, morality—and our imaginations.

In this collection for people of all faiths and backgrounds, Rabbi Burton Visotzky draws on four decades of telling and teaching these legends in order to unlock their wisdom for the contemporary heart. He introduces you to the cast of characters, explains their motivations, and provides the historical background needed to penetrate the wise lessons often hidden within these unusual narratives.

In learning how and why these oft-told tales were spun, you discover how they continue to hold value for our lives.

Wholeness Is Limiting—Possibilities Emerge When We're in Pieces

Everyone experiences brokenness at some point in their lives—a romantic relationship fails, a job ends, a dream dies, an illness emerges. During these times it is easy to focus on our human frailty and to want nothing more than to be whole again. But what are we missing when we overlook the ugliness, fear, anger and vulnerability of being in pieces? The Nityas, or the Eternal Moon Phase Goddesses of Tantric philosophy, teach us that we miss the empowerment of the full human experience and the growth that comes from renewing ourselves again and again.

This introduction to Tantric mythology as a contemporary resource for personal and spiritual growth guides you to reach into your pain and ask the larger questions about your relationships, not only with your lover but also with your community and with yourself. Each goddess prompts you to explore some aspect of relationship, such as loneliness, true love, equality, instinct, learning from the other, and learning to be alone. In seeking answers to these questions—supported by yogic wisdom, modern research into psychology and sociology, and nightly meditation and journaling practices—you will find empowerment in discovering who you are and what you truly desire.

Lace up your running shoes and discover how your daily run can enrich your spiritual life.

We run for exercise, relaxation and sometimes to indulge our competitive spirit. Now Warren A. Kay takes you on an exploration of an often-overlooked facet of the sport: running as an intentional spiritual practice.

Kay's approach is more than just "blissing out" on a run. He combines penetrating reflections on God, creation and the role of Spirit in our lives with practical, concise tips for starting your own spiritual running journal. He helps turn your ordinary runs into extraordinary opportunities for spiritual growth. Whether you've logged thousands of miles or are new to the sport, you'll find the guidance and inspiration you need in this unique book.

Experience your daily run as:

• Sanctuary—running time is sacred time
• Prayer—open yourself to conversation with God
• Meditation—reach inside yourself to find spiritual comfort
• Sacrament—experience the Divine in the physicality of running
• Pilgrimage—a run is the journey and the destination

Stress is a part of modern life—discover how to use it to grow spiritually, emotionally and psychologically.

"Stress takes life and gives life.... It can propel us forward into new opportunities but can also hold us back in fear and exhaustion. It is our mission to help you learn how to adopt [new] strategies and turn stress into a positive force in your life."
—from the Introduction

Stress can limit our perspective, leaving us feeling trapped and out of control. But stress can also be a force for good: It is our challenges that most compel us to reach out for relationship. And our proudest moments come after overcoming obstacles we thought were insurmountable.

Based on personal experience and their work as therapists, and drawing on decades of psychological research, George R. Faller, MS, LMFT, and The Rev. Dr. Heather Wright have come to see that stress can be healthy and positive. They equip us with the skills and the knowledge we need to reframe our thinking about stress, understand and embrace our darker emotions, and become stronger through difficulty.

Is bad behavior the new normal? How do we change it?

"Each of us has the power to make the planet a more hospitable, pleasant, caring, and safe place to live.... It starts with respecting others and recognizing their right to be here. Saving Civility is about how we contribute to society and work together—locally and globally—with greater respect, awareness, understanding, and acceptance of one another. A polite planet embodies a worldview of a civilized society—one that is enlightened and empathetic."
—from the Introduction

Cyberbullying, hostile and polarizing political infighting, and tasteless and tactless behavior may be on the rise, but it doesn't have to be this way. Sara Hacala, a certified etiquette and protocol consultant, offers a definitive look at what civility means and how it can change the nature of everyday interaction. She goes beyond a superficial discussion of proper manners to present civility as a mind-set that encompasses values and attitudes that help you embrace your connections to others and repair society. Tapping the wisdom of ancient spiritual luminaries as well as the latest social science research, she provides fifty-two practical ways you can reverse the course of incivility and make the world a more enriching, pleasant place to live.

A fresh look at the Bible reveals a richness of insight about sex and sexuality

For some people, the Bible’s perspectives on sex may seem too one-dimensional or antiquated to apply to modern-day life. Others may hold up the Bible as the ultimate moral guideline when it comes to sex and human sexuality. A close reading of the Bible reveals that while its rules and lessons about sex and sexuality may not be applicable to all people at all times, this sacred scripture does offer surprising insight into our modern sexual lives.

This intriguing guide demystifies the Bible, synthesizing basic historical, theological, literary and linguistic ideas about the Bible’s texts with our modern attitudes about sex. Thoughtful new translation and provocative commentary bridge the divide between biblical authority and our present-day views on gender roles, marriage, sexual orientation, virginity, lust and sexual pleasure. Drawing from Hebrew and Christian scripture, it examines the ways that the language of religion and the language of sex intersect.

Now you can discover what the Bible says about sex with no previous background in theology or religious history. This SkyLight Illuminations edition offers insightful and engaging commentary that explains the historical context and religious worldviews of those who wrote the Bible as well as the role their perspectives play in current social debates. You will be encouraged to form your own opinion about what the Bible has to say about sex and gain a deeper understanding of your own sexuality.

We Are All Learners, Struggling to Pray 

Prayer can be intimidating. The idea of speaking directly to God can leave you tongue-tied, not sure what words to use, how to begin or how to end. This compelling, multifaith guidebook offers you companionship and encouragement on the journey to a healthy prayer life. Unlocking six secrets about what prayer actually is, it invites you into the practices of prayer, meditation and contemplation, showing you that prayer doesn’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t need formulas and it doesn’t have to be planned. 

Discover secrets that will expand your prayer life: 

• There Are Multiple Ways of Experiencing the Holy
• Your Body Is a Source of Energy for Prayer 
• Your Senses Are Vehicles of Prayer 
• Diversity Nourishes Prayer 
• Interconnectedness Gives Prayer Life 
• To Learn about Prayer, You Need to Pray

A powerful collection of writings about Rosh Hashanah that will add depth and holiness to your experience of the spiritual New Year.

This compelling companion to Yom Kippur Readings helps create a bridge between the words of our ancestors and the meanings, themes and ideas that are the central spiritual agenda of the life of the modern Jew.

Drawn from a variety of sources—ancient, medieval, modern, Jewish and non-Jewish—this selection of readings, prayers and insights explores the opportunities for inspiration and reflection inherent in the subjects addressed on the Jewish New Year: sin, repentance, personal and social change, societal justice, forgiveness, spiritual growth, living with joy and hope, commitment to high ideals, becoming our truest and most authentic selves, deepening our capacity to love and savoring the divine gift of life. These readings enable you to enter into the spirit of Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe in a personal and powerful way while they uplift and inform. They will add to the benefits of your High Holy Day experience year after year.

What a wonderful way to start each day.

An inspirational companion of comfort, reassurance, and hope that helps you start each day of the year on a positive note—with a powerful quote from a Jewish source, and a brief, striking reflection on it from an inspiring spiritual leader.

Contributors include:

Judith Z. Abrams • Bradley Shavit Artson • Tsvi Blanchard • Lester Bronstein • Nina Beth Cardin • Michael M. Cohen • William Cutter • Amy Eilberg • Dov Peretz Elkins • Edward Feinstein • Mordecai Finley • Nancy Flam • Elyse Frishman • David Gelfand • Neil Gillman • James Stone Goodman • Leonard Gordon • Irving (Yitz) Greenberg • Joel Lurie Grishaver • Lawrence A. Hoffman • Abie Ingber • Elana Kanter • Irwin Kula • Lawrence Kushner • Lori Lefkovitz • Adina Lewittes • Arthur J. Magida • Vivian Mayer • Michael Paley • James Ponet • Bernard S. Raskas • Rachel T. Sabath • Jeffrey K. Salkin • Sandy Eisenberg Sasso • Amy Scheinerman • Harold Schulweis • Rami M. Shapiro • Mychal B. Springer • Ira Stone • Joseph Telushkin • Harlan J. Wechsler • Sharon L. Wechter • David Wolpe

How do I find greater wholeness in my life and in my family’s life?

"To appreciate the importance of the Bible and gain insight about ourselves from it, both Jews and Christians can use the process of midrash: The attempt to find contemporary meaning in the biblical text. The term midrash comes from the Hebrew root darash which means to seek, search, or demand (meaning from the biblical text). The starting point of our search for personal meaning is the Bible itself.… Each generation, each reader, can approach the text anew and draw meaning from it."
—from Self, Struggle & Change

The stress of late-20th-century living only brings new variations to timeless personal struggles. The people described by the biblical writers of Genesis were in situations and relationships very much like our own, and their stories still speak to us because they are about the same basic problems we deal with every day.

Learning from Adam and Eve, can we find the courage not only to face our other side, but to draw strength from it? Learning from Leah and Rachel, can we stop competing with our loved ones, and begin to accept them and find ourselves? Sarah, Hagar, Lot, Ishmael and Isaac, Rebekkah, Joseph and his brothers, Jacob and Esau…this vibrant cast of characters offers us new ways of understanding ourselves and our families and healing our lives.

A modern master of biblical interpretation brings us greater understanding of the ancient biblical text, and of the insights its characters give us about ourselves and our families today.

By bringing the people in Genesis to life—husbands and wives, fathers and sons, brothers and sisters— Self, Struggle & Change shows us how to find wholeness in our lives.

Is bad behavior the new normal? How do we change it?

"Each of us has the power to make the planet a more hospitable, pleasant, caring, and safe place to live.... It starts with respecting others and recognizing their right to be here. Saving Civility is about how we contribute to society and work together—locally and globally—with greater respect, awareness, understanding, and acceptance of one another. A polite planet embodies a worldview of a civilized society—one that is enlightened and empathetic."
—from the Introduction

Cyberbullying, hostile and polarizing political infighting, and tasteless and tactless behavior may be on the rise, but it doesn't have to be this way. Sara Hacala, a certified etiquette and protocol consultant, offers a definitive look at what civility means and how it can change the nature of everyday interaction. She goes beyond a superficial discussion of proper manners to present civility as a mind-set that encompasses values and attitudes that help you embrace your connections to others and repair society. Tapping the wisdom of ancient spiritual luminaries as well as the latest social science research, she provides fifty-two practical ways you can reverse the course of incivility and make the world a more enriching, pleasant place to live.

The restless heart and searching mind of this influential early church father can offer spiritual and intellectual companionship for your spiritual journey.

Augustine of Hippo (354–430), theologian, priest, and bishop, is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. He is known as much for his long interior struggle that ended with conversion and baptism at age thirty-two as for his influential teachings on human will, original sin and the theology of just war. Cherished as a model for the pursuit of a life of spiritual grace and criticized for his theory of predestination, Augustine is recognized as a living expression of the passion to understand and communicate the deeper meanings of human experience.

With fresh translations drawn from Augustine's voluminous writings and probing facing-page commentary, Augustinian scholar Joseph T. Kelley, PhD, provides insight into the mind and heart of this foundational Christian figure. Kelley illustrates how Augustine’s keen intellect, rhetorical skill and passionate faith reshaped the theological language and dogmatic debates of early Christianity. He explores the stormy religious arguments and political upheavals of the fifth century, Augustine’s controversial teachings on predestination, sexuality and marriage, and the deep undercurrents of Augustine’s spiritual quest that still inspire Christians today.

Who are the ancient role models for the sacred relationship
between Jews and non-Jews today?

Now more than ever, gentiles are an integral part of the Jewish community. But they are not new to the Jewish story. In fact, righteous gentiles go back to Abraham. The story of the Jewish people can’t be told without them.

Noted author and educator Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin provides an informative and inspiring look at the sympathetic non-Israelite characters of the Hebrew Bible and the redemptive relationships they had with the Jewish people. Relying on biblical and extra-biblical sources, he introduces each character, drawing lessons from the life of each that will be relevant to you, whatever your faith tradition. They include the …

• First gentile to bless a Jew
• First woman to hear the Divine voice and save a Jewish baby
• First teacher of morality to the Jews
• First gentile mother of Jewish children
• Gentile midwives who invented civil disobedience
• Mother of Moses and nurturer of the Jewish people
• Father-in-law and teacher of Moses
• First “gentile Zionist”
• Gentile warrior who fought for the Israelites
• Gentile contractor for Solomon’s Temple
• Gentiles who acknowledged God and repented
• Creator of the Second Jewish Commonwealth

Lace up your running shoes and discover how your daily run can enrich your spiritual life.

We run for exercise, relaxation and sometimes to indulge our competitive spirit. Now Warren A. Kay takes you on an exploration of an often-overlooked facet of the sport: running as an intentional spiritual practice.

Kay's approach is more than just "blissing out" on a run. He combines penetrating reflections on God, creation and the role of Spirit in our lives with practical, concise tips for starting your own spiritual running journal. He helps turn your ordinary runs into extraordinary opportunities for spiritual growth. Whether you've logged thousands of miles or are new to the sport, you'll find the guidance and inspiration you need in this unique book.

Experience your daily run as:

• Sanctuary—running time is sacred time
• Prayer—open yourself to conversation with God
• Meditation—reach inside yourself to find spiritual comfort
• Sacrament—experience the Divine in the physicality of running
• Pilgrimage—a run is the journey and the destination

For people who never thought they would read a book of theology—let alone understand it, enjoy it, savor it and have it affect the way they think about their lives.

In forty-five intense meditations, each a page or two in length, Stone takes us on explorations of the most basic human struggles: life and death, love and anger, peace and war, covenant and exile.

Insights, Ideas and Thoughtful Questions for Discussing with Students the Wisdom Tales of the Ancient Rabbis

A helpful guide to creative use of Sage Tales: The Wisdom and Wonder of the Rabbis of the Talmud in the classroom. Includes:

• An overview of how to use Sage Tales in a variety of educational settings
• A lesson plan for how to teach Sage Tales in seven to nine sessions
• Intriguing discussion questions to guide students in an exploration of key themes found in the wisdom tales of the ancient rabbis

This teaching tool will help you guide each student to a deeper understanding of early rabbinic Judaism and the wise lessons hidden within the narratives of the rabbis of that time.

Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code in an old Egyptian synagogue—the amazing story of one of the most important discoveries in modern religious scholarship.

In 1896, Rabbi Solomon Schechter of Cambridge University stepped into the attic of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, and there found the largest treasure trove of medieval and early manuscripts ever discovered. He had entered the synagogue's genizah—its repository for damaged and destroyed Jewish texts—which held nearly 300,000 individual documents, many of which were over 1,000 years old.

Considered among the most important discoveries in modern religious history, its contents contained early copies of some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, early manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, and other sacred literature. The importance of the genizah's contents rivals that of the Rosetta Stone, and by virtue of its sheer mass alone, it will continue to command our attention indefinitely.

This is the first accessible, comprehensive account of this astounding discovery. It will delight you with its fascinating adventure story—why this enormous collection was amassed, how it was discovered and the many lessons to be found in its contents. And it will show you how Schechter’s find, though still being "unpacked" today, forever transformed our knowledge of the Jewish past, Muslim history and much more.

Can the teachings of Judaism provide a sacred framework for repairing the world?

In this groundbreaking volume, leading rabbis, intellectuals, and activists explore the relationship between Judaism and social justice, drawing on ancient and modern sources of wisdom. The contributors argue that American Jewry must move beyond "mitzvah days" and other occasional service programs, and dedicate itself to systemic change in the United States, Israel, and throughout the world. These provocative essays concentrate on specific justice issues such as eradicating war, global warming, health care, gay rights and domestic violence, offering practical ways to transform theory into practice, and ideas into advocacy.

Rich and passionate, these expressions will inspire you to consider your obligations as a Jew, as an American and as a global citizen, while challenging you to take thoughtful and effective action in the world.

Contributors:

Martha Ackelsberg, PhD • Rabbi Rebecca Alpert, PhD • Diane Balser, PhD • Jeremy Benstein, PhD • Rabbi Phyllis Berman • Ellen Bernstein • Marla Brettschneider, PhD • Rabbi Sharon Brous • Aryeh Cohen, PhD • Stephen P. Cohen, PhD • Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, PhD • Aaron Dorfman • Jacob Feinspan • Rabbi Marla Feldman • Sandra M. Fox, LCSW • Julia Greenberg • Mark Hanis • Rabbi Jill Jacobs • Rabbi Jane Kanarek, PhD • Rabbi Elliot Rose Kukla • Joshua Seth Ladon • Arieh Lebowitz • Rabbi Michael Lerner, PhD • Shaul Magid, PhD • Rabbi Natan Margalit, PhD • Ruth Messinger • Jay Michaelson • Rabbi Micha Odenheimer • Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner • Judith Plaskow, PhD • Judith Rosenbaum, PhD • April Rosenblum • Adam Rubin, PhD • Danya Ruttenberg • Rabbi David Saperstein • Joel Schalit • Rabbi Sidney Schwarz, PhD • Martin I. Seltman, MD • Dara Silverman • Daniel Sokatch • Shana Starobin • Naomi Tucker • Abigail Uhrman • Rabbi Arthur Waskow, PhD • Rabbi Melissa Weintraub

Wholeness Is Limiting—Possibilities Emerge When We're in Pieces

Everyone experiences brokenness at some point in their lives—a romantic relationship fails, a job ends, a dream dies, an illness emerges. During these times it is easy to focus on our human frailty and to want nothing more than to be whole again. But what are we missing when we overlook the ugliness, fear, anger and vulnerability of being in pieces? The Nityas, or the Eternal Moon Phase Goddesses of Tantric philosophy, teach us that we miss the empowerment of the full human experience and the growth that comes from renewing ourselves again and again.

This introduction to Tantric mythology as a contemporary resource for personal and spiritual growth guides you to reach into your pain and ask the larger questions about your relationships, not only with your lover but also with your community and with yourself. Each goddess prompts you to explore some aspect of relationship, such as loneliness, true love, equality, instinct, learning from the other, and learning to be alone. In seeking answers to these questions—supported by yogic wisdom, modern research into psychology and sociology, and nightly meditation and journaling practices—you will find empowerment in discovering who you are and what you truly desire.

The complete guide to spirit-filled speech and speaking with spirit

"This book is a spiritual guide to using the holy gift of speech. It is a ... how-to ... grounded in a humble way of being, expressing an attitude of gratitude toward the tongue, in the knowledge that speech is a gift from God and we have a choice to use our mouths virtuously, in the most humble and searching sense of that word."
—from the Introduction

So much of our time is spent in conversation, yet little time is devoted to thinking about the words we choose to use, or the manner in which we speak. Taking the time to make our words count—to make our speech sacred—can lead to positive changes in our lives, and improve our relationships with others.

Sacred Speech is a personal, warm-hearted approach to a complex matter—how we can use speech in holy ways. Drawing support from literary and spiritual sources, Rev. Donna Schaper offers compelling advice from her own experience as a clergyperson, teacher, partner, and parent, empowering us to:

• Acknowledge the Divine in the words we use
• Use speech to maximize the possibility of love and care
• Use speech to minimize fear
• Link, connect, and contact with others through words

A clear invitation to improve our communications with others, Sacred Speech is ideal for spiritual and religious leaders, professionals who work in multifaith settings, the politically correct and the not-so politically correct, and anyone who wants to do more than simply "watch what they say."

At day's end, quiet your mind and unburden your heart.

These peaceful reflections offer wisdom to "sleep on." For each night of the year, an inspiring quote from a Jewish source and a personal reflection on it from an insightful spiritual leader help you to focus on your spiritual life and the lessons your day has offered.

Contributors include:

Yosef I. Abramowitz • Bradley Shavit Artson • Leila Gal Berner • Jonathan Jaffe Bernhard • Tsvi Blanchard • Barry H. Block • Terry A. Bookman • Herbert Bronstein • Ayelet Cohen • Jerome K. Davidson • Avram Davis • Lavey Derby • Malka Drucker • Amy Eilberg • Edward Feinstein • Yehudah Fine • Mordecai Finley • James A. Gibson • Melvin J. Glazer • James Scott Glazier • Edwin C. Goldberg • Elyse Goldstein • James Stone Goodman • Irving Greenberg • Daniel Gropper • Judith HaLevy • Brad Hirschfield • Elana Kanter • Stuart Kelman • Francine Klagsbrun • Peter S. Knobel • Jeffrey Korbman • Jonathan Kraus • Irwin Kula • Neil Kurshan • Mark H. Levin • Levi Meier • Steven Heneson Moskowitz • David Nelson • Vanessa L. Ochs • Nessa Rapoport • Jack Riemer • Jeffrey Salkin • Nigel Savage • Ismar Schorsch • Harold M. Schulweis • Rami Shapiro • Rick Sherwin • Jeffrey Sirkman • Marcia Cohn Spiegel • Liza Stern • Michael Strassfeld • Michael White • Arnold Jacob Wolf • Joel H. Zaiman • Josh Zweiback • Raymond A. Zwerin

Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code in an old Egyptian synagogue—the amazing story of one of the most important discoveries in modern religious scholarship.

In 1896, Rabbi Solomon Schechter of Cambridge University stepped into the attic of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, and there found the largest treasure trove of medieval and early manuscripts ever discovered. He had entered the synagogue's genizah—its repository for damaged and destroyed Jewish texts—which held nearly 300,000 individual documents, many of which were over 1,000 years old.

Considered among the most important discoveries in modern religious history, its contents contained early copies of some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, early manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, and other sacred literature. The importance of the genizah's contents rivals that of the Rosetta Stone, and by virtue of its sheer mass alone, it will continue to command our attention indefinitely.

This is the first accessible, comprehensive account of this astounding discovery. It will delight you with its fascinating adventure story—why this enormous collection was amassed, how it was discovered and the many lessons to be found in its contents. And it will show you how Schechter’s find, though still being "unpacked" today, forever transformed our knowledge of the Jewish past, Muslim history and much more.

An inspiring introduction to the most important lesson for today's busy world: the take-away is to take away.

"All we can hope to accomplish—by paying attention—is to learn to live with the mystery, become more comfortable with not knowing and try to enjoy life's uncertainty. Every day is a gift, but we often squander it by missing what matters most."
—from the Introduction

Every day we are faced with choices that entail saying no—and frankly we’re not very good at it. Whether it’s the desire to please, get ahead, accumulate or impress, our lives have become so full and so busy that it is hard to determine what we really need and what’s really important to us.

The purpose of this book is to help you regain control of the things that matter most in your life. It taps timeless Jewish wisdom that teaches how to "hold on tightly" to the things that matter most while learning to “let go lightly” of the demands, worries, activities and conflicts that do not ultimately matter. Drawing insights from ancient and modern sources, it helps you identify your core values as well as the opportunities that do not reflect those values, and that you can learn to pass up. It also shows you how to establish a disciplined practice to help you adhere to your choices.

Whether it’s letting go of resentment, learning to say “no” at work or to your loved ones, downsizing your diet or asking less of the earth, this book will help you distinguish between the trivial and the profound.

Prepare to revive your Jewish community with the transformative power of the Divine spirit.

"Rabbi Baruch HaLevi and Ellen Frankel have correctly identified Ruakh as a key missing ingredient in Jewish institutional life, especially in the synagogue. Their call is for a revolution of spirit, a rejuvenation of our purpose, our worship, even our sacred spaces. It is recognition that the craving for community can bring people back to our institutions, if we welcome, engage and inspire them."
—from the Foreword by Dr. Ron Wolfson

In this practical and engaging guide to reinvigorating Jewish life, Rabbi Baruch HaLevi and Ellen Frankel identify the difference between a living synagogue and a dying one, and offer methods for reviving the Jewish spiritual centers—federations, community centers, institutions and synagogues—that serve as the heart of Jewish tradition and your life. They offer practical strategies for sustaining and expanding transformation, including tips for providing impassioned leadership, inspired programming and inviting sacred spaces. Whether you are clergy, congregant or community member, this guide will help you awaken your spirit and enliven your journey to a Ruakh-filled life.

Just One Moment of Close Attention Can Be a Prayer to God

"Does God communicate through the natural world? Through the slug on the compost pile, the leaf on the lawn, the stone tumbled on the beach, the air that feeds my lungs, the dreams that fill my nights? How will I know unless I pay attention?"
—from the Introduction

Paying attention is rarely easy to do. It requires focus, patience and a willingness to slow down—traits that are hard to come by in this hurry-up world. But close attention to even one small piece of creation, one object, person, routine, image, word or scripture, can become a prayer to God, opening a channel of communication between you and the Divine to allow for deep spiritual growth.

In this inspiring guide, you will discover ways to develop a practice of attention as a means of talking—and listening—to God. Framed on the Christian liturgical year and paired with images of the seasons of the earth, each chapter includes an insightful and poignant narrative which illustrates the surprising richness to be found in every attention-getting moment. Following each narrative is a prayer, suggested scripture readings and a specific exercise you can use to develop your own practice of attention as a means to better connect with God.

Accessible, humorous and meaningful, these words and practices will lead you further along your path toward discovering a deeper awareness of yourself and your relationship to all that is around you—and within you.

Chaos becoming cosmos—we are participants and recipients in its meaning and marvels.

"Human beings and our ancestors have been meaning seekers and meaning makers even before our most ancient beginnings. And at the start of that search are these questions: Why is there something rather than nothing? Why is the world comprehensible at all? Where did we come from? Do we belong?"
—from the Introduction

In this daring blend of Jewish theology, science and Process Thought, theologian Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson fleshes out an appreciation of creation in the light of science that allows us to articulate a deeper sense of space and time and the wonders of being alive. He explores the ethical and moral implications of humanity's role as steward and partner in creation, as well as how the recognition of land as holy—the Earth in general and Israel in particular—enables a religious discipline of blessing and gratitude that makes it possible for life to blossom.

Exciting and accessible for Jews and non-Jews seeking to reconcile their spirituality and modern science, as well as anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the meaning of creation made possible by Judaism and Process Thought.

A first-of-its-kind combination of the legendary wisdom stories of Islam's great comic foil with spiritual insights for seekers of all traditions—or none.

"We would do well to heed the Mulla's wisdom. One day, inevitably, our personal storms will not abate before causing destruction. Something will break our hearts and cause us to ask deeper questions. At that point we will become spiritual seekers, each in our own way.... We will begin to hear deep inside the mysterious calling of our soul to fulfill the purpose for which we were created."
—from the chapter "The Storms in Our Lives"

The mythical Mulla Nasruddin is a village simpleton and sage rolled into one. His wisdom stories, timeless and placeless, emanate from a source beyond book learning, and contain several layers of meaning.

In this unique presentation, Imam Jamal Rahman weaves together spiritual insights with the Mulla's humorous teaching stories and connects them to the issues at the heart of the spiritual quest. Addressing such topics as human vulnerability, the rigors of inner and outer spiritual work, the hazards of the ego and more, he roots the Mulla’s stories in Islamic spirituality by pairing them with sayings from the Qur’an, the Prophet Muhammad, Rumi, Hafiz and other Islamic sages.

Together, these sources combined with spiritual practices will awaken your spirit with laughter and inspire you to transform yourself and the world around you.

The restless heart and searching mind of this influential early church father can offer spiritual and intellectual companionship for your spiritual journey.

Augustine of Hippo (354–430), theologian, priest, and bishop, is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. He is known as much for his long interior struggle that ended with conversion and baptism at age thirty-two as for his influential teachings on human will, original sin and the theology of just war. Cherished as a model for the pursuit of a life of spiritual grace and criticized for his theory of predestination, Augustine is recognized as a living expression of the passion to understand and communicate the deeper meanings of human experience.

With fresh translations drawn from Augustine's voluminous writings and probing facing-page commentary, Augustinian scholar Joseph T. Kelley, PhD, provides insight into the mind and heart of this foundational Christian figure. Kelley illustrates how Augustine’s keen intellect, rhetorical skill and passionate faith reshaped the theological language and dogmatic debates of early Christianity. He explores the stormy religious arguments and political upheavals of the fifth century, Augustine’s controversial teachings on predestination, sexuality and marriage, and the deep undercurrents of Augustine’s spiritual quest that still inspire Christians today.

A critical and challenging look at reinventing the synagogue, as the centerpiece of a refashioned Jewish community.

"America is undergoing a spiritual revolution: only the fourth religious awakening in its history. I plead, therefore, for an equally spiritual synagogue, knowing that any North American Jewish community that hopes to be around in a hundred years must have religion at its center, with the synagogue, the religious institution that best fits North American culture, at its very core."
—from Chapter 1

Synagogues are under attack, and for good reasons. But they remain the religious backbone of Jewish continuity, especially in America, the sole Western industrial or post-industrial nation where religion and spirituality continue to grow in importance. To fulfill their mandate for the American future, synagogues need to replace old and tired conversation with a new way of talking about their goals, their challenges and their vision for the future.

In this provocative clarion call for synagogue transformation, Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman summarizes a decade of research with Synagogue 2/3000—a pioneering experiment that reconceptualized synagogue life—providing fresh ways for synagogues to think as they undertake the exciting task of global change.

Discover the richness of Rumi's spiritual tradition—through facing-page commentary that brings his writings to life for you.

"This book you are now holding is a selection of what I believe are the best of Rumi’s accounts of the compassionate actions, sayings, and qualities of the Prophet, which include Rumi’s own inspired comments and explanations. It is my hope that you will be surprised and uplifted by the profound wisdom that Jalaluddin Rumi conveys through these stories and sayings."
—from the Preface

This great Sufi poet and teacher can become a companion for your own spiritual journey.

The lyric and wisdom poetry of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi has been an inspiration throughout the Middle East and Asia for over seven hundred years. Recently, it has also become popular in Western countries through translations and interpretive poetic versions in English. But while popular renderings have created the appreciation of Rumi the mystic, there is little understanding today of the religious and spiritual traditions from which the great mystic came. Rumi and Islam—Selections from His Stories, Poems, and Discourses examines not the popularized Rumi of universal love but the Sufi disciple whose works express deep reverence for the Prophet Muhammad. Ibrahim Gamard focuses on Rumi’s place within the Sufi tradition of Islam, as one of the greatest Muslim followers of the Prophet Muhammed, and on the Islamic foundations of his lover-Beloved mystical poetry. By probing verse by verse Rumi’s spiritual teachings, Gamard provides insight into the mystical side of the Qur’an and Islam, a religion that holds a deep love of God at its core.

Now you can experience the profound and uplifting wisdom of Rumi even if you have no previous knowledge of Sufism or Islam. This SkyLight Illuminations edition presents the most important of Rumi’s writings, mainly from the Mathnawi, with insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that conveys how his teachings about the nature of love for God and God’s love for us can increase our understanding of Islamic wisdom in the West.

God Is Waiting for You in the Wilderness

"How can I say I see divinity in the wilderness? How can I say I feel God's presence in a chorus of loons, in the throaty chuffing of a family of otter, in the primal call-and-response howling of wolves, in the splendor of a bald eagle, in a gibbous moon’s shimmering wash of orange light on dark moving water, in the healing silence of wild places or in a day when my soul has known the amazing grace of utter peace for six straight hours? How can I say I see God in those things? But how can I say that I don’t?"
—from Chapter 1

You don’t need to spend forty years—or even forty days—in the wilderness to encounter God. This practical guide reveals the power of experiencing God’s presence in many variations of the natural world—from a backpacking trip in a truly remote wilderness to an afternoon spent in a nearby park to a single moment savored in your own backyard.

While exploring wilderness wisdom from several faith traditions—Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and more—you will discover how the universal experience of being present in nature can lead to startling discoveries both about God and about yourself. Drawing from his own significant moments in the wilderness and stories from the many people who have accompanied him on wilderness treks, John Lionberger asks probing questions and offers inspiring suggestions that will spur you to look at all aspects of the world around you from a new point of view.

These ancient stories whisper truth to your soul.

Great stories have the power to draw the heart. But certain stories have the power to draw the heart to God and awaken the better angels of our nature. Such are the tales of the rabbis of the Talmud, colorful, quirky yarns that tug at our heartstrings and test our values, ethics, morality—and our imaginations.

In this collection for people of all faiths and backgrounds, Rabbi Burton Visotzky draws on four decades of telling and teaching these legends in order to unlock their wisdom for the contemporary heart. He introduces you to the cast of characters, explains their motivations, and provides the historical background needed to penetrate the wise lessons often hidden within these unusual narratives.

In learning how and why these oft-told tales were spun, you discover how they continue to hold value for our lives.

Just One Moment of Close Attention Can Be a Prayer to God

"Does God communicate through the natural world? Through the slug on the compost pile, the leaf on the lawn, the stone tumbled on the beach, the air that feeds my lungs, the dreams that fill my nights? How will I know unless I pay attention?"
—from the Introduction

Paying attention is rarely easy to do. It requires focus, patience and a willingness to slow down—traits that are hard to come by in this hurry-up world. But close attention to even one small piece of creation, one object, person, routine, image, word or scripture, can become a prayer to God, opening a channel of communication between you and the Divine to allow for deep spiritual growth.

In this inspiring guide, you will discover ways to develop a practice of attention as a means of talking—and listening—to God. Framed on the Christian liturgical year and paired with images of the seasons of the earth, each chapter includes an insightful and poignant narrative which illustrates the surprising richness to be found in every attention-getting moment. Following each narrative is a prayer, suggested scripture readings and a specific exercise you can use to develop your own practice of attention as a means to better connect with God.

Accessible, humorous and meaningful, these words and practices will lead you further along your path toward discovering a deeper awareness of yourself and your relationship to all that is around you—and within you.

At day's end, quiet your mind and unburden your heart.

These peaceful reflections offer wisdom to "sleep on." For each night of the year, an inspiring quote from a Jewish source and a personal reflection on it from an insightful spiritual leader help you to focus on your spiritual life and the lessons your day has offered.

Contributors include:

Yosef I. Abramowitz • Bradley Shavit Artson • Leila Gal Berner • Jonathan Jaffe Bernhard • Tsvi Blanchard • Barry H. Block • Terry A. Bookman • Herbert Bronstein • Ayelet Cohen • Jerome K. Davidson • Avram Davis • Lavey Derby • Malka Drucker • Amy Eilberg • Edward Feinstein • Yehudah Fine • Mordecai Finley • James A. Gibson • Melvin J. Glazer • James Scott Glazier • Edwin C. Goldberg • Elyse Goldstein • James Stone Goodman • Irving Greenberg • Daniel Gropper • Judith HaLevy • Brad Hirschfield • Elana Kanter • Stuart Kelman • Francine Klagsbrun • Peter S. Knobel • Jeffrey Korbman • Jonathan Kraus • Irwin Kula • Neil Kurshan • Mark H. Levin • Levi Meier • Steven Heneson Moskowitz • David Nelson • Vanessa L. Ochs • Nessa Rapoport • Jack Riemer • Jeffrey Salkin • Nigel Savage • Ismar Schorsch • Harold M. Schulweis • Rami Shapiro • Rick Sherwin • Jeffrey Sirkman • Marcia Cohn Spiegel • Liza Stern • Michael Strassfeld • Michael White • Arnold Jacob Wolf • Joel H. Zaiman • Josh Zweiback • Raymond A. Zwerin

Can the teachings of Judaism provide a sacred framework for repairing the world?

In this groundbreaking volume, leading rabbis, intellectuals, and activists explore the relationship between Judaism and social justice, drawing on ancient and modern sources of wisdom. The contributors argue that American Jewry must move beyond "mitzvah days" and other occasional service programs, and dedicate itself to systemic change in the United States, Israel, and throughout the world. These provocative essays concentrate on specific justice issues such as eradicating war, global warming, health care, gay rights and domestic violence, offering practical ways to transform theory into practice, and ideas into advocacy.

Rich and passionate, these expressions will inspire you to consider your obligations as a Jew, as an American and as a global citizen, while challenging you to take thoughtful and effective action in the world.

Contributors:

Martha Ackelsberg, PhD • Rabbi Rebecca Alpert, PhD • Diane Balser, PhD • Jeremy Benstein, PhD • Rabbi Phyllis Berman • Ellen Bernstein • Marla Brettschneider, PhD • Rabbi Sharon Brous • Aryeh Cohen, PhD • Stephen P. Cohen, PhD • Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, PhD • Aaron Dorfman • Jacob Feinspan • Rabbi Marla Feldman • Sandra M. Fox, LCSW • Julia Greenberg • Mark Hanis • Rabbi Jill Jacobs • Rabbi Jane Kanarek, PhD • Rabbi Elliot Rose Kukla • Joshua Seth Ladon • Arieh Lebowitz • Rabbi Michael Lerner, PhD • Shaul Magid, PhD • Rabbi Natan Margalit, PhD • Ruth Messinger • Jay Michaelson • Rabbi Micha Odenheimer • Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner • Judith Plaskow, PhD • Judith Rosenbaum, PhD • April Rosenblum • Adam Rubin, PhD • Danya Ruttenberg • Rabbi David Saperstein • Joel Schalit • Rabbi Sidney Schwarz, PhD • Martin I. Seltman, MD • Dara Silverman • Daniel Sokatch • Shana Starobin • Naomi Tucker • Abigail Uhrman • Rabbi Arthur Waskow, PhD • Rabbi Melissa Weintraub

Honest, caring words and activities—from a Christian perspective—help kids work through their grief.

The death of a grandparent is often a child's first encounter with grief. Why did this happen? How do I feel? Drawing on concepts from psychology and a broad perspective on Christian faith, Remembering My Grandparent provides a sensitive and practical resource that will help children ages 7 to 13 cope with the death of a loved one. Kids can write, draw, pray, create, and express feelings via concrete, hands-on activities including:

• Part One: Remembering after the Funeral
• Part Two: Remembering throughout the Whole Year
• Part Three: Remembering during the Holidays
  • Becoming a Memory Detective to uncover clues to their grandparent's own childhood
  • Recording favorite memories, photographs and events
  • Turning Christmas, Easter and other holidays into times of special remembrance
  • Open and gentle, this book will help kids—and their parents with them—understand difficult concepts and communicate deep feelings as they grow through their season of mourning.

The complete guide to spirit-filled speech and speaking with spirit

"This book is a spiritual guide to using the holy gift of speech. It is a ... how-to ... grounded in a humble way of being, expressing an attitude of gratitude toward the tongue, in the knowledge that speech is a gift from God and we have a choice to use our mouths virtuously, in the most humble and searching sense of that word."
—from the Introduction

So much of our time is spent in conversation, yet little time is devoted to thinking about the words we choose to use, or the manner in which we speak. Taking the time to make our words count—to make our speech sacred—can lead to positive changes in our lives, and improve our relationships with others.

Sacred Speech is a personal, warm-hearted approach to a complex matter—how we can use speech in holy ways. Drawing support from literary and spiritual sources, Rev. Donna Schaper offers compelling advice from her own experience as a clergyperson, teacher, partner, and parent, empowering us to:

• Acknowledge the Divine in the words we use
• Use speech to maximize the possibility of love and care
• Use speech to minimize fear
• Link, connect, and contact with others through words

A clear invitation to improve our communications with others, Sacred Speech is ideal for spiritual and religious leaders, professionals who work in multifaith settings, the politically correct and the not-so politically correct, and anyone who wants to do more than simply "watch what they say."

What does it mean to re-vision Torah?

"I use the title ReVisions for this book because I want readers both to revise—in the classic definition of reexamine and alter—and to see the text anew, to have a new vision, a 'revision,' of Torah.... It begins with the notion that women see the text differently than men do, ask different questions and bring different answers.... This book is not about rewriting the Torah. It is about rereading it."
—from the Introduction

Rabbi Elyse Goldstein—woman, rabbi, scholar, and feminist—challenges and defends, rereads and reinterprets the ancient text, revealing to modern readers a way to see Judaism anew, for a new vision—a "revision"—of the Torah. Goldstein boldly brings the Torah into a contemporary context at the same time she honestly reconciles its past.

Using a seven day/weekly guide format, a recovering person and a spiritual leader who is reaching out to addicted people reflect on the traditional weekly Bible reading. They bring strong spiritual support for daily living and recovery from addictions of all kinds: Alcohol, drugs, eating, gambling and sex. A profound sense of the religious spirit soars through their words and brings all people in Twelve Step recovery programs home to a rich and spiritually enlightening tradition.

Come awake to a more creative life—by realizing clarity of mind, body and spirit.

Creativity is basic to the very fiber of our being, and not—as many suspect—solely the privilege of a gifted few. When we silence the voice of creativity that lives within us, we confine our spirit. Award-winning author Dan Wakefield helps us to examine our reasons for not creating—debunking the myths—and shows us the path to a fulfilling, creative life.

Drawing on examples from religion, philosophy, and literature, Wakefield teaches us that the key to unleashing our own inner creativity is in clarity of mind, body, and spirit. Releasing the Creative Spirit gives us practical guidance to demystify the creative process and to help each of us achieve this clarity by:

• Breaking the Myths—Explode the myths that creativity is only for the artistic elite, that creators must suffer, and that science and business can not be creative pursuits.
• Emptying—Learn ways to recognize and move beyond the tired routines in your life that deaden the senses and soul.
• Filling Up—Experience new sensations through simple practices that revive natural perceptions and unlock hidden creative resources.
• Creating—Try hands-on, practical exercises to explore the mystery of creativity in your life from a spiritual perspective.

This passionate, personal guide draws on examples from the experiences of many creative people—Elaine Pagels (professor), Tom Wolfe (novelist), John Coltrane (jazz musician), Harold Kushner (rabbi), Danielle Levi-Alvares (yoga teacher), Stephen Hawking (physicist), and Phil Jackson (basketball coach), just to name a few—who each demonstrate one or more of the characteristics of someone who creates from the spirit. Creative People…

• Develop clarity as the source of creativity
• Take responsibility for their lives and work
• Regard age as an opportunity
• See obstacles as an invitation to create new solutions, techniques, and skills
• Recognize the body/mind/spirit connection
• Find surprising new ways to perform routine tasks
• …and much more

This fresh exploration of the creative spirit includes hands-on exercises to help you unlock your creative powers, inviting you to experience the artistic grace and pleasure that can exist in our everyday lives. You may discover, as many others have, that with creativity comes more joy, more laughter, and more accomplishment than you previously thought possible.

Who are the ancient role models for the sacred relationship
between Jews and non-Jews today?

Now more than ever, gentiles are an integral part of the Jewish community. But they are not new to the Jewish story. In fact, righteous gentiles go back to Abraham. The story of the Jewish people can’t be told without them.

Noted author and educator Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin provides an informative and inspiring look at the sympathetic non-Israelite characters of the Hebrew Bible and the redemptive relationships they had with the Jewish people. Relying on biblical and extra-biblical sources, he introduces each character, drawing lessons from the life of each that will be relevant to you, whatever your faith tradition. They include the …

• First gentile to bless a Jew
• First woman to hear the Divine voice and save a Jewish baby
• First teacher of morality to the Jews
• First gentile mother of Jewish children
• Gentile midwives who invented civil disobedience
• Mother of Moses and nurturer of the Jewish people
• Father-in-law and teacher of Moses
• First “gentile Zionist”
• Gentile warrior who fought for the Israelites
• Gentile contractor for Solomon’s Temple
• Gentiles who acknowledged God and repented
• Creator of the Second Jewish Commonwealth

What a wonderful way to start each day.

An inspirational companion of comfort, reassurance, and hope that helps you start each day of the year on a positive note—with a powerful quote from a Jewish source, and a brief, striking reflection on it from an inspiring spiritual leader.

Contributors include:

Judith Z. Abrams • Bradley Shavit Artson • Tsvi Blanchard • Lester Bronstein • Nina Beth Cardin • Michael M. Cohen • William Cutter • Amy Eilberg • Dov Peretz Elkins • Edward Feinstein • Mordecai Finley • Nancy Flam • Elyse Frishman • David Gelfand • Neil Gillman • James Stone Goodman • Leonard Gordon • Irving (Yitz) Greenberg • Joel Lurie Grishaver • Lawrence A. Hoffman • Abie Ingber • Elana Kanter • Irwin Kula • Lawrence Kushner • Lori Lefkovitz • Adina Lewittes • Arthur J. Magida • Vivian Mayer • Michael Paley • James Ponet • Bernard S. Raskas • Rachel T. Sabath • Jeffrey K. Salkin • Sandy Eisenberg Sasso • Amy Scheinerman • Harold Schulweis • Rami M. Shapiro • Mychal B. Springer • Ira Stone • Joseph Telushkin • Harlan J. Wechsler • Sharon L. Wechter • David Wolpe

A powerful and thought-provoking look at "reunions" of all kinds as roads to remembering and re-membering ourselves.

"Reunions with people, places, things, and ourselves happen every day around us and within us. Whether to participate or not will always be your choice."
—from the Introduction

Explore humankind's timeless, universal and deeply spiritual desire to reunite for the sake of healing and wholeness. Whether we wander far from home or reminisce from our favorite armchair, people of all faiths or none whatsoever undertake journeys to remember, restore and re-member the missing pieces of our stories, psyches and souls:

• Do you occasionally Google a person from your past in hopes of “catching up”?
• Do you leaf through old address books to try to call someone for the first time in decades?
• When you visit gravesites or memorials, can you pinpoint what drew you there?
• Have you felt an urge to revisit your birthplace or travel to your ancestors' homelands?
• Do you feel compelled to attend an upcoming high school, family or other reunion? If not, why not?

Delve deeply into ways that your body, mind and spirit answer the Spirit of Re-union’s calls to reconnect with people, places, things and self.

God Is Waiting for You in the Wilderness

"How can I say I see divinity in the wilderness? How can I say I feel God's presence in a chorus of loons, in the throaty chuffing of a family of otter, in the primal call-and-response howling of wolves, in the splendor of a bald eagle, in a gibbous moon’s shimmering wash of orange light on dark moving water, in the healing silence of wild places or in a day when my soul has known the amazing grace of utter peace for six straight hours? How can I say I see God in those things? But how can I say that I don’t?"
—from Chapter 1

You don’t need to spend forty years—or even forty days—in the wilderness to encounter God. This practical guide reveals the power of experiencing God’s presence in many variations of the natural world—from a backpacking trip in a truly remote wilderness to an afternoon spent in a nearby park to a single moment savored in your own backyard.

While exploring wilderness wisdom from several faith traditions—Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and more—you will discover how the universal experience of being present in nature can lead to startling discoveries both about God and about yourself. Drawing from his own significant moments in the wilderness and stories from the many people who have accompanied him on wilderness treks, John Lionberger asks probing questions and offers inspiring suggestions that will spur you to look at all aspects of the world around you from a new point of view.

Deepen Your Capacity to Live Free from Addiction—and from Self and Selfishness

"Twelve Step recovery is much more than a way to escape the clutches of addictive behaviors. Twelve Step recovery is about freeing yourself from playing God, and since almost everyone is addicted to this game, Twelve Step recovery is something from which everyone can benefit."
—from the Introduction

In this hope-filled approach to spiritual and personal growth, the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are uniquely interpreted to speak to everyone seeking a freer and more God-centered life. This special rendering makes them relevant to those suffering from specific addictions—alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, sex, shopping—as well as the general addictions we wrestle with daily, such as anger, greed, and selfishness.

Rami Shapiro describes his personal experience working the Twelve Steps as adapted by Overeaters Anonymous and shares anecdotes from many people working the Steps in a variety of settings. Drawing on the insights and practices of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Islam, he offers supplementary practices from different religious traditions to help you move more deeply into the universal spirituality of the Twelve Step system.

What does it mean to re-vision Torah?

"I use the title ReVisions for this book because I want readers both to revise—in the classic definition of reexamine and alter—and to see the text anew, to have a new vision, a 'revision,' of Torah.... It begins with the notion that women see the text differently than men do, ask different questions and bring different answers.... This book is not about rewriting the Torah. It is about rereading it."
—from the Introduction

Rabbi Elyse Goldstein—woman, rabbi, scholar, and feminist—challenges and defends, rereads and reinterprets the ancient text, revealing to modern readers a way to see Judaism anew, for a new vision—a "revision"—of the Torah. Goldstein boldly brings the Torah into a contemporary context at the same time she honestly reconciles its past.

An inspiring way to reclaim your integrity and renew your sense of moral purpose.

"Like water, teshuvah is both destructive and creative. It dissolves the person you were but simultaneously provides the moisture you need to grow anew. It erodes the hard edges of your willfulness but also refreshens your spirit. It can turn the tallest barriers of moral blindness into rubble while it also gently nourishes the hidden seeds of hope buried deep in your soul. Teshuvah, like water, has the power both to wash away past sin and to shower you with the blessing of a new future, if only you trust it and allow yourself to be carried along in its current." —from Part VII

In this candid and comprehensive probe into the nature of moral transgression and spiritual healing, Dr. Louis E. Newman examines both the practical and philosophical dimensions of teshuvah, Judaism's core religious-moral teaching on repentance, and its value for us—Jews and non-Jews alike—today. He exposes the inner logic of teshuvah as well as the beliefs about God and humankind that make it possible. He also charts the path of teshuvah, revealing to us how we can free ourselves from the burden of our own transgressions by:
• Acknowledging our transgressions • Confessing • Feeling remorse • Apologizing • Making restitution • Soul reckoning • Avoiding sin when the next opportunity arises

Discover the richness of Rumi's spiritual tradition—through facing-page commentary that brings his writings to life for you.

"This book you are now holding is a selection of what I believe are the best of Rumi’s accounts of the compassionate actions, sayings, and qualities of the Prophet, which include Rumi’s own inspired comments and explanations. It is my hope that you will be surprised and uplifted by the profound wisdom that Jalaluddin Rumi conveys through these stories and sayings."
—from the Preface

This great Sufi poet and teacher can become a companion for your own spiritual journey.

The lyric and wisdom poetry of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi has been an inspiration throughout the Middle East and Asia for over seven hundred years. Recently, it has also become popular in Western countries through translations and interpretive poetic versions in English. But while popular renderings have created the appreciation of Rumi the mystic, there is little understanding today of the religious and spiritual traditions from which the great mystic came. Rumi and Islam—Selections from His Stories, Poems, and Discourses examines not the popularized Rumi of universal love but the Sufi disciple whose works express deep reverence for the Prophet Muhammad. Ibrahim Gamard focuses on Rumi’s place within the Sufi tradition of Islam, as one of the greatest Muslim followers of the Prophet Muhammed, and on the Islamic foundations of his lover-Beloved mystical poetry. By probing verse by verse Rumi’s spiritual teachings, Gamard provides insight into the mystical side of the Qur’an and Islam, a religion that holds a deep love of God at its core.

Now you can experience the profound and uplifting wisdom of Rumi even if you have no previous knowledge of Sufism or Islam. This SkyLight Illuminations edition presents the most important of Rumi’s writings, mainly from the Mathnawi, with insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that conveys how his teachings about the nature of love for God and God’s love for us can increase our understanding of Islamic wisdom in the West.

Welcome to the deeper dimensions of interfaith dialogue—exploring that which divides us personally, spiritually and institutionally.

"We believe that interfaith dialogue holds the key to a healing that calls us back to purpose and to meaning. We have risked confronting aspects of our traditions usually hidden, and the consequences have been deeply life-affirming. We risk becoming vulnerable as we share awkward and even unacceptable texts and interpretations, but it is this very vulnerability that allows our dialogue to move forward."
—from the Introduction

Expanding on the conversation started with their very successful first book, the Interfaith Amigos—a pastor, a rabbi and an imam—probe more deeply into the problem aspects of our religious institutions to provide a profound understanding of the nature of what divides us. They identify four common problem areas in the Abrahamic faiths:

• Exclusivity: Staking Claim to a One and Only Truth
• Violence: Justifying Brutality in the Name of Faith
• Inequality of Men and Women: The Patriarchal Stranglehold on Power
• Homophobia: A Denial of Legitimacy

They explore the origins of these issues and the ways critics use these beliefs as divisive weapons. And they present ways we can use these vulnerabilities to open doors for the collaboration required to address our common issues, more profound personal relationships, and true interfaith healing.

“In codependence, the emphasis is on everyone and everything but ourselves....In recovery, we learn how to say no, to set boundaries in relationships, and then perhaps walk away—if necessary—sometimes for a long time, perhaps forever. It's not without effort....Even if a relationship is worth saving, your active codependence can destroy it. It will not help it or you and will certainly not convince the other person in your life to stop drinking or using or gambling or eating compulsively or running around. But your recovery can nurture a relationship with God while it nurtures you at the same time.”

With the same groundbreaking insight of his Twelve Jewish Steps to Recovery: A Personal Guide to Turning From Alcoholism and Other Addictions and Renewed Each Day: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Meditations Based on the Bible, Kerry Olitzky has produced an inspiring new volume that brings healing wisdom to those whose lives are most directly affected by the addiction of a loved one.

Recovery From Codependence: A Jewish Twelve Steps Guide to Healing Your Soul explains how the Twelve Steps of Co-Dependents Anonymous are relevant for Jewish people and all people who would gain strength to heal and insight from Jewish tradition.

You may be a codependent person if you are in a relationship with an alcoholic or addicted person, someone who has an eating disorder, engages in compulsive gambling or sex, if you are addicted to a relationship, or if you are part of a dysfunctional family. Though you may be suffering, broken in spirit, this book can help you be healed, be empowered to take hold of your life, and be made to feel spiritually whole once again. Using the familiar Twelve Step model, Dr. Olitzky, known for his spiritual leadership and for reaching out to help people in recovery, takes the codependent person on a Jewish journey through the Twelve Steps.

Rabbi Olitzky's inspiring message draws on the experience of Jewish tradition and the personal experiences of recovering codependent people. He provides Twelve Step support for people of all faiths and backgrounds.

Using a seven-day/weekly guide format, a recovering person and a spiritual leader who is reaching out to addicted people reflect on the traditional weekly Bible reading. They bring strong spiritual support for daily living and recovery from addictions of all kinds: alcohol, drugs, eating, gambling and sex. A profound sense of the spirit soars through their words and brings all people in Twelve Step recovery programs home to a rich and spiritually enlightening tradition.

This book is not just for Jewish people. It’s for all people who would gain strength to heal and insight from the Bible and the teachings of Jewish tradition.

A powerful and thought-provoking look at "reunions" of all kinds as roads to remembering and re-membering ourselves.

"Reunions with people, places, things, and ourselves happen every day around us and within us. Whether to participate or not will always be your choice."
—from the Introduction

Explore humankind's timeless, universal and deeply spiritual desire to reunite for the sake of healing and wholeness. Whether we wander far from home or reminisce from our favorite armchair, people of all faiths or none whatsoever undertake journeys to remember, restore and re-member the missing pieces of our stories, psyches and souls:

• Do you occasionally Google a person from your past in hopes of “catching up”?
• Do you leaf through old address books to try to call someone for the first time in decades?
• When you visit gravesites or memorials, can you pinpoint what drew you there?
• Have you felt an urge to revisit your birthplace or travel to your ancestors' homelands?
• Do you feel compelled to attend an upcoming high school, family or other reunion? If not, why not?

Delve deeply into ways that your body, mind and spirit answer the Spirit of Re-union’s calls to reconnect with people, places, things and self.

How to transform the model of twentieth-century Jewish institutions into twenty-first-century relational communities offering meaning and purpose, belonging and blessing.

"What really matters is that we care about the people we seek to engage. When we genuinely care about people, we will not only welcome them; we will listen to their stories, we will share ours, and we will join together to build a Jewish community that enriches our lives."
—from the Introduction

Membership in Jewish organizations is down. Day school enrollment has peaked. Federation campaigns are flat. The fastest growing and second largest category of Jews is “Just Jewish.” Young Jewish adults are unengaged and aging baby boomers are disengaging. Yet, in the era of Facebook, people crave face-to-face community.

“It's all about relationships.” With this simple, but profound idea, noted educator and community revitalization pioneer Dr. Ron Wolfson presents practical strategies and case studies to transform the old model of Jewish institutions into relational communities. He sets out twelve principles of relational engagement to guide Jewish lay leaders, professionals and community members in transforming institutions into inspiring communities whose value-proposition is to engage people and connect them to Judaism and community in meaningful and lasting ways.

Prepare to revive your Jewish community with the transformative power of the Divine spirit.

"Rabbi Baruch HaLevi and Ellen Frankel have correctly identified Ruakh as a key missing ingredient in Jewish institutional life, especially in the synagogue. Their call is for a revolution of spirit, a rejuvenation of our purpose, our worship, even our sacred spaces. It is recognition that the craving for community can bring people back to our institutions, if we welcome, engage and inspire them."
—from the Foreword by Dr. Ron Wolfson

In this practical and engaging guide to reinvigorating Jewish life, Rabbi Baruch HaLevi and Ellen Frankel identify the difference between a living synagogue and a dying one, and offer methods for reviving the Jewish spiritual centers—federations, community centers, institutions and synagogues—that serve as the heart of Jewish tradition and your life. They offer practical strategies for sustaining and expanding transformation, including tips for providing impassioned leadership, inspired programming and inviting sacred spaces. Whether you are clergy, congregant or community member, this guide will help you awaken your spirit and enliven your journey to a Ruakh-filled life.

Honest, caring words and hands-on activities to help kids accept and grow through the loss of a beloved pet.

Why did this happen? How do I feel? What can I do? What happens next?

The death of a pet is often a child's first encounter with grief. How your child learns to cope through this experience may affect his or her attitude into adulthood. Drawing on concepts from psychology and a broad multifaith perspective, this supportive workbook provides a sensitive and practical resource that will help children ages 7 to 13 cope with the death of a beloved animal. Children can write, draw, read, create and express feelings via concrete, hands-on activities including:

• Becoming a Memory Detective to piece together clues to remember their pet
• Planning a memorial service and making a pet memorial
• Recording photo memories of their pet
• Honoring their pet’s memory by giving to others

Open and gentle, this book will help your child—and you as the parent—understand difficult concepts and communicate deep feelings as your child grows through this personal season of mourning.

Chaos becoming cosmos—we are participants and recipients in its meaning and marvels.

"Human beings and our ancestors have been meaning seekers and meaning makers even before our most ancient beginnings. And at the start of that search are these questions: Why is there something rather than nothing? Why is the world comprehensible at all? Where did we come from? Do we belong?"
—from the Introduction

In this daring blend of Jewish theology, science and Process Thought, theologian Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson fleshes out an appreciation of creation in the light of science that allows us to articulate a deeper sense of space and time and the wonders of being alive. He explores the ethical and moral implications of humanity's role as steward and partner in creation, as well as how the recognition of land as holy—the Earth in general and Israel in particular—enables a religious discipline of blessing and gratitude that makes it possible for life to blossom.

Exciting and accessible for Jews and non-Jews seeking to reconcile their spirituality and modern science, as well as anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the meaning of creation made possible by Judaism and Process Thought.

Deepen Your Capacity to Live Free from Addiction—and from Self and Selfishness

"Twelve Step recovery is much more than a way to escape the clutches of addictive behaviors. Twelve Step recovery is about freeing yourself from playing God, and since almost everyone is addicted to this game, Twelve Step recovery is something from which everyone can benefit."
—from the Introduction

In this hope-filled approach to spiritual and personal growth, the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are uniquely interpreted to speak to everyone seeking a freer and more God-centered life. This special rendering makes them relevant to those suffering from specific addictions—alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, sex, shopping—as well as the general addictions we wrestle with daily, such as anger, greed, and selfishness.

Rami Shapiro describes his personal experience working the Twelve Steps as adapted by Overeaters Anonymous and shares anecdotes from many people working the Steps in a variety of settings. Drawing on the insights and practices of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Islam, he offers supplementary practices from different religious traditions to help you move more deeply into the universal spirituality of the Twelve Step system.

Let the Psalms help you forge a deeper connection to the Divine. 

Showing how the Psalms give profound and candid expression to both our highest aspirations and our deepest pain, the late, highly respected Cistercian Abbot M. Basil Pennington shares his reflections on some of the most beloved passages from the Bible’s most widely read book. In this companion volume to The Song of Songs: A Spiritual Commentary, Pennington is once again joined by Jewish artist Phillip Ratner, whose evocative works will lead you into more meaningful contemplation of the inner spirit of the Psalms. 

Pennington describes how the monastic tradition of regular reflection on the Psalms—a technique St. Benedict called the “work of God,” or Opus Dei—can help you transform your everyday life into a powerful life of prayer. Enriched by Jewish and Christian faith, the drawings and meditations speak to every person wanting both to connect with their most human longings and to forge a vital connection with the Divine.

Using a seven-day/weekly guide format, a recovering person and a spiritual leader who is reaching out to addicted people reflect on the traditional weekly Bible reading. They bring strong spiritual support for daily living and recovery from addictions of all kinds: alcohol, drugs, eating, gambling and sex. A profound sense of the spirit soars through their words and brings all people in Twelve Step recovery programs home to a rich and spiritually enlightening tradition.

This book is not just for Jewish people. It’s for all people who would gain strength to heal and insight from the Bible and the teachings of Jewish tradition.

“In codependence, the emphasis is on everyone and everything but ourselves....In recovery, we learn how to say no, to set boundaries in relationships, and then perhaps walk away—if necessary—sometimes for a long time, perhaps forever. It's not without effort....Even if a relationship is worth saving, your active codependence can destroy it. It will not help it or you and will certainly not convince the other person in your life to stop drinking or using or gambling or eating compulsively or running around. But your recovery can nurture a relationship with God while it nurtures you at the same time.”

With the same groundbreaking insight of his Twelve Jewish Steps to Recovery: A Personal Guide to Turning From Alcoholism and Other Addictions and Renewed Each Day: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Meditations Based on the Bible, Kerry Olitzky has produced an inspiring new volume that brings healing wisdom to those whose lives are most directly affected by the addiction of a loved one.

Recovery From Codependence: A Jewish Twelve Steps Guide to Healing Your Soul explains how the Twelve Steps of Co-Dependents Anonymous are relevant for Jewish people and all people who would gain strength to heal and insight from Jewish tradition.

You may be a codependent person if you are in a relationship with an alcoholic or addicted person, someone who has an eating disorder, engages in compulsive gambling or sex, if you are addicted to a relationship, or if you are part of a dysfunctional family. Though you may be suffering, broken in spirit, this book can help you be healed, be empowered to take hold of your life, and be made to feel spiritually whole once again. Using the familiar Twelve Step model, Dr. Olitzky, known for his spiritual leadership and for reaching out to help people in recovery, takes the codependent person on a Jewish journey through the Twelve Steps.

Rabbi Olitzky's inspiring message draws on the experience of Jewish tradition and the personal experiences of recovering codependent people. He provides Twelve Step support for people of all faiths and backgrounds.

Practical and inspiring guidance for leading with more conviction, commitment and passion—and results.

"Bringing people together through their organizational affiliations and then asking them to think beyond those institutions to serve the community in the best possible way is one of the most important challenges we face today in a world of too many Jewish nonprofits. That takes strong leadership. Are you prepared for it?"
—from the Introduction

In today's increasingly demanding world, you need a practical way to improve current lay and professional leadership in Jewish community organizations. Dr. Misha Galperin draws on over thirty years of professional experience, as well as insights from the world of business, psychology and research in Jewish demographics and sociology, to help you see what is working and what is not. In a style that is informative, accessible and direct, he provides inspiring, action-oriented advice and examples that illustrate how these "lessons from the field" can help you cultivate strong, effective and transformative leadership that will help your organization achieve its goals.

A critical and challenging look at reinventing the synagogue, as the centerpiece of a refashioned Jewish community.

"America is undergoing a spiritual revolution: only the fourth religious awakening in its history. I plead, therefore, for an equally spiritual synagogue, knowing that any North American Jewish community that hopes to be around in a hundred years must have religion at its center, with the synagogue, the religious institution that best fits North American culture, at its very core."
—from Chapter 1

Synagogues are under attack, and for good reasons. But they remain the religious backbone of Jewish continuity, especially in America, the sole Western industrial or post-industrial nation where religion and spirituality continue to grow in importance. To fulfill their mandate for the American future, synagogues need to replace old and tired conversation with a new way of talking about their goals, their challenges and their vision for the future.

In this provocative clarion call for synagogue transformation, Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman summarizes a decade of research with Synagogue 2/3000—a pioneering experiment that reconceptualized synagogue life—providing fresh ways for synagogues to think as they undertake the exciting task of global change.

The first comprehensive resource for spiritual and pastoral caregivers—a vital resource for clergy, seminarians, chaplains, pastoral counselors and caregivers of all faith traditions.

This essential resource integrates the classic foundations of pastoral care with the latest approaches to spiritual care. It is specifically intended for professionals who work or spend time with congregants in acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities, rehabilitation centers and long-term care facilities.

Offering the latest theological perspectives and tools, along with basic theory and skills from the best pastoral and spiritual care texts, research and concepts, the contributors to this resource are experts in their fields, and include eight current or past presidents of the major chaplaincy organizations.

Contributors include:

Rev. Nancy K. Anderson • Rev. Dr. Willard W. C. Ashley, Sr. • Dr. Nancy Berlinger • Rev. W. L. (Bill) Bross • Rev. Robin C. Brown-Haithco • Rabbi Zahara Davidowitz-Farkas • Paula DeAngelo • Chaplain D. W. Donovan • Dr. George Fitchett • Rev. Bill Gaventa • Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein • Chaplain Dr. Daniel Grossoehme • Sr. Norma Gutierrez • Rev. George Handzo • Rev. Curtis W. Hart • Rev. Brian Hughes • Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs • Chaplain Gerald L. Jones • Rev. Robert A. Kidd • Rev. Yoke Lye Kwong • Rev. Michele J. Guest Lowery • Rev. Marcia Marino • Rev. Lynne M. Mikulak • Rev. Nancy Osborne • Rev. Jon Overvold • Rev. Brent Peery • Chaplain Linda F. Piotrowski • Rev. David B. Plummer • Rabbi Stephen B. Roberts • Rev. Dr. Glenn A. Robitaille • Chaplain Timothy G. Serban • Bishop Dr. Teresa E. Snorton • Rev. Dr. Dane R. Sommer • Rabbi Dr. Shira Stern • Rev. Jo Clare Wilson • Rev. Sue Wintz

Honest, caring words and activities—from a Christian perspective—help kids work through their grief.

The death of a grandparent is often a child's first encounter with grief. Why did this happen? How do I feel? Drawing on concepts from psychology and a broad perspective on Christian faith, Remembering My Grandparent provides a sensitive and practical resource that will help children ages 7 to 13 cope with the death of a loved one. Kids can write, draw, pray, create, and express feelings via concrete, hands-on activities including:

• Part One: Remembering after the Funeral
• Part Two: Remembering throughout the Whole Year
• Part Three: Remembering during the Holidays
  • Becoming a Memory Detective to uncover clues to their grandparent's own childhood
  • Recording favorite memories, photographs and events
  • Turning Christmas, Easter and other holidays into times of special remembrance
  • Open and gentle, this book will help kids—and their parents with them—understand difficult concepts and communicate deep feelings as they grow through their season of mourning.

A major new Jewish contribution to 12-Step spirituality.
Claim the spiritual freedom that waits beyond the suffering and slavery of addiction.

"One of the important similarities between AA and Jewish spirituality is the statement in Step 12, 'to practice these principles in all our affairs....' There is no dichotomy of sacred versus secular. Jewish spirituality applies to how we eat, sleep, work, socialize and recreate. There is nothing that is external to the relationship of human being to God."
—from the Foreword

This easy-to-read exploration from a Jewish perspective is the first comprehensive approach to successfully integrate classic Jewish spirituality with the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other recovery resources.

With clarity and passion, Rabbi Paul Steinberg masterfully weaves traditional Jewish wisdom with the experience, strength and hope of AA. He draws on Jewish resources—theological, psychological and ethical—that speak to the spiritual dimension of the disease, and shows how the principles of Jewish spiritual recovery directly align with those of the AA 12 Steps. Along the way, he courageously shares his own personal struggles with alcoholism and addiction in a way that will help others find guidance and a new life path—and stay on it.

Rabbi Harvey is Back with Ten Hilarious New Adventures 

In this follow-up to the popular The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Wisdom and Wit in the Wild West, the Rabbi returns to the streets of Elk Spring, Colorado. Part Wild West sheriff, part old world rabbi, Harvey protects his town and delivers justice, wielding only the weapons of wisdom, wit, and a bit of trickery. These adventures combine Jewish and American folklore by creatively retelling comic Jewish folktales and setting them loose on the western frontier of the 1870s. 

As his fame grows throughout the Rocky Mountains, Rabbi Harvey meets new characters—including the luckless gold miner Abigail—and faces a slew of new challenges. He encounters the return of “Big Milt” and Wolfie Wasserman (the most feared father-and-son outlaw team east of Nevada), and investigates another bold crime by the sweet-faced Bad Bubbe. And, as ever, the Rabbi is the quickest draw in the West—when it comes to pulling out bits of Talmudic insight to fit any occasion, that is. Like any great collection of Jewish folktales, these stories contain layers of humor and timeless wisdom that will entertain, teach and, especially, make you laugh.

Your image of God has evolved from a distant, all-knowing father to a creative force of the universe. Now it's time to update your prayer, too.

An evolutionary God is the one whose fingerprints and embraces and music we find in the evolutionary patterns in the unfinished world around us, the elusive mother and inventor of this ever-changing milieu. It is a God who pretends—for some purpose we do not comprehend—not even to exist, but whom we can reach out for and give thanks to, if we wish—as most of our race has done throughout its history.
—from the Introduction

In this unique collection of eighty prose prayers and related commentary, William Cleary invites you to consider new ways of thinking about God and about the world around you. Inspired by the spiritual and scientific teachings of Diarmuid O’Murchu and Teilhard de Chardin, Cleary reveals that religion and science can be combined to create an expanding view of the universe—an evolutionary faith.

Prayers to an Evolutionary God inspires you to discover your own place in the story of the universe, challenges you to rethink life in new ways, and enables you to express yourself in words that make sense—to an evolutionary God.

Come awake to a more creative life—by realizing clarity of mind, body and spirit.

Creativity is basic to the very fiber of our being, and not—as many suspect—solely the privilege of a gifted few. When we silence the voice of creativity that lives within us, we confine our spirit. Award-winning author Dan Wakefield helps us to examine our reasons for not creating—debunking the myths—and shows us the path to a fulfilling, creative life.

Drawing on examples from religion, philosophy, and literature, Wakefield teaches us that the key to unleashing our own inner creativity is in clarity of mind, body, and spirit. Releasing the Creative Spirit gives us practical guidance to demystify the creative process and to help each of us achieve this clarity by:

• Breaking the Myths—Explode the myths that creativity is only for the artistic elite, that creators must suffer, and that science and business can not be creative pursuits.
• Emptying—Learn ways to recognize and move beyond the tired routines in your life that deaden the senses and soul.
• Filling Up—Experience new sensations through simple practices that revive natural perceptions and unlock hidden creative resources.
• Creating—Try hands-on, practical exercises to explore the mystery of creativity in your life from a spiritual perspective.

This passionate, personal guide draws on examples from the experiences of many creative people—Elaine Pagels (professor), Tom Wolfe (novelist), John Coltrane (jazz musician), Harold Kushner (rabbi), Danielle Levi-Alvares (yoga teacher), Stephen Hawking (physicist), and Phil Jackson (basketball coach), just to name a few—who each demonstrate one or more of the characteristics of someone who creates from the spirit. Creative People…

• Develop clarity as the source of creativity
• Take responsibility for their lives and work
• Regard age as an opportunity
• See obstacles as an invitation to create new solutions, techniques, and skills
• Recognize the body/mind/spirit connection
• Find surprising new ways to perform routine tasks
• …and much more

This fresh exploration of the creative spirit includes hands-on exercises to help you unlock your creative powers, inviting you to experience the artistic grace and pleasure that can exist in our everyday lives. You may discover, as many others have, that with creativity comes more joy, more laughter, and more accomplishment than you previously thought possible.

An inspiring way to reclaim your integrity and renew your sense of moral purpose.

"Like water, teshuvah is both destructive and creative. It dissolves the person you were but simultaneously provides the moisture you need to grow anew. It erodes the hard edges of your willfulness but also refreshens your spirit. It can turn the tallest barriers of moral blindness into rubble while it also gently nourishes the hidden seeds of hope buried deep in your soul. Teshuvah, like water, has the power both to wash away past sin and to shower you with the blessing of a new future, if only you trust it and allow yourself to be carried along in its current." —from Part VII

In this candid and comprehensive probe into the nature of moral transgression and spiritual healing, Dr. Louis E. Newman examines both the practical and philosophical dimensions of teshuvah, Judaism's core religious-moral teaching on repentance, and its value for us—Jews and non-Jews alike—today. He exposes the inner logic of teshuvah as well as the beliefs about God and humankind that make it possible. He also charts the path of teshuvah, revealing to us how we can free ourselves from the burden of our own transgressions by:
• Acknowledging our transgressions • Confessing • Feeling remorse • Apologizing • Making restitution • Soul reckoning • Avoiding sin when the next opportunity arises

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.

Let the Psalms help you forge a deeper connection to the Divine.

Showing how the Psalms give profound and candid expression to both our highest aspirations and our deepest pain, the late, highly respected Cistercian Abbot M. Basil Pennington shares his reflections on some of the most beloved passages from the Bible’s most widely read book. In this companion volume to The Song of Songs: A Spiritual Commentary, Pennington is once again joined by Jewish artist Phillip Ratner, whose evocative works will lead you into more meaningful contemplation of the inner spirit of the Psalms.

Pennington describes how the monastic tradition of regular reflection on the Psalms—a technique St. Benedict called the “work of God,” or Opus Dei—can help you transform your everyday life into a powerful life of prayer. Enriched by Jewish and Christian faith, the drawings and meditations speak to every person wanting both to connect with their most human longings and to forge a vital connection with the Divine.