Sparks Beneath the Surface

Sparks Beneath the Surface
Author: Lawrence S. Kushner
Publisher: Jason Aronson
Total Pages: 276
Release: 1995-11-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781568217437

Rabbis Kushner and Olitzky present commentaries on well-known biblical passages drawn from hasidic sources.

Sparks of Light

Sparks of Light
Author: Gideon Weitzman
Publisher: Jason Aronson, Incorporated
Total Pages: 361
Release: 1999-09-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1461630770

The author writes: "Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook (5635-5695/1865-1935) was one of the greatest Jewish leaders of recent history. He was steeped in Jewish knowledge of all kinds, a master of halacha, Talmud, and Jewish philosophy, and he also had a good knowledge of the general philosophy and science of his day." Rav Kook was also a prolific writer and complex thinker who developed a system of understanding the events that were happening to the Jewish people. It was a time of change, HerzI convened the Zionist Congress in Basel, irreligious Zionists were moving to Israel and establishing settlements and kibbutzim. There was a negative reaction from many religious leaders to the young men and women. Darwin's theory and Freud I s new science were gaining popularity and many Jews were drawn further away from a traditional lifestyle. Rav Kook was able to perceive the inner yearnings that accompanied these revolutionary changes. They represented a deep yearning within these young Jews for morality, equality, and justice. They realized that the world was not static but evolved and moved in a positive direction. Rav Kook embraced both Zionism and the young irreligious Zionists. He developed a philosophy that was based on the kabbalistic concept of fusion. The world appears divided; there is a break between heaven and earth, physical and spiritual, politics and religion. But at the heart of it all, everything is fused into a cohesive unit. This is true for the individual, the nation, and all of existence. Rav Kook set about publicizing his theories and spreading his teachings to young thinkers, both religious and secular. This represents the bulk of his voluminous writings. Rav Kook never wrote a book of commentary on the Torah, but he did create a lens through which we can perceive and better understand the Torah. That is the basis for this book.

Gathering Sparks

Gathering Sparks
Author: Howard Schwartz
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 45
Release: 2010-08-03
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1596432802

A grandfather introduces his grandson to the Jewish tradition of tikkun olam, a centuries-old concept which proposes that everyone must do their part in order to improve the world.

If All the Seas Were Ink

If All the Seas Were Ink
Author: Ilana Kurshan
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2017-09-05
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1250121272

**WINNER of the 2018 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and the 2018 Sophie Brody Medal for achievement in Jewish literature** **2018 Natan Book Award Finalist** **Finalist for the 2017 National Jewish Book Award in Women's Studies ** The Wall Street Journal: "There is humor and heartbreak in these pages...Ms. Kurshan immerses herself in the demands of daily Talmud study and allows the words of ancient scholars to transform the patterns of her own life." The Jewish Standard:“Brilliant, beautifully written, sensitive, original." The Jerusalem Post:"A beautiful and inspiring book. Both religious and secular readers will find themselves immensely moved by [Kurshan's] personal story.” American Jewish World: “So engrossing I hardly could put it down.” At the age of twenty-seven, alone in Jerusalem in the wake of a painful divorce,Ilana Kurshan joined the world’s largest book club, learning daf yomi, Hebrew for“daily page” of the Talmud, a book of rabbinic teachings spanning about six hundredyears. Her story is a tale of heartache and humor, of love and loss, of marriageand motherhood, and of learning to put one foot in front of the other by turningpage after page. Kurshan takes us on a deeply accessible and personal guided tourof the Talmud. For people of the book—both Jewish and non-Jewish—If All theSeas Were Ink is a celebration of learning, through literature, how to fall in loveonce again.

Sparks of Mussar

Sparks of Mussar
Author: Chaim Zaichyk
Publisher:
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2014
Genre: Musar movement
ISBN: 9781583301289

A treasury of words and deeds of the Mussar greats.

Joyfully Jewish

Joyfully Jewish
Author: Rae Shagalov
Publisher:
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2015-12-30
Genre:
ISBN: 9781937472030

"Joyfully Jewish" is the first coloring book for adults in the "Color Your Soul" series of family and adult coloring books that integrate the relaxing, meditative art of coloring with deep chassidic secrets of Judaism. It includes more than 40 fun designs to color and unique Jewish quotes from contemporary Jewish masters written in beautiful calligraphy. This coloring book for grownups and families is a relaxing, uplifting and meditative introduction to Jewish spirituality. Coloring for relaxation and stress relief is a peaceful, meditative activity. As you color in the pages, contemplate the Artnotes thoughts on them and try to internalize them. If you're doing this as a family activity, discuss the ideas while you color them in together. Afterwards, hang up these beautiful family treasures around your home to set a Joyfully Jewish tone. The designs are printed on one side of the page only to prevent bleed-through in this adult coloring book for relaxation.

Daily Wisdom Vol. 2 - Standard Size 51⁄2 X 81⁄2

Daily Wisdom Vol. 2 - Standard Size 51⁄2 X 81⁄2
Author: Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 488
Release: 2018-12-10
Genre: Bible
ISBN: 9780826608949

The Lubavitcher Rebbe's mystical teachings on the weekly Torah portions are widely studied by students and admirers around the world. The Rebbe saw the weekly Torah portion as an inexhaustible source of new ideas, insight into current issues, and profound relevance for daily life. He urged his followers, as well as everyone who came into contact with him, to seek daily inspiration from studying the Torah.This second volume of DAILY WISDOM, in the tradition of the highly acclaimed first volume of DAILY WISDOM, presents these daily inspirations in a clear, user-friendly format. Like its predecessor, this volume comprises 378 daily lessons, each of which offers a taste of the Rebbe's vast and deep teachings, filled with love for humanity, pragmatic optimism, and the conviction that evil and negativity will disappear when we learn to emphasize goodness and kindness. These ideas are woven together throughout the book, resulting in a precious daily resource that will enrich and elevate the lives of all readers.

Torah Encounters

Torah Encounters
Author: Rabbi Daniel Pressman
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2019-07-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1538131234

“Torah, as both book and process, is the taproot that penetrates to the heart of Jewish meaning, understanding, and expression. Torah study is how we mine not just meaning from the text, but our awareness of God’s will,” writes Rabbi Daniel Pressman in the introduction to Torah Encounters: Genesis. This book invites readers into the richness of the Torah, sharing context and information for each parasha, as well as commentary from generations of Biblical interpreters—historical and modern, and Rabbi Pressman’s own insights. The second in the five-volume Torah Encounters series, Torah Encounters: Exodus makes the weekly Torah portion approachable and applicable. It is a wonderful resource for clergy, adult or high school Hebrew education, or personal study.