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‘The essence of Jewish life is not the bland performance of the Torah’s commandments, but rather love of Torah and the way of life to which it is the guide.’
Tap into the wisdom of one the world’s ancient religions by meditating on Rabbi Wittenberg’s engaging, contemporary, spiritual, social and ethical insights to the Torah. Rooted in decades of devoted immersion in Jewish learning, humanist literature, concern for people at all ages and stages of life, environmental activism and a love of nature, Rabbi Wittenberg offers wisdom relevant to Jews, Christians and spiritual seekers of all and no faiths.
Over the hundred and more passages, key issues considered include: Compassion and kindness; Creation and wonder; Emotional struggles; Environment and our relationship to nature; Ethical challenges; Illness and suffering; Identity and community; Justice and Social Justice; Refugees and strangers; Remorse and repentance; Responsibility; Searching for meaning; Seeking God.
Tap into the wisdom of one the world’s ancient religions by meditating on Rabbi Wittenberg’s engaging, contemporary, spiritual, social and ethical insights to the Torah. Rooted in decades of devoted immersion in Jewish learning, humanist literature, concern for people at all ages and stages of life, environmental activism and a love of nature, Rabbi Wittenberg offers wisdom relevant to Jews, Christians and spiritual seekers of all and no faiths.
Over the hundred and more passages, key issues considered include: Compassion and kindness; Creation and wonder; Emotional struggles; Environment and our relationship to nature; Ethical challenges; Illness and suffering; Identity and community; Justice and Social Justice; Refugees and strangers; Remorse and repentance; Responsibility; Searching for meaning; Seeking God.
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Reviews
As the world changes at an ever increasing pace it becomes increasingly important for followers of the various traditions to have a greater understanding of faiths other than their own. Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, writing from a Jewish perspective, has written a profound and eloquent series of reflections which show how directly relevant they are to the followers of Judaism today but also to followers of other major faiths.
In these reflections, through his own considerable scholarship, he presents Jewish teaching which will immediately be appreciated by anyone who is concerned about the moral, ethical and spiritual issues of our time.
As I have found in my own friendship and dialogue with Jewish leaders, engaging with Jewish tradition can provide a fresh perspective on texts which are so familiar to us, and so offers an opportunity for us to deepen our knowledge and love of God. Encountering a Jewish perspective on the scriptures we share is also a wonderful starting point for Christians seeking to understand Judaism in its historic and contemporary forms - something which is so important given the difficult history of the relationship between our faiths. As such, Rabbi Wittenberg's book is a gift to many Christian readers.
Jonathan has managed to find an attractive balance between scholarship, contemporary relevance, and deep wisdom springing from many years of study, prayer, immersion in the tradition, and experience of pastoral responsibility and of life. Such distillations are not common.
This beautifully crafted book reflects its author's spiritual and ethical preoccupations. Addressing the fraught realities of daily life, Rabbi Wittenberg listens for the sacred in all that draws breath and in nature itself. It is nothing short of a classic religious text for our disjointed times.