The Committed Life: Principles for Good Living from Our Timeless Past [Paperback]

Esther Jungreis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 1999

Drawing on the timeless wisdom of the torah.Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis reminds us of the principlesnecessary for living a better and more committed life.Inspirational and deeply moving. This book willtouch your heart like no other.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Jungreis warns us in her introduction that our generation lacks moral underpinnings, values, and role models, that our homes lack stability and serenity, that our families have become dysfunctional, and that our world is high on bitterness and low on kindness and generosity. The author's father was the chief Orthodox rabbi of Szeged, Hungary, and when the Nazis occupied that city during World War II, the family was taken to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. In the form of stories based on real-life incidents--including this harrowing family event--Jungreis advises readers on such weighty matters as commitment, responsibility, charity, peace, prayer, forgiveness, banishing fear, compassion, faith, hope, and gratitude. Jungreis, a Jew, quotes from the Torah and the Talmud, but her message is universal. George Cohen --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A love story between a remarkably articulate, generous, fiercely loving, Jewishly engaged woman and her tradition, her family, her children, her people, and, perhaps most of all, her husband." -- Jewish Voice

"Each of us wants to drink deeply and absorb the inspired wisdomof all times and to use it to live a rich, rewarding, and meaningful life.The Committed Life gives you a path to make your lifeenchanted and purposeful." -- Mark Victor Hansen, co-author, #1 New York Times best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series

"In an age where most of us have forgotten what's truly important,The Committed Life instills a renewed passion to reconnect to the values that really matter. This book affected me deeply andI highly recommend it to people of all faiths." -- John Gray, Ph.D., author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

"Jungreis. . .quotes from the Torah and the Talmud,but her message is universal." -- -- Booklist

"This is one of the most touching and inspiring books I've ever read." -- -- Dr. Laura Schlessinger, author of The Ten Commandments

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 333 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (August 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060930853
• ISBN-13: 978-0060930851
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Jewish Life

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! Inspiring! Ten stars!, March 22, 2000

By 

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Committed Life: Principles for Good Living from Our Timeless Past (Paperback)

An amazing book by a wisdom-filled elder of our people! I absolutely loved it!

All too often, the only stories we ever hear about Holocaust survivors are those who lost their faith in God because he supposedly was "not there" and failed to rescue the Jews. Why be religious, the skeptics always say, if it doesn't help you to physically survive?

But for Rebbitzin Jungreis, descendant of an illustrious rabbinic dynasty and a survivor of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, there is more to life than mere survival. God is always there, even under the most horrible conditions that life can throw at us. The question is not how we die, but how we live. As her father taught her -- and she quotes him in the book -- "A long life is not good enough, but a good life is long enough."

To Rebbitzin Jungreis, the "good life" is not one filled with material possessions, but rather, a life devoted to God, Torah, and mitzvahs -- a life filled with hope, forgiveness, joy and love. Short or long, such a life is always a good life.

After surviving Bergen-Belsen, her father, who had been Chief Rabbi of Szeged, Hungary, before the Nazis came, charged her with a sacred mission: to help renew the faith in God among Jews, which the Nazis had tried to destroy. Rebbitzin Jungreis has devoted her life to doing just that. Her deep spirituality radiates from every page of this book -- not the wishy-washy, self-centered form of "spirituality" so often preached by New Agers nowadays, but the real thing -- the kind of spirituality that takes hard work -- and which manifests itself in a life committed to God and service to one's fellow human beings under any and all circumstances.

I especially liked the parts where she talks about about doing tikkun olam (repairing the world) and forgiveness, saying: "To respond to hatred with hated can only beget further hatred and reduce the world to chaos. Whenever possible, we have to try to communicate by using the formual of our father Abraham by attempting to awaken the Divine spark even in the darkest of souls." (p. 38) Remember, this is from a Holocaust survivor, who personally experienced the darkest chapter in Jewish history. But, unlike many Jews who became embittered and still say "Never forgive," Rebbitzin Jungreis does not allow hatred to fester and poison her soul. Instead, she lights a candle in the darkness, working to heal broken hearts and rescue wounded souls from the abyss.

This is a book you will want to read over and over. Whatever your own level of religious observance might be, her personal stories and heartwarming, down-to-earth advice will help you to lead a more meaningful life.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for All, Jews and Non-Jews Alike, December 28, 2000

By 

Mayflower Girl "amazon-junkie since 1996" (Albany, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Committed Life: Principles for Good Living from Our Timeless Past (Paperback)

This is one of those books that opens your heart and helps your faith in G-d to grow. Just reading the stories reaffirmed my faith in G-d, in prayer, in life. Quite frankly, I frequently found myself in tears when reading the stories--what kind of tears? I'm not sure... sort of the tears that makes one happy to know that G-d exists still. Rebbetzin Jungreis writes in a gifted manner. As a non-Jew (but Monotheist), I was amazed at the wealth of wisdom that can be found in the Torah. Raised as a Christian, it was commonplace to perhaps read through Genesis and Exodus and then skip on over to the New Testament. What a mistake. For me, this book helped me in many ways... it made me even more committed to the act of charity... it made me more committed to exploring the Jewish roots of the monotheistic faiths. I think this would make an excellent book for teachers to use in helping to make their students more aware of Judaism... to give their students a healthier respect for Judaism. I also think it would be a good book for families to read together and then discuss.

I highly encourage you to buy this book. It's a treasure that has the potential to change your life and your faith.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and real. Jungreis is like a wise and friendly aunt, August 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Committed Life: Principles for Good Living from Our Timeless Past (Hardcover)

Jungreis, a pioneer in the field of Jewish outreach, shows us that it is possible to be Orthodox and capable or relating to ordinary folks. She is very sure of herself and her values, but never preachy. But what really "makes" this book are the anecdotes--story after story, sensitively and non-judgementally told, about those whose lives Jungreis has touched and the lessons that they--and she--have learned. Jungreis is an Orthodox Jewish woman from a very distinguished rabbinic family, but her words and her work speak to all sensitive souls and her concern extends to everyone. All the warmth of the Orthodox world with none of the clannishness. All the specific references are translated, not just linguistically, but culturally. Jungreis never excludes. A Jewish book you can give not only to religiously committed Jews of all varieties, but to assimilated ones. Non-Jews will find Jungreis's values speak to them as well. I would recommend The Committed Life to potential converts to Judaism, but then, I'd recommend it to sensitive, searching souls of all stripes; to anyone seeking the beauty, dignity, and warmth of the committed life.