Customer Reviews

The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Things

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My 9 year old grandson raised with little Judaism, and 70 year old Orthodox brother enjoyed these stories, which they read together, in equal measure. It provided thought provoking insights into the extraordinary nature of everyday life in stories short enough for children raised on TV segments, and seniors with little time and patience for labored phliosophy.

Rabbi Leder has written a wonderful book that reminds us all that there is beauty and greatness in the everydayness of life. It is an uplifting and insightfull read. This book shows the reader that there is more to life and it is right in front of you. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

This book is deceptively easy to consume. The chapters are relatively short, and dosed with just enough humor, perfect for reading in bed, no matter how tired you are -- or for reading aloud at the dinner table. However, there is more depth and complexity to Leder's writing than it may at first appear; I found myself thinking about and then re-reading many of the pieces. Among my favorites: his "Eleven Suggestions for Becoming A Mensch", and the calculations of how many diapers his mother changed and how many plates of food she served while raising him and his siblings (27,375 and 183,960). Rabbi Leder does not merely show us how extraordinary ordinary life is; he draws us a practical and inspiring map for our own journey.

This book is deceptively easy to consume. The chapters are relatively short, and dosed with just enough humor, perfect for reading in bed, no matter how tired you are -- or for reading aloud at the dinner table. However, there is more depth and complexity to Leder's writing than it may at first appear; I found myself thinking about and then re-reading many of the pieces. Among my favorites: his "Eleven Suggestions for Becoming A Mensch", and the calculations of how many diapers his mother changed and how many plates of food she served while raising him and his siblings (27,375 and 183,960). Rabbi Leder does not merely show us how extraordinary ordinary life is; he draws us a practical and inspiring map for our own journey.

Rabbi Leder is an extraordinary observer and pretty good at telephone poles, too. The poles I am referring to are from an activity that Rabbi Leder describes in his book, one that I recently attended with him. Whether balancing 20 feet in the air, or just leading a small group discussion, Rabbi Leder always amazes me with his insights and his menchlichkeit. This book captures both in deeply personal stories that, if you let them, will connect to your soul and change the way you see life. They will change the way you prioritize, putting into perspective your everyday struggles, and opening your heart to family, love and living life in the present. This book helped put my telephone poles into perspective. It's a perfect gift for yourself and for anyone jumping with you.

Without preaching or dictating, Rabbi Leder encourages us to ask some of life's more important questions. Did we do the important things in or for our lives during the last year? Do we recognize both the spiritual and physical aspects of major life events as birth and death? Are we always cognizant of how precious our children's and parents' lives are? By using humor and emotion, he wants us to question our values and priorities. He asks us to consider the teachings of the Hebrew Bible as we continually search to understand the meaning of life. Rabbi Leder includes Biblical stories and personal family incidents to teach us about the value of life even in its most mundane aspects. He shows us how we can conquer fear through faith. He describes lessons he has learned from his parents and siblings. He shows us how we can increase the meaning of our own lives by reaching out in small ways to those in needs. He shows how, by doing nothing much in a day, we can do more than enough. He shows us that life is not always "fair," that even if one does good deeds, one is not necessarily free from suffering. Rabbi Leder's writing is poignant; he is a man who reaches out to share his gifts in word and in deed. I will refer to this book from time to time to keep refreshing myself with Rabbi Leder's wisdom and to smile at his delightful personality and sense of humor. I am grateful to him for writing this book.

This is a book that I will return to over and over again throughout my life. The powerful and challenging essays are poignant reminders of what it means to be human; something of which we do need reminding. I now have a new book to give as a gift all of my friends and loved ones.

Steven Leder's book, The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Things, is undoubtedly the best book I've ever read. He is realistic, optimistic and has a keen insight on how real life is. A must read for anyone of any age, Jew or non-Jew!

It's an honor for me to write the first review of this remarkable book. I'll make no bones about it, I know the author. I'm proud to call him my Rabbi and my friend (and not necessarily in that order). But even were he a total stranger, I would have found this book a profound experience. The only difference is, I might not have found it at all, and I would be the poorer for that. The author is young, but as each page turns, insight is revealed that belies his youth. This is the book that so many others these days attempt to be: 'don't sweat the small stuff'.. 'everything i needed to know'...et. al., ad nauseum. The difference is that what you will learn is what we all should know, but pitifully few of us actually do. Things that seem like simple common sense are sometimes the most difficult to acknowledge and come to terms with. The author leads us to these basic truths with great sensitivity, emotion and a sense of humor that is often lacking in a work that deals with some of the most painful areas of our lives. Anyone who has experienced loss, and who among us has not, will find comfort. Anyone who has regrets, again, all of us, will find hope. Anyone who has forgotten the miracles and mystery that surround us in our everyday lives, will find them once again.

A great book. Give it to someone special! They WILL thank you.