Inviting God In: Celebrating the Soul-Meaning of the Jewish Holy Days (Shambhala Pocket Classics) [Hardcover]

Rabbi David Aaron (Author)

Book Description

Series: Shambhala Pocket Classics | Publication Date: August 22, 2006

This warm, inspiring look at the Jewish holidays—by one of the most dynamic and accessible teachers of Jewish thought today—shows us how each holy day empowers us to recognize God's loving presence in our life everyday.

There are many books that discuss how to celebrate the holidays; Inviting God In explains why we should celebrate. Using biblical references, anecdotes, and teaching tales, Rabbi David Aaron takes us through the Jewish calendar year and explains how each holiday—from the most joyous to the most somber—reveals God's ever-present love for us. Passover, for example, celebrates unconditional love; Shavuot reminds us of freedom and our power to take responsiblity; Rosh Hashanah is about the joy of accountability and Yom Kippur sanctifies compassion and forgiveness. Rabbi Aaron helps us to awaken our soulful connection to the dramatic events that occured on those days, and to experience the holidays as opportunities to revitalize our personal relationship with God.

Rabbi Aaron is an enthusiastic guide, and his fresh view of the holidays will enliven and enrich traditional celebration. Inviting God In will inspire both practicing Jews who want to reinvigorate their observance of the holidays and secular Jews searching for a meaningful way to reconnect with their Jewish roots.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Aaron, a teacher of mysticism in Jerusalem, focuses on one word not usually used to describe Jewish holiday themes and observances: love. Yes, he says, Rosh Hashanah is about accountability and Hanukkah is about hope. Yes, Yom Kippur is about forgiveness and Purim is about trust. But every holiday shares one unifying ingredient not usually stirred into the Jewish recipe for the holidays: God's love. A Jewish holiday, called a mo'ed, a fixed time or date, allows us a "date with God" so that we can remember a dramatic moment in God's loving presence. Each chapter describes the "soul-meaning"—a term Aaron doesn't define—of a different holiday, an aspect of God's unconditional love. Aaron's accessible explanations make difficult mystical concepts easy to understand, especially when he offers clever, offbeat analogies. The Torah is like a love letter you read and reread. Revelation is like the traffic report on the radio, with God as the traffic helicopter deciphering patterns from above. The tragedy, says Aaron, is that today many of us are not even looking for God. For those who are, Aaron's book will provide sincere guidance toward uncovering a tender, untarnished meaning of the Jewish holidays. (Aug. 8)
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Review

"Aaron's book provides sincere guidance toward uncovering a tender, untarnished meaning of the Jewish holidays."—Publishers Weekly

"A spiritually rousing book. . . . In a warm, easy-to-read style, and radiating an enthusiasm that is contagious, Aaron explores the deeper meaning behind nine Jewish holidays."—Cleveland Jewish News

"This is a wonderfully inspiring book! Rabbi Aaron makes you fall in love with God and wtih the depth and wisdom of Judaism."—Dr. Miriam Adahan, author of You are a Jewel

"The Jewish holidays are not only profoundly deep but spiritually thrilling. If you are looking to discover the rich, inspirational tapestry of the holiday cycle, then Rabbi David Aaron is the teacher for you."—Shimon Apisdorf, cofounder of the Jewish Literacy Fund

"Contemporary, meaningful, and witty. Inviting God In is an excellent spiritual tour and guide through the Jewish year."—Rabbi Nissan Dovid Dubov, author of  The Key to Kabbalah: Discovering Jewish Mysticism


"Inviting God In has a lot to teach all of us, about God and about ourselves."—Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Trumpeter (August 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590303377
• ISBN-13: 978-1590303375
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,690,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars God's love, compassion and wisdom, October 12, 2006

By 

Fern Sidman "FERN SIDMAN" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inviting God In: Celebrating the Soul-Meaning of the Jewish Holy Days (Shambhala Pocket Classics) (Hardcover)

Rabbi David Aaron takes us on a soulful, intensely spiritual journey of the Jewish calendar year in this well written and finely crafted book. From Passover to Rosh HaShanah to Purim, this book explains the multi-faceted nature of God's role in our lives, both on a highly personal level and on a collective one as well.

We begin to understand God's love for us, His infinite compassion and kindness and His own unique ability to forgive us, despite our sins.

Rabbi Aaron does not write in a didactic or preachy fashion, but rather his style is a most refreshing one as he unravels spiritual mysteries with much simplicity while including personal stories that make this subject feel so real and tangible to the reader.

This book implores the reader to connect with God, to understand what our relationship with God is and how we can benefit from it. On each holiday we are taught what role God plays and what is expected of us. Leading a life that is devoid of God's presence and a spiritually bankrupt one, robs us of not only a genuine understanding of our great heritage, but of a unique and cherished bond that has sustained us as people and a nation.

There is a story told of a great Chassidic rabbi named the Kotzker Rebbe who lived in Europe in the 1800s. A child was once walking down the street. The Kotzker Rebbe passed by and motioned for him to stop. "Let me ask you a question, little boy," said the Kotzker Rebbe. "Where is G-d?" The youngster smiled. "Oh, that's easy," he replied. "G-d is everywhere." The Kotzker Rebbe looked at the boy for a moment. "No, my son," he answered gently. "G-d is only where you allow Him to enter."

Our holiday observance can only become more profound and meaningful by adopting a policy of inviting God into our hearts and homes. Rabbi Aaron's book will be a tremendous addition to our libraries as well as a significant contribution to the corpus of Jewish spiritual literature.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful simple wisdom, April 5, 2007

By 

Anyechka (Rensselaer, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inviting God In: Celebrating the Soul-Meaning of the Jewish Holy Days (Shambhala Pocket Classics) (Hardcover)

This short little book packs a lot of punch for its size. It never overwhelms the reader with preachiness, overly flowery language, or stiff boring academic prose. Instead it delivers neat compact messages that are deeply moving, inspirational, and thought-provoking. Rabbi Aaron starts with Pesach, since it occurs in the month of Nisan, which is supposed to be the real calendar beginning of the year, even though most people think of Tishrei and Rosh Hashanah as starting the Jewish year. He goes through all of the major holidays and fast days in chronological order (Pesach, Shavuot, Tisha B'Av, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Hanukah, Tu B'Sh'vat, and Purim), and ends with a recap of all of these spiritual lessons. He assigns each holiday or fast day a theme relating to God and love, such as celebrating loss and sadness on Tisha B'Av, celebrating pleasure on Tu B'Sh'vat, celebrating unconditional love on Pesach, and celebrating accountability on Rosh Hashanah. Through these eye-opening lessons, he gives the reader the impetus to break out of boxes and old paradigms of looking at God, the holidays, the Torah, and the world. Although many Jews tend to shun the notion of having a personal relationship with God as being a Christian concept and not something rooted in their faith tradition, that's a very mistaken belief. We might not use the same language or examples to talk about it, and might not view it in the same way, but as Rabbi Aaron so beautifully illustrates, it's a very Jewish concept indeed. And though all of these themes he discusses are different, in the end, he points out, they're all centered around the concept of reciprocal and unconditional love, love of God, love of one another, and God's love for us. It becomes a lot easier to invite God in on these holidays and major fast days when one understands that all one needs is love.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars key info, November 16, 2006

By 

M. Bruk - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inviting God In: Celebrating the Soul-Meaning of the Jewish Holy Days (Shambhala Pocket Classics) (Hardcover)

Amazing book.
Rav David Aaron - is a master to put key concepts in the clear form.
I'm a kabbala teacher - use his books for my students.