The Jewish Lights Spirituality Handbook: A Guide to Understanding, Exploring & Living a Spiritual Life [Hardcover]

Stuart M. Matlins (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2001

Rich, creative material from over 50 spiritual leaders on every aspect of today's Jewish spirituality: prayer, meditation, mysticism, study, Jewish traditions, rituals, life passages, special days, the everyday, and more. This guide offers, in one place, everything you need to explore all the places that Jewish spirituality can go and take you.

From the nuts-and-bolts to the purely divine, here are simple and not-so-simple ways of understanding what "Jewish spirituality" is...and can be.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Just a decade ago, says Matlins in his introduction, few people were talking about Jewish spirituality. But in recent years there has been increased interest in "this spirituality thing." Almost every star of that revival has contributed at least one essay to this rich but uneven anthology. Arthur Green and Lawrence Kushner offer moving reflections on Shabbat. In a meditation on psychotherapy, Ira F. Stone speaks of the importance of loving other people. For the more practically minded, there's Jack Riemer and Nathaniel Stampfer's essay on "Writing an Ethical Will." Still, the collection is far from flawless. Some of the contributions seem out of place: a two-pager by Tamar Frankiel argues that non-Jews can learn from Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), but it is hard to imagine that many non-Jews are going to spend enough time with this handbook on Jewish spirituality to be persuaded by her short piece. And some of the contributions are a tad shallow. Dannel Schwarz and Mark Hass's "Be Mystical. Be Happy" is no more profound than a Bobby McFerrin song, and David Cooper's reflections on meditation are similarly superficial. (With skimpy evidence and a debatable interpretation of the famous midrash about the four rabbis who enter pardes Rabbi Cooper concludes that "talmudic scholars had extraordinary respect for contemplative practice.") Overall, this volume presents Jewish spirituality chavurah -style; devotees of Kushner et al. will treasure this anthology, although a few of the essays don't quite measure up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Matlins (cofounder and editor in chief of Jewish Lights) compiled this book to provide people with a resource for learning about spirituality with a specifically Jewish focus. Organized into four sections, the essays reflect the different aspects of spirituality and highlight the range and breadth of issues connected with it. The contributors, who include well-known scholars such as Lawrence Kushner, Neil Gillman, and David Hartman, reflect on biblical themes and their own experiences and then explain how to proceed. Broad interest in spirituality and the return of many readers to their Jewish roots creates a place for this book. Recommended for public libraries with collections in contemporary Jewish thought and where there is interest in Jewish spirituality. Naomi Hafter, Broward Cty. P.L., Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580231004
• ISBN-13: 978-1580231008
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,354,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing!, December 9, 2001

By 

"icjab" (Manchester Center, VT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jewish Lights Spirituality Handbook: A Guide to Understanding, Exploring & Living a Spiritual Life (Paperback)

I recently was given a copy of The Jewish Lights Spirituality Handbook. What a superb book Mr. Matlins has produced. It is a complete treatment of the subject, gives an enormous amount of information and resources, presents a variety of outlooks and is very user friendly. I was moved as I read through it (I should say devoured!) to say, " Bravo, and Thank You, Mr. Matlins!"

Rabbi Bob Freedman
Israel Congregation in Manchester, VT