Jewish Spiritual Direction: An Innovative Guide from Traditional and Contemporary Sources [Hardcover]

Howard Avruhm Addison (Author), Barbara Eve Breitman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2006

The first comprehensive resource for spiritual direction in the Jewish tradition--a vital resource for people involved in spiritual leadership.

The essential reference for people who are called to help others listen for God's voice--not only through prayer and sacred texts, but also through dance, art and interactions with other people--this groundbreaking volume draws on both Jewish tradition and the classical foundations of spiritual direction to provide invaluable guidance.

Offering insight into all aspects of spiritual direction, including theology, practice, companionship, group work and embodied spirituality, the contributors to this guide are innovators in their fields and represent all four contemporary Jewish movements. Topics explored include:

* Jewish Theologies and Jewish Spiritual Direction
* The Vocabulary of Jewish Spiritual Direction
* Spiritual Direction as a Contemplative Practice
* Contemplation and Social Action
* Cultivating a Hearing Heart
* Spiritual Types
* Community for Spiritual Direction
* Spiritual Direction and the Cycle of Holy Time
* Spiritual Companionship and the Passages of Life
* Jewish Spiritual Direction and the Sacred Body
* Integrating Spiritual Direction and Visual Creativity
* and many more ...

An exciting and practical addition to an emerging field, this is the definitive guide for all who accompany Jewish seekers on their spiritual journeys.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Much attention has been paid in recent years to the idea of "spiritual direction," but so far the concept has been almost exclusively defined in terms of the Protestant or Catholic experience. Addison, a rabbi who teaches at Temple University, and Breitman, who teaches pastoral counseling at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pa., co-founded the world's first institute to train spiritual directors in the Jewish tradition. Here, they offer an anthology of essays that is essentially a one-stop training manual for rabbis, spiritual directors and other religious leaders who want to teach people to discern God's voice and follow His direction. While Jewish spiritual direction is, as the authors concede, still an "evolving practice," it draws upon thousands of years' worth of prayer and study. The book can be dense at times, but it is rich with ideas and resources. (May)
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Review

“A work of intelligence, depth and enduring worth [that is] long overdue.” —Rabbi Martin S. Cohen, editor of Conservative Judaism magazine “Adds fresh, new understandings of spiritual guidance to long-treasured Jewish traditions of seeking the face of God. Sit with it. Ponder it. Let it lead you to prayer.” —Mary Ann Scofield, RSM, PhD, founding member, Spiritual Directors International “Admirably creates a vocabulary and conceptual framework for this emerging field. Masterfully mines Jewish tradition to ground spiritual direction in Jewish theology, text and practice. An invaluable companion to those who companion others on their spiritual journeys.” —Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman, editor of Jewish Pastoral Care, 2nd Edition: A Practical Handbook from Traditional and Contemporary Sources “A treasure trove.… Will inspire its readers to new levels of Jewish spiritual engagement and activism.” —Rabbi David Teutsch, author of Spiritual Community: The Power to Restore Hope, Commitment and Joy “An epochmaking event. This is not just Christian spiritual direction with a Jewish patina; it is fully and organically Jewish.” —Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi, DHL, author of Spiritual Intimacy “Deep, thoughtful and varied.... An extraordinary collection of pioneering works that maps the latest thinking in this important, emerging field of Jewish spiritual life.” —Rabbi Nancy Flam, codirector of programs, Institute for Jewish Spirituality --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 327 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing (April 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580232302
• ISBN-13: 978-1580232302
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #527,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant series of teachings on the current Jewish search for God, May 8, 2006

By 

Susie Kaufman (Lenox, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jewish Spiritual Direction: An Innovative Guide from Traditional and Contemporary Sources (Hardcover)

This book is a deep exploration of the newly emerging practice of Jewish spiritual direction. In rich, evocative prose, the various writers place spiritual guidance and the Jewish yearning for a direct experience of the divine in a clear historical context, exploring its roots in Torah, rabbinic sources and hasidic writings while acknowledging its profound relation to contemplative Christianity. The editors have included essays by a wide range of brilliant thinkers in the field who explore the relation between personal piety and social justice, using the prayerbook as a template for the spiritual journey, and bringing poetry, art and dance into spiritual direction...among many other fascinating topics. The editors are unfailingly courageous in their approach. They seem to anticipate the concerns that inevitably arise...Is this really Jewish? How can I distinguish between the voice of God and the voice of my own ego? How does contemplative Judaism mesh with the more familiar setting of communal prayer? At each juncture, the questions are raised and considered without giving in to the temptation to provide easy answers. This book is a treasure that somehow manages to address difficult questions without being arcane.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expansion of understanding of the practice of Jewish Spiritual Direction, June 14, 2006

By 

Ellen Stromberg (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jewish Spiritual Direction: An Innovative Guide from Traditional and Contemporary Sources (Hardcover)

Editors, Addison and Breitman's "Jewish Spiritual Direction" bring together an extraordinary group of writers and thinkers who present ideas, perspectives and learnings within the growing field of Jewish Spiritual Direction. This book explores from a Jewish perspective universal themes about seeking the Holy and seeking meaning for everyday lives. The writers delve into and give expression to the particular ways that the tradition prays, questions, teaches about God. Essays exploring Jewish texts inform and expand the understanding of a Jewish perspective of spiritual direction and ground it within the tradition. The glossary of terms increases the accessibility of the material for all.

This book speaks to Jewish directors and directors of other faith traditions as well as providing an informative and knowledgeable base of information to those seeking more about the practice of Jewish spiritual direction. I highly recommend this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A complete and "user-friendly" guide that draws upon both ancient and contemporary Judaic sources, June 4, 2006

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jewish Spiritual Direction: An Innovative Guide from Traditional and Contemporary Sources (Hardcover)

Jewish Spiritual Direction: An Innovative Guide From Traditional And Contemporary Sources, knowledgeably compiled and expertly co-edited by Rabbi Howard Avruhm Addison and psychotherapist Barbara Eve Breitman is an in-depth study of Jewish theology and Judaic spiritual philosophy. Deftly presenting the symbolic, scriptural, and ritual complexities of Jewish practice and custom, Jewish Spiritual Direction offers commentaries and contributions by sixteen learned men and women on such issues as the vocabulary of Jewish spiritual direction; spiritual direction as a contemplative practice; contemplation and social action; cultivation of a hearing heart; spiritual types; community for spiritual direction; and so much more. A core addition to any personal, synagogue, or academic library's Judaic Studies reference collection, Jewish Spiritual Direction is very strongly recommended as a complete and "user-friendly" guide that draws upon both ancient and contemporary Judaic sources.