This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation [Hardcover]

Alan Lew (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2003

There are moments in life when one is caught utterly unprepared. Drawing on both his rabbinical training and his scholarship in Buddhism, Lew leads readers on a journey from confusion to clarity, from doubt to belief, as he opens a path to self-discovery that is accessible to readers of all faiths.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lew's exploration of the Days of Awe begins not with Rosh Hashanah-which is not featured until chapter six-but with Tisha B'Av and the month of Elul. These observances, Lew feels, set a tone of rigorous introspection in the Jewish calendar. He follows the story through Yom Kippur and Sukkot, drawing on Jewish tradition, his own experiences and a few Buddhist stories (Lew is a self-described "Zen rabbi") to take the reader on a journey of spiritual transformation-"from birth to death and back to renewal again." Lew is far more concerned with inner motivations and awareness than with external rituals, a refreshing and sometimes startling perspective. He is a perceptive thinker and a highly skilled writer, making this book a hard-hitting yet compassionate cry for spiritual renewal during the High Holy Days as well as the rest of the year.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The Days of Awe, the Jewish rituals observed each year between roughly mid-August and mid-October, include Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the 10 days between the two High Holy days. Citing the Hebrew Bible, Talmud, Kabbalah, and other sources, Lew offers advice on how we can live our lives in a meaningful and joyful way through prayer and meditation. Author of One God Clapping: The Spiritual Path of a Zen Rabbi (1999), he writes of the importance of introspection and self-evaluation in this period of repentance and contemplation. His insights into how we can make the most of our time are astute and profound and should be of interest to readers of all faiths. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316739081
• ISBN-13: 978-0316739085
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #549,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Holidays

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Book, September 5, 2009

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Chris Converse (Wasilla, Alaska) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book, the kind I have been looking for. It is an easy read and yet has a lot of deep concepts that makes one think. This combination is rare. This books takes the reader on journey through the High Holy Days in ways that anyone can relate to and helps the reader get prepared for the Holidays themselves. I have not been able to get through any one chapter in one reading. As I read each section I get lost in contemplation and in thinking about the content. This is a must have for every Jewish library including both the novice and yeshivah educated and all in between.

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Someone with a passing interest in spiritual development, October 6, 2005

By 

Michael Gilbert "lover of ideas" (Boston MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation (Hardcover)

This is a powerful book about opening your heart. Rabbi Lew combines Eastern philosophy with Jewish wisdom so that the reader enjoys the best of both worlds. The basic approach is that the Jewish High Holy Days provide us with an annual opportunity to acknowledge the dark shadows in our soul, accept our inevitable flaws, failings and transgressions, and emerge from the process fresh, whole and reinvigorated. Rabbi Lew writes beautifully and the message hits home. Highly recommended.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable book for preparation for the High Holidays, or anytime., June 9, 2008

By 

Libby Cone "author of War on the Margins" (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation (Hardcover)

This is an invaluable book for preparation for the High Holidays; I think non-Jews would also benefit from Rabbi Lew's ideas. We go through life trying to shield ourselves from the inevitabilities of disappointment, death, and decay, at the same time insulating ourselves from joy and from the needs of others. Rabbi Lew focuses on the time from Tisha B'Av, the fast day commemorating the destruction of the Second Temple and other tragedies, to Sukkot, the harvest holiday where we acknowledge our vulnerabilities and celebrate joyfully in roofless shacks, having examined our lives, admitted our brokenness, forgiven slights against us and also forgiving ourselves. With additional Buddhist perspective that never falls into Buddhism Lite, this is a profound book that should be read over and over again.