Moments of Transcendence: Inspirational Readings for Rosh Hashanah (Hardcover)

~ Dov Peretz Elkins (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Moments of Transcendence: Inspirational Readings for Rosh Hashanah is designed to renew the meaning of the High Holy Day themes of sin, repentance, personal change, societal justice, forgiveness, spiritual growth, living with joy and hope, commitment to high ideals, and savoring the divine gift of life. The modern worshiper is often at a loss to penetrate the meaning of the medieval poems collected in the High Holy Day prayer book, the Mahzor. During most Jewish High Holy Day services, worshipers are inspired by the rabbi's sermon, the beautiful music of the cantor or the choir, and the penetrating blast of the shofar. Unfortunately, the profound message of how we avoid today's litany of sins rarely gets through to the heart of the worshiper.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Jason Aronson (April 28, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876685068
• ISBN-13: 978-0876685068
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,846,640 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Wonderful!, September 26, 2003

By	Josh Singer (Englewood, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This is an extremely uplifting, enlightening book for anyone who wishes to delve more deeply into the High Holidays. The breadth and depth in which Elkins gathers his material is amazing. Well done! I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something to read during the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it certainly keeps your mind focused on the menaing of those special days.

3.0 out of 5 stars too much of a good thing , September 15, 2007

By	Michael Lewyn (Jacksonville, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As other reviewers pointed out, this review contains hundreds of little snippets which the author hoped would be inspirational. Some are; some would be if they were in a shorter book; some are just liberal pieties.

I personally was a bit bored after the first 100-150 pages; telling people what they already know in their hearts is a wonderful thing if done briefly, but is much harder to do well for 300 pages.

Having buried this book, let me praise it. There are certainly a few gems here, such as:

*one rabbi's statement that "A fool is one who never changes his mind."
*the story about Mordecai Kaplan (in which a student parrots Kaplan's speech from a few days earlier, and instead of praising him, Kaplan responds: "Young man, I have grown since then.")
*Robert Gordis's comparison of teshuva to laundry- just as clothes get dirty even after being scrubbed regularly, souls do as well.
*Louis Jacobs' explanation of the cliche that the shofar "confuses Satan." This does not mean that the ancient rabbis literally believed in a confusable angel or devil; rather, "Satan is identified frequently with the evil inclination in man . . . by repeatedly sounding the shofar, we are moved to control the darker forces in our nature."

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful inperations, November 6, 2001

By A Customer

This book has hundreds of short stories and probverbs that remind you of the important things in life. It's like "chicken soup" for the Jewish soul.