If your marriage must come to an end, do it the right way with wisdom, practicality, and understanding. What does Judaism tell you about divorce? What guidance, strength, and insight can Judaism provide? In this first-of-its-kind handbook, Perry Netter divorc, father, congregational rabbi, and pastoral counselor shows how wholeness can be found in the midst of separation and divorce. With a title drawn from the words of the eleventh-century biblical commentator known as Rashi, "Divorce Is a Mitzvah provides practical wisdom, information, and strength from a Jewish perspective for those experiencing the challenging life-transition of divorce. Drawing on wisdom from centuries of biblical and rabbinic teachings, as well as modern psychological research, Netter offers suggestions for transitioning through the stages of separation and building a new life. This indispensable guide for people in crisis and the family members, friends, and counselors who interact with them shows us how to transform a traumatic time of life into one of growth, right behavior, and greater spiritual understanding.
What if each and every word of the Gemara was life-changing? What if we could see how every single Talmudic debate, every scenario, every idea impacts the way we view ourselves and the world around us? When you first open up The Transformative Daf, you discover a whole new way of looking at the Gemara. No example is random. No debate is tangential. Beneath the surface discussion of every sugya lies an eternal moral message. But then you examine the abundant sources in The Transformative Daf and you realize that this approach is not new at all. Building on classic works such as Ben Yehoyada, Maharsha, Iyun Yaakov, and various Torah commentaries, it’s clear that Rabbi Friedman builds on a rich Torah tradition of deriving meaning and application for daily life. Whether you are baki b’Shas or new to Gemara, every page of The Transformative Daf will inspire you with a lesson for life that is insightful, meaningful, and transformative!
The Jewish family in America is by and large a reflection of the general American family. With the rise of divorce and the increasing preference for alternative life styles, the traditional Jewish family, like its American counterpart, is under increasing challenge. When the effects of intermarriage and a lower-than-average birth rate are added in, the continuity of the Jewish family and Jewish life is under even greater threat. The essays in this volume, by distinguished scholars and social-policy theorists, assess the situation and prescribe policy measures to minimize the adverse affects of these trends when necessary or possible. Among the questions addressed are adoption, divorce, abortion, feminism, and pornography. It is the hope of the editors and contributors alike that their work will not only aid in preserving the American Jewish family, but will have wider resonance as well.
Draws upon wisdom that has sustained the Jewish people through the ages to guide you in navigating the unique challenges of raising Jewish teens. Also addresses special cases like interfaith homes, special needs teens and teens engaged in risky behaviors.
The Taryag Companion is Rabbi Jack Abramowitz’ most ambitious project to date. Not only does it include thorough and incisive explanations of all 613 mitzvos (according to the list of Maimonides) in a surprisingly readable fashion, the supplemental materials will enlighten readers on a broad array of related topics, from the 13 foundations of the Jewish faith to the 19 blessings of Shemoneh Esrei and from the 24 Books of the Jewish Bible to the 63 tractates of the Oral Law. Never before has so comprehensive an overview been so concise.
In the third volume of his groundbreaking series on rabbinic authority in English, Rabbi Warburg discusses the ramifications of a Jewish divorce. In this well-composed monograph, Rabbi Warburg primarily focuses on the case of the modern day agunah, a wife who is unable to get divorced due to her husband’s recalcitrance. He addresses the various techniques, such as obligating the giving of a get (Jewish divorce document), finding relief for an agunah who signed an exploitative agreement, and listing different avenues to void a marriage (bitul kiddushin) used by the rabbinical court. This issue is of some controversy in the Jewish community, and there is heated debate about it.
The Jewish coming-of-age ceremony of bar mitzvah was first recorded in thirteenth-century France, where it took the form of a simple statement by the father that he was no longer responsible for his thirteen-year-old son. Today, bar mitzvah for boys and bat mitzvah for girls are more popular than at any time in history and are sometimes accompanied by lavish celebrations. How did bar mitzvah develop over the centuries from an obscure legal ritual into a core component of Judaism? How did it capture the imagination of even non-Jewish youth? Bar Mitzvah, A History is a comprehensive account of the ceremonies and celebrations for both boys and girls. A cultural anthropology informed by rabbinic knowledge, it explores the origins and development of the most important coming-of-age milestone in Judaism. Rabbi Michael Hilton has sought out every reference to bar mitzvah in the Bible, the Talmud, and numerous other Jewish texts spanning several centuries, extracting a fascinating miscellany of information, stories, and commentary.
The New York Times best-selling guide to being your best self, even when things don’t turn out as you’d hoped. The beloved author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Rabbi Harold S. Kushner here turns to the experience of Moses to find the requisite lessons of strength and faith—the lessons that teach us how to overcome the disappointments that life inherently brings. We can learn how to meet all disappointments with faith in ourselves and the future, and how to respond to heartbreak—how to weather the disillusionment of dreams unfulfilled, the pain of a lost job, divorce or abandonment, illness, and more—with understanding rather than bitterness and despair. With Kushner’s signature warmth, Overcoming Life’s Disappointments is a book of spiritual wisdom—as practical as it is inspiring.
An inspirational introduction to Buber's I and Thou, showing the dynamic possibilities of spirituality between us. Examples from Ross's own life-as a hospital chaplain, social worker, congregational rabbi, father, and husband-illustrate Buber's notoriously difficult-to-understand ideas about how we encounter God and each other.
