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R. T. Kendall: In Pursuit of His Wisdom, Did You Think to Pray?, Out of the Comfort Zone
by R.T. KendallA collection of three wonderfully enriching books from the bestselling author R.T. Kendall. This bundle looks at foundational aspects of the Christian faith - from wisdom to prayer, humility to leadership. Join R. T. on the journey of a lifetime as he shows us the beauty of a life lived with God, secure in knowing the next step forward.'Wisdom is supreme - the greatest good we can seek, the most noble virtue there is, the greatest gift that is on offer and the highest plateau for living that is available in this present world.'
R. T. Kendall: Total Forgiveness, Totally Forgiving Ourselves, Totally Forgiving God
by R.T. Kendall'If I could have only one of R. T.'s books, this would be my choice. There is no more important message for the church today' Rob Parsons'Few recently published books have made a greater impression on me than R. T. Kendall's Total Forgiveness,' writes Robin Eames. 'I have found so much in his words to challenge my own thinking and work. His Bible-centred approach is matched by the realism of how individuals have tried to face up to loss, distress and frustration.'No sin or action is unforgivable, says R. T., and we are called to keep no record of wrongs, to refuse to punish those who have hurt us, to show mercy and to avoid any form of bitterness. This bundle looks at the theme of forgiveness which stands at the heart of the Christian faith. A radical message for a divided world.
R. T. Kendall: Total Forgiveness, Totally Forgiving Ourselves, Totally Forgiving God
by R.T. Kendall'If I could have only one of R. T.'s books, this would be my choice. There is no more important message for the church today' Rob Parsons'Few recently published books have made a greater impression on me than R. T. Kendall's Total Forgiveness,' writes Robin Eames. 'I have found so much in his words to challenge my own thinking and work. His Bible-centred approach is matched by the realism of how individuals have tried to face up to loss, distress and frustration.'No sin or action is unforgivable, says R. T., and we are called to keep no record of wrongs, to refuse to punish those who have hurt us, to show mercy and to avoid any form of bitterness. This bundle looks at the theme of forgiveness which stands at the heart of the Christian faith. A radical message for a divided world.
R U 4 Real? (TodaysGirls.com #4)
by Nancy Peacock Terry BrownMeet Maya "RU4 Real". Maya pushes the perfect appearance... until it perfectly pushes her to the edge. She's trying to organize a fashion show. She bought the dresses, and they can't be exchanged. Now, she can't believe her friends are going to the lake house without her. They only have a week to squeeze into their designer dresses -- and she knows they're all gonna just pig out the whole time. She'll be the only one left with a waistline.
Raaga's Song: A Diwali Story
by Navina ChhabriaFor fans of Sugar in Milk and Festival of Colors, this celebration of the Diwali holiday is interwoven with an empowering folktale that teaches the importance of being true to oneself. Raaga has always dreamed of singing at the annual Diwali mela at the Royal Place. Ever since she was a little girl, her grandfather would tell her the story of how Lord Rama and his army slew the ten-headed demon Ravana (the story for which Diwali is celebrated today). While young Raaga has always suffered from stage fright, the more Raaga practices with her grandfather, the larger her audience grows, like her own little army. When the day of the audition comes, Raaga takes to the stage in front of her family and friends. But the ten judges tower over her like Ravana and taunt her: "You are the color of a moonless night," one says. "Can you really sing?" It will take all of Raaga's courage and the support of her "army" to summon the strength of Lord Rama and prove them wrong.
The Rabbi
by Noah GordonThe New York Times–bestselling novel that follows the life and career of a rabbi as he journeys through America: &“A rewarding reading experience.&” —Los Angeles TimesMichael Kind is raised in the Jewish cauldron of 1920s New York, familiar with the stresses and materialism of metropolitan life. Turning to the ancient set of ethics of his Orthodox grandfather, with a modern twist, he becomes a Reform rabbi. As insecure and sexually needy as any other young male, he serves as a circuit-rider rabbi in the Ozarks, and then as a temple rabbi in the racially ugly South, in a San Francisco suburb, in a Pennsylvania college town, and finally, in a New England community west of Boston. Along the way he falls deeply in love with and marries the daughter of a Congregational minister; she converts to Judaism and they have two complex, interesting children. Noah Gordon&’s picture of a brilliant and talented religious counselor—who at times is as bereft and uncertain as any of his congregants—is a deeply moving and very satisfying novel.
Rabbi Akiva: Sage of the Talmud
by Barry W. HoltzA compelling and lucid account of the life and teachings of a founder of rabbinic Judaism and one of the most beloved heroes of Jewish history Born in the Land of Israel around the year 50 C. E. , Rabbi Akiva was the greatest rabbi of his time and one of the most important influences on Judaism as we know it today. Traditional sources tell how he was raised in poverty and unschooled in religious tradition but began to learn the Torah as an adult. In the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 C. E. , he helped shape a new direction for Judaism through his brilliance and his character. Mystic, legalist, theologian, and interpreter, he disputed with his colleagues in dramatic fashion yet was admired and beloved by his peers. Executed by Roman authorities for his insistence on teaching Torah in public, he became the exemplar of Jewish martyrdom. Drawing on the latest historical and literary scholarship, this book goes beyond older biographies, untangling a complex assortment of ancient sources to present a clear and nuanced portrait of Talmudic hero Rabbi Akiva.
Rabbi Akiva's Philosophy of Love
by Naftali RothenbergThis book explores the philosophy of love through the thought and life of Rabbi Akiva ben Joseph. Readers of the Talmud are introduced to Rabbi Akiva through the iconic story of his love for his wife Rachel. From this starting point, Naftali Rothenberg conducts a thorough examination of the harmonious approach to love in the obstacle-laden context of human reality. Discussing the deterioration of passion into simple lust, the ability to contend with suffering and death, and so forth, Rothenberg addresses the deepest and most pressing questions about human love. The readings and observations offered here allow readers to acquire the wisdom of love--not merely as an assemblage of theoretical arguments and abstract statements, but as an analysis of the internal contradictions and difficulties revealed in the context of attempts to realize and implement harmonious love.
The Rabbi As Symbolic Exemplar: By the Power Vested in Me
by Jack H BloomThe solution to the growing problem of stress and burnout in rabbis!Written by a practicing clinical psychologist who spent 10 years as a congregational rabbi, The Rabbi As Symbolic Exemplar: By the Power Vested in Me presents positive solutions to the inevitable negative effects of symbolic exemplarhood, coaching rabbis through dilemmas of the "inner soul." Being a rabbi means serving as a Symbolic Exemplar of the best that is in humankind, being experienced and treated and expected to act as a stand-in for God, and a walking, talking symbol of all that Jewish tradition represents. The burden of being a symbolic exemplar of God is extraordinary, and the struggle to live up to its "requirements" can be one of loneliness, frustration, and despair, alienating rabbis who tire of living in a glass house.The Rabbi As Symbolic Exemplar examines how the symbolic role that serves as the source of the rabbi&’s authority and power can lead to disillusionment and disenchantment. Author Jack H Bloom draws on his own experience as a rabbi who watched the successful career he enjoyed turn into one he desperately wanted to forsake and how he was inspired to become an "athletic coach" for rabbis. This unique book details how symbolic exemplarhood is created, what its downside is, what power it offers, how it can be used effectively, how rabbis can deal with their inner lives, and what can be done to help rabbis stay "human" while maintaining their leadership.The Rabbi As Symbolic Exemplar is equally effective as a complete text or as a source of stand-alone chapters on specific topics, including: special tensions of being a rabbi effects of symbolic exemplarhood on the rabbi&’s family educating rabbis on their power training suggestions curing and healing and The Ten Commandments for rabbisThe Rabbi As Symbolic Exemplar is essential reading for rabbis, rabbinical students, congregants, Christian clergy, seminarians and anyone interested in what it is to be a clergy person and how they can support the work clergy do. The book educates both clergy and laity on the humanity of clergy.Visit the author&’s website at http://jackhbloom.com
Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons
by Alice B. McGintyRabbi Benjamin's congregation presents him with a special holiday vest--and cooks him so much food that soon its buttons pop off. Includes glossary, notes on Jewish holidays, and recipes for special foods associated with them.
Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons
by Alice B. McGintyRabbi Benjamin loves his congregation, and they love him. That's why on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the Rabbi's congregation presents him with a special holiday vest with four silver buttons and decorated with designs symbolizing the major holidays celebrated throughout the year. Rabbi Benjamin loves it! He also loves all the holiday treats that his families proudly fill him with-including delicious, crispy latkes; scrumptious matzoh-ball soup; irresistible apple torte; and honey cake.As the year passes, Rabbi Benjamin's beautiful vest stretches tighter and tighter across his belly, and one by one the shiny silver buttons pop!-pop!-pop! off. When summer comes, Rabbi helps his congregation with their gardening, with the hiding of Chanukah presents, with the apple picking, and the fishing. Will all this hard work help Rabbi fit into his beautiful vest when Rosh Hashanah rolls around again?
The Rabbi in the Attic: And Other Stories
by Eileen PollackIn an age of minimalists, Eileen Pollack is a writer of rare generosity. The women and men in The Rabbi in the Attic are complex, vivid people to whom something happens. Their stories take place in small towns in the Catskills, a laboratory of mutant mice in nowhere Tennessee, the backwoods of New Hampshire, the "City of Five Smells" in America's heartland--worlds rendered with such love and intensity that the simplest objects seem magical. Many of the narrators look back on their pasts. But don't expect to be lulled by nostalgia. Expect to laugh. To be jolted. And to be moved. Like most of us, these characters are struggling to understand what they have gained and lost by abandoning the passions and moral certainties of youth. As the narrator of the first story discovers when "barbarian" rock fans invade her town, it can be terrifying to be knocked from the "tiny fixed orbit" of conventional life. But if a person can stretch her imagination far enough, she might also be able to glimpse an "elsewhere" beyond the boundaries of ordinary human limitations. This battle between the real and ideal is taken to mythic heights in the title novella, in which a novice rabbi must try to evict her Orthodox predecessor from the house provided by her prickly congregation. Only when she tempers her enthusiasm for the new ways with compassion for those who follow the old ways can Rabbi Bloomgarten begin to care for their souls. Eileen Pollack writes from a Jewish point of view, but her subject is the search for principles that we must all undertake in a world in which religious truths are no longer handed down from parent to child. Just as one of her characters decides to become a "value assessor," the author herself helps us to sort through the jumble of objects, ideas, and memories in our own attics. In doing so, she appeals to our minds and our hearts. Her characters teach us that imagination and empathy are our best hope if we are to understand--and perhaps transcend--the pain in our world. Her language is lyrical, rhythmic, and lush. The images in her stories--a chef's severed hand, a plummeting air conditioner, a village sunk beneath a reservoir--will stay in your mind long after you have finished her book.
Rabbi Jesus
by Bruce ChiltonBeginning with the Gospels, interpretations of the life of Jesus have flourished for nearly two millennia, yet a clear and coherent picture of Jesus as a man has remained elusive. InRabbi Jesus, the noted biblical scholar Bruce Chilton places Jesus within the context of his times to present a fresh, historically accurate, and revolutionary examination of the man who founded Christianity. Drawing on recent archaeological findings and new translations and interpretations of ancient texts, Chilton discusses in enlightening detail the philosophical and psychological foundations of Jesus’ ideas and beliefs. His in-depth investigation also provides evidence that contradicts long-held beliefs about Jesus and the movement he led. Chilton shows, for example, that the High Priest Caiaphas, as well as Pontius Pilate, played a central role in Jesus’ execution. It is, however, Chilton’s description of Jesus’ role as a rabbi, or "master," of Jewish oral traditions, as a teacher of the Cabala, and as a practitioner of a Galilean form of Judaism that emphasized direct communication with God that casts an entirely new light on the origins of Christianity. Seamlessly merging history and biography, this penetrating, highly readable book uncovers truths lost to the passage of time and reveals a new Jesus for the new millennium. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Rabbi Leo Baeck: Living a Religious Imperative in Troubled Times (Jewish Culture and Contexts)
by Michael A. MeyerRabbi, educator, intellectual, and community leader, Leo Baeck (1873-1956) was one of the most important Jewish figures of prewar Germany. The publication of his 1905 Das Wesen des Judentums (The Essence of Judaism) established him as a major voice for liberal Judaism. He served as a chaplain to the German army during the First World War and in the years following, resisting the call of political Zionism, he expressed his commitment to the belief in a vibrant place for Jews in a new Germany. This hope was dashed with the rise of Nazism, and from 1933 on, and continuing even after his deportation to Theresienstadt, he worked tirelessly in his capacity as a leader of the German Jewish community to offer his coreligionists whatever practical, intellectual, and spiritual support remained possible. While others after the war worked to rebuild German Jewish life from the ashes, a disillusioned Baeck pronounced the effort misguided and spent the rest of his life in England. Yet his name is perhaps best-known today from the Leo Baeck Institutes in New York, London, Berlin, and Jerusalem dedicated to the preservation of the cultural heritage of German-speaking Jewry.Michael A. Meyer has written a biography that gives equal consideration to Leo Baeck's place as a courageous community leader and as one of the most significant Jewish religious thinkers of the twentieth century, comparable to such better-known figures as Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, and Abraham Joshua Heschel. According to Meyer, to understand Baeck fully, one must probe not only his thought and public activity but also his personality. Generally described as gentle and kind, he could also be combative when necessary, and a streak of puritanism and an outsized veneration for martyrdom ran through his psychological makeup. Drawing on a broad variety of sources, some coming to light only in recent years, but especially turning to Baeck's own writings, Meyer presents a complex and nuanced image of one of the most noteworthy personalities in the Jewish history of our age.
Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg and the Foundation of Jewish Political Thought
by Joseph Isaac LifshitzThis book is a scholarly examination of the political thought of Rabbi Meir (Maharam) of Rothenburg, the most important thirteenth century German Rabbi who was associated with the Pietist movement of the period. From the Maharam's responsa on community matters, a coherent political thought emerges that exercised nearly unprecedented influence on European Jewish communities up to the Jewish Emancipation. Rabbi Meir's extremely sophisticated attempt to balance the demands of the community against those of the individual was facilitated by a characteristic three-tiered structure to his political thought: concrete legal rules supported by value-laden legal principles built upon his general religious ideology. Through a systematic analysis of the Maharam's political thought, Isaac Lifshitz offers an original contribution to Jewish studies, political theory, and the study of legal philosophy. By considering the legal and theological underpinnings of one of Medieval Jewry's most influential figures, it also makes a contribution to the history of ideas in the Medieval period.
The Rabbi of 84th Street: The Extraordinary Life of Haskel Besser
by Warren Kozak“A moving portrait of a warm person.” — Elie Wiesel
The Rabbi of Lud
by Stanley ElkinA small-town Rabbi&’s quiet life is turned upside down when his only daughter drops a bombshell The only long-term occupants of Lud, New Jersey, reside in its cemeteries,a fact that suits Rabbi Jerry Goldkorn just fine. Never particularly passionate about his religious calling, Rabbi Goldkorn spends his days officiating funerals and burying the dead in the local cemetery. His life is simple by design—until one day his daughter&’s scandalous rebellion threatens to send his world spinning wildly out of control. Spiked with Elkin&’s characteristic wit, The Rabbi of Lud is a poignant satire of religious culture—and the story of one man&’s struggle with morality, mortality, and the meaning of life. This ebook features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s estate and from the Stanley Elkin archives at Washington University in St. Louis.
Rabbi Paul: An Intellectual Biography
by Bruce ChiltonA brilliant new biography of Saint Paul, whose interpretations of the life and teachings of Jesus transformed a loosely organized, grassroots peasant movement into the structured religion we know today Without Paul, there would be no Christianity. His letters to various churches scattered throughout the Roman Empire articulated, for the first time, the beliefs that make up the heart of Christian practice and faith. In this extraordinary biography, Bruce Chilton explains the changing images of Paul, from the early Church period when he was regarded as the premiere apostle who separated Christianity from Judaism to more recent liberal evaluations, which paint him as an antifeminist, homophobic figure more dedicated to doctrine than to spiritual freedom. By illuminating Paul’s thoughts and contributions within the context of his time, Chilton restores him to his place as the founding architect of the Church and one of the most important figures in Western history. Rabbi Paulis at once a compelling, highly readable biography and a window on how Jesus’ message was transformed into a religion embraced by millions around the world. Drawing on Paul’s own writings as well as historical and scholarly documents about his life and times, Chilton portrays an all-too-human saint who helped to create both the most beautiful and the most troublesome aspects of the Church. He shows that Paul sought to specify the correct approach to such central concerns as sexuality, obedience, faith, conscience, and spirit, to define religion as an institution, and to clarify the nature of the religious personality—issues that Christians still struggle with today.
A Rabbi Talks With Jesus
by Jacob NeusnerPlacing himself within the context of the Gospel of Matthew, Neusner imagines himself in a dialogue with Jesus of Nazareth and pays him the supreme Judaic gesture of respect: making a connection with him through an honest debate about the nature of God's One Truth. Neusner explains why the Sermon on the Mount would not have convinced him to follow Jesus and why, by the criterion of the Torah of Moses, he would have continued to follow the teachings of Moses. He explores the reasons Christians believe in Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven, while Jews continue to believe in the Torah of Moses and a kingdom of priests and holy people on earth. This revised and expanded edition, with a foreword by Donald Akenson, creates a thoughtful and accessible context for discussion of the most fundamental question of why Christians and Jews believe what they believe.
The Rabbi & the Nuns: The Inside Story of a Rabbi's Therapeutic Work With the Sisters of St. Francis
by Rabbi Abraham J. TwerskiThe Rabbi and the Nuns chronicles the highlights of a twenty-year working relationship between Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski and the nuns and priests of the Pittsburgh Diocese and St. Francis Hospital. Spearheading a groundbreaking rehab program, Rabbi Twerski and the nuns develop a working connection that transcends their religious differences, forges mutual respect, and brings them to a whole new level in ecumenical relations.Insightful, inspiring, and humorous at times, Rabbi Twerski's personal account is frank and engrossing. Readers are given a rare glimpse into the inner world of spiritual leaders as they grapple with their personal struggles to adjust to today's tumultuous times.
Rabbinic Drinking: What Beverages Teach Us About Rabbinic Literature
by Jordan D. RosenblumThough ancient rabbinic texts are fundamental to analyzing the history of Judaism, they are also daunting for the novice to read. Rabbinic literature presumes tremendous prior knowledge, and its fascinating twists and turns in logic can be disorienting. Rabbinic Drinking helps learners at every level navigate this brilliant but mystifying terrain by focusing on rabbinic conversations about beverages, such as beer and wine, water, and even breast milk. By studying the contents of a drinking vessel—including the contexts and practices in which they are imbibed—Rabbinic Drinking surveys key themes in rabbinic literature to introduce readers to the main contours of this extensive body of historical documents. Features and Benefits:Contains a broad array of rabbinic passages, accompanied by didactic and rich explanations and contextual discussions, both literary and historicalThematic chapters are organized into sections that include significant and original translations of rabbinic textsEach chapter includes in-text references and concludes with a list of both referenced works and suggested additional readings
Rabbinic Judaism: Space and Place (Routledge Jewish Studies Series)
by David KraemerIn the aftermath of the conquest of the Holy Land by the Romans and their destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE, Jews were faced with a world in existential chaos—both they and their God were rendered homeless. In a religious tradition that had equated Divine approval with peaceful dwelling on the Land, this situation was intolerable. So the rabbis, aspirants for leadership of the post-destruction Jewish community, appropriated inherited traditions and used them as building blocks for a new religious structure. Not unexpectedly, given the circumstances, this new rabbinic formation devoted considerable attention to matters of space and place. Rabbinic Judaism: Space and Place offers the first comprehensive study of spatiality in Rabbinic Judaism of late antiquity, exploring how the rabbis reoriented the Jewish relationship with space and place following the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. Drawing upon the insights of theorists such as Tuan and LeFebvre, who define the crisis that "homelessness" represents and argue for the deep relationship of human societies to their places, the book examines the compositions of the rabbis and discovers both a surprisingly aggressive rabbinic spatial imagination as well as places, most notably the synagogue, where rabbinic attention to space and place is suppressed or absent. It concludes that these represent two different but simultaneous rabbinic strategies for re-placing God and Israel—strategies that at the same time allow God and Israel to find a place anywhere. This study offers new insight into the centrality of space and place to rabbinic religion after the destruction of the Temple, and as such would be a key resource to students and scholars interested in rabbinic and ancient Judaism, as well as providing a major new case study for anthropologists interested in the study of space.
Rabbinic Judaism in the Making: The Halakhah from Ezra to Judah I
by Alexander GuttmannThrough the ages, theology in Judaism has played roles of varying importance. But the role of theology is minor compared with that of law and observance. This book is devoted to a study of the evolution of normative Judaism from the time of Ezra (ca. 400 B.C.) to Judah I, the Prince (ca. 200 A.D.). Its focus on law represents a realistic approach to the history of applied Judaism. <P><P> Rabbinic Judaism in the Making is the first study in English to trace the evolution of Rabbinic Law and Rabbinic Judaism. A concise history of post-biblical normative Judaism in antiquity, Mr. Guttmann's book concentrates on the crucial inter-testamental period, and should be valuable to students of ancient history, and both Christian and Jewish theologians, ministers, and rabbis.
Rabbinic Theology and Jewish Intellectual History: The Great Rabbi Loew of Prague (Routledge Jewish Studies Series)
by Meir SeidlerRabbi Loew (the Maharal) of Prague remains one of the most influential and prolific Jewish thinkers of his time. Widely considered one of the fathers of Hassidic thought and a harbinger of Modern Jewish philosophy, his life and work have retained their influence and remain prevalent today. Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, this book ranges from an analysis of the historical background to Maharal’s thought, to examining the relevance of this thought in the modern era, before addressing the popular cultural and folkloristic reception of Maharal’s impact on modern, Western culture. This book presents a new understanding of familiar material and will be an invaluable asset to students and scholars of Modern and Early-Modern Jewish History and Intellectual thought.
Rabbis and Classical Rhetoric: Sophistic Education and Oratory in the Talmud and Midrash
by Richard HidaryTraining in rhetoric - the art of persuasion - formed the basis of education in the Roman Empire. The classical intellectual world centered around the debate between philosophers, who boasted knowledge of objective reality, and sophists, who could debate both sides of any issue and who attracted large audiences and paying students. The roles of the Talmudic rabbis as public orators, teachers, and jurists, parallel that of Roman orators. Rabbinic literature adopted and adapted various aspects of the classical rhetorical tradition, as is demonstrated in the Talmudic penchant for arguing both sides of hypothetical cases, the midrashic hermeneutical methods, and the structure of synagogue sermons. At the same time, the rabbis also resisted the extreme epistemological relativism of rhetoric as is evident in their restraint on theoretical argumentation, their depiction of rabbinic and divine court procedure, and their commitment to the biblical prophetic tradition. Richard Hidary demonstrates how rabbis succeeded in navigating a novel path between platonic truth and rhetorical relativism.