Provides an introduction to the spiritual and intellectual foundation of the Talmud with selections of parables on serious subject matter to the most whimsical.
A treasure trove of forty-three religious, wisdom, riddle, and trickster Jewish folktales that have been told near the hearth, at the table, and in the synagogue for centuries. Sheldon Oberman, a master storyteller, retells the tales with simplicity and grace, making them perfect for performing and reading aloud. Peninnah Schram, herself an acclaimed storyteller and folklorist, provides lively notes and commentary that examine the meaning of each tale and its place in history.
Storytelling, as oral tradition and in writing, has long played a central role in Jewish society. Family, educators, and clergy employ stories to transmit Jewish culture, traditions, and values. This comprehensive bibliography identifies 668 Jewish folktales by title and subject, summarizing plot lines for easy access to the right story for any occasion. Some centuries old and others freshly imagined, the tales include animal fables, supernatural yarns, and anecdotes for festivals and holidays. Themes include justice, community, cause and effect, and mitzvahs, or good deeds. This second edition nearly doubles the number of stories and expands the guide's global reach, with new pieces from Turkey, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, and Chile. Subject cross-references and a glossary complete the volume, a living tool for understanding the ever-evolving world of Jewish folklore.
For over a decade the Sower's Seeds books have been a wonderful resource for teachers, preachers, and anyone who has to speak in front of an audience. Now author Brian Cavanaugh has revised and expanded his original volume--with twenty new stories--for old fans as well as a whole new audience. He includes stories of inspiration, warmth, and insight arranged around numerous universal themes ranging from awareness, compassion, perseverance, and wisdom, to such unusual themes as baseball, Thomas Edison, hospitality, and risk-taking. While the majority of stories are anonymous, there are some attributed to well known names like Zig Ziglar, Mickey Mantle, and Theodore Roosevelt. Years before there was Chicken Soup, Sower's Seeds was making readers laugh, cry, and come away with a warm heart. The newest book--like the others in the series--is ideal both for quiet inspiration and for handy, on-the-run fun. This is storytelling at its best.
Discover the Talmud and its universal values for all people. While the Hebrew Bible is the cornerstone of Judaism, it is the Talmud that provides many central values for living. The Talmud sets out specific guidelines and lyrical admonitions regarding many of life's ordinary events, and offers profound words of advice for life s most intractable dilemmas. This accessible introduction to the Talmud explores the essence of Judaism through reflections on the words of the rabbinic sages, from one of American Judaism s foremost teachers and writers, Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins. Dr. Elkins provides fresh insight into ancient aphorisms and shows you how they can be applied to your life today. Topics include: Kindness through Giving, Welcoming and Sharing; Human Relationships; Personal Values; Family Values; Teaching and Learning; and Life s Puzzles. Enlightening and inspiring, the values of the Talmud can be appreciated not just by Jews, but by anyone seeking a greater understanding of life and its mysteries."
A restless search is on. Cover stories about the "real" Jesus are on the increase in news magazines, best sellers based on alternative Gospels, and documentaries. Whether you're a devout Christian, an inquiring seeker or a rank skeptic, this book is for you if you wish to explore the teaching of Jesus. Provocative Grace focuses on the words of Jesus, not as rules to live by but as challenges to precipitate growth into greater maturity. Morris asks us to enlarge our existing concepts and to stretch our beliefs about Jesus beyond the borders of formal Christianity and what we learned in Sunday school. "The Jesus of the Gospels, in all his modes of encountering people—as prophet, healer, wisdom teacher, mystic, social critic, and nonviolent revolutionary—is a disturber of our immaturities, one who challenges us to find and use our strengths," writes Morris. "Jesus was neither a rule maker or idealist but a provocateur. Rather than impossible ideals imposed upon us, his sayings are proddings to grow step-by-step, by trial-and-error learning, into the best possibilities of our nature." Listen to Jesus' words not with an attitude of uncritical acceptance or blind faith but rather with an openness to hear the message in a fresh way. Provocative Grace dares us to wrestle with Jesus' sayings and to experience a vivid revelation of God's love and grace. Each chapter helpfully arranges the book so that it may be an aid to personal reflection, journaling, or discussion.
6 self-guided walk tours of Jewish Boston history sites with maps and b/w photos.Includes West End, North End, Downtown Boston,South End, Brookline, & Cambridge.Based upon walk tours hosted by author, Michael A. Ross, for ten years.
If Quantum God were a Who, God would not be the judgmental, biased, and sometimes malicious Old Man in the Sky many of us grew up with, but rather the All where everything is possible and pulsating with potential. If Quantum God were a What, God might be the fabric that connects every idea, every desire, every personality, and everything in a pulsating, energetic, ever-Becoming Whole. If Quantum God were a Where, God could be the Higgs-Boson "God Particle" upon which angels dance or an "everywhere" with ever-burgeoning dimensions well beyond our comprehension of the universe as we know it. If Quantum God were a Why, God would exist because creativity cannot be contained or restrained, but seeks free-flowing expression, expanding in waves and ripples of idea-become-event. Yet Quantum God may be most like a How--the how behind everything we know and "laws" we can only guess at, the how that lays the groundwork for miracles as commonplace occurrences and composes a theme from the frequency (or vibration) of joy. Quantum God: How Life Really Works sheds light on the misconceptions that limit us and offers insights that can free us to be the true powers we really are, seemingly magical beings who create with godlike abilities. When we understand the invisible workings of the universe, we stop being victims of creative laws we don't understand. These laws rule our lives, whether we comprehend them or not. What could we do if we understood them? Is there anything we could not do? Miracles are the way life is meant to work. Quantum God tells about how we shortchange ourselves, our true creative potential, how our hopes and dreams, fears and feelings of inadequacy create our experiences, how to rise out of depression, victimhood, and blame to find joy and peace, how to believe in ourselves and live with confidence and optimism. You are now what you think you are -- but you're actually so much more! You can become whatever you believe is possible. Learn how to redefine yourself.