The Jewish Lights Book of Fun Classroom Activities
The Jewish Lights Book of Fun Classroom Activities

Author: Danielle Dardashti

Publisher: Turner Publishing Company

Published: 2013-04-04

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 158023741X

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The essential guide to Jewish fun in the classroom! This celebration of Jewish life is the ideal guide for teachers who want to put a new spin on classroom holiday celebrations, lessons on Jewish traditions, and everyday activities. The Jewish Lights Book of Fun Classroom Activities is full of crafts, recipes, games, and history that will captivate your class and help your students connect with Judaism in fun, creative ways. With over eighty easy-to-do activities that re-invigorate age-old Jewish customs and make them fun for students and teachers alike, this book is more than just kids’ stuff. It’s about taking Jewish education to a new level—one that is both enriching and entertaining. Enhance Rosh Hashanah observance by making a toy shofar. Create a tree centerpiece for the Tu B’Shvat seder table. Explore the Jewish connections to secular American holidays. Learn and teach an Israeli folk dance. However you use this lively guide, you’ll find your class taking an active approach to exploring Jewish tradition and having fun along the way!

The Jewish Family Fun Book
The Jewish Family Fun Book

Author: Danielle Dardashti

Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1580233333

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This celebration of Jewish family life is the perfect guide for families wanting to put a new Jewish spin on holidays, holy days, and even the everyday. Full of activities, games, and history, it is sure to inspire parents, children, and extended family to connect with Judaism in fun, creative ways.

Righteous Gentiles in the Hebrew Bible
Righteous Gentiles in the Hebrew Bible

Author: Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin

Publisher: Turner Publishing Company

Published: 2011-02-07

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 1580235786

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Who are the ancient role models for the sacred relationship between Jews and non-Jews today? Now more than ever, gentiles are an integral part of the Jewish community. But they are not new to the Jewish story. In fact, righteous gentiles go back to Abraham. The story of the Jewish people can’t be told without them. Noted author and educator Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin provides an informative and inspiring look at the sympathetic non-Israelite characters of the Hebrew Bible and the redemptive relationships they had with the Jewish people. Relying on biblical and extra-biblical sources, he introduces each character, drawing lessons from the life of each that will be relevant to you, whatever your faith tradition. They include the ... First gentile to bless a Jew First woman to hear the Divine voice and save a Jewish baby First teacher of morality to the Jews First gentile mother of Jewish children Gentile midwives who invented civil disobedience Mother of Moses and nurturer of the Jewish people Father-in-law and teacher of Moses First “gentile Zionist” Gentile warrior who fought for the Israelites Gentile contractor for Solomon’s Temple Gentiles who acknowledged God and repented Creator of the Second Jewish Commonwealth

A Man's Responsibility
A Man's Responsibility

Author: Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler

Publisher: Turner Publishing Company

Published: 2011-05-06

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 1580235905

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What is Jewish men's spirituality? In today's world, is it necessary? A provocative look at how a new generation of Jewish men can grow spiritually, and in doing so, strengthen the intangible bonds of family, love, duty and truth which ultimately lead to God. It unearths the male stereotypes that exist in Judaism and color our expectations for what it means to be a Jewish man in today’s world. It examines Jewish sources that reveal the traditional life cycle of a man—from son to partner in marriage to father—and in doing so uncovers the ideals that define being a Jewish man. It also views Jewish men within the context of a sacred community and what that means for the sacred obligations of manhood.

Spiritual Community
Spiritual Community

Author: David A. Teutsch

Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 1580232701

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Reimagine the Possibilities for Your Own Congregation We all share a deep human need for meaning in our lives, a need to feel that we are part of something larger than ourselves. Yet many of us have discovered that successful careers, material affluence--even loving families--are not enough to satisfy this longing. And, too often, the congregations and organizations in which we seek greater meaning are uninspiring, or worse. The answer lies in belonging to a strong spiritual community--not just a collection of individuals but a dynamic, integrated congregation linked by commitment and vision, sustained by friendship and shared experience. But how to build it? Informative and encouraging, wise and practical, Spiritual Community looks at congregations and organizations--what they are and what they might become--and reveals the unique role they have the potential to play in refreshing our minds, transforming our hearts and giving our lives meaning. From establishing "radiant centers" to welcome people into the heart of the community, to reclaiming the power of ritual, to suggesting strategies for dealing with conflict--Rabbi Teutsch offers practical solutions to challenges congregations commonly face making themselves into spiritual communities. This is essential reading for every spiritual and lay leader--for anyone who wants to transform their congregation or organization into a strong spiritual community.

One God Clapping
One God Clapping

Author: Alan Lew

Publisher: Turner Publishing Company

Published: 2011-09-28

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 1580235182

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From Zen Buddhist practitioner to rabbi, East meets West in this firsthand account of a spiritual journey. Rabbi Alan Lew is known as the Zen Rabbi, a leader in the Jewish meditation movement who works to bring two ancient religious traditions into our everyday lives. One God Clappingis the story of his roundabout yet continuously provoking spiritual odyssey. It is also the story of the meeting between East and West in America, and the ways in which the encounter has transformed how all of us understand God and ourselves. Winner of the PEN / Joseph E. Miles Award Like a Zen parable or a Jewish folk tale, One God Clapping unfolds as a series of stories, each containing a moment of revelation or instruction that, while often unexpected, is never simple or contrived. One God Clapping, like the life of the remarkable Alan Lew himself, is a bold experiment in the integration of Eastern and Western ways of looking at and living in the world.

Healing from Despair
Healing from Despair

Author: Elie Kaplan Spitz

Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing

Published: 2010-09

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 1580234364

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Through healing, brokenness can become a source of hope and blessing. This wise and helpful guide traces the path of suffering from despair to depression to desperation to the turning point where suffering can be transformed into blessing.

Maimonides, Spinoza and Us
Maimonides, Spinoza and Us

Author: Marc Angel

Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1580234119

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A challenging look at two great Jewish philosophers, and what their thinking means to our understanding of God, truth, revelation and reason. Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) is Jewish history's greatest exponent of a rational, philosophically sound Judaism. He strove to reconcile the teachings of the Bible and rabbinic tradition with the principles of Aristotelian philosophy, arguing that religion and philosophy ultimately must arrive at the same truth. Baruch Spinoza (1632-77) is Jewish history's most illustrious "heretic." He believed that truth could be attained through reason alone, and that philosophy and religion were separate domains that could not be reconciled. His critique of the Bible and its teachings caused an intellectual and spiritual upheaval whose effects are still felt today. Rabbi Marc D. Angel discusses major themes in the writings of Maimonides and Spinoza to show us how modern people can deal with religion in an intellectually honest and meaningful way. From Maimonides, we gain insight on how to harmonize traditional religious belief with the dictates of reason. From Spinoza, we gain insight into the intellectual challenges which must be met by modern believers.

The Wisdom of Judaism
The Wisdom of Judaism

Author: Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins

Publisher: Turner Publishing Company

Published: 2011-06-24

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 1580234771

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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.

God and the Big Bang (1st Edition)
God and the Big Bang (1st Edition)

Author: Daniel C. Matt

Publisher: Turner Publishing Company

Published: 2011-11-23

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 1580235492

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Mysticism and science: What do they have in common? How can one enlighten the other? By drawing on modern cosmology and ancient Kabbalah, Matt shows how science and religion can together enrich our spiritual awareness and help us recover a sense of wonder and find our place in the universe. Drawing on the insights of physics and Jewish mysticism, Daniel Matt uncovers the sense of wonder and oneness that connects us with the universe and God. He describes in understandable terms the parallels between modern cosmology and ancient Kabbalah. He shows how science and religion together can enrich our spiritual understanding. We “embody the energy” of the big bang, writes Matt. Furthermore, “God is not somewhere else, hidden from us. God is right here hidden from us.” To discover the presence of God, Matt draws on both science and theology, fact and belief, and on the truths embodied in Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, as well as Judaism. A rich dialogue between the physical and the spiritual, God & the Big Bangtakes us on a deeply personal, thoughtful and inspiring journey that helps us find our place in the universe—and the universe in ourselves.