Healing of Soul, Healing of Body: Spiritual Leaders Unfold the Strength & Solace in Psalms

by Simkha Y. Weintraub CSW (Editor)

Overview

A source of solace and a healing resource for those who are facing illness, as well as those who care for them.

For centuries, people have turned to the Book of Psalms for solace, comfort, and catharsis, seeking guidance, meaning, hope, and reassurance—in short, spiritual healing.

This book is intended to help you—struggling with illness or helping someone who is—derive spiritual healing from Psalms. In the late 18th century, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov designated ten of the 150 entries in the Book of Psalms as “healing psalms,” and we present these ten to you, newly translated, for your personal exploration and expression.

"Acknowledging that the Biblical Psalms can be somewhat alien to many people, we asked ten spiritual leaders to provide a bridge, a form of access, to these ancient poems of pain and praise, of humility and hope."
—from the Introduction

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580236102
Publisher:	Jewish Lights
Publication date:	01/20/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, LCSW, is the rabbinic director of the New York Jewish Healing Center and the National Center for Jewish Healing at the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services in New York City. He is the author of Healing of Soul, Healing of Body: Spiritual Leaders
Unfold the Strength and Solace in Psalms (Jewish Lights Publishing) and Guide Me Along the Way: A Jewish Spiritual Companion for Surgery (National Center for Jewish Healing).

Rabbi Harlan J. Wechsler (Conservative) is rabbi of Congregation Or Zarua in New York City and the author of What's So Bad About Guilt? and Old Is Good. He is assistant professor of Philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he received his rabbinic ordination.

Rabbi Irving Greenberg is co-founder and former president of CLAL—the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, based in New York City. He is currently president of the Jewish Life Network. He is the author of The Jewish Way, a comprehensive and inspiring presentation of Judaism as revealed through its holy days.

Rabbi Rachel Cowan directs the Jewish Life Program of the Nathan Cummings Foundation in New
York City. Ordained by Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, she teaches and lectures extensively. Her own attachment to psalms as a resource for healing grows from her experience with her late husband Paul Cowan's struggle to find hope in the face of a fatal illness.

Rabbi Charles Sheer was ordained by Yeshiva University, where he received an M.A. in Talmudic
Literature. He enjoys teaching, counseling, and program work with his students at Columbia University, where he is the Jewish chaplain.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments How to Use This Book INTRODUCTION: The Ten Psalms of the Tikkun HaKlali, the Complete Remedy —Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub CONTINUALLY BEFORE ME: PSALM 16 introduced by Rabbi Harlan J. Wechsler AFRAID BUT NOT ALONE: PSALM 32 introduced by Rabbi Irving Greenberg FROM ANGER AND ANGUISH TO HEALING AND WHOLENESS: PSALM 41 introduced by Rabbi Rachel Cowan THE REMARKABLE FAITH OF A DOWNCAST SOUL: PSALM 42 introduced by Rabbi Charles Sheer MY STRENGTH, MY HAVEN, MY FAITHFUL ONE: PSALM 59 introduced by Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg THE ECHO OF YOUR PROMISE: PSALM 77 introduced by Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis CRISIS AND CONFIDENCE: PSALM 90 introduced by Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz BREAKING THE SPIRITUAL GRIDLOCK: PSALM 105 introduced by Rabbi Maurice Lamm I MUST KEEP SINGING: PSALM 137 introduced by Rabbi Amy Eilberg PRAISE, JOY, BREATH: PSALM 150 introduced by Rabbi Nancy Flam A PRAYER FOR PRAYER —Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman Notes About the Contributors and Their Backgrounds Some Suggested Reading and Resources Helpful Organizations About the National Center for Jewish Healing

What People are Saying About This

Jacob Neusner

Engaging, easy to read and hard to put down -- and it will make a difference and change people.

Editorial Reviews

"The Jewish Healing Center and Jewish Lights have provided ten valuable entry-points into the spiritual healing of the Book of Psalms."
—Rabbi Alan Silverstein, president, Rabbinical Assembly

"Opens us anew to the ancient wisdom and comfort of the psalms."
—Joan Borysenko, PhD, author, Minding the Body, Mending the Mind

“[A] book one reads and rereads many, many times, that one strives to absorb and to be absorbed by, and that one keeps close at hand, so that one can be nourished by it in times of fear and stress and loneliness.”
—Rabbi Jack Riemer, editor, So That Your Values Live On—Ethical Wills and How to Prepare Them; founder of the National Rabbinic Network

“Will bring comfort to anyone fortunate enough to read it. This gentle book is a luminous gem of wisdom.”
—Larry Dossey, MD, author, Healing Words: The Power of Prayer & the Practice of Medicine

“An inspiration and guide to those who want to rejoice in their affliction, and bring healing and salvation to themselves and those around them.”
—Dr. Bernie Siegel, author, Love, Medicine and Miracles

“As valuable a guide to the psalms as it is a guide through our times of trouble.”
—Sherwin Nuland, MD, FACS, clinical professor of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine; author, How We Die

From the Publisher