Reclaiming Judaism as a Spiritual Practice: Holy Days and Shabbat

by Goldie Milgram

Overview

Wake up your Jewish spiritual life and restore your soul.

"Has your heart ever been broken—by loss, divorce, disappointment, awe, fear, hope? Have you multitasked, worked past the level of your endurance, accumulated possessions, jumped the hurdles, and gotten the grades only to wonder, “Is that all there is?" Do you wish for a life that is physically grounded, emotionally satisfying, intellectually expansive, and profoundly connected? These are the qualities Judaism can provide when you understand how to practice it.”
—from the Introduction

This inspiring guidebook is your wake-up call for understanding the powerful intellectual and emotional tools that are essential for a lively, relevant, and fulfilling Jewish spiritual practice.

Designed to become a lifelong resource for holy days and Shabbat, it presents Judaism as an evolving tradition in which you are the entrusted heir. The exercises and practices draw from the foundations of Judaism and empower you to create meaningful, satisfying, contemporary Jewish experiences for how you live today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683362500
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	07/01/2004
Pages:	260
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Rabbi Goldie Milgram is founder and executive director of ReclaimingJudaism.org, offering seminars and Web-based resources on the application of Jewish spiritual practice for spiritual seekers and teachers. Passionate about bringing spirituality back into Jewish life, she is well known for over thirty years of innovations in Jewish life—in contexts as diverse as Esalen, Elat Chayyim, Princeton Universityand Bard College, the United Jewish Communities, Hadassah Foundation, and in the training of rabbis and cantors for almost seven years as dean at the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York City. She is also author of Living Jewish Life Cycle: How to Create Meaningful Jewish Rites of Passage at Every Stage of Life; Reclaiming Judaism as a Spiritual Practice: Holy Days and Shabbat; Meaning and Mitzvah: Daily Practices for Reclaiming Judaism through Prayer, God, Torah, Hebrew, Mitzvot and Peoplehood (both Jewish Lights); and Make Your Own Bar/Bat Mitzvah: A Personal Approach to Creating a Meaningful Rite of Passage.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction

Part One: Reclaiming Holy Days
1. Understanding the High Holy Day Season
2. Sukkot: Community and Meditation in Nature
3. Simhat Torah: The Practice of Scroll Reversal
4. Hanukkah: A Celebration of Holy Hutzpah
5. Tu Bi-Shevat: Fruit for Thought
6. Purim: Odd Lots of Spirit
7. Passover: Learning the Exodus Process
8. Shavuot: Renewing Vision
9. Yom HaShoah, Yom HaAtzmaut, and Tisha b' Av: Healing from the Hard Knocks of History
10. Rosh Hodesh and Kiddush Levanah: Revitalizing Natural Cycles

Part Two: Reclaiming the Sabbath

Glossary
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Can help readers infuse their lives with meaningful Jewish practice."
—Reporter (Binghamton, NY)

"Reb Goldie's 'recipes' for accessing a more visceral Judaism are clear enough for those new to Jewish practice and deep and fresh enough to challenge old timers."
—Vanessa L. Ochs, Ida and Nathan Kolodiz Director of Jewish studies, Universityof Virginia; author, The Jewish Dream Book: The Key to Opening the Inner Meaning of Your Dreams

“Reb Goldie has done us a great service: In her book and in her work in person she helps us to bring heart and soul to our involvement in Jewish life.”
—Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi, author, First Steps to a New Jewish Spirit: Reb Zalman’s Guide to Recapturing the Intimacy & Ecstasy in Your Relationship with God

“Rabbi Goldie Milgram always brings new insights with great wisdom and compassion. I highly recommend her book.”
—Rabbi David A. Cooper, author, God Is a Verb and The Handbook of Jewish Meditation Practices: A Guide for Enriching the Sabbath and Other Days of Your Life

From the Publisher

The Judaism that Rabbi Milgram describes growing up with-"desiccated, disappointing, depressing, and quite frankly, boring"-is what she hopes to counteract in this guide to Jewish holidays and Shabbat, designed to restore the soul of the tradition through a variety of Jewish practices. Structured as a tasting menu with "recipes" to enrich religious experience, the book is divided into two lopsided parts: holidays (150 pages) and Shabbat (30 pages), followed by a 20-page glossary. Each chapter explains history and customs, provides contemporary relevance, presents creative perspectives and raises provocative questions. Milgram, a self-described "postdenominational, or reconformadox" rabbi and teacher, promotes a Judaism that is "inclusive, egalitarian, nonhierarchical [and] nontriumphalist," but sometimes New Agey and overly saccharine. (An example of a "forgiveness call" before Yom Kippur begins: "Sandra? This is Reb Goldie. I feel there is some negative energy between us....") Milgram proposes Sukkot visualizations, especially for those who work indoors all day, allowing them to reconnect to nature; a "spiritual menu" for a Passover seder; a "Shabbat box" in which to deposit cell phones, TV remotes and disruptive thoughts that belong to the workday world; and even a meditation for preparing and baking challah. For those who want to sample Judaism's sensible and spiritual diet, Milgram's guide whets the appetite, pointing them toward enjoying the entire meal. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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