Saying No and Letting Go: Jewish Wisdom on Making Room for What Matters Most
192
Saying No and Letting Go: Jewish Wisdom on Making Room for What Matters Most
192eBook
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Overview
An inspiring introduction to the most important lesson for today's busy world: the take-away is to take away.
"All we can hope to accomplish—by paying attention—is to learn to live with the mystery, become more comfortable with not knowing and try to enjoy life’s uncertainty. Every day is a gift, but we often squander it by missing what matters most."
—from the Introduction
Every day we are faced with choices that entail saying no—and frankly we’re not very good at it. Whether it’s the desire to please, get ahead, accumulate or impress, our lives have become so full and so busy that it is hard to determine what we really need and what’s really important to us.
The purpose of this book is to help you regain control of the things that matter most in your life. It taps timeless Jewish wisdom that teaches how to “hold on tightly” to the things that matter most while learning to “let go lightly” of the demands, worries, activities and conflicts that do not ultimately matter. Drawing insights from ancient and modern sources, it helps you identify your core values as well as the opportunities that do not reflect those values, and that you can learn to pass up. It also shows you how to establish a disciplined practice to help you adhere to your choices.
Whether it’s letting go of resentment, learning to say “no” at work or to your loved ones, downsizing your diet or asking less of the earth, this book will help you distinguish between the trivial and the profound.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781580237284 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Turner Publishing Company |
| Publication date: | 02/15/2013 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 192 |
| File size: | 830 KB |
About the Author
Rabbi Edwin Goldberg, DHL, noted lecturer, is coordinator of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) editorial committee on the forthcoming High Holy Days prayer book. He is the incoming senior rabbi at Temple Sholom in Chicago and the former spiritual leader at Temple Judea in Coral Gables, Florida. He has a doctorate in Hebrew literature from Hebrew Union College. He is author of Saying No and Letting Go: Jewish Wisdom on Making Room for What Matters Most (Jewish Lights). He contributed to May God Remember: Memory and Memorializing in Judaism—Yizkor, and We Have Sinned: Sin and Confession in Judaism—Ashamnu and Al Chet (Jewish Lights).
Rabbi Edwin Goldberg, DHL, is available to speak on the following topics:
- Can Swords Become Plowshares? Jewish Views on War and Peace
- Short, Short Stories from the Talmud and How They Can Change Our Lives
- Mindfulness and the Rebbes: Why Liberal Jews Should Learn about Chasidism
- A Brief but Vital History of Modern Israel
- Saying No and Letting Go: Jewish Wisdom and Texts on Doing Much More with Less
Click here to contact the author.
Rabbi Naomi Levy,the best-selling author of To Begin Again and Talking to God, is spiritual leader of Nashuva, a groundbreaking Jewish outreach organization based in Los Angeles.
Table of Contents
Foreword ix
Introduction xi
1 • Reconnect with Holiness in Time 1
2 • Keep a Tab on Mission Drift 9
3 • Let Go of Resentment 16
4 • Downsize! 24
5 • Be Present—Really Present—in Love 35
6 • Respond to the Right Questions 43
7 • Say No to Loved Ones, Especially Your Children 52
8 • Stress Less to Do More 57
9 • Stop Ignoring Your Mental Garbage 64
10 • Take a Leap of Action 69
11 • Ask Less of the Earth 76
12 • Hear the Voice That Matters 81
13 • Don't Underestimate the Power of Small Kindnesses 88
14 • See the Divinity in Others 94
15 • Recognize There Are No Guarantees 104
16 • Let Go of Fear by Facing It First 114
17 • Abandon Revenge and Resentment 124
18 • Finish the Race You Started 132
19 • Hold on Tightly, Let Go Lightly 138
20 • Open Up Your Eyes 143
21 • Write Your Name Upon the Hearts of Others 149
Acknowledgments 159
Notes 160
Suggestions for Further Reading 164
What People are Saying About This
"A lovely book! Skillfully weaves Jewish concepts, contemporary stories and heartfelt insights into a highly readable charge to reduce the burdens in our lives in order to realize our full potential as human beings. A must read for those seeking a path to unclutter the heart and liberate the mind."
"If you wish you had more time—or that matter, if you wish you had any time—to stop and think about what you really want your life to be, please read this wise, insightful and often funny book. It won't take you long. It will help you figure out what truly matters to you and—more important—what doesn't."
"Provides a thoughtful, well-reasoned and Jewishly grounded approach on how to remain true to one's deepest values while easing the overwhelming and ever-present pressures of everyday life. It's a practical guide to help you to be genuinely yourself while navigating the emotional challenges of twenty-first-century living. Nesia Tova!"
"In our American culture, 'no' is felt to be a denial of freedom and an assault on our autonomy. Rabbi Edwin Goldberg, drawing on Jewish teachings and tradition, suggests that 'saying no' frees up space, opens potential and liberates time so that we can grow into the people we truly want to be, and ought to be. Self-limitation is an invitation to expansive possibility, ease of spirit and joy. This is a practice we can all use—today."
"When we let go of distractions that make us busy, activities that make us inattentive and resentments that cause us pain, we create space within our psyches and souls for a life with more meaning.... [This] book teaches us that when we let go of things, thoughts and time wasted, we make room for a life of beauty and goodness."
"Rabbi Goldberg makes it crystal clear that 'making room for what matters most' requires abundant wisdom and insight, but also equal amounts of willingness and humor. His own wisdom and insights reflected in excellent choices of sacred and secular stories and vivid examples prepare us to struggle less and live more. I highly recommend [this] book for anyone ready to do more with less."
"Is your life frenetic and full?... Do your kids go to bed before you get home from work? Do you chat regularly on Facebook but seldom have time to meet friends for coffee? If you answered yes to any of these questions then this book is for you. Rabbi Goldberg introduces us to centuries of time-tested Jewish wisdom in order to help us rediscover our personal missions and realign our lives with our core values. PS: If you don't have time to read this book, know that he wrote it for you."
"In the midst of our increasingly harried technological world, Rabbi Goldberg provides a moving and inspiring meditation on how to stay focused on what's actually important."