Bøker utgitt av Ben Yehuda Press

Born of thoroughly assimilated Jewish parents, Peter Pitzele journeys back from his various odysseys in alternative faiths to search out the roots of his own birthright. In discovering and claiming just what that means to him, he plants his focus firmly in the biblical book of Genesis. Here he finds the first articulation of those mythic paradigms that will form in time the legacy of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Here are "the fathers' wells," the deep and difficult source texts for our imagination of God.Pitzele's approach to Genesis is personal and pluralistic. He reads not only with a detailed knowledge of the tales, but with the imagination of a psychodramatist. Scripture for him is full of dramatic possibility and psychological truth. The great cast of archetypal figures - Adam, Eve, Cain, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph - are given a fuller dimension in his rendering of their stories. Woven throughout are slices of Pitzele's own personal history, demonstrating the relationship between myth and experience, between the profound images of the Western spiritual tradition and the life of a man who wrestles with his roles as father, husband, son, and brother.In the spirit of conservation, Pitzele seeks to clarify the wells of our spiritual inheritance. His journey of exploration and self-discovery has an immediacy for any of us grappling to find meaning and relevance in the gifts of the past. His purpose is not merely to retell but to re-animate our foundational stories and to bring them to bear on our own lives.This anniversary edition features a new introduction from Rabbi Jill Hammer, PhD.

You don't have to be a mystic to enjoy Rabbi Shefa Gold's new commentary on the Song of Songs, but it may make you into one. Rather than address herself to the reader, she speaks directly, and passionately, to God, The Beloved. She invites us to share in her conversation with life itself, with the mystery that wells "at the center of every molecule, at the heart of my being." IN THE FEVER OF LOVE breathes new life into the ancient practice of both Jews and Christians to read the Song as an allegory of the love between God and human beings. This rich, poetic text of can be used for pondering, praying, and perceiving life in a deeper way by people of any faith, but remains deeply rooted in Judaism's down-to-earth approach to the world. Rabbi Gold brings a modern psychological awareness to this ancient text.For those who want specific directions, she appends ten "commandments" from the Song which can be maxims for daily living.

In her first book, Life on the Fringes, Haviva Ner-David described her quest to become an Orthodox rabbi, to serve God the same way men traditionally did. Now, Rabbi Ner-David tunes in to an aspect of God she hadn't heard before, the voice of Chanah. Chanah, the Biblical mother of Samuel, was considered by tradition to have invented prayer. Her name is also an acronym for the three commandments given to women: Challah, the taking of an offering from baking dough; Niddah, separation during menstruation followed by immersion; and Hadlakat HaNer, lighting the Sabbath candles. In this spiritual memoir, Rabbi Ner-David explores the spirituality of domestic life while struggling with the strictures of systematized Jewish law. Combining soul-searching honesty and deep Jewish knowledge, Chanah's Voice is the compelling voice of a new generation of Jewish feminism. "A beautiful example of how to wrestle with God, Torah, and one's self." -Brad Hirschfield, author of You Don't Have to Be Wrong for Me to Be Right "New challenges, new insights, and, at times, new theological innovations." -Jay Michaelson, author of Everything is God: The Radical Path of Nondual Judaism "This profound meditation on spiritual integrity, vulnerability, and holiness is a must-read for anyone who values Judaism. Haviva Ner-David has once again illuminated the way for us, enlivening ancient concepts and imbuing them with deep spiritual meaning." -Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author, Surprised by God: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Religion "Haviva Ner-David is one of the most original thinkers on the Jewish scene today. In Chanah's Voice she takes what have sadly become stale rituals and re-envisions them anew. Ner-David's powerful stories of family, tradition, and love will inspire readers to find deeper meaning in their Jewish lives." -Ari L. Goldman, author, Living a Year of Kaddish: A Memoir "I have always admired Haviva. I loved her first book, yet Chanah's Voice is more remarkable. It is not only a unique contribution to the literature of feminism and Orthodoxy but also a significant work that better fits the categories of the theology and social anthropology than autobiography. Perhaps this is how all theological works should be: written engagingly in the first person, making accessible to the reader the struggle of an individual or community trying to make sense of one's relationship with God." -Blu Greenberg, author, On Women and Judaism: A View from Tradition