Jewish Ritual: A Brief Introduction for Christians - Softcover

Olitzky, Rabbi Kerry M.; Judson, Rabbi Daniel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1580232108 ISBN 13: 9781580232104

Publisher: Jewish Lights, 2004

Synopsis

A window into the meaning of Jewish rituals throughout history and today―
written especially for Christians.

Ritual moments and opportunities guide the daily life of practicing Jews. These spiritual practices give expression to Jewish identity and reflect Judaism’s core beliefs and values. But what can they mean to Christians seeking to understand their own faith? In this special book, Rabbis Olitzky and Judson guide you through the whys and hows of nine specific areas of Jewish ritual.

• Observing the Sabbath
• Keeping Kosher
• Putting on Tefillin (Prayer Boxes)
• Wrapping the Tallit (Prayer Shawl)
• Covering the Head
• Studying Torah
• Praying Daily
• Saying Blessings throughout the Day
• Going to the Ritual Bath

Providing you with the biblical and historical background of each practice, insight into its contemporary use and significance―including the often divergent approaches of different Jewish movements―and personal stories from rabbis and lay people, this easy-to-understand guide illustrates the deep meaning these rituals have in the Jewish relationship with God. Linking these practices to familiar rituals in the Christian tradition, Olitzky and Judson help you better understand the roots of Christianity and how the fundamentals of Judaism relate to and reflect your own spiritual foundation.

About this title

About the Authors

Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky, named one of the fifty leading rabbis in North America by Newsweek, is well known for his inspiring books that bring the Jewish wisdom tradition into everyday life. He is executive director of Big Tent Judaism, formerly Jewish Outreach Institute, and is author of many books on Jewish spirituality, healing and Jewish religious practice, including Making a Successful Jewish Interfaith Marriage: The Big Tent Judaism Guide to Opportunities, Challenges and Resources; Introducing My Faith and My Community: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide for a Christian in a Jewish Interfaith Relationship; Jewish Paths toward Healing and Wholeness: A Personal Guide to Dealing with Suffering; Grief in Our Seasons: A Mourner's Kaddish Companion; Twelve Jewish Steps to Recovery: A Personal Guide to Turning from Alcoholism & Other Addictions―Drugs, Food, Gambling, Sex...; Facing Cancer as a Family; Life's Daily Blessings: Inspiring Reflections on Gratitude for Every Day, Based on Jewish Wisdom; 100 Blessings Every Day: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Affirmations, Exercises for Personal Growth and Renewal Reflecting Seasons of the Jewish Year and Recovery from Codependance: A Jewish Twelve Step Guide to Healing Your Soul. He is also coauthor of Grandparenting Interfaith Grandchildren; Jewish Holidays: A Brief Introduction for Christians; Jewish Ritual: A Brief Introduction for Christians; Renewed Each Day, Vol. One―Genesis and Exodus: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Meditations; Renewed Each Day, Vol. Two―Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Meditations Based on the Bible and coeditor of The Rituals and Practices of a Jewish Life: A Handbook for Personal Spiritual Renewal (all Jewish Lights).

Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky is available to speak on the following topics:

• The Jewish Twelve Step Path to Healing and Recovery
• Sparks Beneath the Surface: A Spiritual Read on the Torah
• Welcoming the Stranger in Our Midst
• How to Nurture Jewish Grandchildren Being Raised in an Interfaith Family
• Optimism for a Jewish Future

Click here to contact the author.

Rabbi Daniel Judson, spiritual leader of Temple Beth David of the South Shore in Canton, Massachusetts, is coeditor of The Rituals and Practices of a Jewish Life: A Handbook for Personal Spiritual Renewal and coauthor of The Jewish Pregnancy Book: A Resource for the Soul, Body and Mind during Pregnancy, Birth and the First Three Months (both Jewish Lights). He is a frequent guest speaker at both Jewish and Christian congregations.

From the Inside Flap

The history of Jewish-Christian relations is a place of brokenness. It is in need of millions of acts of mending. We fervently hope that the writing and reading of this book will be one such act, one small tikkun [repair] in this process, allowing Jews and Christians to see each other s religion with greater clarity and greater respect. from the Introduction

This knowledgeable but easy-to-understand introduction takes you through the many aspects and approaches to Jewish ritual, how each practice originated, and how each has the potential to enrich your own spiritual life.

Written especially for Christians, Jewish Ritual explores the hows and whys of nine different practices in a Jewish spiritual life and how they strengthen the personal connection Jews have with God. Whether you are involved in an interfaith relationship with a Jewish person, interested in learning more about the tradition from which Christianity emerged, or looking to deepen your own spiritual life with new rituals and practices, you will find that this introduction provides the background you need in a concise, accessible way.

"A splendid book for anyone interested in transcending nervousness in interfaith settings, especially Christians who want to be less ignorant of their own Jewish roots." Rev. Donna Schaper,executive director, Women s Fund of Western Massachusetts, and United Church of Christ minister

Also available in this series

The Jewish Approach to God: A Brief Introduction for Christians by Rabbi Neil Gillman 51/2 x 81/2, 192 pp, PB

Reviews

Of the many guidebooks to Judaism, few address themselves specifically to Christian readers. Given today's permeable religious boundaries and the cross-fertilization between traditions, this handbook should be warmly welcomed on the religious bookshelf. Olitzky and Judson, both rabbis and authors, offer simple but profound explanations of the rituals that inform, shape and reflect Jewish life, identity and values. They include understandable rituals like Shabbat, universal practices like prayer and study and identifiable signs of Jewish identity like wearing a kippah. The authors also branch out to explain traditions Christians might find peculiar, like wearing tefillin (prayer boxes). Each chapter includes the ritual's biblical origin, evolution, modern perspectives, practical instruction, symbolic and spiritual values and Christian parallels. Some rituals have easy commonalities, like baptism and the mikvah (ritual bath), but others require deeper and more creative links: tefillin and the rosary, for instance, both enhance the "tactile sensation of prayer." To show how practices seek to "infuse life with sense of holiness," Olitzky, Judson and three contributing authors mix straightforward explanations with personal narratives that reflect their own experiences. "The history of Jewish-Christian relations is... a place of brokenness," they write, hoping their book will generate spiritual healing, "allowing Jews and Christians to see each others' religion with greater clarity and greater respect." (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Among the Jewish rituals explained here are observing the Sabbath, keeping kosher, putting on tefillin and prayer shawls, covering the head, studying Torah, praying and saying blessings each day, and going to the ritual bath. The book provides readers with the biblical and historical background of each practice and discusses their Christian parallels. Jewish readers will certainly learn many facts about their religion here, and Christians will find much to learn if they have developed an interest in Jewish-Christian history and how Christianity evolved from Judaism. The format is easy to follow, and the language quite accessible. An applaudable introduction. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Jewish Lights
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1580232108
• ISBN 13: 9781580232104
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144