Jewish Spiritual Direction: An Innovative Guide from Traditional and Contemporary Sources

The first comprehensive resource for spiritual direction in the Jewish tradition―a vital resource for people involved in spiritual leadership.

The essential reference for people who are called to help others listen for God's voice―not only through prayer and sacred texts, but also through dance, art and interactions with other people―this groundbreaking volume draws on both Jewish tradition and the classical foundations of spiritual direction to provide invaluable guidance.

Offering insight into all aspects of spiritual direction, including theology, practice, companionship, group work and embodied spirituality, the contributors to this guide are innovators in their fields and represent all four contemporary Jewish movements. Topics explored include:

Jewish Theologies and Jewish Spiritual Direction • The Vocabulary of Jewish Spiritual Direction • Spiritual Direction as a Contemplative Practice • Contemplation and Social Action • Cultivating a Hearing Heart • Spiritual Types • Community for Spiritual Direction • Spiritual Direction and the Cycle of Holy Time • Spiritual Companionship and the Passages of Life • Jewish Spiritual Direction and the Sacred Body • Integrating Spiritual Direction and Visual Creativity • and many more ...

An exciting and practical addition to an emerging field, this is the definitive guide for all who accompany Jewish seekers on their spiritual journeys.

Contributors: Rabbi Howard Avruhm Addison • Barbara Eve Breitman • Anne Brener • Rabbi Amy Eilberg • Jennifer (Jinks) Hoffman • Ann Kline • Rabbi Myriam Klotz • Julie Leavitt Kutzen • Alan Morinis • Rabbi Marcia Prager • Laine Barbanell Schipper • Rabbi Jacob J. Staub • Linda Rabinowitch Thal • Rabbi Zari M. Weiss • Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg • Rabbi Shohama Harris Wiener

Rabbi Howard A. Addison has trained with leading Enneagram practitioner Helen Palmer, and also served as the last student assistant to Abraham Joshua Heschel. He offers seminars on the Kabbalah and the Enneagram to teachers of both disciplines. Educated at both The Jewish Theological Seminary and the United Church of Christ's Chicago Theological Seminary, Addison serves as senior rabbi of Temple Sinai in Dresher, Pennsylvania.

Barbara Breitman, DMin, is assistant professor of pastoral counseling at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where she helped found the program in spiritual direction. A pioneer in the field of Jewish spiritual direction, she is cofounder of Lev Shomea, a training program at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, and coeditor, with Rabbi Howard A. Addison, of Jewish Spiritual Direction: An Innovative Guide from Traditional and Contemporary Sources (Jewish Lights Publishing). An experienced psychotherapist with a special interest in trauma, somatic awareness, mindfulness and resilience, she maintains a private practice with individuals and couples in Philadelphia.