An accessible introduction to the reasons for and the ways of Jewish prayer.The Way Into Jewish Prayer helps us to explore the reasons for and the ways of Jewish prayer. It opens the door to 3,000 years of Jewish prayer, making available all you need to feel at home in the Jewish way of communicating with God.Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD, has served for more than three decades as professor of liturgy at Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion in New York. He is a wo...

A resource for worshipers today looking to change hardened worship patterns that stand in the way of everyday spirituality.All too often, those who attend church or synagogue find themselves bored or baffled by the service. Their predominant thought is how slowly the time ticks byand that the service never seems to end.Written for laypeople and clergy of any denomination, The Art of Public Prayer examines how and why religious ritual worksand why it often doesn't work....

An accessible introduction to the concepts of Jewish mysticism, their religiousand spiritual significance, and how they relate to our lives.The Way Into Jewish Mystical Tradition allows us to experience and understand mysticism's inexpressible reverence before the awe and mystery of creation, and celebrate this rich tradition's quest to transform our ordinary reality into holiness.

A resource for worshipers today looking to change hardened worship patternsthat stand in the way of everyday spirituality.All too often, those who attend church or synagogue find themselves bored or baffled by the service. Their predominant thought is how slowly the time ticks by—and that the service never seems to end.Written for laypeople and clergy of any denomination, The Art of Public Prayer examines how and why religious ritual works—a...

An accessible introduction to the reasons for and the ways of Jewish prayer.The Way Into Jewish Prayer helps us to explore the reasons for and the ways of Jewish prayer. It opens the door to 3,000 years of Jewish prayer, making available all you need to feel at home in the Jewish way of communicating with God.

The most controversial prayer of the Jewish New Yearwhat it means, who wrote it,  why we say it.Over forty contributors who span three continents and all major Jewish denominations examine Untaneh Tokefs theology, authorship, and poetry through a set of lively commentaries. Men and women, scholars and rabbis, artists and poets trace the history of Untaneh Tokef and connect the prayer to its biblical and rabbinic roots. They wrestle with the personal and community impact of its deeply moving i...

More than any other institution, the synagogue has sustained American Jewry. But to thrive rather than just survive, synagogues are challenged to break free from the mold of ethnic enclave and re-emerge as a center of the sacred, where creativity, spirituality and ethics are central. Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman holds that we make progress not by arguing better but by speaking differently. As a think-it-yourself challenge rather than a do-it-yourself manual, Hoffmans honest and compelling ana...

An introduction to one hundred great Jewish books, arranged as a concise and thought-provoking guide to the Jewish conversation across many centuries. Each of the entries features one work in its historical and cultural context, provides a summary of content and author, and reflects on its relevance for today’s readers.

Be spiritually prepared for your journey in Israel.The only travel guide to Israel that will help you to prepare spiritually for your visit. Combining, in quick reference format, ancient blessings, medieval prayers, biblical references, and modern poetry, it helps today’s pilgrim tap into the deep spiritual meaning of the ancient—and modern—sites of the Holy Land. For each of 25 major tourist destinations—from the Western Wall to Masada to a kibbutz in the Galilee—...

The most memorable prayer of the Jewish New Yearwhat it means, why we sing it, and the secret of its magical appeal.Through a series of lively commentaries, over thirty contributorsmen and women, scholars and rabbis, artists and poets, spanning three continents and all major Jewish denominationsexamine Kol Nidres theology, usage, and deeply personal impact. They trace the actual history of the prayer and attempt through the ages to emend it, downplay it and even do away with it...

Through a series of lively introductions and commentaries, almost forty contributors from across the Jewish World examine the history of confession in Judaism, its roots in the Bible, its evolution in rabbinic and modern thought, and the very nature of confession for men and women today. This third volume in the Prayers of Awe series explores the relevance of confession today in what is bound to be the most up-to-date, comprehensive and insightful reconsideration of sin and confession in Juda...

The prayer book is our Jewish diary of the centuries, a collection of prayers composed by generations of those who came before us, as they endeavored to express the meaning of their lives and their relationship to God. The prayer book is the essence of the Jewish soul.My People's Prayer Book provides diverse and exciting commentaries to the traditional liturgy, written by some of today's most respected scholars and teachers from all perspectives of the Jewish world. They explore the text fro...