Listening for God in Torah and Creation
A weekly encounter with conscience and soul
by Jonathan Wittenberg
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Sep 28 2023 | Archive Date Mar 13 2024
John Murray Press | Hodder & Stoughton
Talking about this book? Use #ListeningforGodinTorahandCreation #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
'The essence of Jewish life is not the bland performance of the Torah's commandments, but rather love of Torah and the way of life to which it is the guide.'
Tap into the wisdom of one the world's ancient religions by meditating on Rabbi Wittenberg's engaging, contemporary, spiritual, social and ethical insights to the Torah. Rooted in decades of devoted immersion in Jewish learning, humanist literature, concern for people at all ages and stages of life, environmental activism and a love of nature, Rabbi Wittenberg offers wisdom relevant to Jews, Christians and spiritual seekers of all and no faiths.
Over the hundred and more passages, key issues considered include: Compassion and kindness; Creation and wonder; Emotional struggles; Environment and our relationship to nature; Ethical challenges; Illness and suffering; Identity and community; Justice and Social Justice; Refugees and strangers; Remorse and repentance; Responsibility; Searching for meaning; Seeking God.
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781529395839 |
PRICE | £30.00 (GBP) |
PAGES | 448 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
For a tradition that values multiple voices this is a great new addition to the layers upon layers of voices which have attempted over the ages to unpack and explicate the meaning of Torah in our lives and world.
Listening for God in Torah and Creation is a magnificent book that goes through each Parsha (weekly Torah reading in a synagogue) and picks s apart and explains what the Torah literally says then using traditional commentary sources, academics, and personal experience, he brings deep meaning - personal meaning to what G-d is really talking about each week. Through the readings, you learn about not only G-d, but yourself. From my perspective, I can see and feel the compassion and care put into this work!
I would highly recommend this book, mostly to people who are Jewish (as myself) who would like to hear maybe a bit more than explanations, etc. from Chumashes (book form of the Five Books of Moses) and Rabbis’ sermons. However, anyone with familiarity with the Hebrew Bible can gain much insight and inspiration from this book.
I'm not Jewish, but have always been interested in it Judaism. This was interesting and helped me look at things in a different way. I am a Christian, but feel you can be better when you understand other religions and beliefs.
I probably wouldn't read more - although that's on me not being |Jewish. I still think this was a really good view of different ways to hear God.
This is a Jewish Commentary of the Torah (The first five books of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures), subdivided into the weekly readings. Being familiar with the text, but not raised in the tradition that provides the view point for this commentary, I was able to appreciate the wonderful insights that helped me better understand my own traditions (and in some cases even fill in the gaps). In fact, Rabbi Wittenberg provided a significant amount of context and explanations (such as how the Mishnah and Talmud are used to expand on the scriptural text) that even someone unfamiliar with his sources could understand how they contributed to his exegesis. In addition to his use of those more traditional commentary sources, Rabbi Wittenberg weaves in personal interpretations and contemporary opinions, along with various mystical approaches (such as Kabbalah), that provides a balanced and diverse view for Torah study.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Kenneth Womack; Kenneth L. Campbell
Arts & Photography, Entertainment & Pop Culture, Reference