Pen it Pulpit

Books written by rabbis seek to nourish
our souls. Here is a sampling of the newest volumes,
including new titles for the High Holidays.

SANDEE BRAWARSKY
Special to the Jewish News

E

very month, new works by
rabbis on Jewish subjects are
published — whether works
of scholarship, popular
themes, children's stories, tools of out-
reach or novels — and many other
books are in the works. Of course, writ-
ing books is a centuries-old tradition for
rabbis. These days, though, they occa-
sionally end up on best-seller lists.
The rabbis' books might grow out of
their teaching, their own ongoing study
or questions they are frequently asked;
they prove true the maxim in
Ecclesiastes: "Of making books there is
no end." For rabbis, writing books is a
way to multiply the audience for their
ideas, far beyond their congregants or
students.
Not all rabbis write; in fact, some
who are powerful speakers find it diffi-
cult to express themselves in writing.
Others find it hard to find time, and
carry their book ideas in their hearts.
And still others would prefer to read.
Recent books by rabbis across the
denominational spectrum include
works on spirituality, Torah study, corn-
mentary on the work of rabbinic prede-
cessors, prayer, healing, how-to guides
and autobiography. Following is just a
sampling:
The Path of the Soul: Making Peace
with Mortality (Plume) by Rabbi Ben
Kamin is a brief paperback, written
with compassion. Rabbi Kamin, senior
rabbi at Temple-Tifereth Israel, a
Reform congregation in Cleveland, and
author of Raising a Thoughtful Teenager
and Thinking Passover, explains how
death teaches important lessons for liv-
ing, how making peace with death
enables individuals to live life more
meaningfully.

Sandee Brawarsky is a New York-based
freelance writer. Gail Zimmerman
contributed to this article.

9/10

1999

1,6 Detroit Jewish News

He highlights the text with stories of
friends and congregants who confront-
ed mortality as well as teachings of the
Talmud and from the sacred works of
other cultures.
"In the course of my pastoral work, I
have seen that a thoughtful acceptance
of life's limits can create a personal feel-
ing of well-being. A little bit of prayer
can be more helpful than a lot of port-

when accepted and understood, brings
tender insight."
In The Shema: Spirituality and Law
in Judaism (Jewish Publication Society),
Dr. Norman Lamm uses the best-
known prayer in Jewish liturgy and its
accompanying verses to explore the
interdependence of spirituality and law.
This insightful book that will appeal to
Jews of all backgrounds began as a series
of lectures Dr. Lamm delivered at
Yeshiva University, where he is presi-
dent.
He draws on a wide range of sources,
including the teachings of Maimonides,
the Maharal, Zadok Hacohen of
Lublin, Samuel David Luzzato and oth-
ers, as well as his own reflections.
"So closely is the Shema tied to
Jewish identity that even assimilated
Jews, whose relationship to their Jewish
heritage is almost completely attenuat-
ed, recognize in it their residual link to
their people and ancestral faith," he
writes. The Shema has much to tell us
about the tension between spirituality
and law that lies at the very heart of the
Jewish religious enterprise."
The book jacket is striking in its
graphic use of color — which is related
to the book's theme. According to the
Zohar, the three divine names men-
tioned in the first verse of the Shema
represent the unity of God's attributes
of lovingkindness, judgment and beau-
ty, symbolized by, respectively, the col-
ors white, red and green.
The Path of Blessing: Experiencing
the Energy and Abundance of the
Divine by Rabbi Marcia Prager (Bell
Tower) is an in-depth explanation of
the spiritual meaning of blessings. In
folios. Death need not be feared and it
this book with an original approach, the
cannot be evaded in acts of outrage,
rabbi/chaver of Philadelphia P'nai Or
impropriety or narcissism.
Religious Fellowship shows how a daily
"Meanwhile, often enough there is
routine of blessings leads to a deep
relief in death, serenity in death, grad-
appreciation of the beauty and joys of
tude in death, even blessing in death. I
have seen this in people who regarded
life.
Using Chasidic stories, the teachings
and practiced life with a measure of
of Kabbalah, Hebrew language and
sanctity and thankfulness," he writes.
midrash, Rabbi Prager, who is a teacher,
"[Mortality] tempers arrogance, and,

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