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78
"The Jewish Catalog" author rewrites his classic
work with an increased emphasis on spirituality.
Special to the Jewish News
1 COUPON PER CUSTOMER
ex/fires 2/28/03
248.351.5174
On The Bookshelf
`A Book Of Life'
SAN D EE B RAWARS KY
IN
2003
nter ta
I 3.00 OFF
(YOUR CHOICE OF 8)
gni
Arts
jr
udging by their covers, Rabbi
Michael Strassfeld's newly pub-
lished work A Book ofLifi•
awareness of God's presence, mindful
of the words from Psalm 16, "I have
placed God before me always."
Rabbi Strassfeld presents Judaism as
a practice to engage on a regular basis,
showing how daily life is infused with
sparks of holiness, moments of caring,
compassion and ethics.
Embracing Judaism as a Spiritual
Practice (Schocken; $28) and his earlier
The Jewish Catolog (Jewish Publication
Society) — published almost 30 years
Changing Times
ago — couldn't be more different.
Initially,
Rabbi Strassfeld, now 50, set out
His new book is hardcover; its jacket
to write a new Jewish Catalog, but realized
features a traditional papercut design
that the times, and his own experience,
in deep colors, highlighted in gold,
called for a different kind of book.
altogether very handsome. The first
He begins with the idea of awaken-
book, a paperback he edited along
. ing to the day, covering, among other
with Richard Siegel and Sharon
things, morning rituals, speech, work,
Strassfeld, is bright red, with a do-it-
close of the day and Shabbat.
yourself look.
In a second section,
Although dissimilar
he describes the paths
in format, the books
of Torah; avodah, or
share some similarities,
work; and gemilut
as Rabbi Strassfeld
chesed loving-kindness.
points out in an inter-
He
goes on to describe
view in his study at the
the
cycle of holidays
Society for the
through the year.
Advancement of
In the final sec-
Judaism, the synagogue
tions, he writes of the
he serves on the Upper
lifecycle, considering
West Side of
all sorts of passages,
Manhattan.
and concludes with
Each book reflects its
reflections on Israel,
The
Jewish
Catalog,
time:
ecology and God.
which sold more than
Throughout the
500,000 copies in its
book are shaded sec-
three volumes, was born
tions with meditations,
of the Jewish counter-
teachings
and
stories
to aid in focusing.
cultural movement of the 1960s and
Rabbi
Strassfeld
is
a gentle and wise
early 1970s, modeled after the success-
guide, well versed in the biblical, tal-
ful Whole Earth Catalog.
mudic, midrashic, Chasidic and mysti-
Strassfeld and his colleagues
cal texts he cites.
explained how to be Jewish to a gener-
"I'm trying to bring the depth and
ation re-exploring its roots; the
richness
of Jewish tradition" to spiritu-
Judaism they presented was joyous,
al
subjects,
he says, showing how ele-
non-judgmental and participatory,
ments of contemporary spiritual prac-
with information on making Shabbat
tice, like meditation and paying atten-
candles and how to say the appropri-
tion, are rooted in Jewish sources.
ate blessings, about crafting mezuzot
His view veers from the traditional
and the meaning of the text inside.
_sense of Halachah, which he says, "too
A Book of Life is published at a
moment when many Jews are "looking often seems too far away from the
Presence of God."
for something that gives meaning to
He doesn't suggest that Jewish rituals
their lives, something larger than
be practiced only when people feel
themselves," Rabbi Strassfeld said.
moved, but rather on an ongoing basis,
Gone are the directions for making
coming from a place of wanting to do
hand-crafted Judaica and braiding chal-
[them] rather than feeling obligated."
lah, and much expanded are the expla-
He writes, "The point of Judaism is
nations of meaning, with new rituals.
not
to pray three times a day or to
The book emphasizes living with an
"
observe the Sabbath or the holidays.
Rituals should not be observed
because we are 'supposed to' observe
them, but rather because they help us -
achieve the real goal: awareness.
"To be a good Jew is not to do all
the particular Jewish things perfectly. It
is to live a life of goodness and holiness
inspired by the teaching and structured
by the traditions of Judaism."
New Kind Of Rabbi
Another difference with the earlier books
is that the author is now a rabbi. At age
39, he began rabbinical school and grad-
uated from the Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College in 1991.
His religious biography shifts along the
Jewish spectrum, although he has always
been closely connected to Judaism.
The son of an Orthodox rabbi, he
attended Orthodox day schools, and
when his father became the rabbi of a
Conservative synagogue, he refused to
attend.
He began his college studies at
Yeshiva University but soon felt that
he was no longer Orthodox in outlook
and transferred to Brandeis.
He joined Havurat Shalom, a
Massachusetts religious community
that was egalitarian, liberal, contempo-
rary and traditional.
"Yrwas in the chavurah that my
Jewish life for the next 25 years was
shaped," he writes.
He explains that it took him a long
time to decide to become a rabbi,
partly because the chavurah movement
stressed lay participation over rabbinic
leadership. But after doing a lot of
Jewish programming, he felt that he
had things he wanted to teach, so he
began his rabbinic studies.
Now, as a rabbi, he tries to balance
religious and spiritual leadership with
lay participation. He speaks of being
part of a broad shift among rabbis, from
the "old model of big man on pulpit" to
a situation where the gap between rabbi
and congregation is smaller.
Art And Music
Rabbi Strassfeld is soft-spoken and also
dynamic, an unusual mix. The walls of
his study are filled with framed Yiddish
signs he has salvaged from synagogues
shutting down. He collects these pieces
of Jewish Americana folk art, and also
collects recordings of Chasidic music
(he has over 300).
Another hobby is making papercuts,
and his handiwork, based on tradi-
tional designs, illustrates the book
jacket and interior.