A Very Narrow Bridge

Hardly anyone remains impartial upon hearing the words “the wisdom of Kabbalah.” One may mock it as esoteric nonsense, another might speak its praises and tell stories of formidable, enigmatic people who can set fire to people or turn them into a heap of bones with their very gaze, while yet another might mention secret, shady societies. The authentic wisdom of Kabbalah had been concealed for two millennia. Over the centuries, so many myths, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations of it have been formed that today face and palm reading, astrology, numerology, and countless other practices claim to be related to Kabbalah. Yet, the authentic wisdom of Kabbalah is not related to any of them. In fact, it is a scientific, empirical method for achieving lasting happiness through social unity. It had been fashioned and practiced by the ancient Hebrews before they were exiled from Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, and now it is reemerging precisely because social unity is the only solution to our problems—be they personal, national, or global. A Very Narrow Bridge traces the roots of Kabbalah, Judaism, and the Jewish people, how they formed and for what purpose. It is a chronicle of the struggle of kabbalists to preserve the wisdom and pass it down through the ages until today, when it has become critical to humanity to reveal the truth about the people of Israel and the wisdom of Kabbalah. This book speaks of love, hate, and total dedication to the goal of saving the human race.

Rebbe Nachman said, "The world is a very narrow bridge. The main thing is not to be afraid." This upbeat, down-to-earth book gives clear, detailed guidance for applying Rebbe Nachman's teachings to our everyday lives. Exploring a broad range of topics - from joy, peace and charity to earning a living, taking care of one's health, and raising children - this work answers many of the practical and technical questions that puzzle those who are making their first acquaintance with Breslov teachings.

“A book that looks at existence with equal measures of fear, humility and gratitude. In a time when novelists tend to be more concerned with psychology than the soul, that makes it a rare and valuable thing.” --Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal From the author of Mr. Eternity, a darkly comic road novel about a millennial couple facing the ultimate question: how to live and love in an age of catastrophe. Young Miami couple Murphy and Eva have almost decided to have a baby when Yahweh, the Old Testament God, appears to Eva and makes an unwelcome demand: He wants her to be his prophet. He also wants her to manage his social media presence. Yahweh sends the two on a wild road trip across the country, making incomprehensible demands and mandating arcane rituals as they go. He gives them a hundred million dollars, but he asks them to use it to build a temple on top of a landfill. He forces them to endure a period of Biblical wandering in the deserts of the southwest. Along the way they are continually mistaken for another couple, a pair of North Carolina society people, and find themselves attending increasingly bizarre events in their names. At odds with their mission but helpless to disobey, Murphy and Eva search their surroundings for signs of a future they can have faith in. Through wry observations about the biggest things--cosmology and theology--and the smallest things--the joys and irritations of daily life--Thier questions the mysterious forces that shape our fates, and wonders how much free will we really have. Equal parts hilarious and poignant, The World Is a Narrow Bridge asks: What kind of hope can we pass on to the next generation in a frightening but beautiful world?

Shortly after Orthodox Jewish Brooklynite Jacob Fischer puts his young family on a bus to visit relatives, the bus explodes in a stunning act of terrorism. HIs faith shattered, Jacob flees the comforts of his community and disappears. He lands up in a predominantly black town in rural Alabama, where he meets Rosie, the single mother of a young son. Their developing relationship, along with the rekindling of his love of music, precipitate events that will change both their lives. This debut novel is a powerful page-turner that follows a complex man on a journey of salvation after tragedy. J.J. Gesher is the pen name for co-authors Joyce Gittlin and Janet B. Fattal. Together, Janet and Joyce have won several prestigious screenwriting awards, including the Geller Prize and the Screenwriting Award at the Austin Film Festival. Their first screenwriting collaboration was produced as a Lifetime Television feature. Joyce Gittlin has written and directed such television shows as Wings, Frasier, and Everybody Loves Raymond and has written more than ten feature films for Disney, Paramount, and 20th Century Fox. She has an MFA from NYU. Janet B. Fattal has a masters in Comparative Literature from UCLA and has taught literature and writing at the college level. The editor of several memoirs, Janet leads many Los Angeles–area book groups, including for the Skirball Cultural Center, Hadassah, and the Brandeis alumni association. The co-authors both live in Los Angeles.

This is why, although the process of genocide was proceeding at top speed, some Jews were diverted from the gas chambers and sent to work at Gross-Rosen. Auschwitz-Birkenau was the main provider of inmate slave laborers for the Gross-Rosen armaments, munitions, and other factories owned by giant private enterprises, such as Krupp, J.G. Farben, and Siemens. Jewish inmates were also used in the construction of Hitler's secret headquarters in the local Eulen Mountains and the secret underground tunnels used to store weapons.

We belong to a gullible, partly delusional/hallucinating, self-destructive species: Homo sapiens. First, we create the conditions for global catastrophes including epidemics by following unsustainable policies, and then, as we are hit—as the COVID-19 pandemic shows—we react often too late, confused and short-sighted. Hence, we badly need a new, evolved global vision/mission to steer away from our innate and self-destructive shortcomings and flaws. This book includes two parts. Book One tells my true/legendary story with the Green Man, describing how such a vision/mission was conceived. Book Two describes a tour de force beyond Homo sapiens’s current wisdom, ultimate meaning, and fixed destiny, leading to the abovementioned new, evolved vision for a future civilization, which will focus on saving us from ourselves.

THE THING IS ... Years ago, on sleepless nights, I arose and began to write about meaningful events of my life. I am now 94 years of age but began writing when I was 83. “The thing is” ... all of us can learn from stories of others and I am sharing mine with my great-grandchildren or anyone else willing to read this book. Mother used to say: “Ellis” (my middle name used when I was a kid), “Ellis, it will be a miracle if you live to grow up.” Daddy used to say, “Son, I don’t know why you have to learn everything the hard way?” My stories prove the accuracy of their early musings. The thing is ... maybe my great grandchildren can learn a thing or two from the remembrances of my rambunctious childhood, long and loving marriage, and a work life inspired by Jesus Christ. The thing is ... good things can come from the experiences of life. The Bible tells us: “All things work for good for those who trust and love the Lord.” So here follows a story or two, including “good things” I learned or experienced as I trusted the Lord and lived my long and blessed life. Frank Rowe September 12, 2023