Countdown To Shabbos

A fresh and delightful quest to rediscover spiritual meaning for life, focusing on Jewish holy days and Shabbat. Grounded in a context of religious pluralism with careful attention to tradition and cutting-edge developments across the spectrum of Judaism.

The revised edition of this beloved classic features a readers' and writers' guide to facilitate book group conversations and informal adult education, and also offers prompts for personal journaling exploration. Merle Feld's emotionally powerful prose and highly accessible poetry open the hearts of readers of all ages and religious persuasions who are traveling through the cycle of life and sharing in the search for meaning.

Filled with practical advice as well as history, Blu Greenberg's book is a comprehensive guide to the joys and complexities of running a modern Jewish home. How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household is a modern, comprehensive guide covering virtually every aspect of Jewish home life. It provides practical advice on how to manage a Jewish home in the traditional way and offers fascinating accounts of the history behind the tradition. In a warm, personal style, Blu Greenberg shows that, contrary to popular belief, the home, and not the synagogue, is the most important institution in Jewish life. Divided into three large sections—"The Jewish Way," "Special Stages of Life," and "Celebration and Remembering"—this book educates the uninitiated and reminds the already observant Jew of how Judaism approaches daily life. Topics include prayer, dress, holidays, food preparation, marriage, birth, death, parenthood, and many others. This description of the modern-yet-traditional Jewish household will earn special regard among the many American Jews who are re-exploring their ties to Jewish tradition. Such Jews will find this book a flexible guide that provides a knowledge of the requirements of traditional Judaism without advocating immediate and complete compliance. How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household will also appeal to observant Jews, providing them with helpful tips on how to manage their homes and special insights into the most minute details and procedures in a traditional household. Herself a traditional Jew, Blu Greenberg is nevertheless quite sympathetic to feminist views on the role of women in Jewish observance. How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household therefore speaks intimately to women who are struggling to reconcile their identities as modern women with their commitments to traditional Judaism.

The Sages teach that when the six Days of Creation were over, everything in the universe was in place. What was the world lacking? Only one thing -- it lacked the contentment of a genuine, spiritual rest day, a contentment that could replenish the human spirit and bear testimony to the Architect and Creator of all that was. When the Sabbath came; contentment came. Our weekly Sabbath is a regular renewal of that final necessary aspect of Creation; our renewed acknowledgment of Him Who made all and grants us a share of the World to Come on earth, every seventh day. Drawn from the rich lodes of Jewish thought and practice, the book will help the reader enter the joy and holiness of the Sabbath, for the better we understand the deeper content of the day and what it represents, the better we enter into its higher universe. Book jacket.