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A Guide to Jewish Practice, an excerpt from a long awaited guide to Jewish living is now available from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Press. Written by Rabbid David Teutsch, A Guide to Jewish Practice includes an essay placing the current publication in the tradition of Reconstructionist thought, a list defining the Jewish values that guide Reconstructionist decision-making, and a section applying those values to kashrut, the Jewish dietary laws. The last section includes commentary by 17 Reconstructionist rabbis and scholars whose views span the breadth of positions advocated within the Reconstructionist movement with regard to personal and communal practice and observance.

Jews who want Judaism to play a major role in their lives today need access to inherited Jewish traditions and rituals, values, and beliefs, Teutsch explains in his introduction.

"This Guide is designed to help Jewish tradition meet Jews where they are, while at the same time helping Jews to be open to the changes and adaptations needed for the renewal of Judaism in our time." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

more interesting than persuasive
Kaplan (the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism), writing in the 1940s, begins with the assumption that no one can possibly believe in supernatural interference with the world, and then tries to construct a Judaism that works despite this assumption.He defines God not as a supernatural force making history, but as the life force creating goodness (more or less) and argues that Jews should remain Jews because they are already within the Jewish tradition, and that this tradition therefore can best educate them on how to behave rightly and form a common culture -- as an acquaintance one said to me (in an entirely different context) "you dance with the one that brung you."I certainly see his point.

However, his brusque dismissal of supernatural religion doesn't make as much sense to me in 2002 as it might have made to people half a century ago, when religious fundamentalism seemed to be dying and the liberal optimism of the 19th and early 20th century had not yet been completely crushed by crime at home and totalitarianism abroad.So to me, Kaplan's theory is more a period piece than a persuasive argument. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from American Decades: Primary Sources, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1187 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.American Decades Primary Sources provides fresh insight into the decade's most important events, people, and issues. Entries representing a diversity of views that provide insight into the seminal issues, themes, movements and events from the decade. Also included are concise contextual information, notes about the author and further resources. American Decades Primary Sources includes chapters on the arts, medicine and health, media, education, world events, religion, government and politics, lifestyles and social trends, law and justice, religion, business and the economy, and sports. Included to provide unique perspectives and a wealth of understanding are first hand accounts that include oral histories, songs, speeches, advertisements, TV, play and movie scripts, letters, laws, legal decisions, newspaper articles, cartoonsand recipes. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Midstream, published by Theodor Herzl Foundation on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 4736 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Attempting the impossible: eliminating election from the Jewish liturgy.
Author: Joel S. Kaminsky
Publication: Midstream (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: Theodor Herzl Foundation
Volume: 51Issue: 1Page: 23(5)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Encyclopedia of Religion, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1476 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.The second edition of this highly regarded encyclopedia, preserving the best of the first edition's cross-cultural approach, while emphasizing religion's role within everyday life and as a unique experience from culture to culture, this new edition is the definitive work in the field for the 21st century. An international team of scholars and contributors have reviewed, revised and added to every word of the classic work, making it relevant to the questions and interests of all researchers. ... Read more

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An anthology of articles addressing the the common medical questions that families face at the end of life, and offering insights into what the spirit needs at such times. ... Read more