Bücher veröffentlicht von Ben Yehuda Press

Psalms are our people's songs, an ancient playlist that still strikes a chord in our hearts. From lamentation to celebration, the Psalms speak to us from generation to generation.Rabbis Elie Spitz and Jack Riemer take us into a deeper exploration of the Psalms, going beyond the surface meaning of the words with new, thoughtful interpretations, taking a fresh look at these ancient texts and the relevance they can hold for us today. These contemporary translations of the ancient text reveal new facets of insight and understanding.It is a testament to their lasting power that the Psalms continue to provide readers with solace, challenge, inspiration, and more. Duets on Psalms will inspire you to revisit these ancient texts and see them with fresh eyes because, in the end, it's not what the psalmist intended that matters but the meaning you gain from each psalm as you make its words your own.

As the twenty-first century continues to bring rapid changes to Judaism and Jewish affiliation, and as major challenges continue to mount within and well beyond the Jewish world, effective leadership increasingly requires familiarity and dexterity in multiple ethical areas: interpersonal, social, political, environmental, medical, and business.Torah, Service, Deeds presents essays on diverse approaches to the spectrum of ethical issues. Written by faculty and alumni from the transdenominational Academy for Jewish Religion California, the chapters demonstrate that a shared and genuine commitment to values and concerns can be expressed through varied lenses and applications.Each author is paired with another who has written on related themes. Following their essays, the two authors respond to one another, modeling pluralistic Jewish dialogue. It is our hope that this "simulated chavruta" (study pair) inspires readers to reach out to people of other stripes, Jews and non-Jews, to productively engage the issues of today.

The study of Jewish text, over two millennia, has traditionally taken place in the Bet Midrash (the communal study hall), sitting at a table or desk. Studying the Bible has been a project of thinking, talking, contemplative reflection, and debate.There are other ways.Dr. Ora Horn Prouser, Cantor Michael Kasper, and circus artist and choreographer Ayal Prouser have joined to edit this volume which explicates their philosophy and technique as they work with students to study Hebrew Bible through the embodied experience of movement and circus arts. They have invited an international group of distinguished scholars and practitioners to share their own visions and work; each chapter adds information about circus, movement, educational practice, and theory.When seen as a whole, the collection of articles helps to frame the book's central premise: that circus and dance are perfectly matched to help students study and think through their bodies, finding valuable and enlightening textual interpretations.This flows logically as movement has been central to the Jewish experience. Similarly, though less known, circus has a documented, long, and powerful connection to Judaism and the Jewish people.Prouser, Kasper, and Prouser do not attempt to interpret text through art creation. Rather, they use art as a study partner and method, a context within which to do the research that yields new and exciting learning possibilities and readings.

Haggadah Min HaMeitzar is liturgically traditional, visually beautiful, ideologically progressive, and discursively provocative. It uses a complete traditional text and translation, paired with original commentary and art, thought-provoking quotations, and discussion prompts. The art functions as a form of commentary and provides another layer to discuss.The commentary focuses on four voices, corresponding to the four names of Passover:Chag HaCheirut/Festival of Freedom: a progressive voice prompting discussion on the meanings of liberation and oppression in the Exodus story and today.Chag HaAviv/Springtime Festival: an environmental voice making connections between the Passover seder, ecology, and regrowth and regeneration.Chag HaPesach/Passover: a meta-commentary about how we tell our stories, the voices that get shared and the voices that do not get shared enough.Chag HaMaztot/Matzah Festival: a voice about embodiment and the tangible and sensory aspects of the seder.

Rabbi Hyman Babushkin has headed and cultivated a progressive religious movement, Encounter Judaism, for half a century - but as he turns 83, he has lost his wife, his prostate, and, perhaps, his faith. The loyalty of some of the key women among his cohort is wavering, his leadership is being challenged, and he is beset by fantasies of fleeing back to the ultra-Orthodox world from which he was excommunicated during the heady 1960s.What's a guru to do?HYMAN is a novel rich in humor, Jewish thought, and provocative questions about power and sexuality as it vaults back and forth through fifty years of American culture.