The Fifty-Eighth Century A Jewish Renewal Sourcebook

The Fifty-Eighth Century: A Jewish Renewal Sourcebook contains stories, essays, and articles intended to assist the reader in developing a personal system of Jewish spirituality. Some of the contributions deal with developing a personal relationship with God. Among these are challenging thoughts about reincarnation and the Holocaust, practical insights about dealing with addiction, and thoughts about working with the sick and dying. Other pieces provide new looks at traditional Jewish sources, including interpretations of the story of David and Bathsheba from different perspectives and an experiential journey into Kabbalistic meditation. Gender roles are explored in a number of ways, such as with a re-visioning of the biblical matriarchs, in a modern couple's pre-wedding agreement, and in the voice of a hasidic rebbetzin. The experiences of Jews who have studied, tried, or committed themselves to other spiritual traditions are also shared, because a central principle of Jewish Renewal philosophy is that all of the spiritual traditions in the world have a role to serve and that much can be learned through dialogue with them.