Stepping Stones to Jewish Spiritual Living

Spiritual activities, meditations, prayers, and rituals can easily become integrated into our daily routines. This book is a practical and informative guide to the traditional and the creative, that can help us transform our everyday actions into sacred acts of mindfulness.

Chapters are arranged according to the cycle inspiring each day -- from sunrise to midnight -- and feature creative new rituals, inspiring passages from traditional Jewish texts, prayers, poems, blessings, acts of kavannah (spiritual intention), and more. Includes special sections dealing with the sacred aspects of relationships, love and sexuality, mourning and loss.

How to Use This Book

xiii

Cornerstones and Fundamentals

xv

Sunrise: Dawn---Awakening to Life

1

(30)

Our Purpose---How to Be Holy

2

(4)

Breath---The Creative Force

6

(3)

The Light---The Sustaining Force

9

(3)

Releasing the Light, Repairing the World, Tikkun Olam

12

(3)

The Practice of Mindfulness

15

(2)

Self-Examination: Hitbonenut

17

(2)

Washing and Caring for the Body

19

(4)

Morning Prayer, the Sh'ma, and the Prayer Shawl, Talit

23

(5)

Conclusion: Finding Peace

28

(3)

Morning: Going on Our Way, Doing Our Work

31

(26)

The Journey: Hearing, Trusting, Following

32

(3)

My Work, My Job---Service to the Holy One

35

(2)

My Work, My Job---Middot, or The Seven Characteristics of Work

37

(4)

My Work, My Job---Honesty, Fairness, Truth

41

(3)

My Work, My Job---Honoring Life

44

(2)

My Work, My Job---The Soul's Joyful Work

46

(3)

Money---Making a Living, Borrowing from the Earth

49

(2)

Money---A Trust from God

51

(2)

Money---The Flow of Abundance, Tsedakah

53

(3)

Conclusion---Our True Wealth

56

(1)

Noon: Mealtime, Gratitude, Hospitality

57

(16)

Connecting to Our History

58

(4)

Mealtime: What---and How---We Eat Matters

62

(6)

Hospitality: Sharing Food with Others

68

(3)

Conclusion: Feeding the Soul

71

(2)

Afternoon: Relationships---Family, Friends, Community, God

73

(36)

The Nature of Relationships

74

(3)

Communication in Relationships

77

(6)

A Loving Partnership

83

(3)

Parent-Child Relationships

86

(6)

Siblings---My Brother, My Sister, and I

92

(3)

Friendship

95

(3)

Our Relationship with Community

98

(5)

Our Relationship with Place---The Land of Israel

103

(3)

Conclusion: Our Relationship with God

106

(3)

Evening: Leisure---Recreation, Study, and Prayer

109

(18)

Renewing the Spirit---Personal Endeavors

110

(2)

Renewing the Body---Recreation (``Re-Creation'')

112

(3)

Renewing the Mind---Torah and Other Jewish Holy Books

115

(6)

Renewing the Heart---Prayer

121

(5)

Conclusion: Loving Ourselves, Loving Others, Loving God

126

(1)

Night: Pain, Loss, Death, and Healing

127

(28)

Pain---Physical Illness

128

(4)

Pain---Emotional Distress, Anger, Fear

132

(4)

Pain---Spiritual Doubt and Guilt

136

(4)

Pain---Enemies

140

(4)

Pain---Death and Loss

144

(4)

Healing the Pain---Refu'ah

148

(5)

Conclusion: Out of Our Darkness

153

(2)

Midnight: Mysticism, Sexuality, and Creation

155

(32)

Mysticism---Turning Prophecy into Action

156

(5)

Living with Angels

161

(5)

Mysticism---The Tree of Life

166

(6)

Creation and Sexuality

172

(4)

The Power of Love

176

(4)

Sabbath/Shabbat, Wholeness/Shalom, Messiah/Mashiach

180

(4)

Conclusion: Awakening the Dawn!

184

(3)

Epilogue

187

(2)

Acknowledgments

189

(2)

Notes

191

(6)

Sources

197

(2)

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Stepping Stones to Jewish Spiritual Living

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials