Chapters of the Sages

Chapters of the Sages PDF

Author: Reuven P. Bulka

Publisher: Jason Aronson, Incorporated

Published: 1977-07-07

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 1461709881

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Pirkey Avoth—Chapters of the Sages—is one of the most well known texts in Jewish tradition. It contains the ethical and moral principles guiding the Jewish way of life as handed down by the sages. In essence, it is a guidebook for living. In this bilingual edition, Reuven P. Bulka, a highly regarded rabbi, author, and editor who also has a Ph.D in psychology, provides the reader with a modern translation of Pirkey Avoth, as well as an analysis of the text based on his experience in Torah study and his knowledge of psychology. Much commentary has been written on this important work, yet Rabbi Bulka's commentary differs in that he focuses on the psychological wisdom contained in this classical text. He seeks the thematic connections between each of the chapters, showing that Rabbi Yehuda haNasi, who compiled Pirkey Avoth, chose the statements and their order deliberately. Rabbi Bulka does not resort to explication through outside sources but rather offers an understanding of each chapter on its own, giving the reader a springboard to further exploration aid elaboration of this most significant work. Pirkey Avoth is divided into six chapters. The first five deal with different dimensions of existence, including the transmission of Jewish values, the direction of one's "life-path," the means of keeping sanctity in one's life, the values that become part of one's personality, and how Torah is and should be expressed in life. The sixth chapter, also known as "The Acquisition of Torah," focuses on what is meant by a "Torah-true" personality, which is not easily attained but encompasses all that is good in life. Rabbi Bulka has enabled the contemporary reader to access the wisdom of the Jewish sages by presenting Pirkey Avoth in a manner applicable to today's world, in today's terms.

Psyched for Torah

Psyched for Torah PDF

Author: Mordechai Schiffman

Publisher: Kodesh Press

Published: 2022-01-21

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 9781947857766

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Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman has done a masterful job of showing how Torah values and psychological insights can be woven together to become an integral part of our religious lives. This is a powerful book that will no doubt deepen your appreciation of Torah while simultaneously providing new perspectives on your own life and sense of self. Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President, Yeshiva University Dr. Schiffman's exploration of psychological factors through the lens of Torah is inspired and inspiring. With his deep understanding of both realms, Dr. Schiffman invites the reader to a deeper understanding of ancient wisdom for today's times. Dr. Rona Novick, Dean, Azrieli Graduate School, Yeshiva University Rabbi Dr. Schiffman is a clear and methodical thinker who has supplemented his years of rabbinical studies with the highest level of training with some of the leading experts in psychology. The wisdom and practical guidance that emerges from these two streams of insight will enrich the lives of readers, helping them to achieve depth and integration in their weekly review of the Torah reading. Dr. David Pelcovitz, Straus Chair in Psychology, Yeshiva University Dr. Mordechai Schiffman offers us nuggets of wisdom on every page that integrate psychology and the weekly parsha, distilling ideas into accessible and relevant ways to reframe our understanding of the ancient stories that serve as the touchstone of a Torah life and offers us insights into ourselves along the way. Dr. Erica Brown, Vice Provost and Director of Sacks Center, Yeshiva University Mordechai Schiffman has written an important book that bridges ancient wisdom and modern research, theory and practice, religion and psychology. This is a powerful guide that can help you gain a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the Torah--as well as lead a happier and more fulfilling life. Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, Founder of Happiness Studies Academy and Founder of Maytiv Center

Jewish Values in Jungian Psychology

Jewish Values in Jungian Psychology PDF

Author: Levi Meier

Publisher:

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13:

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Jewish Values in Jungian Psychology serves to build a bridge for the first time between Jung's psychology and Jewish tradition. While Jungian psychology can help one achieve a deeper understanding of Jewish teachings, the study of Jewish traditions can enhance and amplify Jung's mode of understanding the human psyche. Contents: Judaism and Jungian Psychology; Individuation and Shema Yisroel ('Hear, O Israel'); The Meaning and Soul of 'Hear, O Israel, ' by Rabbi Adolf (Avraham) Altmann, Ph.D.; Life as an Original Blessing; The Star of David as a Symbol of the Union of Opposites; A Psychological Midrash-God's Struggle with Man: Jacob and t Lonely Night Journey; Reflections on the Death of my Analyst; Book Review: Freud and Moses

Reader for the Orthodox Jewish Psychotherapist

Reader for the Orthodox Jewish Psychotherapist PDF

Author: Seymour Hoffman

Publisher: Mondial

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 1595692797

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This book contains a selection of interesting and informative articles authored by orthodox rabbis and psychotherapists that are highly relevant and pertinent to religious psychotherapists, veterans and novices alike. The highly significant topics and issues discussed include the relationship between clergy and clinician, special considerations in treating the haredi patient, attitude towards and treatment of homosexuals, and responsa by prominent contemporary rabbis regarding the issue of halachic constraints and treatment options, among others. The latter contains anecdotal examples of conflicts and dilemmas that religious therapists encountered in their work that were presented by the editor to various rabbis for their halachic (religious law) rulings. Among the questions raised are: Is the therapist obligated to rebuke a patient when the latter is transgressing serious religious commandments?; Is the therapist permitted to encourage a patient to express his negative feelings towards his/her parents?; Can a therapist continue doing marital therapy after learning that the husband is a Cohen and his wife is a divorcee?; Is cross-gender therapy permissible?, amongst others. --- Religious therapists, rabbis and laymen will find the book stimulating, informative and a worth-while read.

Jewish Views of the Afterlife

Jewish Views of the Afterlife PDF

Author: Simcha Paull Raphael

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2019-04-15

Total Pages: 528

ISBN-13: 153810346X

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In the third edition of Jewish Views of the Afterlife, Rabbi Simcha Paull Raphael walks readers through the Jewish tradition of the afterlife while providing insights into spiritual care with dying and grieving individuals and families.

The Kabbalah Reader

The Kabbalah Reader PDF

Author: Edward Hoffman

Publisher: Shambhala Publications

Published: 2010-04-13

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0834822474

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This comprehensive and accessible entrée into the world of Kabbalah covers 1,600 years of Jewish mystical thought and features a variety of thinkers—from the renowned to the obscure—unavailable in any other volume. It’s a fresh take on an ancient tradition compiled by Edward Hoffman, a psychologist and respected scholar of Judaism, who reveals how this supposedly esoteric material is relevant to a host of contemporary concerns, such as ethics, emotional health, intuition and creativity, meditation, social relations and leadership, and higher states of consciousness. Contributors include: Moses Chaim Luzzatto, Moses Cordovero, Abraham Abulafia, Maimonides, Nachmanides, The Maharal, Nachman of Breslov, The Baal Shem Tov, The Gaon of Vilna, The Netziv, The Ben Ish Chai, Yehudah Ashlag, Kalonymus Shapira, Baba Sali, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, Adin Steinsaltz, Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi, Jonathan Sacks, and many others, along with excerpts from the Sefer Yetzirah, Sefer HaBahir, and Sefer HaZohar.