Overview

In Down-to-Earth Judaism, Rabbi Arthur Waskow focuses on food, money, sex, and rest, the pillars of a spiritual life in the real world and the guide-posts that mark the communal path for the modern Jewish practitioner. To help readers infuse the rich traditions of Judaism into daily life, he examines what the Bible and the Talmud tell us regarding how to treat the environment, what greater roles women may play in Judaism, and how to allow worship to become an integral part of our lives. Rabbi Waskow also brings to life the history of many prayers, ceremonies, and laws, such as Kosher or Kashrut. Through his thoughtful interweaving of these four central areas, Rabbi Waskow celebrates the relevance of Jewish tradition to modern times.

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9781953829009

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Reviews

Arthur Waskow brings forth a full-bodied vision of Jewish life today. -Rodger Kamenetz, author of The Jew in the Lotus Just like its, author, Down-to-Earth Judaism is practical, provocative, logical, loving, and wise. -Letty Cottin Pogrebin, author of Deborah, Golda and Me: Being Female and Jewish in America In his inimitable style, Waskow discusses the practical aspects of life-eating, sex, earning a living, and leisure-within a religious context. While he extrapolates from traditional Jewish sources, his interpretations, as in his many previous books, are heavily influenced by mysticism, psychosocial theories, and current ecological movements. He is deeply troubled by the imbalance between men and women that he sees as part of Judaism, showing that women did not share in shaping the religion. Another major theme is the relationship between humans and the ecosystem; Waskow propounds new meanings for the premise that the earth is God's creation. Fluidity is the keynote to his approach, and this is the antithesis of organized religions. Provocative, stimulating, and controversial. -Library Journal Rabbi Waskow's insights are wide-ranging. Judaism has changed significantly, he points out, over the ages; Biblical Judaism differed from Rabbinic Judaism, and it's possible that we're approaching a new turn of the spiral, a post-Rabbinic age in which Judaism may grow into new forms. Those forms, whatever they may be, will be shaped by how Jews of today and tomorrow address food (eating, kashrut, and also other kinds of consumption), money (cash, class, tzedakah/righteous giving), sex (the whole matrix of sexual and erotic relationships, between and among the genders), and rest (work, play, and Shabbat). Waskow's trademark warmth, scholarship, and wry humor are apparent throughout Down-to-Earth Judaism. I recommend this book highly. -Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, author of The Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Pesach

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