Overview

Find spiritual strength for healing in the wisdom of Jewish tradition. Whether you are facing illness yourself, serving as a caregiver, providing pastoral care, or simply wondering where God is when we get sick, the teachings and wisdom of Jewish tradition can help you cope with the difficulties of illness and infirmity. With a format designed to accommodate the stressful life of people dealing with illness, Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler helps you focus on spiritual well-being as an essential aspect of physical healing and wholeness. He provides comfort and inspiration to help you maintain personal balance and family harmony amid the fear, pain, and chaos of illness. Combining the stories of real people with insights from Jewish sources, he offers practical advice and spiritual guidance for: Reaching inward to the soul when the body fails Reaching outward to provide strength, comfort and compassion to the ill or infirm Reaching upward to God through prayer and daily gratitude

Full Product Details

Author:   Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler
Publisher:   Jewish Lights Publishing
Imprint:   Jewish Lights Publishing
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.445kg
ISBN:  

9781683365464

ISBN 10:   1683365461
Pages:   204
Publication Date:   04 March 2010
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Introduction ix Raphael: Support for Your Healing xv PART ONE Reaching Inward: Coping When You Are Ill My New Normal 3 Stinkin' Thinkin' 5 ""But I Am Not Used to Asking for Help"" 7 More Than Just Your Body Is Hurt 11 Seeking Healing: Body and Soul 13 I Am Never Going to Be the Same 17 Identifying Your Exile 23 I Am Afraid I Might Die 26 Bitterness Can Be a Burden 30 The World Is Imperfect 32 Your Body Is a House for Your Soul 37 You Have Inherent Worth, No Matter What 41 How We Mark Moving On 44 When Waking Up in the Morning Is a Miracle 47 When Raphael Makes You Face Forward 50 PART TWO Reaching Outward: Finding Strength in Caregiving What You Do Matters 55 It’s Not about You 58 ""Don’t Just Do Something. Sit There!"" 62 Learning to Listen 67 How You Can Be “On the Level” 70 You May Not Be Able to See the Difference, But It’s There 74 Even God Visits the Sick 79 Emotional Disorders and Addictions Are Jewish Problems, Too 82 Be Who You Are and Do What You Know 85 Be Someone Else’s Angel 88 PART THREE Gathering Around: Dealing with Family Where Were You When Mom Got Sick? 93 What Are My Obligations, and What Are My Limits? 96 Too Close for Comfort 104 Who Is Sick? 109 The Meaning of Shalom Bayit (Peace in the Home) 113 When We Cry Out of Love 116 PART FOUR Reaching Upward: Searching for God Why Praying Can Help Even If You’ve Never Done It Before 121 Where Did All These Prayers Come From? 124 Grown-up Prayer 128 What Prayer Cannot Do 131 Why “We” Pray 134 What Kind of Powerful? 136 The Morning, Afternoon, and Evening of Your Life 139 When You Need to Scream 144 Why Prayer Works Even When It Doesn’t 148 Finding the Simple Truth in Prayer 150 God Is Right Here and Right Now 154 The End of the Matter: Gratitude 158 Wrestling in Prayer 161 APPENDIX I: Rabbi Nachman’s Silent Scream 163 APPENDIX II: Laws on Visiting the Sick 165 APPENDIX III: Some Guidelines for Visiting the Sick in Today’s World, Based on Jewish Tradition 169 Notes 173 Recommended Reading 179

Reviews

Rabbi Meszler simultaneously attempts to provide assistance to three groups of people regarding illness in this 180 page paperback. While you may read the book sequentially, each of the four sections are independent and can be read separately as the author addresses a difference audience in each. The first section focuses on the person facing body or spirit failure; the second section addresses the caregiver. Family and illness is the subject of the third section; universal questions of God are covered in the fourth section. The author includes appendices on the laws of visiting the sick and practical suggestions for the actual visit. The book is easy to read, with large print, cutout boxes, some notes at the end, and is structured around Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's saying regarding the three dimensions that people reach-inward to the self, outward to others and upwards to God. The book is useful to people who want to understand and better address the issues of illness. By debunking many of the commonly held myths regarding illness, the author helps us deal with the difficulties of sickness and caring for people who are sick. This book is recommended for people searching for answers regarding how to handle illness and who have already read the many other more comprehensive books addressing this topic. * Association of Jewish Libraries *

Deeply personal and professionally inspiring. Moving and yet practical helps us reach into our unique inner resources, out to our friends and community, and up to the ultimate Source of Healing and Wholeness. Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, LCSW, JBFCS/National Center for Jewish Healing; editor, Healing of Soul, Healing of Body: Spiritual Leaders Unfold the Strength & Solace in Psalms A rich resource for congregational bikkur cholim and caring committees, rabbis and chaplains, and anyone who has ever felt alone . Speaks to our human need for relationship with God and with each other. A wonderful gift. Rabbi Ruth Alpers, Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor, Children's Hospital, Cincinnati Very accessible ... provides knowing companionship for those living with illness and the people who care for them. Reflecting on many dimensions of the experience of illness, he shares a universally human as well as a particularly Jewish wisdom. Nancy Flam, co-director of programs, Institute for Jewish Spirituality Reach out to others. Reach out to God. Reach inside yourself. Then reach for this book. In it, you will find healing and hope. Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky, author, Jewish Paths toward Healing and Wholeness: A Personal Guide to Dealing with Suffering Offers essential help provides practical tools and wisdom to journey through pain toward healing, love, and spiritual strength. Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz, author, Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World A wonderful book of hope and encouragement . Provides comfort to all who struggle with issues of frailty and disability and their carers. Written in small vignette style with additional resources, it offers rich material for reflection. Marty Richards, author, Caresharing: A Reciprocal Approach to Caregiving and Care Receiving in the Complexities of Aging, Illness or Disability Calls us to read as carefully as [Rabbi Meszler's] own story urges us to listen to people in distress . Demystifies illness, and defines us all as human: possessed of infinite hope even as we are finite in our daily achievements. Rabbi William Cutter, director emeritus, Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health, Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion; editor, Healing and the Jewish Imagination: Spiritual and Practical Perspectives on Judaism and Health

Author Information

Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler is a noted spiritual leader and educator, recognized for his ability to connect the importance of Jewish tradition with everyday life. He is coauthor of The JGuy's Guide: The GPS for Jewish Teen Guys and author of A Man's Responsibility: A Jewish Guide to Being a Son, a Partner in Marriage, a Father and a Community Leader; Witnesses to the One: The Spiritual History of the Sh'ma and Facing Illness, Finding God: How Judaism Can Help You and Caregivers Cope When Body or Spirit Fails (all Jewish Lights). He is the rabbi at Temple Sinai in Sharon, Massachusetts, and an instructor at the Kehillah Schechter Academy. Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler is available to speak on the following topics: The Spiritual History of the Sh'ma: What ""God Is One"" Might Mean Not Your Father's Brotherhood: What Being a Jewish Man Meant Then and Now How Judaism Can Help You Cope with Illness Click here to contact the author.

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