Overview

Throughout our history, Jews have traditionally responded to our trials with hope, psychologist David Arnow says, because we have had ready access to Judaism's abundant reservoir of hope. The first book to plumb the depths of this reservoir, Choosing Hope journeys from biblical times to our day to explore nine fundamental sources of hope in Judaism: Teshuvah-the method to fulfill our hope to become better human beings Tikkun Olam-the hope that we can repair the world by working together Abraham and Sarah-models of persisting in hope amid trials Exodus-the archetype of redemptive hope Covenant-the hope for a durable relationship with the One of Being Job-the ""hard-fought hope"" that brings a grief-stricken man back to life World to Come-the sustaining hope that death is not the end Israel-high hope activists work to build a just and inclusive society for all Israelis Jewish Humor-""hope's last weapon"" in our darkest days Grounded in a contemporary theology that situates the responsibility for creating a better world in human hands, with God acting through us, Choosing Hope can help us both affirm hope in times of trial and transmit our deepest hopes to the next generation.

Full Product Details

Author:   David Arnow
Publisher:   Jewish Publication Society
Imprint:   Jewish Publication Society
ISBN:  

9780827615205

ISBN 10:   0827615205
Pages:   352
Publication Date:   01 March 2022
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction What Hope Is and Why It Matters Judaism as a Reservoir of Hope Difficulty Tapping Jewish Sources of Hope A Way toward Hope About This Book Making the Most of This Book Notes on Translation and Gender 1. Repentance: The Gateway to Hope Introduction A Theology for Looking in the Mirror Prayer and Hope The Season of Teshuvah Seasonal Rituals Conclusion 2. Tikkun Olam: Turning Hope into Action Introduction Biblical Roots in Ecclesiastes Rabbinic Origins in the Mishnah An Intertextual Reading of the Sages and Ecclesiastes Aleinu’s Hope of Repairing the World Tikkun Olam in the Mysticism of Isaac Luria Tikkun Olam Today Conclusion 3. Abraham and Sarah: Living in Hope Introduction Hope in God and Abraham’s Relationship Hope amid Abraham and Sarah’s Trials The Binding of Isaac as a Story of Hope Conclusion 4. The Exodus: Hope at the Heart Introduction Brueggemann’s Archetypical Tale of Hope Exodus as the Jewish Master Story Despair versus Hope in Midrash and Commentary Putting Exodus Memories into Practice Conclusion 5. The Covenant: Hope in Israel’s Relationship with God Introduction Covenantal Hope in the Morning Liturgy Covenantal Hope and the Ancient Trials of History The Post-Holocaust Conversation Conclusion 6. The Book of Job: Hope for Vindication Introduction Reframing Job Verses of Despair, Verses of Hope Hope for Vindication Conclusion 7. Jewish Eschatology: Hopes for the World to Come Introduction The Road to Resurrection in the Bible The Rise of the Rabbis and the Triumph of Resurrection The Messiah of the Rabbis Maimonides on the Messiah and the Afterlife Reform Judaism’s Hopes for the Afterlife Humans Fulfilling Hopes for Immortality? Conclusion 8. Israel: Hope in the Homeland Introduction Zionist Hope Fulfilling the Hopes of Statehood Reuven Rivlin’s Israeli Hope Snapshots of Israeli Hope: Israeli Activists Speak Conclusion 9. Jewish Humor: The Currency of Hope Introduction Humor and Hope The Beginning of Jewish Laughter Waiting for the Messiah The Schlemiel Laughing and Hoping in Hell God Laughs Too Conclusion Final Thoughts A Succinct Jewish Theology of Hope Finding Hope in Our Ancient Texts Hope Means Work Transmitting Our Heritage of Hope Notes Bibliography Subject Index Index of Texts

Reviews

Former clinical psychologist Arnow . . . unearths the hopefulness baked into Judaism in this stimulating [work]. -Publishers Weekly This book is a blessing, a sublime meditation on hope, an erudite feast of Jewish wisdom, and a wellspring of surprising, subversive, deeply satisfying epiphanies about the relationship between hope and all the emotions and experiences that comprise a life of meaning. Doubt, despair, anger, activism, memory, humor, love, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, the Holocaust, and the State of Israel are among the topics explored by David Arnow in his masterful illumination of the purpose and power of hope. -Letty Cottin Pogrebin, author of Deborah, Golda, and Me: Being Female and Jewish in America Choosing Hope is not only a profound exploration of the meaning and claim of hope but a wonderfully inspiring interpretation of the Jewish tradition. Drawing on meticulous reading of vast sources and teachings, this extraordinary book bears witness to the core idea of Jewish faith itself: as an awakening to confront our sorrows and despair with the personal and communal ongoing task of tikkun. -Moshe Halbertal, John and Golda Cohen Professor of Jewish Thought and Philosophy at the Hebrew University David Arnow guides us gently, engagingly, and insightfully to see hope where we never noticed it before. -Rabbi Judith Hauptman, E. Billi Ivry Professor Emerita of Talmud and Rabbinic Culture, Jewish Theological Seminary This vital book challenges us to think about hope in a new way-as a response to life in which we are partners in the ongoing work of imagining and creating a better world. Through its nuanced readings of biblical, classical, and mystical texts, Choosing Hope offers a deep and refreshing understanding of the centrality of hope not only in Jewish theology, prayer, and ritual; Jewish values; and even contemporary Israel but also in our own lives. So dive in-and choose hope. -Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Emerita of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills This careful, thorough examination of hope in Jewish sources and thought will lift the spirits of all who read it. -Rabbi Steven Bob, author of Jonah and the Meaning of Our Lives Serious, well-reasoned, literate, and uplifting, Choosing Hope should be in a great many hands and hearts. -Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, scholar-in-residence, Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco

This book is a blessing, a sublime meditation on hope, an erudite feast of Jewish wisdom, and a wellspring of surprising, subversive, deeply satisfying epiphanies about the relationship between hope and all the emotions and experiences that comprise a life of meaning. Doubt, despair, anger, activism, memory, humor, love, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, the Holocaust, and the State of Israel are among the topics explored by David Arnow in his masterful illumination of the purpose and power of hope. -Letty Cottin Pogrebin, author of Deborah, Golda, and Me: Being Female and Jewish in America Choosing Hope is not only a profound exploration of the meaning and claim of hope but a wonderfully inspiring interpretation of the Jewish tradition. Drawing on meticulous reading of vast sources and teachings, this extraordinary book bears witness to the core idea of Jewish faith itself: as an awakening to confront our sorrows and despair with the personal and communal ongoing task of tikkun. -Moshe Halbertal, John and Golda Cohen Professor of Jewish Thought and Philosophy at the Hebrew University David Arnow guides us gently, engagingly, and insightfully to see hope where we never noticed it before. -Rabbi Judith Hauptman, E. Billi Ivry Professor Emerita of Talmud and Rabbinic Culture, Jewish Theological Seminary This vital book challenges us to think about hope in a new way-as a response to life in which we are partners in the ongoing work of imagining and creating a better world. Through its nuanced readings of biblical, classical, and mystical texts, Choosing Hope offers a deep and refreshing understanding of the centrality of hope not only in Jewish theology, prayer, and ritual; Jewish values; and even contemporary Israel but also in our own lives. So dive in-and choose hope. -Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Emerita of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills This careful, thorough examination of hope in Jewish sources and thought will lift the spirits of all who read it. -Rabbi Steven Bob, author of Jonah and the Meaning of Our Lives Serious, well-reasoned, literate, and uplifting, Choosing Hope should be in a great many hands and hearts. -Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, scholar-in-residence, Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco

Former clinical psychologist Arnow . . . unearths the hopefulness baked into Judaism in this stimulating [work]. -Publishers Weekly A powerful and impactful aid in affirming our hope and transmitting it to the next generation, suffering more than in any recent time in our history. -San Diego Jewish World An absorbing, insightful, thoughtful and thought-provoking study that is impressively well organized and presented, Choosing Hope: The Heritage of Judaism is an ideal, timely, and unreservedly recommended addition to synagogue, community, college, and university library Judaic Studies collections. -Midwest Book Review This book is a blessing, a sublime meditation on hope, an erudite feast of Jewish wisdom, and a wellspring of surprising, subversive, deeply satisfying epiphanies about the relationship between hope and all the emotions and experiences that comprise a life of meaning. Doubt, despair, anger, activism, memory, humor, love, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, the Holocaust, and the State of Israel are among the topics explored by David Arnow in his masterful illumination of the purpose and power of hope. -Letty Cottin Pogrebin, author of Deborah, Golda, and Me: Being Female and Jewish in America Choosing Hope is not only a profound exploration of the meaning and claim of hope but a wonderfully inspiring interpretation of the Jewish tradition. Drawing on meticulous reading of vast sources and teachings, this extraordinary book bears witness to the core idea of Jewish faith itself: as an awakening to confront our sorrows and despair with the personal and communal ongoing task of tikkun. -Moshe Halbertal, John and Golda Cohen Professor of Jewish Thought and Philosophy at the Hebrew University David Arnow guides us gently, engagingly, and insightfully to see hope where we never noticed it before. -Rabbi Judith Hauptman, E. Billi Ivry Professor Emerita of Talmud and Rabbinic Culture, Jewish Theological Seminary This vital book challenges us to think about hope in a new way-as a response to life in which we are partners in the ongoing work of imagining and creating a better world. Through its nuanced readings of biblical, classical, and mystical texts, Choosing Hope offers a deep and refreshing understanding of the centrality of hope not only in Jewish theology, prayer, and ritual; Jewish values; and even contemporary Israel but also in our own lives. So dive in-and choose hope. -Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Emerita of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills This careful, thorough examination of hope in Jewish sources and thought will lift the spirits of all who read it. -Rabbi Steven Bob, author of Jonah and the Meaning of Our Lives Serious, well-reasoned, literate, and uplifting, Choosing Hope should be in a great many hands and hearts. -Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, scholar-in-residence, Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco

Author Information

David Arnow is a scholar of the festival of Passover. He is the author of Creating Lively Passover Seders and coeditor of My People’s Passover Haggadah.  

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