Overview

"For people who don't believe that God can intervene in our lives, and why Judaism is still important. ""Judaism has so much to teach us about how we treat ourselves, each other, and our planet…. Of course, you can learn these values elsewhere. But as a people, Jews have thousands of years of experience turning this kind of stuff over and over. [We've] had millions of users working to debug the system. Rather than look to other sources for guidance, let us turn to our own people’s past to discover what it has to say about our present and our future."" —from the Introduction For some people, the biggest stumbling block in religion is God—even for an ordained rabbi who admits her rational mind ""can’t buy into a God in the sky who writes down our deeds and rewards and punishes us accordingly."" But not being sold on an intervening God shouldn’t bar you from living a vibrant and fulfilling Jewish life. The God concept has seen many upgrades over the centuries and it is these reinterpretations that have kept Judaism relevant. In this provocative look at the ways in which God concepts have evolved and been upgraded through the centuries, Adventure Rabbi Jamie Korngold examines how our changing ideas of God have shaped every aspect of Judaism. With enthusiasm and humor, she shows that by aligning our understanding of God with modern sensibilities, Judaism can be made more meaningful, accessible and fully compatible with twenty-first-century life."

Full Product Details

Author:   Rabbi Jamie S. Korngold (Rabbi Jamie S. Korngold ) ,  Rabbi Harold M Schulweis
Publisher:   Jewish Lights Publishing
Imprint:   Jewish Lights Publishing
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.20cm , Length: 22.90cm
ISBN:  

9781580234436

ISBN 10:   1580234437
Pages:   176
Publication Date:   28 April 2011
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

Foreword xiii Introduction: Running God System 1.0 in a 2.0 World xv Part I THE ISSUES WITH GOD 1.0 Chapter 1 Looking for Lightning 3 Chapter 2 They Taught You That in Sunday School? 8 Chapter 3 God Envy 14 Part II UPGRADES THROUGH THE CENTURIES Chapter 4 God 1.0—When the World Was Flat, God Had It Easy 23 Chapter 5 God 1.1—Therapist with Superpowers 26 Chapter 6 God 1.2—On the Farm with God 31 Chapter 7 God 1.3—Discovery of the Afterlife 34 Chapter 8 God 1.4—Arguing with God 40 Chapter 9 God 1.5—Maimonides on What God Is Not 43 Chapter 10 God 1.6—Spinoza's Spin on God 50 Part III TWENTIETH-CENTURY UPGRADES Chapter 11 God 1.7—Rabbi Harold Kushner on When Bad Things Happen to Good People 61 Chapter 12 God 1.75—Rabbi Harold Schulweis Says God Is in the Grammar 66 Chapter 13 God 1.8—Rabbi Martin Buber's I-Thou 68 Chapter 14 God 1.9—Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Praying with Our Feet 73 Part IV GOD 2.0—GOD IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Chapter 15 God and the Big Bang 77 Chapter 16 Finding God on a Mesa 81 Chapter 17 According to What Authority? 89 Part V JUDAISM 2.0—A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF GOD ENABLES A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF JUDAISM Chapter 18 Why Do I Feel Attached to Judaism Even Though I Never Go to Synagogue? 95 Chapter 19 Who Wrote the Torah? 102 Chapter 20 Does God Hear Our Prayers? 108 Chapter 21 My Life Is Already Overbooked. Why Should I Make Time for Judaism? 115 Chapter 22 What Happens When We Die? 123 Chapter 23 Judaism 2.0—The Upgrade 126 Acknowledgments 131 Appendix: 36 Large and Small Ways to Make Judaism Relevant and Meaningful in Your Life, Especially If You Don't Believe There Is a God Up in the Sky Who Can Come Down Here and Fix Things! 133 Notes 139 Bibliography 141

Reviews

Funny, honest and passionate ... a provocative, intriguing and always interesting exploration of Jewish theology that will grab you from the first page. God-wrestlers, this book is for you! --Dr. Ron Wolfson, copresident, Synagogue 3000; author, God's To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God's Work on Earth Clear, accessible ... will serve as a safe entry point into serious conversations about Jewish theology and spirituality for a new generation. --Rabbi Daniel Freelander, senior vice president, Union for Reform Judaism Courageous! Grapples with religion with such honesty, wisdom and humor. --Harold Grinspoon, founder, Harold Grinspoon Foundation Offers a way into Judaism that doesn't require adherence to a stale and rigid theology. [A] powerful and compelling articulation of Judaism. --Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder, IKAR Offers terrific examples of how creative and innovative Jewish educators can link millennia-old traditions with the natural world to inspire young Jews to chart their own course through our rich heritage. --Lynn Schusterman, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation Provides all of us--primarily parents and teachers--with a thoroughly accessible resource for introducing a younger generation into the riches of Jewish theology. Particularly unconventional and noteworthy is the author's use of nature as another revealed 'text, ' parallel to Torah and the synagogue, where God can be experienced. --Rabbi Neil Gillman, PhD, emeritus professor of Jewish philosophy, The Jewish Theological Seminary; author, Doing Jewish Theology: God, Torah & Israel in Modern Judaism Funny, honest and passionate a provocative, intriguing and always interesting exploration of Jewish theology that will grab you from the first page. God-wrestlers, this book is for you! Dr. Ron Wolfson, copresident, Synagogue 3000; author, God's To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God's Work on Earth Clear, accessible will serve as a safe entry point into serious conversations about Jewish theology and spirituality for a new generation. Rabbi Daniel Freelander, senior vice president, Union for Reform Judaism Courageous! Grapples with religion with such honesty, wisdom and humor. Harold Grinspoon, founder, Harold Grinspoon Foundation Offers a way into Judaism that doesn t require adherence to a stale and rigid theology. [A] powerful and compelling articulation of Judaism. Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder, IKAR Offers terrific examples of how creative and innovative Jewish educators can link millennia-old traditions with the natural world to inspire young Jews to chart their own course through our rich heritage. Lynn Schusterman, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation Provides all of us primarily parents and teachers with a thoroughly accessible resource for introducing a younger generation into the riches of Jewish theology. Particularly unconventional and noteworthy is the author s use of nature as another revealed 'text, parallel to Torah and the synagogue, where God can be experienced. Rabbi Neil Gillman, PhD, emeritus professor of Jewish philosophy, The Jewish Theological Seminary; author, Doing Jewish Theology: God, Torah & Israel in Modern Judaism Funny, honest and passionate a provocative, intriguing and always interesting exploration of Jewish theology that will grab you from the first page. God-wrestlers, this book is for you! Dr. Ron Wolfson, copresident, Synagogue 3000; author, God's To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God's Work on Earth Clear, accessible will serve as a safe entry point into serious conversations about Jewish theology and spirituality for a new generation. Rabbi Daniel Freelander, senior vice president, Union for Reform Judaism Courageous! Grapples with religion with such honesty, wisdom and humor. Harold Grinspoon, founder, Harold Grinspoon Foundation Offers a way into Judaism that doesn t require adherence to a stale and rigid theology. [A] powerful and compelling articulation of Judaism. Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder, IKAR Offers terrific examples of how creative and innovative Jewish educators can link millennia-old traditions with the natural world to inspire young Jews to chart their own course through our rich heritage. Lynn Schusterman, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation Provides all of us primarily parents and teachers with a thoroughly accessible resource for introducing a younger generation into the riches of Jewish theology. Particularly unconventional and noteworthy is the author s use of nature as another revealed 'text, parallel to Torah and the synagogue, where God can be experienced. Rabbi Neil Gillman, PhD, emeritus professor of Jewish philosophy, The Jewish Theological Seminary; author, Doing Jewish Theology: God, Torah & Israel in Modern Judaism

Funny, honest and passionate ... a provocative, intriguing and always interesting exploration of Jewish theology that will grab you from the first page. God-wrestlers, this book is for you! --<strong>Dr. Ron Wolfson</strong>, copresident, Synagogue 3000; author, <em>God's To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God's Work on Earth</em></p> Clear, accessible ... will serve as a safe entry point into serious conversations about Jewish theology and spirituality for a new generation. --<strong>Rabbi Daniel Freelander</strong>, senior vice president, Union for Reform Judaism</p> Courageous! Grapples with religion with such honesty, wisdom and humor. --<strong>Harold Grinspoon</strong>, founder, Harold Grinspoon Foundation</p> Offers a way into Judaism that doesn't require adherence to a stale and rigid theology. [A] powerful and compelling articulation of Judaism. --<strong>Rabbi Sharon Brous</strong>, founder, IKAR</p> Offers terrific examples of how creative and innovative Jewish educators can link millennia-old traditions with the natural world to inspire young Jews to chart their own course through our rich heritage. --<strong>Lynn Schusterman</strong>, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation</p> Provides all of us--primarily parents and teachers--with a thoroughly accessible resource for introducing a younger generation into the riches of Jewish theology. Particularly unconventional and noteworthy is the author's use of nature as another revealed 'text, ' parallel to Torah and the synagogue, where God can be experienced. --<strong>Rabbi Neil Gillman, PhD</strong>, emeritus professor of Jewish philosophy, The Jewish Theological Seminary; author, <em>Doing Jewish Theology: God, Torah & Israel in Modern Judaism</em></p>

Funny, honest and passionate a provocative, intriguing and always interesting exploration of Jewish theology that will grab you from the first page. God-wrestlers, this book is for you! Dr. Ron Wolfson, co-president, Synagogue 3000; author, God's To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God s Work on Earth Clear, accessible will serve as a safe entry point into serious conversations about Jewish theology and spirituality for a new generation. Rabbi Daniel Freelander, senior vice president, Union for Reform Judaism Courageous! Grapples with religion with such honesty, wisdom and humor. Harold Grinspoon, founder, Harold Grinspoon Foundation Offers a way into Judaism that doesn t require adherence to a stale and rigid theology. [A] powerful and compelling articulation of Judaism. Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder, IKAR Offers terrific examples of how creative and innovative Jewish educators can link millennia-old traditions with the natural world to inspire young Jews to chart their own course through our rich heritage. Lynn Schusterman, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation Provides all of us primarily parents and teachers with a thoroughly accessible resource for introducing a younger generation into the riches of Jewish theology. Particularly unconventional and noteworthy is the author s use of nature as another revealed 'text, parallel to Torah and the synagogue, where God can be experienced. Rabbi Neil Gillman, PhD, emeritus professor of Jewish philosophy, The Jewish Theological Seminary; author, Doing Jewish Theology: God, Torah & Israel in Modern Judaism

Funny, honest and passionate a provocative, intriguing and always interesting exploration of Jewish theology that will grab you from the first page. God-wrestlers, this book is for you! Dr. Ron Wolfson, copresident, Synagogue 3000; author, God's To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God's Work on Earth Clear, accessible will serve as a safe entry point into serious conversations about Jewish theology and spirituality for a new generation. Rabbi Daniel Freelander, senior vice president, Union for Reform Judaism Courageous! Grapples with religion with such honesty, wisdom and humor. Harold Grinspoon, founder, Harold Grinspoon Foundation Offers a way into Judaism that doesn t require adherence to a stale and rigid theology. [A] powerful and compelling articulation of Judaism. Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder, IKAR Offers terrific examples of how creative and innovative Jewish educators can link millennia-old traditions with the natural world to inspire young Jews to chart their own course through our rich heritage. Lynn Schusterman, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation Provides all of us primarily parents and teachers with a thoroughly accessible resource for introducing a younger generation into the riches of Jewish theology. Particularly unconventional and noteworthy is the author s use of nature as another revealed 'text, parallel to Torah and the synagogue, where God can be experienced. Rabbi Neil Gillman, PhD, emeritus professor of Jewish philosophy, The Jewish Theological Seminary; author, Doing Jewish Theology: God, Torah & Israel in Modern Judaism

Author Information

Rabbi Jamie S. Korngold, the Adventure Rabbi, has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today and many other media outlets for her innovative work in Judaism. Founder and spiritual leader of the Adventure Rabbi Program, she is a popular retreat leader and speaker on the topics of Judaism and Jewish life. She is the author of God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors. Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis, one of the most respected spiritual leaders and teachers of his generation, has been a rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California, for close to forty years. He is the founding chairman of the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, an organization that identifies and offers grants to those non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews threatened by the agents of Nazi savagery. He is also the founder of Jewish World Watch, which aims to raise moral consciousness within the Jewish community. Synagogues and other religious institutions are now supporting this effort across the country. Rabbi Schulweis is the author of many books, including: Conscience: The Duty to Obey and the Duty to Disobey (Jewish Lights), Approaches to the Philosophy of Religion, For Those Who Can't Believe, Finding Each Other in Judaism, In God's Mirror, and two books of original religious poetry and meditation—From Birth to Immortality and Passages in Poetry. His Evil and the Morality of God is regarded as a classic.

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