Edwin Goldberg is a Reform Jewish rabbi, the incoming senior rabbi at Temple Shalom in Chicago and the former spiritual leader at Temple Judea in Coral Gables, Florida. As a congregational rabbi, he has plenty of experience helping people deal with what matters most to them and then changing their behavior and habits to get in sync with those preferences. The Sabbath is an opportunity for believers to rediscover the center and "reconnect with holiness in time." Goldberg puts it another way: it's a chance to pull out of mission drift, which is losing your sense of purpose.
One valuable approach is saying no to more things so we can say yes to the things that matter most. Goldberg explains how this all comes together in tzimtzum, which means "not responding to everything that comes our way. It means keeping silent more often. It means forgiving more." It also alludes to contentment with less. In chapter four, he spells out seven Jewish principles that are involved in simplifying one's life.
Goldberg makes the case for letting go and saying no in lively commentaries on dealing with stress, taking a leap of action, asking less of the earth, making the most of small acts of kindness, seeing the divinity in others, abandoning revenge and resentment, and writing your name upon the hearts of others. This enlightening work reveals how Jewish wisdom opens new doors to a life of meaning and contentment.
