Rabbi Alan Lew has been the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco since 1991, and is the cofounder of Makor Or, the first meditation center connected to a synagogue. He is the author of This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared and One God Clapping: The Spiritual Path of a Zen Rabbi. In this paperback, Lew uses the stories and the struggles of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Jacob, and others to illustrate the challenges we face in our daily lives. A universal one is squaring off against fear. Lew presents a five-step program that involves not panicking, pulling ourselves together, seeing clearly, being still, and getting going.
The central imperative of Judaism, writes Rabbi Lew, is "to recognize and manifest the sacred in everything we do and encounter in the world." Meditation, which encourages us to live in the present moment, helps us to stop clinging and to deal with the setbacks and losses of our lives. In one passage, the author reveals the spiritual benefits of visiting the sick and the dying. Although we may feel uncomfortable in the presence of illness, this act of love and compassion is a communal obligation that gives us a chance to practice being present with someone who is in need. Lew notes: "Suffering is one of the deepwater mysteries of human existence. It can neither be explained nor controlled, but it can be met by a deepwater mystery of equal force — the mystery of human presence."
Meditation can also cultivate within us the courage to let go of our clinging to the familiar, to pain, and to pleasure. The present moment is all there is and there's no need to fool ourselves with attachments that are impermanent. Lew brings spiritual practice down to earth and helps us move beyond self-destructive mind-sets and habitual behaviors that bring us down.
