Carol Ochs is director of graduate studies and visiting professor of philosophy at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. She is the author of Song of the Self: Biblical Spirituality and Human Holiness and coauthor of Jewish Spiritual Guidance: Finding Our Way to God.

Our lives are filled with meaning. It's just that we don't take the time to consider all the ways God speaks to us. Do this exercise suggested by Ochs from the poet Mary Oliver: "Try to live through one day believing nothing is significant, nothing is governed by the unknowable, the divine. See how you feel by the end of such a day." Trust me, you'll feel poorly, adrift on a sea of ennui.

Ochs discusses a variety of ways individuals can find God in their own stories. " 'All real being is meeting,' writes philosopher Martin Buber. We aim to talk not about God but to God, not to analyze texts but to use them to shape our longing. Our holidays are mnemonic devices that remind us of this central relationship in our lives. Our practices set the stage for our encounters in prayer, in consecrated action, and in shaping our awareness." Using material from the Torah and from the experiences of contemporary Jews, the author demonstrates the presence of the Holy One in the midst of love, suffering, commentary, prayer, and death.

Ochs offers fresh approaches to scripture with her interpretations of Job as a love story and Song of Songs as a revelation about suffering. Those who try some of the exercises suggested in the book will find themselves on an ark of meaning. Let's conclude with a quotation that succinctly sums up Our Lives as Torah: "The Torah stories didn't all happen once, a long, long time ago: they continue to happen, so now it is our turn to respond to the great challenges they offer. We, like the characters that populate Genesis, must learn how to reconcile with our siblings, venture forth to unknown places, find God's presence in and through our wanderings, and try to live a life of faithfulness worthy of the dignity we gained by being created in the image of God."