In a Nutshell: Here is a short and sweet course in Jewish wisdom. Ten ideas are "the core of Jewish teaching, the ideas that represent the Jewish people's greatest ongoing contribution to human civilization."
About the Author: Arthur Green, renowned spiritual leader and teacher, is one of the world's prominent authorities on Jewish thought and spirituality. He is the author of These Are the Words: A Vocabulary of Jewish Life; Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow; and Seek My Face: A Jewish Mystical Theology among other books. He is the Irving Brudnick professor of philosophy and religion and rector of the Rabbinical School at Hebrew College in Boston.
Sum and Substance: The ideas explored in this brief but thought-provoking work are: (1) Simbah — Joy, (2) Tzelem Elohim — Creation in God's Image, (3) Halakhah — Walking the Path, (4) Tikkun 'Olam — Repairing the World, (5) Shabbat — Getting Off the Treadmill, (6) Teshuvah — Returning, (7) Torah — The People and the Book, (8) Talmud Torah — Teach Them to Your Children, (9) L'Hayyim — To Life! and (10) Ehad — Hear O Israel. Taking seriously any one of these ideas will lift your spirit and send you on your way rejoicing.
Quotes to Go:
"Moments of true joy . . . are rare and long treasured; we have to cultivate them, nourish them, and make them grow."
— Arthur Green
"The world is like a wedding feast."
— the Talmud
"God not only resides behind the text as guarantor of its infinite elasticity but also dwells within us, in the innermost chambers of our endless creativity. We, together with God, bring life to Torah and Torah to life."
— Arthur Green
"Look around you. Look within. Open your eyes. Find God's presence in each and every creature and in the unified, transforming vision of all that is. That's what it means to belong to Israel, the people who struggle with God."
— Arthur Green
