Fans of Parabola magazine can now savor the richness and depth of the religious and spiritual perspectives it has presented over the years through the Parabola Anthology series edited by Ravi Ravindra. The Inner Journey: Views from the Jewish Tradition gathers teachings, interviews, poems, parables, art work, and books for further study and reflection. In the introduction, editor Jack Bemporad, a rabbi, states:
"Spirituality is inner growth nurtured by ethical behavior, which in turn nurtures the Divine spark within us. It deals with those potentialities in our natures that elevate us in moral worth and dignity and link us to God. The blossoming of that is what makes us uniquely human, the taking upon ourselves the tasks of character development, the paths of righteousness, the acceptance of responsibility to live an ethical life."
He then discusses the importance of the Torah, the inwardness at the heart of spirituality, the good and evil intention, and the love of God and neighbor in Judaism. We were pleased to see many of our favorite Jewish teachers here, including Martin Buber, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and Rabbi Nachman along with fine interviews with Adin Steinsaltz, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, and Elie Wiesel.
The paperback is divided into the thematic sections which will give you a good sense of the content:
• Basic Concepts: Jewish Thought and Tradition
• The Inner Self: Discovering the Purpose and Meaning of the Individual
• The Higher Realm: The Nature of God and Man Striving for Spiritual At-One-Ment
• The Struggle: Harmony and Equilibrium
• Prayer and Meditation: Talking to God
• Repentance
• Repairing the World
• Hasidic and Rabbinic Tales: Parables and Sayings
• Redemption
• Death and Resurrection.
