Dive into these sixty inspiring and provocative adult-level mitzvah stories crafted by leading Jewish storytellers, rabbis and authors from across the full spectrum of Jewish life. These juried, newly-minted tales reveal how each mitzvah, when carried out with understanding and creativity, becomes a rich source of spirituality and meaning. Mitzvah Stories cultivates respectful Jewish community and facilitates engaged Jewish living. Meant for reading and retelling across the generations, Mitzvah Stories: Seeds for Inspiration and Learning shows us that Judaism is a spiritual practice.
Contributing authors: Yossi Alfi, Noa Baum, Joel Ben Izzy, Yisroel Bernath, Renee Brachfeld, Rosyln Bresnick-Perry, Barry Bub, Phil Cohen, Anita Diamant, Helen Engelhardt, Ed Feinstein, Ellen Frankel, Mark S. Golub, James Stone Goodman, Dan Gordon, Janie Grackin, Eva Grayzel, Bonnie Greenberg, Tina Grimberg, Dan Grossman, Miriam Grossman, Fred Guttman, Sharona Halickman, Jill Hammer, Richard Joel, Amichai Lau-Lavie, Benji Levene, Herb Levine, Syd Lieberman, Doug Lipman, Cindy Rivka Marshall, Melvin Metelits, Goldie Milgram, Lynnie Mirvis, Nadia Grosser Nagarajan, Steve Nathan, Caren Neile, Leon Olenick, Yoel Perez, Peter Pitzele, Jack Riemer, Carol and Neal Rose, Gail Rosen, Barbara Rush, Sandy Sasso, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Peninnah Schram, Rebecca Schram-Zafrany, Howard Schwartz, Cherie Karo Schwartz, Rami Shapiro, Danny Siegel, Laura Simms, Corinne Stavish, Naomi Steinberg, Arthur Strimling, Carla Vogel, Shohama Harris Wiener, Diane Wolkstein, Debra Gordon Zaslow, Steve Zeitlin, Jennifer Rudick Zunikoff
Includes a Bonus Section! The Mitzvah Stories Driver's Manual:
*Appreciating Mitzvah as the Core of Jewish Practice
*History and Development of Jewish Stories
*Creative Ways to Use Jewish Stories
*Guide to the Craft of Jewish Storytelling
Foreword by Richard Joel, President Yeshiva University
PRAISE FOR MITZVAH STORIES
"The power of mitzvah as a primary lens for meaningful Jewish living is revealed in this most stimulating volume where every branch of Judaism is represented with creativity, integrity and moral imagination."
--Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author, Jewish Literacy and Hillel: If Not Now, When?
"The vision, voices, views and values of the full spectrum of the Jewish people are respectfully reflected in these spirited, challenging, re-tellable contemporary mitzvah stories. A rare, precious and inspiring opportunity for many ways into learning and living a meaningful Jewish life. The perfect gift for every Jewish occasion.
--Arthur Kurzweil, author, From Generation to Generation
"These stories, so varied in style and orientation, teach us that all worthwhile relationships are multi-layered; small details can carry large meanings; and that tales, whether simple or complex, have the capacity to evoke wonder."
--Blu Greenberg, author of On Women and Judaism and How to Run a Traditional Household
Companion deck of 52 Mitzvah Cards also available. (http://reclaimingjudaism.org/node/243)
