Showing titles in Judaism

The history of Jews in Spain and Portugal spans more than 1,000 years. By most measures, it is even longer than the large-scale settlement of Jews in the land of Israel, which was interrupted several times in Jewish history. Legends ascribe the arrival of the earliest settlers to the days of the biblical prophet Obadiah, but archeologically speaking, the first record of Jews is much later.

The Talmud is by far the most important set of books in the Jewish faith aside from the Torah or the first five books of the Old Testament. In many ways, the Talmud may even surpass that in importance. I say this because if the Talmud did not exist, the laws that are written in the Torah would not make any sense. So in this way, it is like Jewish Canon law. Just like Catholic Canon law explains biblical texts of the bible, so too does the Talmud. It does not only explain laws, but it goes into great depth on many other topics as well.

No American city was more important to the Nazis than Los Angeles, home to Hollywood, the greatest propaganda machine in the world. The Nazis plotted to kill the city's Jews and to sabotage the nation's military installations: plans existed for hanging 20 prominent Hollywood figures such as Al Jolson, Charlie Chaplin, and Samuel Goldwyn; for driving through Boyle Heights and machine-gunning as many Jews as possible; and for blowing up defense installations and seizing munitions from National Guard armories along the Pacific Coast.

In this classic work of Jewish mystical thought, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz explores the major questions asked by modern Jews about the nature of existence. The Thirteen Petalled Rose addresses profound topics like Good and Evil, Divine Revelation, The Human Soul and the Search for Self, as it translates ancient kabbalistic concepts into an intelligible language for a new generation.

Achieving a sense of self-mastery and inner freedom demands that we gain a measure of hegemony over our thoughts. We learn to choose our thoughts so we are not at the mercy of whatever burps up to the mind, thus transforming a cluttered mind into a peaceful inner state of awareness. Through quieting the mind and conscious breathing, we can slow the onrush of anxious, scattered thinking and come to a deeper awareness of the interconnectedness of all of life.

Every one of us sooner or later walks through hell. The hell of being hurt, the hell of hurting another. The hell of cancer, the hell of a reluctant, thunking shovel full of earth upon the casket of someone we deeply loved, the hell of betrayal, the hell of betraying, the hell of divorce, the hell of a kid in trouble...the hell of knowing that this year, like any year, may be our last. We all walk through hell. The point is not to come out empty-handed.... There is real and profound power in the suffering we endure if we transform that suffering into a more authentic, meaningful life.

David, a much older man now, sits on his verandah with his old friend, Nguni, as they reminisce on the good old days. Not having seen each other in almost 50 years, there is much news to tell, many stories to laugh at, and some sorrows to reflect on. Based on an untold true story, this book brings the Langbourne family's saga to its conclusion.

The Bible is the most influential book in Western history. As the foundational text of Judaism and Christianity, the Bible has been interpreted and reinterpreted over millennia, utilized to promote a seemingly endless run of theological and political positions. Adherents and detractors alike point to different passages throughout to justify wildly disparate behaviors and beliefs. Translated and retranslated, these texts lead both to unity and intense conflict.

This Is My God is Herman Wouk's famous introduction to Judaism completely updated and revised with a new chapter, "Israel at 40". A miracle of brevity, it guides listeners through the world's oldest practicing religion with all the power, clarity, and wit of Wouk's celebrated novels.

The book presents the Jewish leaders Judas, Jonathan, and Simon as devout people and has little sympathy for people who favor Hellenization, but nowhere does the text mentions divine intervention. Chapter one to two: The Hellenization of Judah and the non-violent resistance by Mattathias is covered; Chapter three to nine: Tells of the Military actions by Judas the Maccabaean ("battle hammer:): after 166 where the temple is purified.

This dynamic radical departure from traditional Kabbalah books takes you into the Tree of Life not as an observer but as an active participant who engages with its sephirot. Presenting dozens of rituals, meditations, memoirs, and hands-on activities, Falling Through the Tree of Life immerses you in living, breathing magic, transforming the Tree from a complex topic into an embodied dance of love and learning. No matter your experience level, author Jane Meredith helps you explore each sephira in depth and use its real-world lessons to grow your practice.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), the Lubavitcher Rebbe, took an insular Chasidic group that was almost decimated by the Holocaust and transformed it into one of the most influential and controversial forces in world Jewry. This superbly crafted biography draws on recently uncovered documents and archives of personal correspondence, painting an exceptionally human and charming portrait of a man who was well known but little understood.

Join best-selling author A. J. Jacobs as he discusses his recent book, The Year of Living Biblically, in which he recounts his fascinating, enlightening and delightfully strange year trying to follow all 613 commandments in the Bible. This lecture is an eye-opening lesson in the wisdom of rabbis, religion in America today, Bible history, and the dangers of literal interpretation. Thou shalt not miss it!

Jewish mysticism is a powerful study within the Jewish tradition. Rooted in antiquity and veiled in mystery until quite recently, Jewish mysticism has burst into the modern world in guises both illuminating and bewildering. Throughout Jewish history, flashes of the light held within sacred texts have sparked the sages' inquisitive minds throughout the diaspora. Rising out of the ashes of the temples once standing in Jerusalem, the texts and theologies associated with Jewish mysticism have comforted and ecstatically raise those who have used their knowledge.

Uncover the many secrets of the mysterious and complex Sefer ha-Bahir! Sefer ha-Bahir has been the subject of scrutiny and debate for hundreds of years. Ambiguity about its dating and authorship have consumed Jewish scholarship's greatest minds over countless ages.

Because of her gender and youth, Irma Grese remains known today for her crimes against humanity in the camps of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. Executed at 22 years old, she was the youngest woman to die under British law in the 20th century. Irma Grese has gained notoriety as a villain in many diaries, journals, and creative works of Holocaust survivors. She has been studied by historians, psychologists, and psychiatrists across the world. What could cause someone to act as she did? After listening to this book, you'll be able to decide for yourself.

When one looks back in ancient history, there are a few great magicians that stand out. Magicians that shook the world so intensely that their influence continues to inform not only the occult, but history in general. We have Apollonius of Tyana, the great wizard and Neopythagorean philosopher, the famed Hermes Trismegistus who has influenced occultism far and wide. From the Old Testament we have the witch of Endor, Balaam and King Solomon to name a few.

Set against the backdrop of the turbulent late 1960s and early 1970s, this compelling audiobook provides the first comprehensive history of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, notorious for the abduction of Israeli Olympians by Palestinian terrorists and the hostages' tragic deaths after a botched rescue mission by the German police. Drawing on a wealth of newly available sources from the time, eminent historian David Clay Large explores the 1972 festival in all its ramifications.

How could the Jews comprise less than one percent of the world’s population, yet make up 22 percent of Nobel laureates? Despite passing through innumerable challenges, the Jews have produced stunningly gifted people in the sciences, humanities, and economics. Through the millennia and around the world, Jewish history is an astounding story of survival against all odds, yet a touching narrative of faith, covenant, and tradition.

When you think of a son trudging uphill, carrying wood for his own sacrifice because his father has decided to give him up to death, what biblical event does this bring to mind? Is it Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22, or is it Christ's passion in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? The kinship between these two stories is deeper than mere coincidence, and the similarities don't end there. In fact, Murray argues that Christ isn't just present in the story of Abraham and Isaac - he's present on every page of the Old Testament.