A Book of Life: Embracing Judaism as a Spiritual Practice

by Rabbi Michael Strassfeld

A book that charts a clear path to a more spiritually rich practice of Judaism ― from the coauthor of the best-selling Jewish Catalog volumes. For all the cycles of life, best-selling author Rabbi Michael Strassfeld presents traditional Jewish teachings as a guide to behavior and values. Where the tradition is replete with rituals (for example, the Sabbath), he describes them and shows how they can enrich spiritual living. Where rituals are sparse or nonexistent (for example, returning home at the end of the workday), he suggests new ones gleaned from his own study and experience. Strassfeld also brings the principles of "insight meditation" to Jewish life, using this practice to recover and reconstruct Judaism's spiritual dimension. He describes a Judaism that encourages within us a spiritual awareness as we participate in both traditional Jewish practices and the mundane activities of daily life. By engaging with Jewish tradition in ways that recapture its original kavanah , or intention, we will, Strassfeld maintains, achieve the two fundamental goals of Judaism-to become better human beings and to be in God's presence. (Hardcover published in 2002 by Schocken Books, ISBN 0-8052-4124-8.)

Genres: Judaism, Jewish, Judaica, Nonfiction, Religion, School, Spirituality

544 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 2002

Reviews

[Martin Denton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Book of Life brought me great joy and wisdom. It accomplished the immediate mission of learning/updating my understanding of Jewish ritual; but it also provided me a wonderful introduction to Reconstructionist Judaism, which I really knew nothing about; and further it provided so many rich insights about life and love that, regardless of whether one is Jewish or not, resonate and resound.

The author, who is a rabbi, teaches in the book about the traditions of Judaism and then offers reflections about how contemporary Jews might interpret these traditions in their everyday lives. Rabbi Strassfeld believes in the power and utility of ritual, and so that is a stressed concept here. But he embraces the idea that norms need to change and adapt to the current state of the world and the current state of knowledge. He encourages people, with this book, to think for themselves, individually and as part of a community, to figure out how to observe the rituals and practices of Judaism in a way that makes sense to/for them. The goal is to perform mitzvot every day; to live a holy life; and to heal the world, and leave it better than we found it.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

For what it was supposed to be, this book did an excellent job of fulfilling that goal. It was a great intro into the practice of Judaism. It covered the basic tenets of the religion without going too much in-depth into deep, theological rhetoric. It seemed to cover a little bit of everything and go into more detail about things specifically related to practice, and probably some aspects of Judaism that elicit the most questions, such as the proper dietary requirements of keeping kosher. It didn't cover any and everything, but I didn't feel like it was supposed to. That would have made the book like 1,000 pages long. And if there was a portion where you had more questions, Strassfeld does a great job of providing adequate references to other works that you can search out for more detailed knowledge of that specific topic. I really appreciated this as a great introduction into Judaism 101 and think it will give me a solid foundation upon which to build when going into further study of the religion and culture.

Overall, I think my favorite part was the explanation of the different holidays. One of the things that always stuck out to me about Judaism was that there almost always seems to be a different holiday going on, but I only knew the significance behind a couple of them. Strassfeld does a great job of explaining the significance of each holiday, as well as basic practices undertaken to observe the holiday. I also really appreciated his overview of the different main life events that take place within the Jewish community, from bat/bar mitzvahs to weddings and funerals. I found the whole book incredibly interesting and feel like I've learned more about a different culture. There were a couple of things that I wish he had covered in more depth, but that's probably just because I'm picky, specifically, what constitutes a common service and more behind the theological motivations of the religion. I thought it was very interesting how Jews are called to repair the world instead of waiting around for some paradise or otherworldly savior to come and put everything back how it should be. I was very drawn to that idea. I also loved how much Hebrew is interwoven within worship and how much that has acted as a unifier among diverse aspects of such an ancient religion. I wish that he had gone a bit more into the use of Hebrew as a language or included some basic 101 of things to know in Hebrew. He did include the information interwoven throughout the chapters, but some of the terms were only really explained once in an early chapter and then used throughout without a reminder explanation. It got confusing sometimes. Including a glossary would have been a big help. He did a great job of explaining what seem to be the major differences between denominations in appropriate sections, but I also would have appreciated more of a concise overview of those differences in another capacity, either a chart or recap at the end maybe.

Most of my complaints are just really nit-picky. This was a well-written intro into the world and culture of Judaism, why it means what it does, and the basic practice. The perspective is a very contemporary one and acknowledges the difficulty of practicing such an ancient religion in a modern world and that as such, many modifications have been made and the religion is not a one-size-fits-all list of rules. If anyone has any suggestions on other books that build off this intro and go into more detail regarding some of the specifics of Judaism, I would love the recommendations.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good introductory book on Judaism.

[Lisa Feld · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m using this as one of my core texts for an intro to Judaism course. Strassfeld has a long and storied history of showing people how to engage more fully with Jewish practice ad one of the authors of the Jewish Catalog, the main pre-internet resource for DIY Judaism. Here, he weaves together his own experiences and classical Jewish texts to show why one might want to engage with these practices, and what we can get out of them. The one disadvantage is that the book is written from the perspective of someone who has been immersed in Jewish practice and community their whole life, so I pair it with George Robinson’s Essential Judaism to give a little more context and background. But I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to deepen their engagement with Judaism.

[Devin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabbi Strassfield provides insight into practices as they are embraced by a wide range of Jewish traditions. This is an insightful and well written book. A fairly easy read but very long and comprehensive.

[Jo M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful intro for someone who knows very little about Judaism, and honestly a worthwhile read even for those who do. Best part — great suggestions on imbuing meaning into some traditions that may feel like just going through the motions. Easy to pick and choose discrete chapters that touch on one’s interests

[alyssa]

I went back and finished going through this. It seems silly to say I read it, it’s much like a textbook in that I read pertinent parts and skipped around and keep it on hand as a reference but I like it.