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A Wild Faith: Jewish Ways into Wilderness, Wilderness Ways into Judaism
Explore the connections between God, wilderness and Judaism. This comprehensive how-to guide to the theory and practice of Jewish wilderness spirituality unravels the mystery of Judaism's connection to the natural world and offers ways for you to enliven and deepen your spiritual life through wilderness experience. Over forty practical exercises provide detailed instruction on spiritual practice in the natural world, Mindfulness exercises for the trail • Meditative walking • Four-Winds wisdom from Jewish tradition • Wilderness blessings • Soul-O Site solitude practice in wilderness • Wilderness retreat For wilderness lovers and nature novices alike, this inspiring and insightful book will lead you through experiences of awe and wonder in the natural world. It will show you the depth and relevance of Judaism to your spiritual awareness in wilderness and teach you new ways to energize your relationship with God and prayer.
240 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 23, 2011
When I converted to Judaism, one of the first Jewish books that I started carrying with me when I went camping was a siddur, a prayerbook. It's small and blue and still has the page with the nature blessings bookmarked so I can find them easily when I'm inspired to pray. It lives in my backpack in the summertime. The table of contents listed the same traditional nature blessings in Appendix 4 of A Wild Faith. I knew I'd like this book, even before I started reading.
The main focus of this book is to strengthen one's kavanah, spiritual focus, while praying. Rabbi Comins is an outdoor enthusiast who noticed that his prayer life was more inspired in the wilderness and sought to create practices to bring that same mindfulness out of the wilderness and into his everyday Judaism. To do that, he's borrowed from Buddhist, Daoist, and Native American traditions. He is always careful to remain true to Jewish traditions and outline where the line is between the two faiths, so it does get a bit tricky sometimes. He's also borrowed from the very Jewish ideas of Heschel and Buber and Nachman, so it's not a completely radical take on Judaism.
Comins spends some time writing about the roots of Judaism: the wilderness. Four of the five books of the Torah take place wandering in the desert. G-d often appears on mountains or near trees, usually as fire, a cloud, or thunder. The Hebrew word for soul, nefesh, originally meant "breath". Ruach, the word for spirit, is also the word for wind. Many of the holidays have both an agricultural and a theological component. The Biblical figures were very connected to the land, and understanding that connection may help one understand their connection to G-d.
Comins writes a great deal about increasing mindfulness. It is so easy to go through life as if it were a tunnel, following the paved road ahead of you, two tall buildings on either side. In Comins's wilderness, there is no paved road and no buildings; it's just a trail through the woods. You have to pay attention to your surroundings. In learning to pay attention to something other than ourselves, we can learn to pay attention to G-d while we pray.
All in all, I liked the book. When I started reading I was very uninspired to pray, and I do try to pray every day with intention now. I've started reading Heschel. And I do plan to try some of the practices listed in the book this summer, when I can get into the wilderness. I think a little more mindfulness could do me some good.
The main focus of this book is to strengthen one's kavanah, spiritual focus, while praying. Rabbi Comins is an outdoor enthusiast who noticed that his prayer life was more inspired in the wilderness and sought to create practices to bring that same mindfulness out of the wilderness and into his everyday Judaism. To do that, he's borrowed from Buddhist, Daoist, and Native American traditions. He is always careful to remain true to Jewish traditions and outline where the line is between the two faiths, so it does get a bit tricky sometimes. He's also borrowed from the very Jewish ideas of Heschel and Buber and Nachman, so it's not a completely radical take on Judaism.
Comins spends some time writing about the roots of Judaism: the wilderness. Four of the five books of the Torah take place wandering in the desert. G-d often appears on mountains or near trees, usually as fire, a cloud, or thunder. The Hebrew word for soul, nefesh, originally meant "breath". Ruach, the word for spirit, is also the word for wind. Many of the holidays have both an agricultural and a theological component. The Biblical figures were very connected to the land, and understanding that connection may help one understand their connection to G-d.
Comins writes a great deal about increasing mindfulness. It is so easy to go through life as if it were a tunnel, following the paved road ahead of you, two tall buildings on either side. In Comins's wilderness, there is no paved road and no buildings; it's just a trail through the woods. You have to pay attention to your surroundings. In learning to pay attention to something other than ourselves, we can learn to pay attention to G-d while we pray.
All in all, I liked the book. When I started reading I was very uninspired to pray, and I do try to pray every day with intention now. I've started reading Heschel. And I do plan to try some of the practices listed in the book this summer, when I can get into the wilderness. I think a little more mindfulness could do me some good.
April 15, 2020
Finally the missing puzzle piece to my journey of spirituality and religion, connecting Judaism, Mindfulness, and Nature.
March 19, 2023
Enjoyed it. Thought it would be a little less religion and more adventure, but worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews