A Touch of the Sacred: A Theologian's Informal Guide to Jewish Belief
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For the first time, Dr. Eugene Borowitz, the "dean" of liberal Jewish theologians, opens his heart as well as his mind as he talks about the mix of faith and doubt, of knowing and not-knowing-the elements of Jewish belief-in an easily accessible style.In these pages, Borowitz shares with you his rich inner life, which draws from both the rational and mystical Jewish thought that have inspired two generations of rabbis, cantors, and educators, and will now inspire you. With him, you will explore:Seeking the Sacred OneDoing Holy DeedsCreating Sacred CommunityReading Sacred TextsThinking about HolinessLearning from Holy ThinkersAnd much, much more... Publishers Weekly Leading Jewish theologian Borowitz (Hebrew Union College, Liberal Judaism) and coauthor Schwartz (The Jewish Moral Virtues) present a much-needed book. As they note, there are many fine books about Jewish holidays and Jewish history, but too few about Jewish theology-especially liberal Jewish theology-that are accessible to the general reader. Borowitz and Schwartz open with a discussion of how we can talk about God, and then traverse everything from interfaith dialogue to the Psalms to religious authority to Jewish ideas about evil and life after death. Throughout, the authors underscore "humankind's significant role as God's partner." They provocatively suggest that in recent decades, many Jews have become increasingly humble about what they can and cannot know; this philosophical reserve has helped liberal Jews cease trying to be "hardheaded rationalistic types" and to become more open to God and spirituality. Sketches of seven people who have influenced modern Jewish thought, including Hermann Cohen and Judith Plaskow, are useful. The book is marred only by its somewhat confusing organization. Indeed, the authors themselves explain the book can be read in any order and "wasn't written with one in mind"-but that proves to be a weakness, not a boon. (Jan.)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Acknowledgments xiIntroduction xiiiPart I Seeking the Sacred One1 We Can't Talk about God but We Must 32 Where Is God? Answering a Nine-Year-Old 73 God and Mystery 114 The Many Meanings of "God Is One" 155 IsOur God Experience Authentic? 186 The Jewish Idea(s) of God 217 Relating to God: Substance or Style? 258 Accepting the World God Willed 29Part II Doing Holy Deeds9 Being Close to God 3510 The Act and Art of Praying 3911 Moses' Prayer for Healing-and Ours 4312 How Shall We Comfort the Mourner? 4713 Traditional Words of Condolence 5014 A New Phase in Jewish Piety 5315 The Power of Creating New Religious Customs 5716 Fanaticism and Zeal 6117 Who is a Mentsh? 65Part III Creating Sacred Community18 A Mystical Model for Leaders 7119 How an Agnostic Community Came to Seek Spirituality 7420 The Appeal of Transdenominational Judaism 7921 A Conflict over Interfaith Dialogue 8322 How Liberal and Orthodox Jews Can Coexist 8823 The Special Risk of Liberalizing Judaism 9124 Catholic-Jewish Dialogue: An Autobiographical Note 9525 The Historical Case for Interfaith Dialogue 9926 Building a Community of "God-Fearers" 103Part IV Reading Sacred Texts27 Letting the Psalms Speak to You 10928 Reliving the Sinai Experience Each Year 11429 "Weighing" the Texts That Instruct Us 11830 Putting Texts in Context 12231 Religious Authority in Judaism 12632 Integrating Jewish Law and Jewish Ethics 13133 Jewish Decision Making 13534 Innovation in Judaism: Yesterday and Today 139Part V Thinking about Holiness35 Why Do We Need Theology? 14736 Theology as an Afterthought 15137 WhyHistorical Theology Won't Do 15438 Jewish God-Talk's Four Criteria 15839 The Brain-Heart Interplay in Faith 16140 Four Ways to Understand "God Says ..." 16541 Clarifying Some Feminist Ideas 16842 Jewish Beliefs about Evil 17243 The Messianic Hope Today 17644 Life after Death 180Part VI Learning from Holy Thinkers45 Why I Am a Theologian Rather than a Philosopher 18746 Seven People Who Shaped Modern Jewish Thought 19147 Rationalist Thinkers and What They Can Teach Us 19648 Two Misunderstood Messages of Martin Buber 20049 Mordecai Kaplan: Ethnicity in Modern Judaism 20450 The Greatest Contemporary Orthodox Jewish Philosopher 20851 The Ethics "Mystery" and Abraham Joshua Heschel 21352 Covenant Theology: An Autobiographical Note 218Glossary 222Bibliography of Titles Mentioned in This Book 228
