Customer Reviews (3)

The meaning of God in Modern Jewish Religion
I am enjoying this new approach to the Jewish concept of God. I have been having a hard time relating to the old God.Kaplan makes my relationship meaningful.

The Introduction is worth the price
The Introduction, by Mel Scult, Rabbi Kaplan's biographer, lays out the historical background and development of Kaplan's formulation of God.He does so in a clear and authoritative manner, so that when you have read it you know Kaplan, and understand how he has influence the Jewish thinkers of his time, and continues to influence the course of Jewish thought across denominational lines.Witness, the recent historic changes in the Reform and Conservative Movements.It is only to be hoped that the Reconstructionist Movement, which Kaplan founded, will not fixate itself at the place where Kaplan left it 60 years ago, but will continue to further evolve as a vibrant movement, as Kaplan himself would have wish, had he lived to continue his evolutionary thought.

New Introduction
This book is Kaplan's most easily understood theological work. It is organized around the Jewish holidays but actually is an elaboration of the basic concepts of his theological system. This edition includes a new introduction, in which I attempt to put Kaplan's thought into historical perspective.Mel Scult ... Read more

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This text deals with the unpublished papers and the often ignored early period of Mordecai M. Kaplan's life, before he published, "Judaism as a Civilization" (1934) at the age of 53. ... Read more

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Change Happens is a fascinating new book that is a fabulous resource AND a wonderful read. By using Change Happens you become part of the evolving religious civilization of the Jewish people and the transformation of Jewish tradition. This richly illustrated book begins with a chapter on celebrating the Sabbath, followed by all the holidays (from Rosh Hashanah through Shavuot) and ending with chapters on observing Rosh Hodesh, Yizkor, and Yahrtzeit. Each chapter opens with a meditation inviting you into a spiritual space where you can begin to envision, plan, and create how you, your family, and friends might celebrate that holiday. Next, a story about the holiday provides a framework for discussion and contemplation for all age levels. Brief reflections about each holiday, with relevant sacred Biblical text, help one discover why the holiday exists, and why within our evolving practices we continue to observe and cherish certain rituals. Another section offers the traditional prayers, rituals, and traditions for the holiday. All this leads to varied contemporary practices that serve as tools to make each holiday meaningful. Each holiday includes a spiritual chocolate moment, a gardening practice, and a tzedakah opportunity. Change Happens offers the opportunity for the reader to discover new practices and participate in the process of being part of an evolving religious civilization, to search for what makes these holidays valuable and important in developing one s own distinct Jewish identity. It is also designed and printed on a paper stock that allows the reader multiple places to insert personal reflections, holiday thoughts, photos and recipes. A perfect read, a perfect gift, this book belongs one very Jewish bookshelf and in the homes of parents, grandparents, college kids, interfaith families, newly married couples, and all families and friends who want to infuse their lives with a renewed sense of celebration and joy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Creative insights, prayers, stories and customs for the Jewish Holidays
It has always been important to keep the old, as you embrace the new. The new beginnings come from the old. In this book Rabbi Sheryl Lewart talks about each Jewish Holiday and how it has been celebrated and the changes it has gone through. Lewart goes into great detail while explaining the traditions, meditations, and prayers. This book is a sensational gift to all of us who have grown up Jewish.It is a review as well as a learning tool for all of the Jewish holidays explaining how they were celebrated and how as modern Re constructionists we are celebrating them. But this book is more than that.Rabbi Lewart has offered us a spiritual path to embrace our holidays.She has taught us that there are always new ways of celebrating and making them more meaningful.What a gift she has written and how fortunate we all are to have received it!

The Book That You'll Keep in Your Kitchen and Refer to Again and Again
Right now, as I write this review, it is Sukkot. I have Change Happens open in front of me (I recommend keeping three copies: one in the kitchen, one in the office, and one in family room for quick reference). For each holiday, there's a meditation, a story, a tzedakah opportunity, reflections, mystical symbolism, suggested menus, and more (I love, for example, the little nuggets thrown in: "A Little Yiddish" for each holiday, "Spiritual Chocolate Moments," and "Gardening for the Soul"). And, most importantly, each holiday has a step-by-step guide on how to celebrate, from daily rituals & prayers to new rituals & meditations that make this holiday my modern tradition. It's truly an indispensable, easily digestible book; colorful, useful, and worlds apart from any other guide to Jewish practices I've ever read. Please note: Change Happens is not limited to Reconstructionist Judaism. It is for *anyone* who seeks to imbue their daily lives or their holidays with a more personal spirituality. It is for those of us seeking a "how-to" that is not "Judaism 101" but is still accessible to everyone. If you are seeking your own distinct Jewish identity, you will find great meaning in Change Happens.

Everything you needed to know about Reconstructionist Judaism...and then some
I came to study Judaism late in life having grown up looking for delis that might be open for lunch on Yom Kippur.Rabbi Lewart's book not only gave me a solid grounding in the principles of Reconstructionist Judaism, but provided me with a liveable, breathable way to incorporate Judaism into my life - in a way that makes sense for me and for my family.

From learning how to savor chocolate (c'mon who wouldn't like to practice THAT meditation!) to discovering new and different ways to connect with the holidays throughout the year, the rabbi interweaves her own life's experiences into the tapestry of modern day Reconstructionist Judaism, with one foot in current American vogue and the other foot historically planted in the beginning seeds of this complex and wonderful religion we embrace. ... Read more

Product Description
Mordecai Kaplan, the founder of the Reconstructionist movement, was the most influential and controversial radical Jewish thinker in the twentieth century. This book examines the intellectual influences that moved Kaplan from Orthodoxy and analyzes the combination of personal, strategic, and career reasons that kept Kaplan close to Orthodox Jews, posing a question crucial to the understanding of any religion: Can an established religious group learn from a heretic who has rejected its most fundamental beliefs? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

My favorite book on Kaplan
I'm one of those people who much prefer reading primary sources rather than secondary.I have not found many books on Kaplan to be nearly as illuminating as Kaplan himself.But this book blew me away.This is an extraordinarily well written, concise, well-researched, funny, and thoughtful book on Kaplan's life as an Orthodox rabbi at the same time as he was the gadfly of the Jewish Theological Seminary.If one wants to understand someone's philosophy, watch how they live, and in this, Kaplan's philosophy is shed in a very different light than the prescriptions found in his books.

Highly recommended.Great read for anyone interested in American Judaism, American Orthodoxy, Mordecai Kaplan, or even just the relationship between thinkers and their lives.A great tale. ... Read more

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Selections from the diary of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, founder of Reconstructionism in America. ... Read more

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96 page paperback. This is Vol 65, no 1 of the Journal. (file 114) ... Read more

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Guides for an Age of Confusion compares and contrasts the views of the two great Jewish philosophers Avraham Y. Kook and Mordecai M. Kaplan. Although these two thinkers sand at opposite ends of the spectrum of Jewish thought, tey are united in their love for the Jewish people and in their belief in the need for Jewish unity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A superb presentation on Jewish life in modern times.
Guides for an Age of Confusion contrasts and compares the views of two great Jewish thinkers, exploring the social and religious issues confronting modern Jewish people and considering the evolution of Jewishreligion and rituals in the face of modern times. What evolves is anexcellent portrait of Jewish life and times. ... Read more