Your body is the place where heaven and
earth meet.
The greatest spiritual achievement is not
transcending the body but joining body and spirit together. But
to do this, you must break through assumptions that draw
boundaries around the Infinite and wake up to the body as the
site of holiness itself.
This groundbreaking book is the first
comprehensive treatment of the body in Jewish spiritual
practice and an essential guide to the sacred. With meditation
practices, physical exercises, visualizations, and sacred text,
you will learn how to experience the presence of the Divine in,
and through, your body. And by cultivating an embodied
spiritual practice, you will transform everyday
activities—eating, walking, breathing, washing—into
moments of deep spiritual realization, uniting sacred and
sensual, mystical and mundane.
“The best text ever composed on the
Jewish way to integrate our spiritual paths with our physical
bodies. Clear, concise and beautifully written. Highly
recommended.”
—Rabbi
David A. Cooper, author, God Is a Verb
“A work of genius…. Recasts
Jewish observance and daily living as spiritual practices that
act as bridges between our physical and spiritual worlds.
Should be read by every rabbi—by every Jew—in
America.”
—Rabbi
Eliezer Diamond, chair, Department
of Talmud and Rabbinics, The Jewish Theological Seminary;
author, Holy Men and Hunger Artists:
Fasting and Asceticism in Rabbinic Culture
Fasting and Asceticism in Rabbinic Culture
“Amazing … authoritative and
sweetly accessible. Presents every aspect of our physical lives
as yet another opportunity to experience such closeness to the
Divine that blessing becomes spontaneous. The ordinary becomes
miraculous.”
—Sylvia
Boorstein, author, That’s Funny, You Don’t Look
Buddhist: On Being a Faithful Jew and a Passionate Buddhist
“Will transform the old, body-aching
asceticism into an altar for healthy, robust and life-affirming
worship. Brings Hasidic wisdom to contemporary life.”
—Rabbi
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, coauthor,
First Steps to a New Jewish Spirit:
Reb Zalman’s Guide to Recapturing the Intimacy &
Ecstasy in Your Relationship with God
“The simplicity of being fully
present in the body and the depth of Judaic spiritual tradition
find a beautiful companionship in this book.”
—Sharon Salzberg, author, Lovingkindness
“A must read for anyone seeking an
integrative, contemplative approach to Judaism. Masterfully
weaves many strands of mystical theology into a practical,
user-friendly manual that helps one celebrate and develop
awareness of the Divine in the most ‘mundane’
activities in our lives.”
—Rabbi
David Ingber, founder, Kehilat
Romemu, New York
“A brilliant exploration of modern
and traditional practices that reconnect us to Judaism’s
celebration of the human body. Teaches deep appreciation of the
sacredness of even the most mundane aspects of life.”
—Steven A. Rapp, author, Aleph-Bet Yoga: Embodying the Hebrew Letters for
Physical and Spiritual Well-Being
“Thoughtful, contemplative, and
insightful. You will be intellectually stimulated and
emotionally awakened.”
—Rabbi
Dovber Pinson, author, Meditation and Judaism:
Exploring the Jewish Meditative Paths
Exploring the Jewish Meditative Paths
“Fuses the heart with the head, the
soul with the body…. Full of wisdom, insight and
practical exercises; it reflects and transmits a deep, personal
spirituality from a fresh and important new voice.”
—Rabbi
Niles Elliot Goldstein, author, Gonzo Judaism:
A Bold Path for Renewing an Ancient Faith
A Bold Path for Renewing an Ancient Faith
“An innovative yet timeless way to
understand and live Jewish practice. Should be required reading
for the religious leaders who have kept us ‘in our
heads’ and not in our bodies—but also useful for
beginners and seekers of an embodied religious life. Whether
you are a contemplative or an ecstatic, a practically minded
sort or a mystic, you’ll find something here that will
enhance your way of being.”
—Rabbi
Jill Hammer, author, The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All
Seasons
Jay Michaelson
has taught Kabbalah, mindfulness, and embodied spiritual
practice at Yale University, City College, Elat Chayyim, the
Skirball Center, and the Wexner Summer Institute, among other
institutions. Chief editor of Zeek:
A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture, he is a regular contributor to the Forward, the Jerusalem Post, Slate and other publications. He holds a JD from Yale
and an MA in religious studies from the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem, where he is currently a doctoral candidate.
