The clear and compelling wisdom of the
rabbinic sages can
become a companion for your own spiritual journey.
become a companion for your own spiritual journey.
At the heart of Judaism is an ethical
imperative to live life from your true self, as the image and
likeness of God. To do this, you must see the greatness of God
manifest in all things, and therefore engage each moment with
grace, humility, and justice. This imperative flowers in the
words of the early Rabbis (250 BCE–250 CE), who captured
God’s call to be holy in Pirke Avot, a collection of
pithy sayings on how best to live an ethical life.
This engaging introduction to the wisdom
sayings of the rabbinic sages puts you in direct conversation
with them, allowing the sages to speak directly to you about
what matters in life and how to live it with dignity. With
fresh, contemporary translation and provocative commentary,
Rabbi Rami Shapiro focuses on the central themes in this Jewish
wisdom compendium—study, kindness, compassion. He
clarifies the rabbinic proverbs and parables in order to expose
the ethical principles at their root. By recalling the ancient
voices of the rabbinic sages, he shows us the contemporary
significance of their timeless wisdom and distills Pirke Avot
not as a book about ethics but as a practical guide to living
ethically today.
Now you can experience the wisdom of the
early Rabbis even if you have no previous knowledge of Judaism
or rabbinic literature. This SkyLight Illuminations edition
presents the ethical teachings of the rabbinic sages, with
insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that conveys Pirke
Avot’s core challenge of God to the Jewish people, and
through them all humanity: We are to be holy as God is holy. We
are to be, in a human way, what God is in a divine way.
Praise for Rabbi Rami Shapiro’s Work
“Captures the holy essence of each
word while it mines lessons for sacred daily living….
Raises this classic of rabbinic literature simultaneously to
new heights and new depths. For this work alone, Rabbi Shapiro
will be named one of the great teachers of the twenty-first
century.”
—Rabbi
Kerry M. Olitzky, executive
director, Jewish Outreach Institute; coeditor, Pirke Avot: A Modern Commentary on Jewish Ethics
“A fresh translation and a
contemporary, often innovative commentary and application of an
age-old source of Jewish wisdom.”
—Rabbi
Elliot N. Dorff, author, The Way Into Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)
