From Gratitude to Blessings and Back
Ebook
An exquisite combination of Judaism's common blessings, stories from everyday life, and tales and wisdom from Jewish tradition, this book is a source of inspiration and a cause for self-reflection. A resource of over fifty blessings in addition to thoughts about gratitude, this slim volume opens the door for readers to acknowledge the opportunities for thankfulness as they reflect on their personal history and their day-to-day lives. Seeing opportunities for blessings can lead the way to seeing the beauty in their lives. The authors, a storyteller and a scholar who are long-time friends, have brought their diverse skills, insights, and experiences to help people discover the blessings in their own lives and connect afresh to their religious paths. Every person's life is comprised of stories. Each story provides an opportunity for insight into the human condition, as well as a chance to think about the deeper meaning in our lives. Connecting our personal stories--our joys, troubles, and triumphs--to messages from the world's great religions can repair links that for some have long been broken. Many of the book's stories are warm, light, and humorous glimpses into treasured moments like the ones in the lives we all lead.
“I’ve been learning from Jewish blessings for
twenty years. They expand my practice of prayer into a daily
posture of thanksgiving, wonder, and praise. The personal,
interactive approach of Price and Teutsch open this tradition up as
none have before.”
—Jon M. Sweeney, author of The St.
Francis Holy Fool Prayer Book
“Judaism’s heritage of blessings—its
one-line prayers of wonder—make even the everyday extraordinary.
Here they are at last, a beautifully arranged collection, with
short and thoughtful commentary drawn from contemporary life and
the gamut of Jewish literature. Whether enjoying an apple, seeing a
rainbow, holding a grandchild, or calling a meeting to order, you
can find here the blessing that infuses the moment with gratitude
and spiritual meaning.”
—Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, Friedman Professor of Liturgy, Hebrew
Union College
“From
Gratitude to Blessings and Back is a
beautifully rendered, contemplative guide for a world in need of
mindfulness. A wonderful series of blessings and personal spiritual
ruminations, this book will provide a meaningful entry point for
families deepening their spiritual path together: no matter the
age, faith background or belief system….”
—Elizabeth McChesney, Director of Children’s Services and Family
Engagement, Chicago Public Library System
“This wise and gentle book invites us to orient ourselves to
awareness and wonder and gives us language, both traditional
and contemporary, to express gratitude. It can serve as an
aid to spiritual seekers and a resource for rabbis and
teachers.”
—Rabbi Deborah Waxman, President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical
College
“This book is a bridge connecting the
cultivation of gratitude to the treasure chest of Jewish blessings.
It highlights blessings that have traditional places in the set
liturgy and opens the possibility of using them to give voice to
our gratitude—a blessing when resolving a conflict, a blessing to
begin a community meeting, a blessing when hearing good news! Aided
by this resource, a reader will be better able to discern and be
grateful for moments of blessing.”
—Jacob Staub, Professor of Jewish, Reconstructionist Rabbinical
College
“I’ve been learning from Jewish blessings for
twenty years. They expand my practice of prayer into a daily
posture of thanksgiving, wonder, and praise. The personal,
interactive approach of Price and Teutsch open this tradition up as
none have before.”
—Jon M. Sweeney, author of The St.
Francis Holy Fool Prayer Book
“Judaism’s heritage of blessings—its
one-line prayers of wonder—make even the everyday extraordinary.
Here they are at last, a beautifully arranged collection, with
short and thoughtful commentary drawn from contemporary life and
the gamut of Jewish literature. Whether enjoying an apple, seeing a
rainbow, holding a grandchild, or calling a meeting to order, you
can find here the blessing that infuses the moment with gratitude
and spiritual meaning.”
—Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, Friedman Professor of Liturgy, Hebrew
Union College
“From
Gratitude to Blessings and Back is a
beautifully rendered, contemplative guide for a world in need of
mindfulness. A wonderful series of blessings and personal spiritual
ruminations, this book will provide a meaningful entry point for
families deepening their spiritual path together: no matter the
age, faith background or belief system….”
—Elizabeth McChesney, Director of Children’s Services and Family
Engagement, Chicago Public Library System
“This wise and gentle book invites us to orient ourselves to
awareness and wonder and gives us language, both traditional
and contemporary, to express gratitude. It can serve as an
aid to spiritual seekers and a resource for rabbis and
teachers.”
—Rabbi Deborah Waxman, President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical
College
“This book is a bridge connecting the
cultivation of gratitude to the treasure chest of Jewish blessings.
It highlights blessings that have traditional places in the set
liturgy and opens the possibility of using them to give voice to
our gratitude—a blessing when resolving a conflict, a blessing to
begin a community meeting, a blessing when hearing good news! Aided
by this resource, a reader will be better able to discern and be
grateful for moments of blessing.”
—Jacob Staub, Professor of Jewish, Reconstructionist Rabbinical
College
Product Details
- Title : From Gratitude to Blessings and Back
- Authors:
- Price, Marilyn
- Teutsch, David A.
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Publication Date: 2017
- ISBN: 9781498242592
Marilyn Price is an international storyteller, puppeteer,
educator, and author. A specialist in creativity training, she
heads a not-for-profit foundation, TriBraining, Inc., which teaches
how to reach multiple learners within formal and experiential
venues. Her published works include books on puppetry, original
stories, and a primer using puppets to teach the Hebrew alphabet.
Of her many accomplishments she prizes her work as the puppeteer
for the Chicago Public Library and the Mayor’s Award for the Arts
in her hometown of Evanston, Illinois.
Rabbi David A. Teutsch is a longtime professor at the
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
where he served as president for a decade and then became director
of its Levin-Lieber Program in Jewish ethics. The editor of the
groundbreaking seven-volume Kol Haneshamah prayer book
series and a three-volume Guide to Jewish Practice, he is
the author of dozens of other books and articles as well as an
internationally known lecturer and consultant.