Finding Our Way: Jewish Texts and the Lives We Lead Today

by Barry W. Holtz

Publisher:

Jewish Publication Society

, 2005

Overview

The ancient rabbis believed that the world rests on three pillars: study, worship, and good deeds. It is said that the greatest of these is study, for it leads to the other two. But exactly how does the modern Jewish reader go about studying the Mishnah, Talmud, and Midrash—the great ancient and often hard-to-comprehend texts of our tradition? And how do we glean the great insights and wisdom from these sacred texts, which inspired our ancestors, and apply them to our modern lives?

With guidance from renowned author and educator Barry Holtz, these ancient texts take on new meaning for us. He provides a framework for exploring our thinking about God, prayer, and ritual, as well as social issues, such as charity, friendship, and justice. His new study guide helps readers and study groups launch their exploration of the ancient texts, posing probing questions to help them stay engaged as they pursue their quest for a deeper understanding of their faith. This spiritual and spirited book is a must-read for adult Jewish learners and educators alike.

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Key Features

• Provides tools for studying the Mishnah, Talmud, and Midrash
• Addresses ways we can explore our thinking on various spiritual and contemporary issues
• Includes a study guide, glossary, notes, and index

Contents

Top Highlights

“Midrash is the classic Jewish literature that seeks to interpret Scripture” (Page 10)

“Learning and reflection, in other words, must point in two directions—toward the past, toward the values at the source of what one is as part of a people, but also toward the here and now, toward the ‘design’ of our lives today.” (Page 13)

“What matters is mitzvah, not in our watered-down sense of ‘a good deed,’ but in its essential linguistic meaning, ‘that which is commanded.’” (Page 18)

“the question is not how many times one has been through the Talmud, but how much of the Talmud has been through you!” (Page 3)

“meaning that is beyond the self, something, I would argue, that even the most secular person needs” (Page 46)

Praise for the Print Edition

Especially recommended for adult Jewish learners, educators, and any individual questioning the intersection of holy writings, traditional practice, and the demands of daily life.

—Wisconsin Bookwatch

Product Details

• Title: Finding Our Way: Jewish Texts and the Lives We Lead Today
• Author: Barry W. Holtz
• Publisher: Jewish Publication Society
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 285

About Barry W. Holtz

Barry W. Holtz is dean of the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education and the Theodore and Florence Baumritter Professor of Jewish Education at The Jewish Theological Seminary. He leads courses in teaching classical texts, professional development for teachers, philosophy of Jewish education, and current issues confronting Jewish education. Dr. Holtz has written and edited numerous publications in the field of Jewish education. In 1984, he edited Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts (Simon and Schuster), a guide to reading, understanding, and appreciating great Jewish books. A Book-of-the-Month Club selection, Back to the Sources is widely used as a textbook for university and adult-education courses. He is the author of Finding Our Way: Jewish Texts and the Lives We Lead Today (Schocken Books, 1990) and The Schocken Guide to Jewish Books (1992), another Book-of-the-Month Club selection. His first book (written with Arthur Green), Your Word Is Fire: The Hasidic Masters on Contemplative Prayer, has been reprinted in a revised edition by Jewish Lights Press. His most recent book, Textual Knowledge: Teaching the Bible in Theory and in Practice, was published by JTS Press in 2003. It received the National Jewish Book Award for education in 2004. Dr. Holtz served for twelve years as codirector of JTS’s Melton Research Center for Jewish Education, where he supervised the writing and publication of several volumes of the Melton Graded Curriculum materials for Jewish schools across North America. A native of Boston and a graduate of Tufts University, Barry Holtz received his doctorate from Brandeis University.