Description
Book SynopsisProvides rituals, recipes, songs, prayers, and suggestions for new approaches to holiday observance
Trade Review“There is a poetic quality to the writing, and the ideas are original, provocative, and enriching.”—Library Journal
“A wonderful blend of information and innovation that will help readers find both traditional and new meaning in the Jewish holidays.”—Judith Plaskow, author of Standing Again at Sinai
“Arthur Waskow’s fresh, imaginative vision brings the familiar Jewish holidays to life with new meaning.”—Rabbi Harold S. Kushner
“Arthur Waskow’s unique voice, at once eloquent, musical, creative, and passionate, rings throughout
Seasons of Our Joy, weaving together strands of Jewish life: the meaning of our ceremonies and celebrations; the spirituality of the individual; the essential fragility and wonder of the world entrusted to us; the mystical chains that bind together the generations; and, permeating all of that, Waskow’s powerful Jewish vision of peace and justice.”—Rabbi David Saperstein, director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
“
Seasons of Our Joy brings reverent renewal to ancient practices. And it presents new understanding and approaches that we are invited to sanctify. This book will heighten your awareness of the eternal religious power of the Jewish calendar.”—Rabbi Gordon Tucker, former dean, Jewish Theological Seminary
Table of ContentsIntroduction
How to Read This Book
A Word on Hebrew
Preface: Seasons of the Sun, Seasons of the Moon
CHAPTER ONE: Heading Up the Year - Rosh Hashanah
CHAPTER TWO: Face to Face - Yom Kippur
CHAPTER THREE: Harvest Moon - Fulfillment at Sukkot
CHAPTER FOUR: Seed for Winter - Sh'mini Atzeret
CHAPTER FIVE: Dancing with Torah - Simchat Torah
CHAPTER SIX: Dark of the Sun, Dark of the Moon - Hanukkah
CHAPTER SEVEN: The Tree that Sustains All Life - Tu B'Shvat
CHAPTER EIGHT: Spring Fever - Purim
CHAPTER NINE: Giving Birth to Freedom - Pesach
CHAPTER TEN: Trek through Anxiety and Hope - Counting the Omer
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Peak Experience - Shavout
CHAPTER TWELVE: Burnt Offering - Tisha B'Av
Afterword and Foreword
From Generation to Generation
Appendix I: The Second Day of Festivals
Appendix II: The Moon
Appendix III: Glossary
Appendix IV: Go and Study
The Festivals and the FutureAfterword Again
