"This book challenges the popular idea that expressive individualism--looking inward--is the sole basis of one's identity. The author provides an approach to identify formation that looks outward to others and upward to God, which leads to a more stable and satisfying sense of self"--

In Soulmates: Resurrecting Eve, Juliana Geran Pilon argues for a return to an egalitarian view of men and women, found in the original Genesis narrative, as reflected through Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In each of these Abrahamic traditions, it was understood that man and woman were created to be soulmates in God's image—equal despite their different functions within society. Pilon writes that this original message has gradually been distorted, with disastrous effect. Any hope for an ennobling human community begins by resurrecting Eve as an equal partner to Adam. The work examines the Biblical creation narrative, comparing it to Greek and other ancient mythologies. Pilon explains how the disturbing association of woman with sin and death led to Eve's demise as Adam's equal. The final section of the work deals with the Goddess myth, love and marriage in early religious narratives, and modern man's search for his soul no less than for a soulmate. The book, at its core, is a meditation on the relationship between men and women but also among human beings. The resurrection of Eve is indispensable to attaining a true appreciation of love and faith. Pilon uses religious texts, expert commentary, and various works of fiction, poetry, and psychology to make her argument come alive. The work is strengthened by the writing style, alternately poetic and humorous, and a clear and illuminating progression of ideas. Its emphasis on reconciliation and understanding, and its post-feminist outlook will find a receptive audience.

University professor and social activist Tova Hartman, discouraged by failed attempts to make her modern Orthodox synagogue in Jerusalem more inclusive of women, together with other worshippers, set about creating their own own, Shira Hadasha ("a new song"). Since it opened in 2002, this new synagogue's mission-to develop a religious community that embraces halakhah (Jewish law), tefillah (prayer), and feminism-has drawn thousands to services. The courageous act of creating the synagogue-against amazing odds-is testimony to Hartman's own deeply felt commitment to both feminism and modern Orthodox Judaism.The story of the creation and ongoing development of similar"partnership minyans" in Jerusalem and elsewhere anchors and ties together this book's five essays, each of which explores a vital contact point between contemporary feminist thought and aspects of Jewish tradition. Hartman discusses three feminist analyses of Freudian psychology for reading Jewish texts; modesty and the religious male gaze; the backlash against feminism by traditional rabbis; the male imagery in liturgy; and Orthodox women and purity rituals. Throughout, Hartman emphasizes the importance of reinterpretation, asking her readers to view as "creative tensions" what seem like obvious and insurmountable contradictions between traditional and modern beliefs. Such tensions can offer unexpected connections as well as painful compromises. The conclusion revisits the construction of the synagogue as well as discusses its impediments and actualizing these types of social and religious changes. Hartman's book will speak directly to scholars and students of gender, religion, and psychology, as well as anyone interested in the negotiation of feminism and tradition.

Problems that require resolution from a Halachic perspective are not infrequent, and there is certainly no dearth of dilemmas that should be addressed from a psychological standpoint. However, many problems involve both - and, although much has been written on psychologic-halachic issues, there has been little, if any, example of practical application. Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., an eminent psychiatrist who is well versed in halachah, has broad experience in both realms, and in their combined applications. In this book, he makes available some of his case material demonstrating an integrated approach to these sometimes thorny issues. Dr. Twerski's lucid responses to questions on specific life situations provide guidelines that can be of much broader relevance. Because he is convinced that most life-adjustment difficulties are the result of a distorted self-perception, with consequent low self-esteem, Dr. Twerski has prefaced his responses with several chapters on the vital role of a personal identity - hence the title, I am I. More than a fascinating review of other people's difficulties and their solutions, this is a book filled with insights that will enlighten countless people about themselves and the world around them. It is an invaluable contribution to self-knowledge in the light of Torah and psychology. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., is a descendant of the founders of the Chassidic movement, whose philosophy he embraces and applies in his psychiatric practice. An ordained Rabbi, Dr. Twerski is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pitttsburgh School of Medicine and founder and Medical Director of Gateway Rehabilitation Center, Pittsburgh, Pa. Dr. Twerski's earlier works, Living Each Day, Living Each Week, Growing Each Day, and Smiling Each Day, have established his position as a Torah scholar who possesses psychological insights that enhance application of Torah principles to everyday life.

How well integrated were Jews in the Mediterranean society controlled by ancient Rome? The Torah's laws seem to constitute a rejection of the reciprocity-based social dependency and emphasis on honor that were customary in the ancient Mediterranean world. But were Jews really a people apart, and outside of this broadly shared culture? Were the Jews a Mediterranean Society? argues that Jewish social relations in antiquity were animated by a core tension between biblical solidarity and exchange-based social values such as patronage, vassalage, formal friendship, and debt slavery. Seth Schwartz's examinations of the Wisdom of Ben Sira, the writings of Josephus, and the Palestinian Talmud reveal that Jews were more deeply implicated in Roman and Mediterranean bonds of reciprocity and honor than is commonly assumed. Schwartz demonstrates how Ben Sira juxtaposes exhortations to biblical piety with hard-headed and seemingly contradictory advice about coping with the dangers of social relations with non-Jews; how Josephus describes Jews as essentially countercultural; yet how the Talmudic rabbis assume Jews have completely internalized Roman norms at the same time as the rabbis seek to arouse resistance to those norms, even if it is only symbolic. Were the Jews a Mediterranean Society? is the first comprehensive exploration of Jewish social integration in the Roman world, one that poses challenging new questions about the very nature of Mediterranean culture.

Who are you? What defines you? What makes you, you? In the past an individual's identity was more predictable than it is today. Life's big questions were basically settled before you were born: where you'd live, what you'd do, the type of person you'd marry, your basic beliefs, and so on. Today personal identity is a do-it-yourself project. Constructing a stable and satisfying sense of self is hard amidst relationship breakdowns, the pace of modern life, the rise of social media, multiple careers, social mobility, and so on. Ours is a day of identity angst. Known by God is built on the observation that humans are inherently social beings; we know who we are in relation to others and by being known by them. If one of the universal desires of the self is to be known by others, being known by God as his children meets our deepest and lifelong need for recognition and gives us a secure identity. Rosner argues that rather than knowing ourselves, being known by God is the key to personal identity. He explores three biblical angles on the question of personal identity: being made in the image of God, being known by God and being in Christ. The notion of sonship is at the center - God gives us our identity as a parent who knows his child. Being known by him as his child gives our fleeting lives significance, provokes in us needed humility, supplies cheering comfort when things go wrong, and offers clear moral direction for living.

"This book was the first comprehensive manual to deal with all facets of marriage within a halakhic framework. It was informed by the author's experience as an orthodox rabbi and psychologist specializing in marriage issues. Included are chapters dealing with the dating experience, the place of love in life and marriage, the ethics and goals of marriage, marital harmony, conjugal relations in theory and practice, and what happens when the marriage encounters difficulties. This valuable work formulates basic guidelines and gives advice for the development of a sound marriage. It also contains comprehensive notes anchoring the text to authentic Jewish tradition, and incorporates observations from the world of psychology. This highly acclaimed guide to marriage has now been republished for the first time, and includes an additional chapter on second marriages"--back cover.

This book examines major psychological issues from a Judaic perspective. It concentrates on major Judaic themes that are essential to Jewish life, and how these themes relate to mental health, guilt, the self, the nature of the person, marriage, and the pain and suffering prior to death. Common threads weave their way through the different subject areas, which cover the wide gamut of life. Contents: Mental Health: Biblical and Talmudic Directives; Guilt From, Guilt Towards; Fulfilling the SelfóJudaic Parameters; The Dynamics of Jewish Marriage; To be Good or EvilóWhich is More Natural?; Illness, God and Us.

The discipline of religious studies has historically tended to focus on discrete ritual mistakes occurring in the context of individual performances as outlined in ethnographic or sociological studies; scholars have largely overlooked the extensive discussions of ritual mistakes that exist in the religious literature of indigenous traditions. And yet ritual mistakes (ranging from the simple to the complex) happen all the time, and they continue to carry ritual "weight," even when no one seriously doubts their impact on the efficacy of a ritual. In Ritual Gone Wrong, Kathryn McClymond approaches ritual mistakes as an integral part of ritual life and argues that religious traditions can accommodate mistakes and are often prepared for them. McClymond shows that many traditions even incorporate the regular occurrence of errors into their ritual systems, developing a substantial literature on how rituals can be disrupted, how these disruptions can be addressed, and when disruptions have gone too far. Offering a series of case studies ranging from ancient India to modern day Iraq, and from medieval allegations of child sacrifice to contemporary Olympic ceremonies, McClymond explores the numerous ways in which ritual can go wrong, and demonstrates that the ritual is by nature fluid, supple, and dynamic-simultaneously adapting to socio-cultural conditions and, in some cases, shaping them.