Does the Soul Survive? (2nd Edition)

Elie Kaplan Spitz

Description

Near-death experiences? Past-life regression? Reincarnation?
Are these sorts of things Jewish?

With a blend of candor, personal questioning, and sharp-eyed scholarship, Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz relates his own observations and the firsthand accounts shared with him by others, experiences that helped propel his journey from skeptic to believer that there is life after life.

From near-death experiences to reincarnation, past-life memory to the work of mediums, Rabbi Spitz explores what we are really able to know about the afterlife, and draws on Jewish texts to share that belief in these concepts—so often approached with reluctance—is in fact true to Jewish tradition.

“The increasing interest and faith in survival of the soul may grow into a cultural wave that is as potentially transformative for society as the civil rights movement and feminism. A renewed faith in ‘the soul’s journeys’ will call for a reassessment of our priorities, and will enable traditional religions to renew and transform their adherents.”
—from the Introduction

Sujets

• reincarnation
• afterlife
• Philosophie et théologie
• Jewish philosophy
• Judaism
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 06 février 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781580238267
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Acclaim for Does the Soul Survive?
“Profoundly moving.”
— Jerusalem Report
“A very welcome addition to the all-too-meager bookshelf of works that attempt to find meaning in ancient doctrines by examining them in the context of the lives of real people.... Well organized and well written.... A book to make even inveterate rationalists rethink their approach to an article of ancient Jewish faith the rabbis deem to possess cardinal importance.... An accomplishment well worth lauding.”
— Conservative Judaism
“A serious and sophisticated enquiry into an arena that many of us might easily dismiss.... Does a very good job of showing that the belief in some form of reincarnation is authentically rooted in the Jewish tradition.... Makes a powerful argument that belief in the survival of the soul may have useful spiritual and moral consequences.”
— Tikkun
“Spitz’s compelling arguments may cement the beliefs of Jewish readers already receptive to the existence of the supernatural and open a doorway for doubters to reconceptualize life and death.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Rabbi Spitz has taken a fascinating journey from skepticism to hope. No matter our ultimate conclusion, this record of that journey is certain to tantalize, intrigue and uplift the questing spirit.”
— Rabbi David Wolpe , Sinai Temple, Los Angeles; author, Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times
“A path-breaking book. When Elie Spitz writes about Judaism and reincarnation, he not only examines relevant texts drawn from two thousand years of teaching, he integrates them with his own remarkable experiences. This is a book that has the capacity to expand your soul.”
— Joseph Telushkin , author, Jewish Literacy and other works
“Whether or not we believe, having the conversation about the continued existence of the soul contributes to the healing. Opening to the possibility that there is more than a rigid and unpenetrable curtain between the worlds allows us to approach loss with questions. These call forth creative possibilities for continuing our connection with those we have lost.”
— Rabbi Anne Brener, LCSW, internationally recognized bereavement therapist; author, Mourning & Mitzvah: A Guided Journey to Walking the Mourner’s Path Through Grief to Healing
“Rabbi Spitz is not your grandfather’s old rabbi. He explores issues of life and death that go back to our earliest traditions and go forward into the next millennium. He proves that Judaism is a many branched menorah with something important for everyone. He shows how to explore the deepest reaches of mind, body, and spirit—and do it Jewishly.”
— Alan M. Dershowitz , author, The Vanishing American Jew
“Rabbi Spitz has treated a topic that many approach with doubts in a learned, cogent, Jewishly informed, and, above all, human manner. His personal touch, as well as his mastery of both classical Jewish and modern historical, philosophical, and psychological writings on the topic of the soul and its transmigration makes for challenging and thoughtful reading.... Indicates that Judaism has a great deal to say about a subject that is all-too-often exclusively associated in the popular mind with eastern religions. Readers of all stripes and faiths will be provoked and moved by this book.”
— Rabbi David Ellenson, PhD , president, Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion
“With intelligence and compassion, Rabbi Spitz has written a beautiful book that explores one of life’s great mysteries—what exists beyond life. His look at the subject is so compelling because he draws both on ancient Jewish tradition and on the contemporary experience of Americans.... An important book that will change your thinking about life—and the afterlife.”
— Ari L. Goldman , author, The Search for God at Harvard
“A wonderful book on the afterlife. It fills a great void in this area. It is carefully researched and articulately presented. I loved it.”
— Rabbi Abner Weiss, PhD , author, Connecting to God: Ancient Kabbalah and Modern Psychology
“A multi-leveled, informative, laudable and inspiring account of an open-minded and open-hearted investigation into a subject for the most part not considered ‘Jewish.’”
— Spirit of Change
“Elie Spitz provides a map for some very tricky territory. With admirable candor and real openness of heart, he leads his readers through contemporary and traditional views of the soul, its nature and purposes.... He is clear without being simplistic, inspiring without beating a drum for his views. I know of no book on the soul which so seamlessly blends the personal and the scholarly. Rabbi Spitz brings to this subject a passion and clarity which will engage and enlighten his readers.”
— Peter Pitzele, PhD , author, Our Fathers’ Wells: A Personal Encounter with the Myths of Genesis
“Elie Spitz’s personal quest for an understanding of the soul and afterlife benefits all who read this remarkable book. In the tradition of Dr. Brian Weiss, he brings credibility and a religious context to belief in reincarnation. Even the skeptic will be swayed by Rabbi Spitz’s personal experiences.”
— Rabbi Stewart Vogel , co-author, New York Times bestseller The Ten Commandments
“Rabbi Elie Spitz masterfully blends scholarship, inspiration and information.... His courageous, heartfelt journey into unknown territory will most assuredly survive with his soul.”
— Nancy Rosanoff , author, Knowing When It’s Right
“Rabbi Spitz ... eloquently, compassionately and authoritatively documents his own journey.... A much needed, thoroughly documented link for the twenty-first-century Jew..... Intelligent and inspiring, it is a welcome tool for healers and those looking for a greater understanding of humanity as a whole. A book destined to become a classic reference.”
— So Young!
“Rabbi Spitz has taken our most profound human question and given us an exciting journey into religious, historical, and present-day answers.... This inspirational book shows us just how important living our purpose is.”
— Carol Adrienne, PhD , author The Purpose of Your Life
“Rabbi Elie Spitz writes with complete candor and impressive scholarship.... Comprehensive.... Informative, challenging, at times controversial, but thought provoking and firmly grounded in Jewish scholarship.”
— Wisconsin Bookwatch
“Spitz is a lively writer, and he brings new vigor to such long-debated topics as reincarnation.... The scope and perspective will give this account [wide] appeal.”
— American Library Association’s Booklist
“Will interest people wanting to read a Jewish response to the concept of a soul’s existence after death.... A useful resource.”
— Library Journal
“Makes a convincing and persuasive case.... An impressive and highly recommended contribution to Judaism and metaphysical studies.”
— Midwest Book Review
“Whether readers accept Rabbi Spitz’s view about life after death, reject it completely, or remain an agnostic regarding it, readers will enjoy the rabbi’s analyses and the many stories that he tells to support his view, and will be stimulated by the discussions to think more deeply about this and related subjects.”
— Jewish Eye
“In Does the Soul Survive? Rabbi Spitz allows all of us to take that same journey of soul: to be able to look without fear through the healing lens of faith at what it means to be alive, what it means to be human, what it means to be God’s child. Anyone who reads this book will find it, as I did, uplifting, insightful and profoundly true. It transforms all our lives for the better.”
— Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson , dean, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, American Jewish University; author, Passing Life’s Tests: Spiritual Reflections on the Trial of Abraham, the Binding of Isaac


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This book is indebted to the source of Creation, with gratitude for the many blessings of life, including the following of God’s partners:
- “That enlivened me”—To my parents, Heddy and Arthur Spitz, who gave me an abiding feeling of love and modeled affirmation of life.
- “That grounded me”—To my wife, Linda Kaplan Spitz, my beloved companion who supports and guides my life journey, and to our children, Joseph Ephraim, Jonathan Tamir, and Anna Rose Miriam, who nurture us, keep us humble, and provide deep joy.
- “And that enabled me to reach this moment”—To my many mentors, including Professor Ze’ev Falk, a model of piety who encouraged me to write; and Marielle Fuller and Colette Aboulker-Muscat, artists of the imagination who enable me to go inward trustingly.
Contents
Foreword by Brian L. Weiss, MD
Preface to the Second Edition
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1
Telepathy: A Window on the Soul’s Survival
2
Near-Death Experiences (NDEs): The Literature
3
What Is Soul ?
4
Survival of the Soul: Judaism’s Views
5
What Happens After I Die?
6
Traditional Judaism on Resurrection of the Dead
7
Past-Life Regression: An Introduction
8
Training with Dr. Brian Weiss
9
Reincarnation: Judaism’s Views
10
Tales of Reincarnation: The Role of the Rebbe
11
Mediums: Judaism’s Position
12
Psychic Gifts of a Medium: James Van Praagh
13
Weighing the Evidence
14
Discrepancies in Afterlife and Reincarnation Acco