Sacred Intentions

Kerry M. Olitzky, Lori Forman–Jacobi

Description

What a wonderful way to start each day. An inspirational companion of comfort, reassurance, and hope that helps you start each day of the year on a positive note—with a powerful quote from a Jewish source, and a brief, striking reflection on it from an inspiring spiritual leader.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Judaism
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 01 décembre 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781580235525
• Langue: English

Extrait

Sacred Intentions :
Morning Inspiration to Strengthen the Spirit, Based on Jewish Wisdom
2011 Quality Paperback Edition, Sixth Printing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information regarding permission to reprint material from this book, please mail or fax your request in writing to Jewish Lights Publishing, Permissions Department, at the address / fax number listed below, or e-mail your request to [e-mail] .
1999 by Kerry M. Olitzky and Lori Forman
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sacred intentions: daily inspiration to strengthen the spirit, based on Jewish wisdom / [edited by] Kerry Olitzky and Lori Forman.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-58023-061-2 (quality pbk.)
ISBN-10: 1-58023-061-X (quality pbk.)
1. Jewish devotional calendars. 2. Jewish meditations.
3. Spiritual life-Judaism. I. Olitzky, Kerry M. II. Forman, Lori.
BM724.S23 1999 296.7'2-dc21 99-36862 CIP
First Edition
10 9 8 7 6
Manufactured in the United States
Interior art: Cynthia Hackett
Cover design: Stacey Hood
Published by Jewish Lights Publishing
A Division of LongHill Partners, Inc.
Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, P.O. Box 237
Woodstock, Vermont 05091
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
www.jewishlights.com
Featuring contributions to rekindle the spirit written by :
Judith Z. Abrams
Bradley Shavit Artson
Tsvi Blanchard
Lester Bronstein
Nina Beth Cardin
Michael M. Cohen
William Cutter
Amy Eilberg
Dov Peretz Elkins
Edward Feinstein
Mordecai Finley
Nancy Flam
Elyse Frishman
David Gelfand
Neil Gillman
James Stone Goodman
Leonard Gordon
Irving (Yitz) Greenberg
Joel Lurie Grishaver
Lawrence A. Hoffman
Abie Ingber
Elana Kanter
Irwin Kula
Lawrence Kushner
Lori Lefkovitz
Adina Lewittes
Arthur J. Magida
Vivian Mayer
Michael Paley
James Ponet
Bernard S. Raskas
Rachel T. Sabath
Jeffrey K. Salkin
Sandy Eisenberg Sasso
Amy Scheinerman
Harold Schulweis
Rami M. Shapiro
Mychal B. Springer
Ira Stone
Joseph Telushkin
Harlan J. Wechsler
Sharon L. Wechter
David Wolpe
For all those who support the work of
UJA-Federation of New York
with their time, spirit, and donations,
and for all the readers of Sacred Intentions .
LF
For Abigail and Leslie Wexner,
whose untiring vision for Jewish leadership
is an inspiration to all.
KO
For Susanna Zevi,
who inspired this book.
C ONTENTS
Acknowledgments
How to Use This Book
Introduction
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Endnotes
Glossary of Terms
Our Teachers: Authors of Quoted Texts
Sources of Quoted Texts
Contributors
Theme Index
Permissions

About Jewish Lights
Copyright
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
F rom its inception, this book immediately became a partnership between two rabbis who constantly seek to bring the inspiration of God s word into the daily lives of people with whom we work, as well as of those we have yet to meet. We have learned together and grown together.
I want to thank my colleagues at the Wexner Heritage Foundation who have welcomed me into their midst. From the day we started working together, I felt immediately at home. In particular, I acknowledge Rabbi Nathan Laufer, Rabbi Shoshana Gelfand, Lori Baron, and Howard Zack. I also thank my administrative assistant, Carolyn Levy Schrier, who quickly adjusted to the idiosyncratic nature-and pace-of my work and work style. The inspiring vision of Abigail and Leslie Wexner is apparent in everything that we do together in the community that we have formed and continue to build.
Even this book full of words is inadequate to thank my life s partner, Sheryl. Our souls met first in Paradise and have remained bound together ever since. I feel privileged for every day spent living in the Garden with her. To our boys, Avi and Jesse: The echoes of their voices resound in each word that I write. Torah takes on a greater dimension for me as I watch it take on new meaning in its reflection in their lives. Amid the daily challenges we face, we continue to grow as a family under the nurturing guidance of the Holy One of Blessing.
KO
I want to thank everyone at UJA-Federation of New York for their incredible support of the Jewish Thought of the Day program. Two years ago I began writing short thoughts for the staff, which they could find each morning when they opened their computers. The response was so positive that we began to distribute them to interested donors. It is truly rewarding to hear how these thoughts are forwarded to friends and family members around the country. That they have even touched one person s life is humbling. That they have touched the lives of many is incredible. A special thanks to Stephanie McFadden, my secretary, who contributed in many ways to the production of this book. Above all, I want to thank my husband, Simcha Jacobi, who enriches everything I do; and my parents, Phil and Elaine Forman, whose support has been with me throughout my life.
LF
Together we thank the entire Jewish Lights family, who constantly teach by example how Jewish publishing can extend our work in the world. In particular, our gratitude is expressed to our publishers, Stuart and Antoinette Matlins, who brought us together and constantly challenged us to stretch ourselves in order to reach out to those who hear the voice of God even when it seems to be hard to reach. We acknowledge with abiding thanks the careful eye of our editor, Arthur Magida, who probed each word, helping to make sure it clearly communicated exactly what we wanted to say. We appreciate the attention of Jennifer Goneau to every detail of the project as it moved from paper to production. And we want to thank Dr. Philip Miller, Director of the Klau Library at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, and Annette Muffs Botnick, Rabbinical Assembly Research Librarian, for helping to track down elusive details concerning teachers and their texts.
R ABBI K ERRY (S HIA ) O LITZKY R ABBI L ORI F ORMAN -J ACOBI
New York City
H OW TO U SE T HIS B OOK
T his book might be seen as a calendar companion. Just as you keep your calendar in your briefcase, in your purse, or on your desk, we invite you to keep this book handy. Consult it frequently throughout the day. Look at it in the morning. Check it over in the middle of the day. Begin your day or end it by reviewing the selection for that day. It will provide you with insight and inspiration as well as a prism through which you might review the day s events to gain understanding and perspective from them.
Just as we have learned that flexibility is an important value in life, so is the use of this calendar intended to be flexible. Choose a theme or idea that fits your mood as you flip through the pages. Or read it one day at a time, starting with today, regardless of the calendar date that has been assigned to it.
This volume follows the Gregorian calendar that most of us regularly use without much thought about its origin or rhythm. While we are conscious of measuring time with different calendars (tax years, fiscal years, academic years), it is that calendar that has become second nature to us living in the Western World.
I NTRODUCTION
M ost of us live our lives according to a schedule. There is a certain rhythm to our routine. To maintain this rhythm, we usually keep a daily planner or calendar on which we diligently mark appointments, meetings, and special days. Our lives also have a spiritual dimension, one that has no calendar or date book to guide it. However, what happens in the world around us does color our perspective. Holidays, seasons, and special times make their mark on the spiritual landscape of our lives. Rabbi Larry Hoffman sees it this way: If your kitchen is like mine, you have two calendars: One for American dates, one for Jewish events. The two have very little in common. Fridays and Saturdays are usually empty on the first one, while on the second they are cluttered with times for candle lighting and titles of Torah portions. Similarly, one reads, October 13-National League Championship Game ; the other says, Tishrei 10-Yom Kippur. American Jews learn to juggle the two, as if we inhabited a science fiction time warp spanning two alternative, overlapping and often contradictory zones.
While most of us think we would like to live a life of peak experiences, and some of us are even in constant search for them, most of us recognize that the majority of life is lived in the ordinary. And some days it is hard to face the challenges of the ordinary. Relationships are trying. Our marriages are difficult to maintain. Our children are hard to raise. Our parents make demands on us. Our jobs are stressful. Yet each morning we arise to face the day anew. This book is to help you face that day, to help you gain a perspective on life that is gently inspired and informed by the teachings of Jewish tradition. The challenge of our lives is to raise the ordinary to the extraordinary. In religious language, we sometimes say it is about making the sacred out of the profane.
This book is anchored in the calendar because the calendar is familiar. We direct our attention to calendars throughout the day. We keep them in our briefcases and purses. They sit on our desks. We hang them on walls. We may have handheld electronic versions, as well as those installed in computers. We use them to plan our weeks and weekends. Calendars come in a variety of sizes and shapes, but they share one thing in common: They help us impose order on the perceived chaos of the world and of our lives.
Most calendars have blank spaces in which we can write. This calendar is