BEYOND ROUTINE: Turning Ritual Into Meaningful Jewish Practice

BEYOND ROUTINE: Turning Ritual Into Meaningful Jewish Practice
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    BEYOND ROUTINE: Turning Ritual Into Meaningful Jewish Practice

    By Rabbi Yehoshua C. Grunstein

    Hardcover, 362 pages
    Urim Publications, 2018
    ISBN: 978-160-280-304-6

    Beyond Routine addresses the routine commandments and rituals in Judaism and explains how they can become more meaningful. Judaism is filled with many customs, such as shaking the four species on Sukkot or lighting candles to welcome the Sabbath. Rabbi Grunstein noticed that while many Jews know the "how" of performing these mitzvot, they do not understand how these mitzvot can elevate their own level of holiness. Looking at these rituals in this light, Beyond Routine: Turning Ritual into Meaningful Jewish Practice addresses questions such as: How is each custom significant? What emotions should one have while and after performing the commandment? How can a technical observance actually influence a person? It is the goal and hope that the reader will gain an understanding of the mitzvot themselves, and perform them with greater appreciation and personal meaning. 


    About the Author:
    Formerly the Rabbi of the Beth Israel Synagogue in Halifax, Canada, Rabbi Yehoshua Grunstein serves as Director of Training and Placement at the Straus-Amiel and Beren-Amiel Institute of Ohr Torah Stone, which trains, places, and offers ongoing support to a vibrant cadre of spiritual leaders who serve the Jewish world around the globe, to promote a Judaism based on Halacha, loving-kindness, professionalism and unity. Rabbi Grunstein also serves as an administrator of the rabbinical court for conversions, located in Gush Etzion, and is part of the founding faculty of the English speaking Kollel of Efrat. An experienced rabbi, writer, and popular lecturer in Israel and around the world, he is the author of Daven Your Age - An Adult Journey through the Daily Prayer Service (Gefen), and has over 1,000 recorded classes online in both Hebrew and English.  


    Table of Contents:
    Acknowledgments
    Introduction
    Tefillin: A Story of the Hand and Heart
    Laining: Learning and Experiencing the Torah
    Part I: Shabbat
    Shabbat: Begins on Friday?
    Make a Shabbos: Create a Day of Rest
    Shabbat: The Fusion of Logic and Surrender
    Vayechulu: Repeat it Thrice
    Three Shabbatot - Each Week?
    Not Petitioning G-d on Shabbat: Relishing in What Is
    The Prohibitions of Shabbat: Appreciate what You Have When You Lack
    Havdalah: The Sixth Sense of a Jew
    Part II: Holiday Season: From the Month of Elul to Routine Life
    Slichot: Forgive and Be Forgiven; Let it Slide and G-d Will Too
    The Shofar: A Slight Turn
    Rosh Hashanah: An Emotional Roller-Coaster
    Is the Fast of Gedalya During the Ten days of Repentance by Chance?
    Yom Kippur: Me and Us
    Yom Kippur: A Day of Pure Unity
    Sukkot: The Global and the Particular
    The Sukkah: The Holiday and Hut of Proportion
    Hoshana Raba: Listen, The Final Mitzvah of the Holiday Season
    Shmini-Atzeret/Simchat Torah: Serving G-d Without the Training Wheels
    Part III: The Rabbinic Season: From Chanukah to Purim
    Chanukah: Not just for the Elite
    The Four Minor Fast Days: Mourning for What Was, Mourning for What Is!
    Purim and Megillah Reading: Jubilation and Fear
    Getting "High" on Purim: A Thriller versus Happiness
    Part IV: From Pesach to Shavuot
    "In every generation one must see oneself as if they left Egypt": But I Never Visited Egypt!
    Matzah, Post Seder: Transforming a Haven to a Heavenly Fulfilment
    Sefirat HaOmer: From Barley to Wheat
    Contemporary Sefira: When will it be Happy Again?
    Just One Day, or Two, of Shavuot?
    Part V: Living Without a Temple
    Tisha B'av: Mourning Living as if
    Post Tisha B'av: Mourning that Never Ends
    Rosh Chodesh: Something is Missing