Seasons of Our Joy

by Waskow, Arthur O., Rabbi; Farren, Martin; Benjamin-Farren, Joan; Gertz, Rose (CON); Waskow, Hannah (CON)

• ISBN13: 9780827609303
• ISBN10: 0827609302
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-09-01
• Publisher: Jewish Pubn Society

Summary

Circling the Jewish calendar from Rosh Hashanah to Tisha B'Av, this lively, accessible guide provides rituals, recipes, songs, prayers, and suggestions for new approaches to holiday observance. Rabbi Arthur O. Waskow explores the meaning of each holiday in relation to the history of the Jewish people and individual spirituality, examines how the place of each holiday in the cycle of the moon and the changing seasons affects the mood of the day, and suggests ritual and spiritual ways to prepare for each festival. In his extensive afterword to this new edition of Seasons of Our Joy, Rabbi Waskow addresses the many changes Judaism has undergone in the last thirty years, as feminist Judaism, neo-Chassidic mysticism, eco-Judaism, and Jewish meditation have newly colored our understanding of the festivals. This edition includes recipes by Rose Gertz, Hannah Waskow, Rose Sue Berstein, and Rabbi Phyllis O. Berman.

Author Biography

Rabbi Arthur O. Waskow is an author and political activist associated with the Jewish Renewal movement. He is the founder and director of the Shalom Center and the author of numerous books, including Godwrestling and Down-to-Earth Judaism: Food, Money, Sex, and the Rest of Life.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. ix
How to Read this Book	p. xi
A Word on Hebrew	p. xvi
Preface: Seasons of the Sun, Seasons of the Moon	p. xvii
Heading Up the Year-Rosh Hashanah	p. 1
Face to Face-Yom Kippur	p. 27
Harvest Moon-Fulfillment at Sukkot	p. 47
Seed for Winter-Sh'mini Atzeret	p. 67
Dancing with Torah-Simchat Torah	p. 77
Dark of the Sun, Dark of the Moon-Hanukkah	p. 87
The Tree that Sustains All Life-Tu B'Shvat	p. 105
Spring Fever-Purim	p. 115
Giving Birth to Freedom-Pesach	p. 133
Trek through Anxiety and Hope-Counting the Omer	p. 165
Peak Experience-Shavuot	p. 185
Burnt Offering-Tisha B'Av	p. 207
Afterword and Foreword	p. 219
From Generation to Generation	p. 223
The Second Day of Festivals	p. 226
The Moon	p. 228
Glossary	p. 231
Go and Study	p. 234
The Festivals and the Future	p. 237
Afterword Again	p. 244
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