Ecology & the Jewish Spirit Where Nature & the Sacred Meet [Hardcover]

What is nature's place in our spiritual lives?

In todays modern culture, weve become separated from the sacredness of the natural world. This book offers a different, eye- and soul-opening way of viewing our religion: A perspective grounded in nature, and rich in insights for seekers of all faiths.

Respect for the holiness of Creation, our duty to protect the natural world, reverence for the land & a focus on nature is part of the fabric of Jewish thought. Here, innovative contributors bring us a richer understanding of the long-neglected themes of nature that are woven through the biblical creation story, ancient texts, traditional law, the holiday cycles, prayer,mitzvot(good deeds) and community.

Ecology & the Jewish Spiritexplores the wisdom that the Jewish tradition has to offer all of us, to help nature become a sacred, spiritual part of our own lives.

Contributors:

Eileen Abrams Bradley Shavit Artson Philip J. Bentley Ellen Bernstein Ellen Cohn Eliezer Diamond Shira Dicker David Ehrenfeld Charles Fenyvesi Shamu Fenyvesi Dan Fink Barry Freundel David Gedzelman Everett Gendler Neil Gillman Neal Joseph Loevinger Victor Raboy Debra J. Robbins Robert Sand Marc Sirinsky Jeff Sultar Marc Swetlitz Lawrence Troster

Acknowledgments 9
Introduction 11

Sacred Place15
1Adam,Adamah, andAdonai: The Relationship between Humans, Nature, and God in the Bible
Jeff Sultar 19
2 Befriending the Desert Owl
Shamu Fenyvesi 27
3 (Mis)reading Genesis: A Response to Environmentalist Critiques of Judaism
Neal Joseph Loevinger 32
4 Is There Only One Holy Land?
Bradley Shavit Artson 41
5 How Wilderness Forms a Jew
Ellen Bernstein 50
6 A Sentient Universe
Everett Gendler 57
7 Practical Kabbalah: A Family History
Charles Fenyvesi 69
8 Jewishl£0