{"title":"Challenge of Adversary","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"surviving-widowhood","title":"Surviving Widowhood","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt is estimated that nearly 80 percent of married women can expect to be widowed. In this courageous, moving and unique book, a clinical psychologist explores her personal experience of widowhood, describing reactions of family including grandchildren, the importance of tradition and ritual, maintaining memories and reintegrating into life. A resourceful and special book and an intensely human story.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Esther Goshen-Gottstein","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54336287277366,"sku":"287-7","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0993\/2092\/2422\/files\/i38666.61796.jpg?v=1785306164"},{"product_id":"in-the-grip-of-bereavement","title":"In the Grip of Bereavement","description":"\u003cp\u003eOur daughter Danit passed away on 17 Mar-Cheshvan 5761 (November 15, 2000). Danit was born on 14 Kislev 5731 (December 12, 1970) and did not live to see her thirtieth birthday. A shy child, modest and smart, she grew and flourished in our home on the moshav, and in our travels for work and various positions in Israel and abroad. When she was about twelve years old, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent surgery to have it removed. As a young girl she learned to live under constant medical attention and daily medications, which she followed through on responsibly by herself. She did not give in, and because of her strong will and perseverance, she completed her high school education, fulfilled her national obligation by serving in Sherut Leumi (the national service program that serves as an alternative to army service), and studied towards a bachelor’s degree in education, diligently and successfully. And we, her family, accompanied her fearfully and lovingly, saw her develop in life and were thankful for her successes. At the conclusion of her studies she entered the field of education as an elementary school teacher. Quietly and diligently, acting as a role model and dedicating herself to each child, she succeeded in earning the trust of her students and their parents. Her greatest success was in teaching small groups of students, where each one merited her personal attention. Her dedicated work bore fruit, both in the school curriculum and with the supervisors who spoke well of her. Our home and extended family were her fortress. She revealed the secrets of her heart and allowed all of us to know her inner character, her thoughts, her attitude towards her surroundings near and far. The entire family afforded her respect and praise for her personality, altruistic character, and especially her ability to cope with life. The sudden illness that overtook her defeated her in a very short time. Her memory will never leave our hearts. She continues and will always continue to live in us forever.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chaim Licht","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54336311689526,"sku":"446-3","price":17.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0993\/2092\/2422\/files\/i46964.37922.jpg?v=1785306657"},{"product_id":"soul-to-soul","title":"Soul to Soul","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2007, Deborah Masel’s life collapsed. Two and a half years later, her struggle to find meaning in the shadowy world of terminal disease induced her to write not only of her cancer experience, but of threads from the past that were woven into the fabric of this “final curtain.” In her search for comfort and meaning, Deborah found that the world of cancer was dominated by stories of physical survival, which was assumed to constitute “victory.” Yet her most treasured teacher, a Torah scholar who had perished in the Holocaust, had awakened her, through the text he left behind, to the meaning of spiritual victory. If he could keep his disciples focused on God while the Nazis brutalized and dehumanized them, surely she could stay focused and not panic even when the cancer threatened to devour her. Her challenge was to accept the fact of death without losing her love for this dappled world and for the glory of its passing days. Reviews: 'This is an extraordinary spiritual memoir of one woman’s struggle with life and death. Debbie Masel writes of her life with cancer with a rare and passionate truthfulness,in which fear, pain, humor and a profound engagement with her Jewish faith all find their place. The rich humanity of her writing makes for compelling reading.' Dr. Avivah Zornberg Renowned biblical scholar, writer, and lecturer 'I know it will mean a lot – as much as a book can mean – to a lot of people.' Professor James Kugel Professor Emeritus of Classical and Modern Hebrew Literature, Harvard University Chair, Institute for the History of the Jewish Bible, Bar-Ilan University\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Deborah Masel","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54336590774582,"sku":"559-0","price":14.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0993\/2092\/2422\/files\/i92044.93603.jpg?v=1785309319"},{"product_id":"a-caring-presence-bringing-the-gift-of-hope-comfort-and","title":"A Caring Presence","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat should you say? What should you do? Rabbi Simeon Schreiber, Senior Staff Chaplain at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, has translated his many years of experience into highly effective techniques for visiting hospital patients, the homebound elderly, and bereaved families. These principles, which he teaches in diverse seminars, are now available to you in this friendly, down-to-earth manual. A Caring Presence contains surprising suggestions on what to say and what not to say; what to do and what not to do. Throughout the book, Rabbi Schreiber helps you develop the sensitivity and expertise to be an adept caring presence when others need you most. Reviews: Comariative Review by Rabbi Jack Riemer : MISHKAN R’FUAH: WHERE HEALING RESIDES, edited by Rabbi Eric Weiss, CCAR Press, N.Y. N.Y.107 pages. A CARING PRESENCE by Rabbi Simeon Schreiber, Gefen Publishing Co. Jerusalem and New York, l09 pages. I have adopted a new resolution this year, which is that since I am a Conservative rabbi, I will try to read as many books by Orthodox and Reform teachers as I can. The reason for this new resolution is that if I only read books that I already agree with, I will only strengthen my own position, but will not learn from those with whom I disagree, but if I reach out and learn from other those who have different perspectives, I will broaden my own understanding. So here are two books, one Reform and one Orthodox, from which I have learned. Both deal with how to help those that are ill, which is an area where no group has the monopoly on the truth. Mishkan R’fuah is a collection of prayers to be said by those who are ill, or by those who care for them. There are the traditional Jewish prayers—like the misheberach and the vidui-unfortunately only in English. There is the Debbie Friedman Misheberach, which has become standard in all the liberal services. But what is most interesting about this collection are the prayers for situations that we seldom think about. There are prayers to be said before entering surgery, or for beginning chemotherapy, for awaiting a transplant, or for entering hospice, and for a family to recite when stopping all further treatment. I doubt if many booklets of prayers for the sick have thought to include prayers for these moments before. But what is even more surprising is that this booklet includes prayers to be said when receiving a diagnosis of dementia, for entering a long-term care facility, for those who are suffering from addiction to drugs or who are struggling with an eating disorder, for healing from mental illness, and even for entering prison. Whether you find each of these prayers equally strengthening and helpful may be a matter of your own taste or mood, but the idea of reckoning with these difficult moments in life, and trying to give a spiritual voice to those who are struggling with these moments is surely praiseworthy. A Caring Presence is a guide on how to make a sick call and on how to make a shivah call. It is written by Rabbi Simeon Schreiber , who is the Senior Staff Chaplain at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami. Rabbi Schreiber begins by abusing us of the idea that ‘bickur cholim’ means visiting the sick. To think of it that way is to perpetuate the idea that we are the generous ones and they are the helpless ones. A wiser way to look upon bickur cholim, he says, is as being of service to one's fellow human being. The distinction is that if we look at the sick call this way, it is not a favor that we do for the ill out of our goodness ,but an obligation that we do out of our status as commanded human beings. Bickur, Rabbi Shreiber points out, as Rabbi Norman Lamm did before him, is related to the word boker, which means morning. To visit the sick is to bring a measure of light into the life of someone who is living in darkness and depression. Many of us are uncomfortable when we have to make a sick call. I know that I have stood outside a patient's room more than once, mustering up my courage before I went in. And so, Rabbi Schreiber book will be a useful guide for all those who are concerned with how to make a sick call that will be helpful, and not hurtful. He guides us through the steps of a beneficial sick call slowly and carefully. He teaches us that our role is not to cure, and not to distract the patient, not to take away their illness, or to compare their lot with that of others whom we know, not to entertain them and not to instruct them. Our task is to listen, to empathize, and to help the person express his or her yearnings, his or her fears, and his or her prayers. Our task is not curing; our task is caring. Like a skilled teacher, Rabbi Schreiber gives the reader some case studies to study. He describes some sample sick calls, and then analyses with us what the visitor did right and what the visitor did wrong. For example, he suggests that one should always call before coming to visit, or at the very least, ask if this is a good time to visit before entering the patient's room. This may seem like a small thing, but he explains that doing this does much to preserve the patient’s dignity and sense of control over his or her life. When you are in the hospital, other people decide what you eat and when you eat, when you sleep, what you wear and what you drink, when you are treated, and when you are taken to therapy or treatments. When or whether you receive visitors is at least one thing that the patient should be allowed to feel a measure of control over. The book contains some very good practical advice on how to make a visit to a person who is homebound, and on how to make a shivah call as well. It offers such sensible suggestions as acknowledging and showing respect to the caretaker, sitting close to the person you are visiting instead of towering over them, and taking your direction from them as to whether they want to speak and whether they want to listen, and what it is that they want to speak about. A Reform Jew can learn much from this guide to how to make a sick call that has been written by an Orthodox rabbi, and an Orthodox Jew can learn much about how to pray with a person in distress from this collection of prayers that have been gathered by a Reform rabbi. And that is the way it should be! Rabbi Jack Riemer is the editor of Jewish Reflections On Death and The World of the High Holy Days, and the co editor of So That Your Values Live On: A treasury of Jewish Ethical Wils. This thoughtful work is full of great wisdom, and will be very useful to both the novice and seasoned professional alike. I was moved and touched by the author’s real compassion and sensitivity in dealing with a whole range of potentially complex situations. You will never perform these mitzvot the same way again after you read this book. Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter Senior Scholar, Center for the Jewish Future, Yeshiva University Well worth reading.… The author captures the flavor and spirit of bikur cholim.… I highly recommend this well-thought-out description of how to be most effective in visiting people in various situations of need. Rabbi Solomon Schiff Executive Vice President Emeritus, Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami; Director of Chaplaincy Emeritus, Greater Miami Jewish Federation Rabbi Schreiber teaches us how to bring spiritual healing to those who hurt so deeply.… I recommend A Caring Presence as a must-read for all of us who inevitably must face pain in our lives. Rabbi Joseph Potasnik Executive Vice President, New York Board of Rabbis A wake-up call that gives meaning and substance to the mitzvah of bikur cholim.… Rabbi Dr. Reuven P. Bulka Author; rabbi of Congregation Machzikei Hadas, Ottawa\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Simeon Schrieber","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54336608043318,"sku":"9789652295576","price":14.39,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0993\/2092\/2422\/files\/i94949.46336.jpg?v=1785309502"},{"product_id":"a-time-to-kill-a-time-to-heal","title":"A Time to Kill, A Time to Heal","description":"\u003cp\u003eLooking ahead into the dark, my compass, depth gauge and diving watch confirmed that we were headed towards our target in enemy waters. The mission was clear: to eliminate ships at anchor, ships that were planned to carry out an attack against civilians in northern Israel. Onboard them were Zodiac rubber boats, AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifles, RPG anti-tank rockets and plenty of ammunition. The Palestinian terrorists who had been trained for their deadly mission were set to execute their attack two nights later. This was a race against time. After a stealth approach into the harbor, I identified my target and attached the explosives. For a moment, my memories took me back in time. I was hiding in a bush, an 11-year-old boy, during a terrorist attack, escaping sure death. Activating the time-controlled detonators, I felt the closure of another circle of destiny. An attack against my home, was thwarted. Yotam Dagan, an Israeli navy SEAL, shares his personal journey from being a soldier and fighting wars to healing the invisible wounds of psychological trauma and PTSD. This book is an important account of how human courage and determination, followed by suffering and vulnerability could leverage growth on an individual, community and national level.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Yotam Dagan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54337041662262,"sku":"g7347 7023-47","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0993\/2092\/2422\/files\/i288411.21596.jpg?v=1785315592"},{"product_id":"give-me-a-second-chance","title":"Give Me a Second Chance","description":"\u003cp\u003eRacheli is a regular American modern Orthodox girl. After her marriage, idealism brings her and her husband to Israel where they begin to build a family. Spiritual searchers, the couple falls prey to a cult. Over a period of six years, Racheli and her husband lose the ability to make their own decisions and protect their children. The couple divorce at the insistence of the cult leader and Racheli marries him. After the children are horribly abused, Racheli is arrested and receives a five-year prison sentence. Only after 18 months in prison is Racheli able to begin to see what went wrong. From here, her healing begins. Upon her release Racheli marries a prisoner who still has 10 years in prison. With his help, she is able to rebuild herself into a vivacious, mentally and emotionally healthy woman who is able to live with the irreversible consequences of her mistakes and nourish the children she is still in contact with. The book was written to give hope to anyone who feels that they have fallen to a place they can’t ever escape from. It shows that you can rebuild yourself and fashion a core of inner strength that will make you into a person you never dreamed you’d be. It shows the mechanism behind how terrible things can happen. This brings understanding to anyone living in an ongoing abusive situation. Finally, it encourages readers to give a second chance to those who have fallen.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rachel Saginsky","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54337045201206,"sku":"7023-32","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0993\/2092\/2422\/files\/i289863.55895.jpg?v=1785315696"},{"product_id":"chutzpah-wisdom-and-wine","title":"Chutzpah, Wisdom and Wine","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom Johannesburg to Jerusalem, with a stopover in Manhattan, Jodi Samuel’s mission is to change the world, one small, unique step at a time. As an entrepreneur, international speaker, special needs advocate and super mom, on any given day you may find Jodi starting a new business, organizing a community event or conducting an interview with the Wall Street Journal while riding a camel in Morocco. But if you’re one of the thousands who’ve attended her events, you may be surprised to learn that Jodi was once petrified to take the stage. Jodi’s ability to lead grew with experience, determination, faith and courage. Jodi recounts the seminal moments that shaped her life from being held up at gunpoint in South Africa to living under rocket attacks in Israel and the shocking diagnosis of Down syndrome for her youngest child that turned her into a passionate advocate for children with special needs. Jodi shows us that with passion, resilience and humor, we can face life’s challenges and come out on top. Her inspiring journey, peppered with a dose of irreverence, is about learning to overcome fear, adapting to unexpected situations and applying time-honored Jewish values to everyday challenges. In short, it’s a story of playing — and winning — the hand you are dealt.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jodi Samuels","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54337164247350,"sku":"8-599-254","price":22.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0993\/2092\/2422\/files\/i312823.87647.jpg?v=1785317208"},{"product_id":"good-mourning","title":"Good Mourning","description":"\u003cp\u003eJUST AFTER MIDNIGHT, shell-shocked and numb, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach got the news that his father had died. There were so many details to attend to – and as soon as the funeral was over, his obligation to say Kaddish began. Three times a day, every day, for eleven months, he would need to assemble a quorum of ten to say the Jewish mourning prayer for his father… while much of the world was in lockdown. With sensitivity, wisdom, humility, and even a liberal dose of his trademark humor, Rabbi Shmuley takes us through his year of mourning and shares the lessons learned. This moving book touches on universal themes about grief, love, and how to move on with life after the deepest loss As the world emerges from the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, Rabbi Shmuley helps to lift us…with a meditation on grief that is poignant, moving, and deeply personal. Sir Clive Gillinson Executive and Artistic Director, Carnegie Hall\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Shmuley Boteach","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54337173848374,"sku":"7801-12","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0993\/2092\/2422\/files\/i314441.62626.jpg?v=1785317312"},{"product_id":"its-all-the-same-to-me","title":"It’s all The Same To Me","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter spending a decade and a half studying the depths of Torah, Kaballah, Chasidus, and Spirituality, Moshe Gersht has gifted us with a new lens on life. With his spiritual guide It's All The Same To Me, Moshe Gersht inspires readers to discover the freedom and joy of a life lived in the deep connection of sameness. Gersht introduces the powerful kaballistic idea of Hishtavus to explain how getting beyond our ego is not only essential to your happiness, but is also the key to loving the life you experience. Gersht makes the most esoteric concepts seem like an easy read and every page is an enjoyable moment. It's All The Same To Me has been compared to Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, as author of Mastering Life, Dov Ber Cohen, says The next level! The Power of Now meets The Power of Torah. Awesome guide to real inner work and exactly what the world needs right now. Illuminating, enlightening, and uplifting, Moshe Gersht's It's All The Same To Me is a joyful spiritual guide for a better way to live and for building a better world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Moshe Gersht","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54337174143286,"sku":"7361390-0","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0993\/2092\/2422\/files\/i314520.81444.jpg?v=1785317320"},{"product_id":"the-four-cups-a-recovery-haggadah","title":"The Four Cups A Recovery Haggadah","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Shais Taub (Editor)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54337307869494,"sku":"D-6815","price":23.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0993\/2092\/2422\/files\/i332140.06277.jpg?v=1785318511"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.gefenpublishing.com\/collections\/challenge-of-adversary.oembed","provider":"Gefen Publishing House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}