With his engaging overview of the sacred times, places and ideas of Judaism, Rabbi Marc Angel gently reclaims the natural, balanced and insightful teachings of Sephardic Judaism that can and should imbue modern Jewish spirituality, drawing on classic sources from the Golden Age of Spanish Jewry and the great mystics of Safed.

Reconnect with the ancient soul of Jewish spiritual life and practice. Jewish spirituality is organically linked to the natural rhythms of the universe. To a great extent, Jewish religious traditions serve to bring Jews into a sensitive relationship with the natural world. Many commandments and customs lead in this direction, drawing out the love and reverence that emerge from the contemplation of God's creations.'' - from Chapter 1, ''The Rhythms of Nature'' Judaism has provided the spiritual framework for millions of people for thousands of years. Yet its basic beliefs and observances often are disconnected from their original intent in our modern day. With his engaging overview of the sacred times, places and ideas of Judaism, Rabbi Marc D. Angel gently reclaims the natural, balanced and insightful teachings of Sephardic Judaism that can and should imbue modern Jewish spirituality. He draws on many classic sources, illuminating the influence of the Golden Age of Spanish Jewry and the great mystics of sixteenth - century Safed on the Sephardic tradition. The result is an approach to Judaism that is deep, rich and diverse.

With his engaging overview of the sacred times, places and ideas of Judaism, Rabbi Marc Angel gently reclaims the natural, balanced and insightful teachings of Sephardic Judaism that can and should imbue modern Jewish spirituality, drawing on classic sources from the Golden Age of Spanish Jewry and the great mystics of Safed.

Here, at last, is the ultimate one-volume how-to handbook for living a Jewish life. The Rhythm of Jewish Time is a must-have for every Jewish home. With its comprehensive walk through the Jewish calendar and life-cycle, enriched by dozens of explanatory photographs, this book helps families bring Jewish tradition into their homes. This book is divided into three sections: The Rhythm of Our Lives explains the meaning of the customs central to Jewish life-cycle events The Rhythm of Our Year presents the feasts, fasts, and festivals that mark the passage of the Jewish year The Rhythm of Our Homes is a guide to the ritual objects, blessings, songs, stories, and foods that make each holiday unique Whether read cover to cover or used as a reference book, this volume deserves a spot on every Jewish bookshelf. An ideal gift from the congregation to its new families.

Who were the Sephardic Jews of the Ottoman Empire? What lasting lessons does their spiritual life provide for future generations? “How did the Judeo-Spanish-speaking Jews of the Ottoman Empire manage to achieve spiritual triumph? To answer this question, we need to have a firm understanding of their historical experience.... We need to be aware of the dark, unpleasant elements in their environments; but we also need to see the spiritual, cultural light in their dwellings that imbued their lives with meaning and honor.” —from Chapter 1, “The Inner Life of the Sephardim” In this groundbreaking work, Rabbi Marc Angel explores the teachings, values, attitudes, and cultural patterns that characterized Judeo-Spanish life over the generations and how the Sephardim maintained a strong sense of pride and dignity, even when they lived in difficult political, economic, and social conditions. Along with presenting the historical framework and folklore of Jewish life in the Ottoman Empire, Rabbi Angel focuses on what you can learn from the Sephardic sages and from their folk wisdom that can help you live a stronger, deeper spiritual life.

In "This Jewish Life: Stories of Discover, Connection, and Joy," fifty-five voices enable readers to experience a calendar's worth of Judaism's strengths-community, healing, transformation of the human spirit and the influence of the Divine. Within these pages are stories of joyous engagement and poignant loss. Readers will meet a teen who followed the path of Judaism after a chance encounter and men and women who turned to Judaism in their struggles with drug addiction and spousal abuse. Structured to mirror a complete year of Jewish life cycle events and holidays, this unique book showcases a bar mitzvah service in rural Illinois, a commitment ceremony in a California metropolis, a Soviet family's first Passover Seder, and much more. These stories will carry readers, Jew and non-Jew alike, through twelve months of Jewish Living