Surfing Rabbi: A Kabbalistic Quest for Soul

Rating:
Summary: Good stuff for anyone
Review: I am not a surfer nor a Jew, but enjoyed the book enormously. I am only a few years older than the author, grew up in southern CA, and although I did not surf, I had friends who did, so I related well his youth experience. The insight gained as to what drives a surfer was particularly interesting. Since I have never been to Israel, the presentation of life there both as a student and later in the army etc. was also very interesting.

I enjoyed growing spiritually with the author as he found that "path" and started looking within. I have always admired the commitment required by the Jewish faith, but knew little of how one becomes a Rabbi. Although chapter 20 got a bit heavy from a techno-religious standpoint, I still think it was good to put in all the real Hebrew words for various things. It added a feeling of realism.

Thanks for the very interesting and enlightening presentation. I know this work will continue to bear fruit.

Rating:
Summary: Must read!
Review: I consider myself a spiritual person, but for sure not a surfer. I never even felt the urge to try it, and certainly couldn't understand how the two could be related. But curiosity got the best of me. After reading Rabbi Shifren's book, I feel I missed out on something by growing up far from the ocean. Now at least I've been able to experience it vicariously, and I finally understand what it means to be a surfing rabbi. Please do yourself a favor and read this book. It will change how you look at some things.

Rating:
Summary: A Short Review by Glenn Hening
Review: Just a quick note of congratulations to Norm on his book. To consistently marry the challenge of surfing with the challenge of his religion represents a fascinating combination of stoke and faith that I've rarely seen, if ever, in my 35 years of riding waves.

As a founder of both the Surfrider Foundation and the Groundswell Society, I have always felt that surfing has to be something more than self-gratification, or else it becomes an obsessive pasttime that has no worth to anyone. Norm has been able to draw parallels between the world of riding waves with his religion that holds up under the scrutiny of long time surfers as well as Orthodox Jews.

Now that Norm has put it all in a book, his efforts, along with his Surf and Soul Magazine, have actually enriched my perspectives on surfing and what's it is worth.

Glenn Hening

Rating:
Summary: A Short Review by Glenn Hening
Review: Just a quick note of congratulations to Norm on his book. To consistently marry the challenge of surfing with the challenge of his religion represents a fascinating combination of stoke and faith that I've rarely seen, if ever, in my 35 years of riding waves.

As a founder of both the Surfrider Foundation and the Groundswell Society, I have always felt that surfing has to be something more than self-gratification, or else it becomes an obsessive pasttime that has no worth to anyone. Norm has been able to draw parallels between the world of riding waves with his religion that holds up under the scrutiny of long time surfers as well as Orthodox Jews.

Now that Norm has put it all in a book, his efforts, along with his Surf and Soul Magazine, have actually enriched my perspectives on surfing and what's it is worth.

Glenn Hening

Rating:
Summary: From Malibu surfer to Surfing Rabbi
Review: Not since "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" have two more unlikely activities been combined into one book title. Surfing Rabbi? If that sounds like an oxymoron to you, then you really should read this book. It's the totally honest personal story of a 1960's Malibu beach rat whose love of surf and sand eventually became a spiritual quest to delve more deeply into the power of his own Jewish roots. Today, he is both a Hasidic rabbi and avid surfer, demonstrating that to be a "religious Jew" does not have to mean withdrawing from the modern world.

I read this book on a cold, snowy, Minnesota Sabbath afternoon, which is about as far away from the ocean as a person can get. I knew nothing about surfing when I opened the book, but soon found myself completely caught up in the story. Here was a man so devoted to surfing, that he drove through a war zone just to get to the beach. Foolhardy or adventurous? I had to find out!

Rabbi Shifrin writes in a clear, personal style, so that even a landlubber like me can easily picture the beaches and surfer culture that he describes. Not that every scene comes out of "Endless Summer." Shifrin's first attempt to catch a wave at Malibu was a dangerous disaster that knocked his fantasies down to earth -- but also spurred him on to master this most challenging of sports. He became an expert surfer, lifeguard, and triathelete, so totally focused on riding the waves that he had little time for anything else in his life. Still, something was missing. The quest to fill that void eventually led him back to his Jewish roots and on to rabbinic ordination, where he learned that Judaism, like the ocean, is deep beyond imagining.

Today, Shifrin uses surfing as a form of youth outreach, and is known worldwide as "The Surfing Rabbi." His life, in the words of surf film producer Ira Opper, is about "riding the energy of the universe." Gentiles and Jews alike will find inspiration in this fascinating story.

Rating:
Summary: Waiting For The Big One
Review: Surfers, non-surfers, Jewish readers, and non-Jewish readers! If you've been waiting for the big wave to wash over you, this is the book for you! Nachum Shifren will take you by the hand in the first paragraph of his book, SURFING RABBI A KABBALISTIC QUEST FOR SOUL, and take you on an adventure like you've probably never experienced before. That adventure is his life! Like the waxing and waning of the tides, Rabbi Shifren will take you with him and you will live the ups and downs of his youth and adult life. The book, though serious, has its humorous moments as we explore the inner thoughts of a young man searching for that "something" which will fill the void plaguing his life. You will travel with him from California to Mexico, to Israel, to Germany and back to the United States and relive the adventures Shifren lived in these places. If you are not Jewish, not to worry! Jewish philosophies are explained so that the Gentile reader will have an understanding of Jewish culture and subculture. You will be escorted into the world of the Chassidic Jew-an enlightening experience few Gentiles or even Jewish people may encounter. Jewish terminology is explained sufficiently in the text but to eliminate any possible confusion, there is a glossary of Jewish words and their definitions at the end of the book. Although this book focuses on one man's quest for spiritual nourishment, Rabbi Shifren's tale of his quest for soul can be the story of any man or woman's search for spiritual solace. The reader will certainly see his/herself reflected in Nachum's innermost thoughts, his rebellion, and his surrender to what he believes is righteous and will be the path he chooses to follow. This is a must read book for anyone seeking adventure and spiritual soul searching! Shiffren shows the reader that religious matters need not be drudgery but instead a way of life...or a daily adventure of goodwill and compassion for fellow men and women. As a massage therapist, singer/song writer, and recording artist, I am about as far away from Shifren's world of surfing as I can be although I reside on the Texas Gulf Coast where if you're waiting for the big one-as in waves-, you'll have a long wait. Shifren's book, however, is the big one many have been waiting for. Let his story wash over you like a gentle though forceful wave!

Rating:
Summary: CPR for the Soul
Review: SURFING RABBI: A KABBALISTIC QUEST FOR SOUL Reviewed by Evan M. Stone

"Words that come from the heart enter the heart," said the Sages. Rabbi Nachum Shifren's words will enter the heart of every reader, and if you're a surfing Jew hold on to the rails-tightly. SURFING RABBI: A KABBALISTIC QUEST FOR SOUL takes the brave reader through the white water to contend with the rip current of his Jewish soul. Recounting the highs and lows of his own life, Rabbi Shifren's autobiography shares his personal journey from assimilated Jew to Rabbi. Known as the Surfing Rabbi, Shifren's story is CPR for the soul: "Pure Stoke," to quote John Grissim.

Shifren shared the familiar Southern California middle class upbringing of an assimilated Jew. His parents, hardly religious and heading toward divorce, were not able to relate to the pre-teen Shifren. He ran away shortly before his bar-mitzvah and tells a hilarious story of his kook ride, dropping in on a local Malibu hot shot called, "The Cat." Though he returned in time for his maftir, after high school, he was off to Hawaii for college. While on Oahu, he majored in big wave riding on the North Shore rather than academics. Eventually, Shifren dropped out of college returning to Southern California to pursue his surfing dreams.

The twenty-one year old Shifren landed his dream job as a lifeguard. In top physical shape, he could swim twenty-six miles in the ocean without food. He was comfortable, so he thought. The lifeguard soon discovered rip currents exist in the soul as well as the ocean-a nagging, a yearning, a soft voice asking: "What am I? " The more he listened the stronger the voice grew. His soul searching took him to Israel where he served in the Army, lived on a kibbutz, and fell in love with a German woman whom he married.

While in living in Germany with his wife and two children, Shifren experienced dissonance in his soul as his Jewish neshama demanded attention. A war raged in his heart between his actual life and what his soul yearned for-reclaiming his lost Jewish inheritance. The conflict between his reality Germany and the budding awareness of his Jewish identity engulfed his soul. His marriage painfully disintegrated. Shifren again returned to Southern California, this time to finish his studies and earn a teaching credential. But Shifren learned more than he anticipated after stumbling into the mysterious world of observant Judaism.

The thirty-three year old Shifren met an indefatigable Chasidic black hatter named Rabbi Loschak after Shifren decided on impulse to attend a Chanukah party sponsored by Chabad. Little did Shifren know the candles he kindled that night would indeed burn longer than he expected. Shifren initially reacted to the bearded Chasid with an odd brew of mockery and respect much like any other assimilated Jew would react. Shifren's soul finally found the opportunity it sought. As he nurtured his relationship with Loschak, he chose to let his soul's rip current take him where it may. He became shomer Shabbat and soon realized his calling to study more at a yeshiva in Israel.

Shifren's journey alarmingly highlights the Jewish assimilation problem. He offers hope through his own example of teshuvah. The majority Jews living in the United States gravitate inch-by-inch toward assimilation rationalizing their behavior as they abandon their birthright. The heatbeat of the Jewish soul beats fainter as the modern day Hellenism of America shamelessly sucks each successive generation of Jews into its vortex. The spiritual entropy of the Jewish soul ultimately reduces the assimilated Jew to nothing more than a person with a vague notion of his own Jewishness and few tools to find his way home. Beyond this husk is total annihilation of Jewish identity. Thankfully, a faint heartbeat is still a heartbeat for those who are willing to listen.

The assimilated Jew need only listen to the little voice, constant and nagging, pulling him toward his Judaism. The voice, like a faint alarm clock that will not turn off, asks the Jew to wake up from a comfortable sleep. The sleep of the American Jewish experience though comfortable remains an historical anomaly. Shifren's story is the story of a man who woke up from the sleep of assimilation to reclaim his Judaism. A person can ignore his soul's rip current, but once he begins listening, it grows stronger. As it becomes stronger, one finds himself in an uncomfortable struggle to remain secular and unaware. Indeed, the stronger the rip current, the stronger one must fight to ignore it. The tension between the pull of the unknown and the familiar shore demands resolution. Either one fixes his sights on the shore of familiarity or allows his rip current to carry him into the vast mysteries of OMO. The surfing Rabbi followed his current and delivers the message that we can follow ours.

Rabbi Shifren's autobiography demonstrates that every Jew has the power to return. But one need only look to Abraham, to understand that every assimilated Jew has the spark of Judaism waiting to be stoked into a fire. "Lech Lecha," G-d told Abraham-and he left the comfortable idol worshipping community of his family to a land that G-d showed him. Every assimilated Jew would do well to listen to his spiritual "Lech Lecha."

Rabbi Shifren not only found his Jewish Soul, but he had the courage ride that wave to its conclusion despite the heart wrenching consequences. Rabbi Shifren, a spiritual lifeguard, defibrillates the Jewish neshama jolting the assimilated Jew out of his comatose to re-claim his identity and responsibilities as a Jew. "Words that come from the heart enter the heart." May Rabbi Shifren's words, and ultimately G-d enter yours.

Rating:
Summary: CPR for the Soul
Review: SURFING RABBI: A KABBALISTIC QUEST FOR SOUL Reviewed by Evan M. Stone

"Words that come from the heart enter the heart," said the Sages. Rabbi Nachum Shifren's words will enter the heart of every reader, and if you're a surfing Jew hold on to the rails-tightly. SURFING RABBI: A KABBALISTIC QUEST FOR SOUL takes the brave reader through the white water to contend with the rip current of his Jewish soul. Recounting the highs and lows of his own life, Rabbi Shifren's autobiography shares his personal journey from assimilated Jew to Rabbi. Known as the Surfing Rabbi, Shifren's story is CPR for the soul: "Pure Stoke," to quote John Grissim.

Shifren shared the familiar Southern California middle class upbringing of an assimilated Jew. His parents, hardly religious and heading toward divorce, were not able to relate to the pre-teen Shifren. He ran away shortly before his bar-mitzvah and tells a hilarious story of his kook ride, dropping in on a local Malibu hot shot called, "The Cat." Though he returned in time for his maftir, after high school, he was off to Hawaii for college. While on Oahu, he majored in big wave riding on the North Shore rather than academics. Eventually, Shifren dropped out of college returning to Southern California to pursue his surfing dreams.

The twenty-one year old Shifren landed his dream job as a lifeguard. In top physical shape, he could swim twenty-six miles in the ocean without food. He was comfortable, so he thought. The lifeguard soon discovered rip currents exist in the soul as well as the ocean-a nagging, a yearning, a soft voice asking: "What am I? " The more he listened the stronger the voice grew. His soul searching took him to Israel where he served in the Army, lived on a kibbutz, and fell in love with a German woman whom he married.

While in living in Germany with his wife and two children, Shifren experienced dissonance in his soul as his Jewish neshama demanded attention. A war raged in his heart between his actual life and what his soul yearned for-reclaiming his lost Jewish inheritance. The conflict between his reality Germany and the budding awareness of his Jewish identity engulfed his soul. His marriage painfully disintegrated. Shifren again returned to Southern California, this time to finish his studies and earn a teaching credential. But Shifren learned more than he anticipated after stumbling into the mysterious world of observant Judaism.

The thirty-three year old Shifren met an indefatigable Chasidic black hatter named Rabbi Loschak after Shifren decided on impulse to attend a Chanukah party sponsored by Chabad. Little did Shifren know the candles he kindled that night would indeed burn longer than he expected. Shifren initially reacted to the bearded Chasid with an odd brew of mockery and respect much like any other assimilated Jew would react. Shifren's soul finally found the opportunity it sought. As he nurtured his relationship with Loschak, he chose to let his soul's rip current take him where it may. He became shomer Shabbat and soon realized his calling to study more at a yeshiva in Israel.

Shifren's journey alarmingly highlights the Jewish assimilation problem. He offers hope through his own example of teshuvah. The majority Jews living in the United States gravitate inch-by-inch toward assimilation rationalizing their behavior as they abandon their birthright. The heatbeat of the Jewish soul beats fainter as the modern day Hellenism of America shamelessly sucks each successive generation of Jews into its vortex. The spiritual entropy of the Jewish soul ultimately reduces the assimilated Jew to nothing more than a person with a vague notion of his own Jewishness and few tools to find his way home. Beyond this husk is total annihilation of Jewish identity. Thankfully, a faint heartbeat is still a heartbeat for those who are willing to listen.

The assimilated Jew need only listen to the little voice, constant and nagging, pulling him toward his Judaism. The voice, like a faint alarm clock that will not turn off, asks the Jew to wake up from a comfortable sleep. The sleep of the American Jewish experience though comfortable remains an historical anomaly. Shifren's story is the story of a man who woke up from the sleep of assimilation to reclaim his Judaism. A person can ignore his soul's rip current, but once he begins listening, it grows stronger. As it becomes stronger, one finds himself in an uncomfortable struggle to remain secular and unaware. Indeed, the stronger the rip current, the stronger one must fight to ignore it. The tension between the pull of the unknown and the familiar shore demands resolution. Either one fixes his sights on the shore of familiarity or allows his rip current to carry him into the vast mysteries of OMO. The surfing Rabbi followed his current and delivers the message that we can follow ours.

Rabbi Shifren's autobiography demonstrates that every Jew has the power to return. But one need only look to Abraham, to understand that every assimilated Jew has the spark of Judaism waiting to be stoked into a fire. "Lech Lecha," G-d told Abraham-and he left the comfortable idol worshipping community of his family to a land that G-d showed him. Every assimilated Jew would do well to listen to his spiritual "Lech Lecha."

Rabbi Shifren not only found his Jewish Soul, but he had the courage ride that wave to its conclusion despite the heart wrenching consequences. Rabbi Shifren, a spiritual lifeguard, defibrillates the Jewish neshama jolting the assimilated Jew out of his comatose to re-claim his identity and responsibilities as a Jew. "Words that come from the heart enter the heart." May Rabbi Shifren's words, and ultimately G-d enter yours.

Rating:
Summary: Spiritually Uplifting!
Review: This book is a candid, honest, inspiring and fascinating story of one person's journey of self discovery. A synergy of the spiritual and the intellectual; a fascinating read that will move you!

Rating:
Summary: Spiritually Uplifting!
Review: This book is a candid, honest, inspiring and fascinating story of one person's journey of self discovery. A synergy of the spiritual and the intellectual; a fascinating read that will move you!