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Rating: 
Summary: Great insights for living a more meaningful life
Review: I liked this book because it was an unthreatening and insightful introduction to prayer. No one ever talks much about prayer, at least not the daily kind of prayer one might do in the morning, before meals, and at night. This book explains how to do it from a Jewish perspective, and makes a strong case for the benefits of prayer to a person's life. Since reading this book, I've tried to say a prayer before eating - it's great because it slows down my eating and adds some holiness to my day. If you're looking for a way to focus some of that nervous energy we all generate to something larger and wiser than yourself, this book will help you start.
Rating:
Summary: Great insights for living a more meaningful life
Review: I liked this book because it was an unthreatening and insightful introduction to prayer. No one ever talks much about prayer, at least not the daily kind of prayer one might do in the morning, before meals, and at night. This book explains how to do it from a Jewish perspective, and makes a strong case for the benefits of prayer to a person's life. Since reading this book, I've tried to say a prayer before eating - it's great because it slows down my eating and adds some holiness to my day. If you're looking for a way to focus some of that nervous energy we all generate to something larger and wiser than yourself, this book will help you start.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely powerful.
Review: Larry Felder is a wise and gentle soul. With all the books out there addressing the public's desire to either return to their roots or to connect with some sense of large spirituality, few can match Felder's ability to give concrete steps for each of our hectic lives. I especially enjoyed the anecdotes about how incorporating prayer into daily life motions impacted his clients', his family's, and his own life. A true must-read for those interested in sharpening the focus of their lives and facing life with greater compassion.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely powerful.
Review: Larry Felder is a wise and gentle soul. With all the books out there addressing the public's desire to either return to their roots or to connect with some sense of large spirituality, few can match Felder's ability to give concrete steps for each of our hectic lives. I especially enjoyed the anecdotes about how incorporating prayer into daily life motions impacted his clients', his family's, and his own life. A true must-read for those interested in sharpening the focus of their lives and facing life with greater compassion.
Rating:
Summary: Ten stars. Utterly wonderful and life changing
Review: This is simply one of the most powerful and enjoyable books on prayer I have ever read.The prayers are wonderful because they have been a part of the Jewish liturgy for centuries and because included with each prayer is a translation a discussion and suggestion for their useful applications. Here is an illustration from the first chapter titled A Prayer to Help You Start Each Morning with a Much Better Frane if Mind: "Modeh ani (men) I am so thankful
Modah ani(women) I'fanekah in front of You,
melekh khai v'kayam Ruling Force of life and existence she'hekhe-zarta be Who restores and renews
nishmatee b'khemla my soul with compassion rabbah emunatekha You are dependable beyond measure At six A M on and oldies station, the youthful 1970's voice of Carole King (born Carole Klein in NYC) floats out of my clock-radio and creeps into the auditory passages of my sleeping brain. She sings "My lie has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue..." These lyrics about appreciating the underlying weave of correctness in a hectic life, nudge me out of a dream. It's time to wake up. But my eyes are still closed, and my body pleads for another half hour of sleep......I oove music and the memories it can stir up. But I need to get going and start the day. I switch off the radio. For a moment there is silence in the bedroom as my eyes slowly begin to let in a few rays of early morning light. In Judaism there are teachings that say how you deal with this half-awake moment can have an enormous impact on how your day will feel and how it will turn out. There is a traditional prayer recited first thing in the morning, when your eyes are not yet fully open and your conscience hovers between the unseen and the visible worlds". The author then continues on with series of questions. In this chapter the questions are How do you want to start your day? What do you believe it means to have a soul? When this prayer talks of G-d's dependability does it make you wonder about unanswered prayer? It really is a wonderful book that I would recommend to others and one I will be giving as a gift to those I love. Simply a life changing and life enhancing book.
Rating:
Summary: Accessible handbook for refocusing on a daily basis
Review: Very easy to read and practical. I was surprised at how these prayers actually help with daily issues such as distractibility, stress reduction, and family conflicts. There is a great prayer to substitute for the cruder expressions that come to mind in certain traffic situations! I wish I'd had the book when I was younger, and will probably give it as an add-on to bar and bat mitzvah gifts. Felder's approach is so non-dogmatic and respectful of each individual's different approach to God that even my adolescent daughter has been "caught" reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Reclaiming Jewish Prayer
Review: When I picked up this book, I expected not to like it. It was, after all, exploring tradional Jewish prayers, so I expected it to be patriarchal and devoid of spirit. Instead, I have found a way to say these old prayers with new understanding. Each chapter offers an everyday situation, and a traditional prayer to help one find the holiness in that moment. The reader is encouraged to think deeply about the words of the prayer, to question, to wrestle with it, to learn the roots of the words and think about all the different possible meanings. Felder discusses the wisdom of the prayers, of the rabbis, in terms of our psychological needs, and much of his argument is convincing. Each chapter ends with the opportunity to pray in your own words, from the heart, so that each prayer is new. Through reading this book, the Shema has opened up to me as an opportunity to affirm both the boundlessness and the indwellingness of G-d, rather than being an affirmation of G-d's maleness (Lord of the Universe.) That is what I hope for in any book - that it will nourish my mind and spirit.
Rating:
Summary: Reclaiming Jewish Prayer
Review: When I picked up this book, I expected not to like it. It was, after all, exploring tradional Jewish prayers, so I expected it to be patriarchal and devoid of spirit. Instead, I have found a way to say these old prayers with new understanding. Each chapter offers an everyday situation, and a traditional prayer to help one find the holiness in that moment. The reader is encouraged to think deeply about the words of the prayer, to question, to wrestle with it, to learn the roots of the words and think about all the different possible meanings. Felder discusses the wisdom of the prayers, of the rabbis, in terms of our psychological needs, and much of his argument is convincing. Each chapter ends with the opportunity to pray in your own words, from the heart, so that each prayer is new. Through reading this book, the Shema has opened up to me as an opportunity to affirm both the boundlessness and the indwellingness of G-d, rather than being an affirmation of G-d's maleness (Lord of the Universe.) That is what I hope for in any book - that it will nourish my mind and spirit.
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