Wisdom is not gender-biased in Judaism.

books:


	• To Begin Again: The Journey Toward Comfort, Strength, and Faith in Difficult Times Naomi Levy Ballantine Books, 1999 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 33 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Gift

If I had a wish it would be to talk to Rabbi Levy. What a wonderful source of wisdom she is. I usually speed read books but this one I purchased after the prayer book and it has been rabbit eared, underlined, and had many tears spilled on it's pages. My story is a series of bad things over the last ten years and I've turned to many books and people for guidance. Now I realize God is there and he is there in this book. This book helped me believe again. She also said something that helped me explain myself to my family. I read all the time. Especially spiritual books; She talks about how studying and reading can be God's way of talking to you. This book is an example of that through Rabbi Levy. I admire her for her strength to become a Rabbi. I always wish my church would let women be Priests so I understand her prayers to be able to become a Rabbi. Anyone going through any kind of difficult time could benefit from this book. Her own experience, when you look at her smiling picture in the back of the book, you cannot believe her father was murdered. I guess it is true that great sorrow often gives way to great wisdom. This one will stay by my bed with my rosary.

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One of My Favorite Books

Although I (Thank God) have not experienced a tragic loss like the ones described in Rabbi Levy's book, I related to and loved every chapter. I have read this book twice and have given it to at least 5 friends to read. Why does this book touch me in such a personal way? I am not quite sure (I'll just have to read it again!)

Perhaps it's her down to earth writing. Perhaps it's the human-ness of the book - real people with real problems (or ordinary people with extraordinary situations?). Perhaps it's the use of blessings to confirm life itself. Perhaps it is a confirmation of Judaism (liberal or traditional) as a path to live a more fulfilling life even when life "isn't fair." Perhaps it is a realization, as we mature, that bad does happen (and, sometimes good does come out of bad). Also, human pain is real and common - and, becomes easier to live with in a caring community.

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Universal wisdom and comfort

My husband is Romanian Orthodox who is dealing with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow plasma. I am Jewish and dealing with his disease and other issues. But we both have found enormous comfort and wisdom in this book. He has read many spiritual books since his diagnosis but this is the book he continually goes back to. Because of Rabbi Levy's style of talking about her own experience and that of her congregants, she offers a spirituality that is not abstract but very authentic. Because of her humility, I read her books and feel like we are comrades in facing the tribulations of life. I feel less alone. This is definitely the best book I have ever read about practical spirituality and one that I recommend whenever I can.

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Wisdom is not gender-biased in Judaism.

Contrary to some beliefs, female Rabbis have added immeasurably to the wealth of Jewish thought and understanding. This book is an example of such wisdom. If you are looking for a good gift for someone struggling with loss - this is it.

Inspiring. Encouraging. Optimistic.

In this very personal book Rabbi Levy takes us through her own very personal story of loss so that we may ourselves recover from the death of a loved one. As a young teenager she lost her father and in this work of nonfiction she takes us through her struggle with G-d (HaShem), with helping her mother, and with living the rest of her life without her dad. We are able, as readers, to bond with the author as she takes us through her life from teenager to young adult and then through college. We experience the transformation of Rabbi Levy through rabbinical school to her obtaining a pulpit of her own in a congregation full of daily and weekly worshipers. Each chapter of this inspiring book finishes itself with a wonderful peaceful serene meditation that leaves the reader feeling just wonderfully at peace and without grief. This book was recommended to me by my therapist. I was hesitant to read it at first because it was written by a female Rabbi. I did not feel that I would have anything to gain from the female perspective. Then I had to stop and think. I am grieving over the loss of my dear beloved wife who died too young at the age of 47 from brain cancer. She is up there in heaven whacking me on the side of the head if I don't change my "Archie Bunker" ideas and read the book. Well, I did. It proved to be a defining decision in my road to recovery from grief. This book is one of two that I read and, along with individual and group therapy that helped me overcome the 2.5 year nursing home ordeal of brain cancer, that finally culminated in death. It does not matter whether you are Jewish or not, whether you are male or female, buy this book if someone you love has died, it will help you.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

"Words that come from the heart enter the heart, an ancient rabbinic proverb instructs us. The words in this book come from the heart--mine and the hearts of others. I pray that you will find within them a spark that will ignite the flame of hope and the passion for healing that lies within us all."

Naomi Levy was a spirited fifteen-year-old when her father was murdered in a senseless holdup that destroyed not only his life but her trust in a loving God. Healing took a long time, yet from her struggles with grief, anger, and depression, she forged the wisdom that made her, at twenty-six, a beloved rabbi--and now makes her book a miracle of honesty, recovery, and compassion.

Where do we find the strength to meet tragedy? Can we rekindle hope? Innocence? Faith? The answers, illustrated with many moving, true stories drawn from Rabbi Levy's experience and the lives of her congregants, provide sanity, peace, and a safe harbor where we can heal and grow. Remember: "Death is a great tragedy. But to die while we are still living, that is the greatest tragedy of all."

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