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Introducing Rabbi David Aaron's latest book!

(Click here for more of Rabbi Aaron's Books!)

Living A Joyous Life:
The True Spirit of Jewish Practice

by Rabbi David Aaron

 

Secular and religious Jews alike will find wisdom and inspiration in Rabbi David Aaron's new book in which he reveals the joy that living a Jewish life can bring. With his characteristic humor and enthusiasm, Rabbi Aaron looks at key, and often misunderstood, aspects of Jewish practice—our relationship with God, Torah study, prayer, living the commandments, celebrating the Sabbath and keeping kosher — and shows us how they enable us to access and express the godliness within us.

Celebrating Shabbat, for example, reminds us that we are created in the image of God, empowered with free choice and intention; studying the Torah releases our chen , or inner beauty and grace, and observing kosher laws helps keep us in touch with our human sensitivity. Rabbi Aaron clarifies why many Jews today feel disconnected from their heritage. He invites readers who have lost touch with their Jewish roots to "unpack their spiritual baggage" and discover the true spirit of Judaism.

Rabbi Aaron is one of the most dynamic and accessible teachers of Kabbalah and Jewish wisdom today, and this book is a warm invitation to anyone struggling to find fresh meaning in Jewish practice.

“With his trademark common sense and extraordinary range of poignant and telling anecdotes, Rabbi David Aaron presents a Jewish vision that can guide one to a life of holiness and joy.”
—Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of A Code of Jewish Ethics and Jewish Literacy

"In Living a Joyous Life we discover that understanding the depths of Judaism and Jewish tradition empowers each of us to achieve our fullest potential, opening the unique divine force we all harbor; in essence, to become godlike. Ultimately, we - as God's partners - attain the potential to complete God's creation, the perfection of the world. Now that's empowerment!"
—Dr. Gerald Schroeder, author of Genesis and the Big Bang, The Science of God, and The Hidden Face of God

Book Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Rabbi David Aaron is founder and dean of Isralight, an international organization with programs throughout North America, South Africa, and Israel. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife, their seven children, and three grandchildren. In his sixth book, he proclaims that Judaism is animated by deep spiritual meanings and a joy that keeps on growing.

Many Jews have abandoned their religious roots due to distorted images, misunderstandings, and erroneous definitions of God, Judaism, Torah, prayer, the commandments, the Sabbath, and keeping kosher. For these individuals, Jewish practice was joyless and based on fear, oppression, and guilt rather than on the expression of an abiding and expansive love of God. Aaron puts the emphasis on another approach: "Judaism clarifies the essential beliefs that inspire and enable us to live a purposeful, passionate, and pleasurable life soaring to the greatest heights of vitality, meaning, and joy."

The great eighteenth century Hasidic teacher the Baal Shem Tov taught that human beings are partners with God in all that they do, say, and think. Aaron expands on that premise:

"We are simply not happy with who we are, because we don't really trust and believe that every one of us is a unique divine being, a holy note in the divine symphony. I'm a C-minor, you're a B, and she's a D-sharp. That's why we make such beautiful music together. If everyone were a C-minor, there would be no symphony, just monotony.

"When you understand this, you cannot but honor and respect the vast differences among human beings, and you never want to be anyone other than you are.

"This is the goal of Judaism: to be who you are, a godly being."

To serve God is to emulate and model ourselves on what God has revealed to us about what it means to be human. So each day, we practice love, kindness, compassion, and justice. Staying connected to God and to our neighbor is a path of liberation and transformation. Wrongful actions, according to the author, stem from our counterfeit approaches to being god-like — when we try to dominate others or always put ourselves ahead of them. Aaron sees the Torah as a guiding light for Jews: "it articulates the universal principles of spiritual and ethical life and empowers you to be who you really are."

The Torah also draws out our inner beauty and grace.

Prayer, Aaron states, is not about trying to change God's will but is about trying to channel God's will. In his discussion of Shabbat, he challenges all Jews to stop in the name of love with all activity on this day of rest.

In his own distinctive way, he writes:

"Maybe during the week my face was a briefcase. Maybe during the week my face was a pen, or a computer monitor. But on Shabbat, I get a whole new Shabbat face, a face that reflects the transcendent. On Shabbat, I get a face that reflects God. On Shabbat, I am beaming with the likeness of God. And no feeling in the world can compare to that."

Rabbi Aaron makes a good case for living a joyous life through Jewish practice. He takes these ancient traditions and makes them relevant to modern life while respecting that they are filled with mystery. It is evident that he loves being Jewish, and in this capacious volume that enthusiasm shows through on every page.

Listen to Recorded Interview with Rabbi David Aaron!

Upon the release of Rabbi Aaron's new book 'Living a Joyous Life: The True Spirit of Jewish Practice', we are excited to present an interview that he recently gave at his home in the Old City. Among other topics, Rabbi Aaron discusses the uniqueness of his new book, shares some personal thoughts and stories, and even reflects on his experiences teaching in Hollywood.

Click here to listen to Rabbi Aaron's recorded interview!

Living a Joyous Life: The True Spirit of Jewish Practice
ISBN: 978-1-59030-395-5
$21.95 Hardcover
Trumpeter Books/Shambhala Publications
Distributed by Random House, Inc.
Publicity date: August 15, 2007


More Books by Rabbi David Aaron

Click on images below to read more.....

               


Inviting God In: Celebrating the Soul-Meaning of the Jewish Holy Days
(Shambhala Pocket Classics)

by Rabbi David Aaron

It's not about how to celebrate; it's about why!
New book explains how the Jewish holidays can revitalize our personal relationship with God.

This warm, inspiring look at the holidays from Rabbi David Aaron—one of the most dynamic and accessible teachers of Jewish thought today—shows us how each holy day can empower us to recognize God's loving presence in our lives every day.

Holidays are not the same as vacations, Aaron points out. Vacations allow us to escape our everyday lives, but holidays are a time to connect, to remember that which we take for granted. Aaron suggests that each holiday can be thought of as a “date” with God: a time to strengthen our bond with the divine, and to reinforce our awareness of God's love for us.

“David Aaron has so much common sense and wisdom about life, and a style that just draws you in with his combination of unexpected, but compelling, anecdotes and insights. Inviting God In has a lot to teach all of us, about God and about ourselves.”—Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of Jewish Literacy


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The Secret Life of G-d: Discovering the Divine Within You

by Rabbi David Aaron

According to one ancient sage, "Kabbalah is not the path to paradise but the path to paradox." Yet Rabbi Aaron untangles enough of that paradox to leave us with a much clearer picture of paradise. He takes the existential and makes it tangible; his answers of "yes" to either/or questions somehow make sense, and at the end of the day, his love for and delight in the study of kabbalah is contagious...  -Publishers' Weekly

How much does our perception of God really matter? Many of us aren't conscious of our image of a “higher power.” For some of us, that unspoken image is a judgmental Parent or an exacting Old Man in the Sky. For others, God is an imaginary friend who is there to fix problems after we create them.

Rabbi David Aaron, an inspiring and gentle guide, can help you discover a mature, new understanding of God and lead you to discover the wellspring of Divinity within you. By drawing on teachings of Kabbalah that were secret for millennia, he helps you to reclaim the power you've given away to negative images of God or passive images of yourself. These mystical secrets of Judaism can offer reassuring guidance, meaning, and purpose to the lives of people of all faiths.

In the journey to discovering God's secret life you will:

  • Awaken to your life's deepest purpose
  • Know that you matter and that every thing you feel and do is important to God
  • Delight in a deeper connection to your true inner self, God, and others
  • Learn to experience God's infinite love for you
  • Rise to new heights, cope with challenges, and make courageous choices
  • Achieve true peace of mind and freedom from anxiety
Rabbi Aaron shares these profound ancient teachings in simple, everyday language with a touch of wit and humor. Rich in personal stories and anecdotes, his examples from daily life help us tap the transformational power hidden within and illuminate the surprising paradoxes of spiritual growth. Awakened to finally experience a personal connection to God, we are at last able to receive God's love unconditionally and discover our ultimate identity, divine purpose, and true happiness.

 

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Seeing G-d: Ten Life-Changing Lessons of the Kabbalah

by Rabbi David Aaron

A major achievement!
   — Publishers' Weekly

In this important, inspirational, and eminently practical book, Rabbi David Aaron, founder of the world-renowned Isralight Institute, teaches us how to "see" God through the wisdom of the Kabbalah. Making these powerful ancient truths accessible to modern readers, Seeing God offers guidance for living a more meaningful life and provides simple exercises to put the principles into practice. Profound and provocative, Seeing God empowers us to bring the miraculous into everything we do and everything we are.

Learn to...

  • Overcome childhood fears about God that stifle our happiness and spiritual fulfillment
  • Reclaim God's love and compassion and infuse life with greater creativity and vitality
  • Achieve new clarity and greater awareness - in order to see and enjoy the extraordinary in the ordinary
  • Tap into the Divine Life Force, the only true source of love, wisdom, and success God is right here, right now, waiting to be seen, wanting to be known. All you have to do is open your eyes to see, open your heart to feel, and open your mind to know.

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Endless Light: The Ancient Path of Kabbalah

by Rabbi David Aaron

In this religious self-help manual, David Aaron…taps the great mystical power of the Kabbalah to offer insights into everyday life with love and power…Aaron's meditations are grounded solidly in the Jewish Kabbalistic tradition.
   — Publishers' Weekly

Who am I? What is life all about? What do I need to do to love and be loved?

After years of careful study, David Aaron helps us find the answers to these questions as revealed in the Kabbalah, the mystical tradition of Judaism. Unlike other works on the Kabbalah, which are often academic, abstract, and unrelated to our everyday challenges and concerns, Endless Light is a thought-provoking, practical guide that illuminates our path in life.

Rich in personal stories and anecdotes, Endless Light offers a deeper awareness of ourselves, our inner conflicts, and the way we understand and receive life's bounteous gifts. Drawing upon the profound, timeless teachings of the ancients as well as on his own contemporary insights, David Aaron helps truth-seekers of all faiths to enrich their lives, strengthen their faith, and enjoy more meaningful relationships.

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Kabbalah Works: Secrets for Purposeful Living (Your Coach in a Box)

by Rabbi David Aaron

The pursuit of this deeply meaningful aspect of the Bible is fast-entering the cultural mainstream as celebrities including Madonna, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears embrace its divine inspiration. Rabbi David Aaron is a Kabbalistic master, a translator of the sacred secrets of Kabbalah into modern everyday language. Kabbalah is not a religion or an independent tradition; rather it is an integral part of the divine revelation communicated to the prophet Moses and recorded in the Bible. The Kabbalah reveals the basic truths at the core of our existence, empowering us to discover our purpose, awaken our passion for life and tap into the unlimited resource of power.

 

The Kabbalah sheds light on the seemingly unanswerable questions of our lives, such as: Who is G-d and what does He want from us? What is secret to happiness? How do we achieve fulfillment? How do we find true love? Why is there evil and suffering in the world? What is our ultimate purpose here on Earth?

Rabbi David Aaron, author of Endless Light, Seeing G-d and The Secret Life of G-d, is one of the most popular and accessible teachers of Kabbalah. In his first audio-only program, KABBALAH WORKS (Gildan Audio; 5 CDs/approx. 4 hours; $19.98 US/$26.98 Canada ), he shares the timeless teachings of the Kabbalah which had been kept secret for millennia. Listeners of all faiths are inspired and transformed by the profundity and clarity of this divine wisdom.   

According to Rabbi Aaron: “‘Kabbalah' literally means ‘receptivity.' Indeed, it is the art of learning to receive. For example: when you are offered a gift, do not take it; instead, make of yourself a space that can receive it. Kabbalah is not only about getting more out of life; it is about receiving life as a gift. It is about the art of receiving life's gifts of love, spiritual growth, awareness, creativity, freedom, inner peace, happiness, and holiness.”

Speaking with the warmth, humor and inimitable style that draw sell-out crowds to his seminars and retreats, Rabbi Aaron makes the powerful wisdom of the Kabbalah vital, practical and accessible. He reveals how the teachings of the Kabbalah can guide modern-day listeners to lives of purpose, passion and power, and speaks about the issues that listeners care about, including:    

                   
• How Beliefs Make or Break Our Lives
• The Transformational Joy of Self-Awareness
• Connecting To The Divine
• The Power of Service
• The Gift of Eternal Life, and more.

In KABBALAH WORKS, Rabbi Aaron shares his insights from and interpretations of the mystical wellspring of Kabbalah and reveals how to illuminate your life, embrace a mature connection to G-d, and discover the path to a more fulfilling, purposeful life.

ABOUT THE AUDIOBOOK:
KABBALAH WORKS: Secrets for Purposeful Living
Author: Rabbi David Aaron
ISBN: 1-59659-024-6
Price: $19.98 US ($26.98 Canada) / 5 CDs approximately 4 hours
Gildan Audio/Your Coach in a Box series

YOUR COACH IN A BOX is a new line of personal development audiobooks from Gildan Audio that bring bestselling authors and lecturers directly to you, at the best prices around.

 


 

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