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The Jewish Self Help Books We Desperately Need

JL;DR SUMMARY Exploring the rich tradition of Jewish self-help literature, several contemporary books illustrate how Jewish wisdom can provide pathways to emotional wellness, community building, and resilience. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish TraditionJewish IdentityCommunityMental HealthMussarSpiritual GuidanceRecoveryJewish Self HelpEmotional WellnessRabbi Schneerson

Places mentioned

Brooklyn, New York, United States
"About a decade later, as an educator and rabbi living in Brooklyn, he decided to share that wisdom more broadly in his book, Letters for Life: Guidance for Emotional Wellness from the Lubavitcher Rebbe."
Aspen, Colorado, United States
"The notion of being happy in your ivory tower, all alonethats entirely foreign in the Jewish tradition, Stutman, senior rabbi of Aspen Jewish Congregation, a Reform synagogue in Colorado, and co-host of the podcast Chutzpod!, said in an interview."
Roswell, Georgia, United States
"Together with Harvey Winokur, rabbi emeritus of Reform Temple Kehillat Chaim in Roswell, Ga., as well as a facilitator for The Mussar Institute, she co-authored Mussar in Recovery: A Jewish Spiritual Path to Serenity & Joy, a book that weaves Jewish ethical teachings with the 12 steps in recovery programs."
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
"For Hannah L., a mother from Atlanta, the centuries-old Jewish spiritual practice of mussar became a lifeline when her son battled a drug addiction."
Los Angeles, California, United States
"Sessler, the rabbi of Temple Beth Zion, a Conservative congregation in Los Angeles, has long seen the therapeutic component of rabbinic life as essential to his work in providing spiritual care."
Crown Heights, New York, United States
"She lived in Brooklyn, where many young women getting married had little or no family present, Jacobson said of the Crown Heights Chabad community, which was home to many women impacted by the Holocaust or whose families had rejected them because they had become observant."
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
"Alexandra Lapkin Schwank is a freelance writer living with her family in the Boston area."
New York, United States
"Reflecting on Jewish resilience through difficult times, Shmotkin said in an interview that what held Jews together were the texts that we carried..."
Georgia, United States
"Together with Harvey Winokur, rabbi emeritus of Reform Temple Kehillat Chaim in Roswell, Ga., as well as a facilitator for The Mussar Institute, she co-authored Mussar in Recovery: A Jewish Spiritual Path to Serenity & Joy, a book that weaves Jewish ethical teachings with the 12 steps in recovery programs."

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