| Traces of God: Seeing God in Torah, History and Everyday Life Contributor(s): Gillman, Neil (Author) |
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ISBN: 1580232493 ISBN-13: 9781580232494 Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing OUR PRICE: $23.39 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: February 2006 Annotation: The Torah is replete with references to hearing God but very few references to seeing God. What we look for and see are traces of God's presence in the world and in history, but not God. Seeing is complicated. For those traces to become identified as reflections of God's presence requires a good deal of interpretation. It's a matter of connecting the dots. In this special book, Rabbi Neil Gillman guides us into a new way of seeing the complex patterns in Bible, history and our everyday experiences and helps us to interpret what those patterns mean to us as religious Jews. A theologian who writes as a great teacher, Gillman probes for clues that will help answer the deepest questions of our spiritual search: How can I know if God really exists? How do I know when God is present? How much control do I have over my own destiny? Why do I suffer and what part do I play in redemption?both human and divine? |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | Judaism - Theology |
| Dewey: 296.311 |
| LCCN: 2005035116 |
| Physical Information: 0.84" H x 6.34" W x 9.26" (1.04 lbs) 242 pages |
| Themes: - Religious Orientation - Jewish |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: A Probing and Powerful Look at the Role You Play "No matter how hard we look, the God of Israel cannot be seen. Looking is not seeing, and seeing God is not like seeing an apple. It is much more like making a medical diagnosis on the basis of looking at a complex set of symptoms. Each of the symptoms is a dot. We can look at the dots and still miss the pattern." The Torah is replete with references to hearing God but precious few references to seeing God. Seeing is complicated. What we look for and see are traces of God's presence in the world and in history, but not God. In order to identify those traces as reflections of divine presence, we need to re-examine how we see, what we see, and how we interpret that information. In this challenging and inspiring look at the dynamics of the religious experience, award-winning author and theologian Neil Gillman guides you into a new way of seeing the complex patterns in the Bible, history, and everyday experiences and helps you interpret what those patterns mean to you and your relationship with God. Examining faith and doubt, revelation and law, suffering and redemption, Gillman candidly deconstructs familiar biblical moments in order to help you develop and refine your own spiritual vision, so that you are able to discern the presence of God in unanticipated ways. |
Contributor Bio(s): Gillman, Neil: - Neil Gillman, rabbi and PhD, is professor of Jewish philosophy at The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, where he has served as chair of the Department of Jewish Philosophy and dean of the Rabbinical School. He is author of Believing and Its Tensions: A Personal Conversation about God, Torah, Suffering and Death in Jewish Thought; The Death of Death: Resurrection and Immortality in Jewish Thought, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and a Publishers Weekly "Best Book of the Year"; The Way Into Encountering God in Judaism; The Jewish Approach to God: A Brief Introduction for Christians; Traces of God: Seeing God in Torah, History and Everyday Life (all Jewish Lights) and Sacred Fragments: Recovering Theology for the Modern Jew, winner of the National Jewish Book Award. |