In these troubled times, people are asking very difficult questions about God and their faith: <ul>
<li>If I suffer, does that mean I deserve it?</li> <li>Why do innocent people, especially children, die tragically?</li> <li>How can God be so cruel?</li> <li>Does God ever intervene during times of trouble?</li> <li>Who really runs the world-God or man?</li> <li>Do my prayers do any good?</li> <li>Why does God allow sickness, torture and evil to exist?</li> </ul>
Benjamin Blech admits, the answers are not simple. There is no one-size-fits-all explanation. Indeed, not only are there many answers, but in different situations several explanations may apply. Blech wrote this book as an intellectual analysis of Jewish wisdom on the subject of suffering. His theories are the fruit of thousands of years of debate, examination and struggle. Jewish wisdom teaches that there are rich and inspiring answers to the ultimate question: If God is good, why is the world so bad? Take part in the most important spiritual journey of all-the quest for serenity in the face of adversity-and discover that in the accumulated wisdom of the ages lies a time-tested solution for turning despair into hope and sorrow into faith.

If God Is Good, Why Is the World So Bad?

Religion & Spirituality

Blech, Benjamin

Judaism

Simcha Pr

Mysterious events are happening. Five of the most powerful corporate chairmen in the world have suffered heart attacks and had the same exact vision during their near-death experiences, a word written in an arcane, ancient language they cannot identify. Cold fusion, an unlimited source of energy, has been achieved in Israel but the scientists responsible for it refuse to reveal the formula for its use. Isaac Benda Cortes, a passionate, outspoken Brazilian Cardinal who is one of the two likely candidates to succeed the elderly ailing Pope, is targeted by the drug cartel that he condemns. Cortes' passionate thirst for justice leads to a search for his own origins--a search that leads him to discover the future of Western faith. And, Grant Tyler, the head of the worlds' most powerful media network watches distraught as his beloved wife dies of cancer. What she whispers to him on her deathbed sends him spiraling through an epic odyssey that will unite all the mysterious strand of events and enlighten the world to its destiny. In David Shapiro's first work of fiction, and the first work of fiction for Simcha Press, readers will take an edge-of-their-seat journey into the religious and powerful structures of Brazil, Israel, Rome and the United States. A certain bestseller, The Promise of God is packed with suspense, mystery, romance and intrigue.

The Promise of God: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Shapiro, David

United States

How many of us, faced with the ups and downs of everyday life, are searching for the inner strength and confidence to renew our lives in a positive and meaningful way. Reb Noson's letters, based on the understanding and love he learned from the great chassidic master, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, show how each of us can find that strength. Written between 1822 and 1824 by Rebbe Nachman's foremost disciple, Healing Leaves is a collection of excerpts from letters written for his family, friends and followers, to strengthen and comfort them in face of life's challenges and to help them attain peace and happiness. From Healing Leaves: "A person can always direct his thoughts as he chooses, since it is impossible to think two thoughts at once." (Letter #284) "View everything in a positive way: for joy and not for sadness, to bring you closer to God and not to distance you. God Forbid! For God's kindness is never-ending, and His compassion never ceases." (Letter #272) The prescriptions contained in these letters are needed even more today; they provide answers for those of us searching to bring real meaning and hope into our lives.

Healing Leaves: Prescriptions for Inner Strength, Meaning and Hope

Sternhartz, Noson

This book is dedicated to helping all recovering addicts find and deepen a connection to their Higher Power, however they define it. Praying for Recovery is for confirmed believers or not-yet-believers looking for a new spiritual path. The author presents his own experience in overcoming his skepticism about a personal God and learning to pray for recovery with an open heart. Especially for this book he has translated Psalms that were instrumental in helping him to make the Twelve Steps a spiritual path for himself. The book offers them to other recovering addicts, along with accompanying prayers and meditations.  Praying for Recovery can be used either by those working the twelve Steps for the first time, or by individuals who continue to revisit individual steps as part of their ongoing recovery. The book invites readers to build their own experiences of prayer upon the psalms and mediations presented here.

Praying for Recovery: Psalms and Mediations

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Ezry, Eli

Addiction & Recovery

Many people will be surprised to find that Judaism is fundamentally aligned with what we think of as the New Age. Many of the things we associated with the New Age are not new but are part of Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition. New Age Judaism is not about Judaism modified to meet the needs of the moment, but rather it makes age-old Judaism, traditional and kabbalistic teachings accessible to the modern person in a new way. New Age Judaism is a very practical guidebook to Jewish spirituality drawn from the insights and personal observations of the author, a well-known meditation teacher and psychotherapist. Melinda Ribner has taught Jewish meditation and meditative kabbalah for over 16 years and incorporates many of these exercises into her book. In 1989 she formed The Jewish Meditation Circle which meets weekly in Manhattan. Her work draws on the teachings and practices of the Musar, Chassidic, and Kabbalistic schools within Judaism. "Jewish meditation is not just a way to be centered of balanced. It is so much deeper. Mindy (Melinda) is one of the special human beings who never forgets there is one God. She has the privilege of bringing the deep teachings of the holy rebbes. So much holiness. Her meditations go straight to the heart of every person. It is a privilege to learn with her." -Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach of Blessed Memory

New Age Judaism: Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World

Self-Help

Ribner, Melinda

Personal Transformation

Over the years, Rabbi Bernice Kimel Weiss has shepherded hundreds of non-Jewish students into the family of the Jewish people. For most, the interest in Judaism is sparked by a decision to marry a Jewish man or woman. But that is only the beginning. In the gentle hands of a teacher who has witnessed and understands their turmoil, their conflicts, their tears, they bare their personal struggles. What emerge are amazing, powerful, soul-stirring stories of re-creation - the extraordinary adventure of becoming a Jew at the turn of the 21st century. An Asian-American whose father owns a Japanese restaurant marries a secular Jew but leads him to Orthodox Judaism; a Belgian raised by nuns meets a Jew and finds her faith in Israel; a former Sunday school teacher from a small farm town falls in love with a Jewish girl and with her faith as well; an African-American woman lawyer, a Harvard graduate, discovers Judaism and keeps kosher in a small southern town: their varied stories and eight more are revealed in these pages. The twists and turns and the direction their lives ultimately take are a source of inspiration to those contemplating Judaism, and to all in search of faith. They are a gift to the Jewish people.

Converting to Judaism: Choosing to Be Chosen : Personal Stories

Biographies & Memoirs

Silverman, Sherie Lerner

Leaders & Notable People

thelordismyshepherd.com opens a new and necessary dialogue on the soul of cyberspace. It will change the way people think about their computers, about God, about the future and about the interconnected destiny of humanity in this ever-shrinking world. The author, a noted rabbi and journalist, alternates between analytic and experiential approaches to the subject, escorting the reader on a multi-dimensional quest for spiritual and intellectual growth - a "virtual pilgrimage" if you will. A pilgrimage that travels tens of thousands of miles in a matters of instants, from Jerusalem to Mecca, to Chartres, even to Kosovo, and provides a new means of utilizing the vast power of technology to connect us to God and to transcend the artificial boundaries that separate us.

Thelordismyshepherd.Com: Seeking God in Cyberspace

Hammerman, Joshua

This novel holds within its pages an unusual love story that spans three decades and three continents. When Max first meets Esther, she is a young Australian girl filled with passion for life and boundless enthusiasm. His love for her continues through all the changes that take place in her life - her move from London, where they meet, to Jerusalem where she explores the Judaism that until then was just on the fringe of her life; the literary prize she wins that brings her back into his orbit; her commitment to Israel that breaks their relationship; and then finally, a coincidental meeting in the middle of a war in Lebanon. Max never stops loving Esther, even as she matures from a naive girl to a woman of depth and wisdom. Love takes many forms, and readers will experience all the complexities of emotion as they discover the ties that bind a man to a woman.

Esther: A Jerusalem Love Story

Waysman, Dvora

Contemporary

This is a book filled with practical wisdom about how to live today. It is a book on how to be fully human. An old saying goes, "Life is a journey," but Rabbi Gold proposes that life is actually ten very different journeys. We all travel most of them and many of us travel them all, even though we may travel them in a different order. Different journeys may become crucial at different times in our lives. We may even successfully complete one of these journeys, only to discover later that we must begin that journey again. The Ten Journeys of Life is a guide to being human-a veritable pathway into the basic essence of humanity. Rabbi Gold takes us through an exploration of these journeys using Abraham the Biblical patriarch as a mentor. Based on ancient and timeless principles, the insights and wisdom within these pages are both contemporary and essential. What makes this book even more meaningful are the "Guideposts for Your Journey." After each chapter, the author concludes by sharing advice and spiritual guidance to help navigate each path. The Ten Journeys of Life is a treasury of wisdom, fulfilling and consequential. Through it, we learn what it means to really be human and attain true success, but travel we must.

The Ten Journeys of Life: Walking the Path of Abraham

Gold, Michael

The Get is the story of a woman's journey through love, divorce, spirituality, empowerment and, finally, self-discovery. It focuses on the real-life experiences of a modern woman who is pressured to participate in an ancient Orthodox ritual that ends her thirty-year marriage. Initially fearful of participating in an ancient ceremony that requires her to stand alone before a panel of emotionally distant Orthodox rabbis, she ultimately comes to believe that the get is truly a profound emotional experience. With the assistance of two very special spiritual leaders, she confronts her insecurities and fears, and emerges victorious. This beautifully written book details a process that has rarely been told before. Readers of all faiths will be fascinated by this personal and spiritual quest from loss to abundance. Readers will be propelled through an experience of anxiety and intensity until the moment of finality is reached, when a single piece of parchment-representing a life together-is dropped into the author's hands and cut.

The Get: A Spiritual Memoir of Divorce

Parenting & Relationships

Katch, Elise Edelson

Family Relationships

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