The book PREPARATION FOR ETERNAL LIFE offers the reader plentiful advise, words of encouragement, and clarification regarding the purpose of life, the pursuit of the truth, character improvement, faith and trust in God, laws of proper conduct between man and his fellow, between man and the Creator, observing the Commandments, marriage, marital harmony, livelihood, etc. The book is largely based on the lectures of one of the greatest Mezake Harabim of our generation, in Israel and the-world, Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi Shlit'a. The book few in words but great in quality, is written in a clear refined language, suitable for all, providing guidance for those seeking a life of truth and faith.

Originally published in 1994, Jewish Views of the Afterlife is a classic study of ideas of afterlife and postmortem survival in Jewish tradition and mysticism. As both a scholar and pastoral counselor, Raphael guides the reader through 4,000 years of Jewish thought on the afterlife by investigating pertinent sacred texts produced in each era. Through a compilation of ideas found in the Bible, Apocrypha, rabbinic literature, medieval philosophy, medieval Midrash, Kabbalah, Hasidism and Yiddish literature, the reader learns how Judaism conceived of the fate of the individual after death throughout Jewish history. In addition, this book explores the implications of Jewish afterlife beliefs for a renewed understanding of traditional rituals of funeral, burial, shiva, kaddish and more. This newly released twenty-fifth anniversary edition presents new material on little-known Jewish mystical teachings on reincarnation, a chapter on “Spirits, Ghosts and Dybbuks in Yiddish Literature”, and a foreword by the renowned scholar of Jewish mysticism, Rabbi Arthur Green. Both historical and contemporary, this book provides a rich resource for scholars and laypeople and for teachers and students and makes an important Jewish contribution to the growing contemporary psychology of death and dying.

The Eternal Gifts of Judaism is David Heller’s contribution to capturing the spirit of this great religion and its most important values. With the Bible’s wisdom literature as a prominent resource, Dr. Heller addresses a vast array of religious subjects, including: Judaism’s most essential offerings, the distinctiveness and impact of Judaism, aspects of faith that it espouses, its guidance on living a righteous and fulfilling life, ways of thinking about God and human relationships, and Judaic notions of a life beyond. Here are a few selections from the many thought-provoking perspectives on Judaism: “A signature gift of Judaism: the radical idea that the presence of God can and does exist within a human being.” “Nobility is not derived from a crown on one’s head but by the spirit in one’s heart.” “In Judaism, the deepest form of suffering is to place one’s self at a distance from God.” “God provides us with the gifts of authenticity and generosity but it’s incumbent upon us to embrace those gifts.”

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. The Eternal Dissident offers rare insight into one of the most inspiring and controversial Reform rabbis of the twentieth century, Leonard Beerman, who was renowned both for his eloquent and challenging sermons and for his unrelenting commitment to social action. Beerman was a man of powerful word and action—a probing intellectual and stirring orator, as well as a nationally known opponent of McCarthyism, racial injustice, and Israeli policy in the occupied territories. The shared source of Beerman’s thought and activism was the moral imperative of the Hebrew prophets, which he believed bestowed upon the Jewish people their role as the “eternal dissident.” This volume brings Beerman to life through a selection of his most powerful writings, followed by commentaries from notable scholars, rabbis, and public personalities that speak to the quality and ongoing relevance of Beerman’s work.