Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life--in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There)

God is not a supernatural being, but rather a kind of force.

had always thought of myself as a good person, but the Jewish ethics we studied set a much higher bar for honesty, generosity, and basic human decency than I had ever thought to set for myself. Once I actually understood the purposes of the holidays and life cycle rituals, they struck me as beautiful and profound, honoring the lessons of the past,

As Rabbi Avi Weiss points out, “It was not Abraham, the first Jew, who was created in the image of God, but Adam, the first human being, from whom all peoples are descended.”

when it comes to God, language really matters.

Again, we’re partners, not pawns. We’re expected to act.

I learned that just about all of Judaism is rooted in its words, that did not exactly fill me with confidence. I found parts of it to be moving and relatable, but with its bizarre rituals, fallible characters, supernatural occurrences, and not so warm and fuzzy God, the Torah did not strike me as an ideal text upon which to base a major world relig

used to wonder why, when people were so often trying to kill us, we didn’t seek to comfort ourselves by making the afterlife our primary focus. In some ways, that might have been the more humane thing to do. But we never made that choice. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why we’re still here—because we refused to give up on this world or devalue thi

logic and spirituality have different languages and different purposes.

“the four Rs”: “Recognition of having done wrong. Regret. Resolution not to repeat. Restraining oneself in the face of the same temptation or opportunity that previously led to wrongdoing.”