Faith Finding Meaning

Reviews / Votes

Mr.Landau wisely points out that it's cruel and misguided to hold ourselves or others to [a perfectionist] standard for meaning, because it neglects each life's inherent worth. Mr. Landau is a clear and deliberate thinker, and he argues this important point and many others convincingly... in 'Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World,' Mr. Landau presents a much-needed lesson in humanity and compassion * Wall Street Journal * Byron Sherwin is, without doubt, one of the most informed and penetrating theological minds of American Jewry today. Faith Finding Meaning is instructive, if not required, reading for those wishing to participate in future discussions in constructive Jewish theology. Forthright, synthetic and always engaging, Sherwin assesses the condition of modern Jewry and provides the spiritual tools necessary for a Jewish faith that is both grounded in sacred texts and profoundly inspiring. Scholars and spiritual pilgrims alike will come to use this volume as a window through which to view both the Jewish tradition and the contemporary Jewish soul. * Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, spiritual leader of Park Avenue Synagogue and author of Teyku: The Insoluble Contradictions in the Life and Thought of Louis Jacobs * Based on his wide familiarity with classical Jewish texts and his broad reading of modern Jewish thinkers, Sherwin takes us on an intellectual exploration of what form American Jewish theology might take in the twenty-first century. He shows that any new Jewish theology has to rest not only on the Judaic tradition, but also on the lived experience of modern Jews being in a covenant relationship with the Divine. This book is indispensable for anyone interested in thinking about how classical Jewish literature and liturgy can address the post-modern Jewish experience of faith, life and suffering. * Peter J. Haas, Abba Hillel Silver Professor of Jewish Studies, Case Western Reserve University. * According to the Jewish mystical tradition, the Torah reveals herself only to her lovers. Byron Sherwin is not only one of the most creative Jewish scholars of our generation, but is also a lover of the Torah. That enables him in this book, using the most important traditional Jewish sources and modern scholarship, to present us with an authentic Jewish theology by describing what Judaism is and what Judaism is not. * Harold Kasimow, George Drake Professor of Religious Studies Emeritus, Grinnell College * Anyone who spends time with Sherwin's essay will be inspired... * Samuel H. Brody * Sherwin shifts the center of the discussion to the quest for individual meaning. * Joseph Haberer, SHOFAR *