Kirjahaku

In High Holiday sermons, essays, and public writings stretching over almost half a century, Sheldon Lewis searches the rich treasuries of sacred Jewish sources for guidance to contemporary dilemmas in a rapidly changing world. War and peace, the State of Israel, inequality in income and opportunity, oppression, refugees, LGBT issues, honoring diversity, global warming and more become his focus. While his thinking embraces the entire planet, he also seeks personal wisdom for living each day with meaning and purpose.

Mati and Ahmed live in neighborhoods not far from each other in Jerusalem. Meeting by an extraordinary coincidence, they discover that they share something unique: they are both thumb-sized Quickly they develop a close friendship and proceed to adventure after adventure in their shared city. Along the way, they learn so much about each other's language, Hebrew and Arabic, faith, and culture. They relish their differences, and they are eager to have new experiences. They also find that they share important values like caring for all creatures, giving to those in need, and hospitality. In sometimes harrowing circumstances, they shop in the Arab market place, put themselves on the line to help a lost donkey, reach out to help a poor woman in distress, rescue an injured cat, and find opportunities to assist in a synagogue and in a mosque. Mati and Ahmed form a special friendship and show the way for others. The prophet Isaiah teaches his vision for a more peaceful world: "And a small child will lead them." (Isaiah 11:6)

Rabbi Lewis was deployed to Vietnam as an Army chaplain from 1970 to 1971 to be present with Jewish personnel in the Central Highlands. Serving men and women drafted into a morally fraught war with increasing protest back home, he tried to bring a listening ear and the comfort of Jewish tradition to lonely and conflicted people. Fifty years later, from letters sent home, he retells and relives the drama and agony of serving in that era. What others have said: "When I first met Rabbi Shelly Lewis in the jungles of Vietnam, I felt he was truly a man of God. Months later, that feeling was reinforced as he stood by my hospital bed where I struggled to survive." (Lloyd Kantor, wounded veteran)"As we traveled around Nam, I found that most soldiers just wanted to talk to someone who would listen and empathize with them. We were serving our country in a very confusing war, place, time, and circumstance which most of us did not understand and/or support. Chaplain Lewis learned this quickly, and his active listening skills and nurturing personality made him one of the most respected clergy in II Corps." (Ed Finkelstein, Chaplain s Assistant to Rabbi Lewis).

"What does Judaism have to say about humanity's most pressing crisis? Rabbi Shelly Lewis has written an engaging, scholarly, and inspiring book about how Jewish tradition should inform our personal response to climate change: required reading for anyone who cares about the future of Creation."(Prof. Alon Tal, former chair of Knesset subcommittee on the Environment & Climate)"Our planet is on life support. These are grave times. Yet I can still find solace in this newest book by Rabbi Sheldon Lewis. With a clear moral vision, Lewis conveys the many ways in which the Hebrew Bible celebrates the natural world as a sacred creation that we must cherish and work to preserve. His words are glorious, his vision illuminating. Reading his book fills me with joy."(Dr. Adriane Leveen, Bible Scholar and Climate Activist)