Joseph B Meszler

A small ball of dough is excited to become a hamantasch, a cookie with filling for the Jewish holiday of Purim. But when a child's hands leave lumps and leaks, it starts to feel insecure. Will anyone still think it is delicious? A holiday story for all people of every size and shape.

A small ball of dough is excited to become a hamantasch, a cookie with filling for the Jewish holiday of Purim. But when a child's hands leave lumps and leaks, it starts to feel insecure. Will anyone still think it is delicious? A holiday story for all people of every size and shape.

Sukkot, the original autumn festival of thanksgiving, was celebrated in huts or tabernacles in ancient times. The tradition of celebrating in a sukkah ("soo-kah") is kept by the Jewish people around the world to this day.But what happens when a hurricane blows through?Share this story of how we help each other and rebuild when the storms of life strike.

Lighting all the Hanukkah candles is an important job, and it only gets bigger every night. Will the shamash-helper candle melt under pressure? A heart-warming, illustrated story of faith and courage about a beloved Jewish tradition.

Lighting all the Hanukkah candles is an important job, and it only gets bigger every night. Will the shamash-helper candle melt under pressure? A heart-warming, illustrated story of faith and courage about a beloved Jewish tradition.

What happens when a friendly little bee sets out in search of a new home?Fly along and find out in this sweet Rosh Hashanah story A heart-warming illustrated story about a beloved Jewish tradition.

A translation and annotated commentary on Tractate Ta'anit with the Interpretations of the Meiri. Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Ordination, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, 1999. Scanned PDF.

"Who is wise? The person who learns from everyone, as it is said, 'From all of my teachers I have gained wisdom' (Psalm 119:99)" (Pirkei Avot 4:3).This quotation of Shimon Ben Zoma can be extended to mean that everyone has something to teach and something to learn. If this is true on an individual level, it also is sound for Jewish students of different denominations and backgrounds and people of different faith traditions learning from one another as well.This guide invites you to take advantage of the embarrassment of riches presented to the learner of Torah (the Five Books of Moses) in the 21st century. Orthodox Jews can learn from Reform and Feminist Torah commentaries, and Progressive Jews can grow in consciousness from studying Hasidic texts and Rashi. Today, there are many kinds of Torah commentaries available in English, and the most open-minded and open-hearted way to approach Torah learning is an "all of the above" approach.This guide will help the person who wants to engage in the study of the Torah portion of the week and use multiple Torah commentaries from different backgrounds. This approach has been tested in a Jewish Day School setting as well as synagogue and has been found to be deeply rewarding.In this guide are selections in Hebrew and English of a section of each week's Torah portion and guide questions, directing you to the Jewish denominations' main Torah commentaries you will commonly see in the pews. It also directs you to other mainstream Torah commentaries (even one written specifically for teens), and it includes page numbers to make looking up answers efficient. The idea is that you will sit with a friend, this guide, and the volumes referenced here and look up different the guide questions in the various books. You will then have your own questions and probably become distracted by other topics as they come up. Next thing you know, an hour will have gone by as you have been lost in Torah study. You will then hopefully gain new appreciation that people of different Jewish religious backgrounds all have something to to teach each other, and we can increase ahavat yisrael - love of the people Israel - in the world. And we can all be united by Torah study. We can follow Hillel's direction: "Love your neighbor as yourself. That is the whole Torah, now go and study " (Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 21a)All translations are from Sefaria.org and are in the public domain.

An accessible collection for an introduction to the Talmud Second edition.This volume contains a selection of passages from the Talmud and Midrash by Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler. The choice of passages focuses on some of the Talmud's "greatest hits." Unlike other Talmud anthologies, here all passages are presented in English and Hebrew or Aramaic. All translations are in the public domain using Sefaria.org.Rabbi Meszler is a congregational rabbi, teacher of all ages, activist, and writer. He is the author of several books, including: Gifts for the Poor: Moses Maimonides' Treatise on Tzedakah (College of William & Mary, 2003), Witnesses to the One: the Spiritual History of the Sh'ma, (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2006), and Jewish Tradition & Justice Today (CreateSpace, 2017).

Insights, Ideas and Activities for Discussing with Teen Guys What It Means to Become a Jewish ManA step-by-step guide to creative use of The JGuy's Guide: A GPS for Jewish Teen Guys in the classroom or at home. For each chapter in the book, this guide includes enough material for two or three hour-long lessons, each featuring: Clearly stated goalsA warm-up activityGuidance on using portions of the book, along with engaging discussion questionsA text selection, in Hebrew and English, connected to the topic of the lessonThis comprehensive teaching tool will help you create a safe space for personal sharing and learning.

Insights, Ideas and Activities for Discussing with Teen Guys What It Means to Become a Jewish ManA step-by-step guide to creative use of The JGuy's Guide: A GPS for Jewish Teen Guys in the classroom or at home. For each chapter in the book, this guide includes enough material for two or three hour-long lessons, each featuring: Clearly stated goalsA warm-up activityGuidance on using portions of the book, along with engaging discussion questionsA text selection, in Hebrew and English, connected to the topic of the lessonThis comprehensive teaching tool will help you create a safe space for personal sharing and learning.

Who am I? How do I feel about myself? Do I seem cool? Do I fit in?"At a bar mitzvah people talk about becoming a man in the Jewish religion, but what is that supposed to mean? For sure it means you are no longer a child, but you are also not yet an adult. Fortunately, there's no one official definition of manhood, just as there is no one official way of being Jewish. That's where this book comes in."--from the PrefaceCourage, friends, stress, sex, God, identity--these are some of the things that concern teen guys. This book addresses those concerns--without preaching, judgment or criticism--to help you figure out what becoming a Jewish man means to you.It presents surprising facts, interesting stories, ideas and actions taken by Jewish men today and all the way back to biblical times to show how they answered the same kinds of questions you're asking yourself. It challenges stereotypes and myths, and offers different opinions, not only from old guys but from dozens of teenage Jewish guys just like you.Like the Talmud, The JGuy's Guide offers many perspectives and reflection questions to help you find your own truths.

Who am I? How do I feel about myself? Do I seem cool? Do I fit in?"At a bar mitzvah people talk about becoming a man in the Jewish religion, but what is that supposed to mean? For sure it means you are no longer a child, but you are also not yet an adult. Fortunately, there's no one official definition of manhood, just as there is no one official way of being Jewish. That's where this book comes in."--from the PrefaceCourage, friends, stress, sex, God, identity--these are some of the things that concern teen guys. This book addresses those concerns--without preaching, judgment or criticism--to help you figure out what becoming a Jewish man means to you.It presents surprising facts, interesting stories, ideas and actions taken by Jewish men today and all the way back to biblical times to show how they answered the same kinds of questions you're asking yourself. It challenges stereotypes and myths, and offers different opinions, not only from old guys but from dozens of teenage Jewish guys just like you.Like the Talmud, The JGuy's Guide offers many perspectives and reflection questions to help you find your own truths.

Find spiritual strength for healing in the wisdom of Jewish tradition.Whether you are facing illness yourself, serving as a caregiver, providing pastoral care, or simply wondering where God is when we get sick, the teachings and wisdom of Jewish tradition can help you cope with the difficulties of illness and infirmity.With a format designed to accommodate the stressful life of people dealing with illness, Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler helps you focus on spiritual well-being as an essential aspect of physical healing and wholeness. He provides comfort and inspiration to help you maintain personal balance and family harmony amid the fear, pain, and chaos of illness. Combining the stories of real people with insights from Jewish sources, he offers practical advice and spiritual guidance for: Reaching inward to the soul when the body failsReaching outward to provide strength, comfort and compassion to the ill or infirmReaching upward to God through prayer and daily gratitude