Integral Halachah: Transcending and Including

Here is a work that shows us how to adapt Halachah from a Traditional, Historical perspective into a realistic understanding of living in a state of G-d - Centeredness.

This book is an excellent addition to Reb Zalman's extensive list of books, tapes and lectures. The Paradigm Shift he has referred to in many of his works has significant implications for the way to be a Jew (aka, Halachah). Halachah includes rules and guidelines for both individuals and Rabbis, but this book is not just for Rabbis. These are important issues and I don't know of anyone else who is so effectively helping us to connect to our ancient wisdom-tradition while simultaneously showing us how to be Jews of the twenty-first century and beyond. Reb Zalman has thought long and hard about the question of what within Judaism requires some tweaking, and his suggestions for updates include cautions to not oversteer and create something unrecognizable as Jewish. We are to stay in touch with what we inherited with respect to the function of an observance, but we are invited to collaborate and to participate in ways that are meaningful to us and our communities: We are empowered to shape the Halachah of the future. Reb Daniel does an excellent job organizing the material and creating a valuable, accessible and often deeply-moving volume. In addition, he's included his own essays which enhance the original material from Reb Zalman's lectures. I'd especially recommend this for people who already know about Judaism and are interested in deepening a practice. Or for someone who believes that Jewish law is no longer relevant and is open to re-examining this belief. This is an empowering, inspiring and moving book that stimulates a deep practice and observance.

Respectful, deeply loving of Jewish values and halachot, these two rabbis also appreciate the emotional and spiritual components of living a Jewish life. Read the ideas and ideals and methods presented and contemplate, is it possible, for example, to have a compassionate AND halachah process for the giving of a Get, a Jewish divorce without losing the chain of authentic halachic practice? Yes! You will hear of what is termed halachah in the red and halachah in the black - how does a person wanting to live a mitzvah-centered life bridge modernity and halachah when our family is spread across multiple neighborhoods, states or countries on Shabbat? Every reader will come to their own conclusions based on which rabbis we consult and which part of the spectrum we practice Judaism - all will be enriched by the deep ideas and ideals for the Jewish future articulated in this volume. Living Jewish Life Cycle: How to Create Meaningful Jewish Rites of Passage at Every Stage of Life