Jewish Spiritual Guidance: Finding Our Way to God

A Map for the Inner Journey, for Seekers and Guides Alike Written with warmth, compassion, and deep understanding, this book offers a map of the inner journey for exploring the time-honored practice of spiritual guidance. Carol Ochs and Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky speak both to those who seek a Jewish perspective on the spiritual life and those who wish to guide others in this search. Drawing deeply on the riches of the Torah and other important Jewish sources, Jewish Spiritual Guidance offers wisdom and insight to all religious seekers'lay and ordained, Jewish and non-Jewish. They examine the broad principles of spiritual guidance, describing it as the journey of two people'seeker and guide'through the wilderness toward God. The central relationship is not between the seeker and the guide but between the seeker and God. The guide is a companion who helps the seeker discover patterns, articulate insights, and remain faithful. All the lessons that the guide teaches the seeker are lessons that the guide is also learning, again and again. This much-needed resource will not only nourish the seeker-guide relationship but also inspire discussions in adult education classes, minyanim, and prayer groups. All religious seekers will find wisdom and understanding through this illuminating book. CONTENTS Introduction: Seeking and Guiding on the Spiritual Way 1. Finding Our Spiritual Maps 2. Meeting God Through Prayer 3. Listening with Spiritual Attentiveness 4. Recognizing the Spiritual Path 5. Understanding Our Fears 6. Revisiting Our Images of God 7. Engaging God Through the Study of Sacred Texts 8. Encountering Temptation and Sin 9. Enduring the Spiritual Desert 10. Drawing from and Giving to Community 11. Continuing the Spiritual Journey