This Is Real and You Are Completely U..., Alan Lew
This Is Real and You Are Completely U..., Alan Lew
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This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared
The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation

Author: Alan Lew, Norman Fischer

Narrator: Allan Robertson

Unabridged: 8 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/17/2018


Synopsis

In this “journey of spiritual transformation” (Publishers Weekly) award winning author Rabbi Alan Lew follows the practices and rituals of the Jewish High Holy Days and guides readers through heartbreak, contemplation, and re-birth.

There are times in life when we are caught utterly unprepared: a death in the family, the end of a relationship, a health crisis. These are the times when the solid ground we thought we stood on disappears beneath our feet, leaving us reeling and heartbroken, as we stumble back to our faith.

The Days of Awe encompass the weeks preceding Rosh Hashanah up to Yom Kippur, a period in which Jews take part in a series of rituals and prayers that reenact the journey of the soul through the world from birth to death. This is a period of contemplation and repentance, comparable to Lent and Ramadan. Yet, for Rabbi Alan Lew, the real purpose of this annual passage is for us to experience brokenheartedness and open our heart to God.

In This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared, Lew has marked out a journey of seven distinct stages, one that draws on these rituals to awaken our soul and wholly transform us. Weaving together Torah readings, Buddhist parables, Jewish fables and stories from his own life, Lew lays bare the meanings of this ancient Jewish passage. He reveals the path from terror to acceptance, confusion to clarity, doubt to belief, and from complacency to awe.

In the tradition of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, This Is Real And You Are Completely Unprepared enables believers of all faiths to reconnect to their faith with a passion and intimacy that will resonate throughout the year.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Evan on January 16, 2015

Jews always look at me funny when I say the high holidays are my favorite of all Jewish rituals. To be honest, it has something to do with the fact that it always falls around my birthday when my thoughts naturally turn again to the fact that I continue to survive my long dead twin sister, whose lif......more

Goodreads review by Greg on October 05, 2017

I read this book every year in the run up to the high holidays. I think people will be reading Rabbi Lew's book in 1000 years. It is the kind of book where every sentence has something to teach.......more

Goodreads review by Selena on August 27, 2009

Let me preface this review by saying that I am Christian. Not only am I Christian, but I honestly had no idea about Judaism except what you learn from a historical standpoint. In saying that, I was astounded by this book, so much so in fact, that I have asked for permission to observe the High Holid......more

Goodreads review by Jordana on September 30, 2014

This book took me so long to read...not because it was long or hard, but because it was magnificent. It was such a wonderful addition to my high holiday experience. I will have to come back to this every year. I could not recommend it more highly for anyone who wants to reinvigorate Rosh Hashana and......more

Goodreads review by Nikki on August 26, 2013

What a wonderful book. As a prickly, non-Hebrew-reading or speaking, atheist, sentimental Jew, it's often difficult for me to find texts about Jewish ritual and practice that speak to me. This fits that bill, and I think it has so much to offer anyone who is thinking through personal transformation,......more