Publisher Description

Midrash provides a revolutionary guide through the most difficult passages of our life stories.This groundbreaking volume examines the spiritual shortfalls of our current healing environment and explores how midrash can help you see beyond the physical aspects of healing to tune in to your spiritual source.Pushing the boundaries of Jewish knowledge, physicians, rabbis, social workers, psychologists and philosophers investigate the role of midrashic thinking in addressing seemingly intractable social and personal issues. Topics discussed include:How metaphors and parables can aid healingHow Jewish tradition can inform and enrich health, hospice and nursing-home careNew ways of reading Jewish texts in the discussion of medical ethicsThe role of community in addressing aging, loss and suffering.

Author Biography

Rabbi William Cutter, PhD, is author of Midrash and Medicine: Healing Body and Soul in the Jewish Interpretive Tradition, and is editor of Healing and the Jewish Imagination: Spiritual Perspectives on Judaism and Health. He has published widely on health and healing. He is former director of the Kalsman Institute on Judaism and professor of modern Hebrew literature and the Steinberg Professor of Human Relations at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion.Michele F. Prince, LCSW, MAJCS, is executive director of OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center in Los Angeles. She is a steering committee member and former director of the Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health of Hebrew Union College. She is an oncology social worker affiliated with the Keck Medical Center of the University of Southern California.

Table of Contents

PrefaceMichele F. Prince, LCSW, MAJCSAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1 METAPHORS AND SIDE EFFECTSL'Mashal: Metaphor and Meaning in IllnessRabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, LCSWFrom Heaven to Hypochondria: Metaphors of Jewish HealingStuart Schoffman, MPhil2 THE NARROW PLACE FROM WHICH HEALING COMES, AND THE EXPANSIVE EDGE OF THE CONTINENTSurviving the Narrow Places: Judah and Joseph and the Journey to WholenessRabbi Norman J. Cohen, PhDWidening the BoundariesRabbi Eric Weiss3 LYRIC AND COMMUNITYThe Midrashic Impulse in Poems, Our Dialogue with Ecclesiastes, and Other Lyrical InterpretationsRabbi William Cutter, PhD"Psalms, Songs & Stories": Midrash and Music at the Jewish Home of San FranciscoRabbi Sheldon Marder4 GOD IN THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE: SOME MIDRASHIC ELABORATIONSTalking to Physicians about Talking about God: A Midrashic InvitationRabbi William Cutter, PhDA Physician's Response to the Midrashic InvitationRonald M. Andiman, MD5 CONTEXTS OF SUFFERING, CONTEXTS OF HOPENeither Suffering nor Its Rewards: A Story about Intimacy and Dealing with Suffering and with DeathRuhama Weiss, PhDThe Experience of Suffering: A Response to Ruhama WeissRabbi Aryeh Cohen, PhD6 MIDRASHIC RENDERINGS OF AGE AND OBLIGATIONAfter the Life Cycle: The Moral Challenges of Later LifeThomas R. Cole, PhDThe Journey of Later Life: Moses as Our GuideRabbi Dayle A. Friedman, MSW, MAJCS, BCC7 NARRATIVE AND LOSSWords in the Dark: A Personal JourneyEitan Fishbane, PhDReflections on the DarkLinda Raphael, PhD8 THE DILEMMAS OF PSYCHOTHERAPY; THE HEALING RESPONSE OF MIDRASHThe Danger of Cure, the Value of Healing: Toward a Midrashic Way of BeingPhilip Cushman, PhDMidrashic Thinking: An Appreciation and a CautionRabbi Lewis M. Barth, PhD9 THE NARRATIVE TURN IN JEWISH BIOETHICSAggadah and Midrash: A New Direction for Bioethics?Rabbi Leonard A. Sharzer, MDJewish Bioethics: Between Interpretation and CriticismJonathan Cohen, PhD10 WHAT TAKES PLACE AND WHAT CAN BE CHANGEDA Midrash on the Mi Sheberakh: A Prayer for PersistingRabbi Julie Pelc AdlerThe Human Body and the Body PoliticRabbi Richard Address, DMinNotesCredits

Review

"A conversation among the giants of the Jewish healing movement. Jewish professionals and lay leaders alike, along with clinicians and all those who have had encounters with medicine will appreciate the depth and the humanity, the challenges articulated and the synergy engendered by this discourse on the science and art of healing."—Rabbi Mari Chernow, senior rabbi, Temple Chai (Phoenix)"A rigorous intellectual and emotional journey. Expands the field considerably, as midrash—Jewish lore—allows emphasis on empathy. An exploration of some of the finest minds (and hearts) into a new chapter of Jewish bioethics."—Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler, author, Facing Illness, Finding God: How Judaism Can Help You and Caregivers Cope When Body or Spirit Fails"A synergistic interplay of simultaneously personal and scholarly reflections from an international group of seasoned, intelligent, caring voices. Perusing this rich compilation of fresh source material and nuanced insights is like joining a leading-edge conversation—or at least like sitting within a couple of rows of the lively, collaborative roundtable."—Rabbi Natan Fenner, BCC, founding editor, Bay Area Jewish Healing Center's Torah Reflections"Explores a wide range of thought about how we use language, image and story to make meaning in the midst of illness, aging, healing and caregiving."—Rabbi Nancy Flam, codirector of programs, Institute for Jewish Spirituality"Presents inspiring and beautifully crafted essays and stories on subjects that touch all realms of the human condition—the physical, the emotional, the mental and the spiritual. This powerful book provides the opportunity to engage in the extraordinary Jewish tradition of story making, interpreting and reframing to bring meaning and wholeness into our lives."—Sharona Silverman, MPH, director, Deutsch Family Shalom Center, Temple Chai (Phoenix)

Long Description

Midrash provides a revolutionary guide through the most difficult passages of our life stories. This groundbreaking volume examines the spiritual shortfalls of our current healing environment and explores how midrash can help you see beyond the physical aspects of healing to tune in to your spiritual source. Pushing the boundaries of Jewish knowledge, physicians, rabbis, social workers, psychologists and philosophers investigate the role of midrashic thinking in addressing seemingly intractable social and personal issues. Topics discussed include: How metaphors and parables can aid healing How Jewish tradition can inform and enrich health, hospice and nursing-home care New ways of reading Jewish texts in the discussion of medical ethics The role of community in addressing aging, loss and suffering.

Review Quote

"A conversation among the giants of the Jewish healing movement. Jewish professionals and lay leaders alike, along with clinicians and all those who have had encounters with medicine will appreciate the depth and the humanity, the challenges articulated and the synergy engendered by this discourse on the science and art of healing." -- Rabbi Mari Chernow , senior rabbi, Temple Chai (Phoenix) "A rigorous intellectual and emotional journey. Expands the field considerably, as midrash--Jewish lore--allows emphasis on empathy. An exploration of some of the finest minds (and hearts) into a new chapter of Jewish bioethics." -- Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler , author, Facing Illness, Finding God: How Judaism Can Help You and Caregivers Cope When Body or Spirit Fails "A synergistic interplay of simultaneously personal and scholarly reflections from an international group of seasoned, intelligent, caring voices. Perusing this rich compilation of fresh source material and nuanced insights is like joining a leading-edge conversation--or at least like sitting within a couple of rows of the lively, collaborative roundtable." -- Rabbi Natan Fenner, BCC , founding editor, Bay Area Jewish Healing Center's Torah Reflections "Explores a wide range of thought about how we use language, image and story to make meaning in the midst of illness, aging, healing and caregiving." -- Rabbi Nancy Flam , codirector of programs, Institute for Jewish Spirituality "Presents inspiring and beautifully crafted essays and stories on subjects that touch all realms of the human condition--the physical, the emotional, the mental and the spiritual. This powerful book provides the opportunity to engage in the extraordinary Jewish tradition of story making, interpreting and reframing to bring meaning and wholeness into our lives." -- Sharona Silverman, MPH , director, Deutsch Family Shalom Center, Temple Chai (Phoenix)

Details