Wednesday, September 30, 2009

New Book Release: You Are What You Hate

You Are What You Hate: A Spiritually Productive Approach To Enemies by Sarah Yehudit Schneider

Enemies hold fallen slivers of our souls, estranged sparks that we do not recognize as pieces of our very own selves. They have chosen us as their opponent because they are trying, in their deluded way, to connect back to their root, which really is us. The spark of ourselves inside the enemy must be recovered… We cannot complete our life mission until we have collected all the scattered pieces of ourselves, including those currently embedded within our enemy’s soul. The question becomes: How do we both protect ourselves and reclaim our sparks? What is the most spiritually productive way to succeed at this paradoxical mission?

The text at the heart of these teachings was written in the early 19th century by the great kabbalist and chassidic master R’ Yitzchak Yehuda Yechiel Safron, the Komarna Rebbe. It is the fruit of his personal struggle to find the most spiritually productive attitude toward his own detractors… A truly enlightened strategy requires us to find the right balance between self-protection and generosity, protest and acceptance, savvy and idealism, zero-tolerance-for-evil and compassion. The Komarna Rebbe uses the kabbala for his guidance. He pulls these lofty teachings down into real life and presents us with practical instructions for how to solve this ancient and universal dilemma.

New Book Release: Law & Order

The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Unofficial Companion by Randee Dawn and Susan Green

The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Unofficial Companion is a comprehensive guide covering all 10 seasons (including the current 2008−2009 season) and will include a synopsis and an objective analysis for each episode, as well as commentaries or recollections from the people involved in crafting the one-hour tale. It goes after the heart of SVU through interviews with actors, writers, producers, casting agents, location scouts and others. Moreover, the authors peek behind the scenes of the bicoastal operation, observing the progress of an entire episode shot in New York City and a script fine-tuned in Los Angeles. The book provides fascinating insight, delighting SVU devotees who love on-screen and backstage trivia. In addition, creator Dick Wolf offers readers a gripping foreword to the book.

New Book Release: Path to Selflessness

Path to Selflessness by Shmuel Simpson

The Path to Selflessness is a discourse delivered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of blessed memory, on the eve of the fast of the tenth of Tevet 5738(1977).

At the time, the rebbe was recuperating from a heart attack he had suffered on the night of Shemini Atzeret, and would periodically deliver addresses from his office at Lubavitch World Headquarters, by way of a special hookup system, to the main synagogue. This was the last of these unique addresses, as he subsequently returned to his regular schedule.

Beginning with the words Yehuda Atah, the discourse examines the blessing which Yaakov blessed his fourth son, Yehuda, as compared to the blessings he gave his first three sons, Reuven, Shimon and Levi. Yaakov's sons embody distinctive forms of divine service, which correspond to distinct sections of the prayers of Shema and the Amidah. Using these distinctions, the discourse further derives lessons about the bond between the individual Jewish soul and G-d.