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Recovery, the 12 Steps and Jewish Spirituality: Reclaiming Hope, Courage & Wholeness - Paperback | Diverse Reads

Recovery, the 12 Steps and Jewish Spirituality: Reclaiming Hope, Courage & Wholeness

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A major new Jewish contribution to 12-Step spirituality.
Claim the spiritual freedom that waits beyond the suffering and slavery of addiction.

"One of the important similarities between AA and Jewish spirituality is the statement in Step 12, 'to practice these principles in all our affairs....' There is no dichotomy of sacred versus secular. Jewish spirituality applies to how we eat, sleep, work, socialize and recreate. There is nothing that is external to the relationship of human being to God."
—from the Foreword

This easy-to-read exploration from a Jewish perspective is the first comprehensive approach to successfully integrate classic Jewish spirituality with the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other recovery resources.

With clarity and passion, Rabbi Paul Steinberg masterfully weaves traditional Jewish wisdom with the experience, strength and hope of AA. He draws on Jewish resources—theological, psychological and ethical—that speak to the spiritual dimension of the disease, and shows how the principles of Jewish spiritual recovery directly align with those of the AA 12 Steps. Along the way, he courageously shares his own personal struggles with alcoholism and addiction in a way that will help others find guidance and a new life path—and stay on it.

ISBN-13: 9781580238083

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Turner Publishing Company

Publication Date: 10-03-2014

Pages: 176

Product Dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

Rabbi Paul Steinberg is a nationally renowned Jewish educator and a professional staff member at Beit T'Shuvah, the acclaimed recovery center in Los Angeles. Previously a rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom congregation in Encino, California, his books include the three-volume series Celebrating the Jewish Year, which won the National Jewish Book Award. Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, MD, a psychiatrist, rabbi and frequent lecturer on a broad range of topics including spirituality and self-esteem, is author of over fifty books, including Happiness and the Human Spirit: The Spirituality of Becoming the Best You Can Be; A Formula for Proper Living: Practical Lessons from Life and Torah (both Jewish Lights); Waking Up Just in Time; The Spiritual Self and Getting Up When You're Down. He is the founder and medical director emeritus of Gateway Rehabilitation Center. For more information, visit www.abrahamtwerski.com. Harriet Rossetto is the founder, CEO and clinical director of Beit T'Shuvah. She is the author of Sacred Housekeeping: A Spiritual Memoir.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi
Preface xiii
Introduction xvii

Part I A Judaism of Experience, Strength, and Hope:
A Rabbi's Journey through Alcoholism 1
1 Understanding Addiction, Jewish Spirituality, and Medicine 7
Addiction and Choice 8
Treating Body and Soul 10
Personal Reflections 11

2 A God and Religion of Recovery 13
Discovering God 13
Discovering Religion 18
Personal Reflections 20

3 The Dignity of the Self 23
The Dignity of Infinite Value 24
The Dignity of Equality 27
The Dignity of Uniqueness 29
Embracing Dignity 32
Personal Reflections 35
Recovery

4 The Evil Inclination 37
The Origin of "Evil" 37
Outside the Garden 38
Suppressing versus Repressing the Yetzer Ha-Ra 40
Identifying the Yetzer Ha-Ra 42
Elevating Evil 46
Personal Reflections 48

5 Judaism and Alcohol: A Complicated Relationship 50
A Source of Depravity 53
Getting Loaded on Purim 57
Personal Reflections 60

Part II The Covenant of Recovery—Spirituality in Action:
Aligning Jewish Spirituality with AA 63

6 Study—Talmud Torah 67
Torah Study as a Spiritual Practice 68
Study and AA 71

7 Prayer—Tefilah 74
Connecting I, You, and Us 76
Prayer and AA 78

8 Repentance—Teshuvah 81
The Process of Spiritual Transformation 82
First Comes the Awakening 83
Teshuvah and Steps 4 and 5 84
Teshuvah and Steps 8 and 9 86
Teshuvah: An Everyday Occurrence 87

9 Service—Tikkun 89
Healing the World's Brokenness 90
Broken Open 91
Service and AA 95

Part III 12 Texts for the 12 Steps 99
Step 1 103
Step 2 105
Step 3 107
Step 4 110
Step 5 113
Step 6 115
Step 7 118
Step 8 120
Step 9 122
Step 10 125
Step 11 127
Step 12 130
Gratitude 133

Glossary of Jewish Terms and Thinkers 135
Notes 143
Suggestions for Further Reading 149