The Book of Words: Talking Spiritual Life, Living Spiritual Talk »

In the incomparable manner of his award-winning The Book of Letters: A Mystical Hebrew Alphabet, Kushner now lifts up and shakes the dust off 30 primary religious words we use to describe the spiritual dimension of life. With creativity (and occasional heresy), he makes The Words take on renewed spiritual significance, adding power and focus to the lives we live every day.

For each word, Kushner offers us three to four pages of startling, moving and insightful explication, with pointed readings from biblical and more recent sources to further heighten our understanding. He concludes with a short exercise that helps unite the spirit of the word with our actions in the world.
"This is a powerful and holy book. Whatever our religious traditions, it is a beautiful place to forever be beginning to know the Lord, our God."
- M. Scott Peck, M.D., author of The Road Less Traveled and other books

"A richly imaginative work that can be read with profit by persons of all traditions."
- Publishers Weekly

Library Journal

Rabbi and rabbinic professor Kushner has written, designed, and illustrated this revitalization of Hebrew/English holy words, words full of re-creative power such as secrecy and faith , terror and life , and vision , and truth . Kushner's meditative reflections, supplemented by Biblical and Talmudic wisdom, reveal hidden power and contemporary relevance, as well as humor. Many of Kushner's thoughts may delight non-Jews as well as Jews with the enthusiasm for life and profound sense of the sacred, e.g., when he elaborates on the sacredness of laughter and finds Purim important especially because ``it makes us laugh at ourselves.'' Recommended for public and seminary libraries.