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God Is Here
God Is Here: Reimagining the Divine | Toba Spitzer
4 posts | 2 read | 4 to read
Toba Spitzer's God Is Here is a transformative exploration of the idea of God, offering new paths to experiencing the realm of the sacred. Most of us are hungry for a system of meaning to make sense of our lives, yet traditional religion too often leaves those seeking spiritual sustenance unsatisfied. Rabbi Toba Spitzer understands this problem firsthand, and knows that too often it is traditional ideas of the deityhe's too big, too impersonal, and too unbelievablethat get in the way. In God Is Here, Spitzer argues that whether we believe in God or fervently disbelieve, what we are actually disagreeing about is not God at all, but a metaphor of a Big Powerful Person that limits our understanding and our spiritual lives. Going back to the earliest sources for Judaism as well as Christianity, Spitzer discovers in the Hebrew Bible a rich and varied palette of metaphors for the divineincluding Water, Voice, Fire, Rock, Cloud, and even the process of Becoming. She addresses how we can access these ancient metaphors, as well as those drawn from rabbinic tradition and modern science, to experience holiness in our daily lives and to guide us in challenging times. In the section on water, for instance, she looks at the myriad ways water flows through the Biblical stories of the Israelites and emerges as a powerful metaphor for the divine in the Prophets and Psalms. She invites us to explore what it might mean to drink from God, or to experience godly justice as something that rains down and flows like a river. Each chapter contains insights from the Bible and teachings from Judaism and other spiritual traditions, accompanied by suggestions for practice to bring alive each of the God metaphors. Rabbi Toba Spitzer has helped many people satisfy their spiritual hunger. With God Is Here she will inspire you to find new and perhaps surprising ways of encountering the divine, right where you are.
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Sace
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This book is exactly what I need right now. Thanks for putting it on my radar @IndoorDame

IndoorDame I‘m so happy it‘s speaking to you! 5mo
Sace @IndoorDame it feels good intellectually and physically (by that I mean I love the way it feels in my hand: perfect size and weight….shallow, I know but it is enhancing the reading). 5mo
IndoorDame @Sace I always love it when books pay attention to how much that will enhance the reading! And this one really does have a nice feel :) 5mo
RaeLovesToRead I see floofs!!!! 5mo
Sace @RaeLovesToRead the little guy is all floof 😂 5mo
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IndoorDame
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Pickpick

An exploration of the idea that most of us at least of Jewish/Christian/Muslim backgrounds have come to think of god as a “big person” and why this is problematic for many in the modern world, but that there are many other metaphors for the divine. This explores some of them, primarily from the Torah, but also with a view to cultures around the world. And how they may apply to modern life.

IndoorDame I definitely had criticisms as I read this, but it also really spoke to me. My deepest takeaways are perhaps tangential to the author‘s central message But I like that. I think it shows there‘s actually a lot to hidden in this deceptively simple book. I‘m also trying out one of her practice ideas, and will reach for this in the future when I‘m looking for others. 6mo
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Sace
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A #BlameItOnLitsy purchase with an assist from @IndoorDame

For a while now I've been telling myself that I should reserve my Friday evenings and Saturdays for Jewish reading. I haven't actually done it yet though.

(I am way less observant than my bookshelf makes it seem. "Barely observant" is probably the correct description.)

IndoorDame I‘ve been reading it this week and it‘s really speaking to me! (I‘m not sure why I‘m feeling sort of surprised since Toba always has that way about her in person 🙃) If you have a background in the traditional texts it really is the “reimagining” the title hints to, and offers new interpretations of familiar passages. If not, it‘s a fascinating look at modern obstacles to belief and spiritual practice, and possible paths around them for seekers. 6mo
TheBookHippie @IndoorDame well I must get this too… 😅 6mo
IndoorDame @TheBookHippie you‘ll like it! Before she even gets to any philosophy she starts with a chapter on the current neuroscience knowledge of metaphor and what thinking metaphorically does in our brains which totally rocked me! 6mo
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Sace @IndoorDame @TheBookHippie Looks like I have reading plans for Friday night! I can‘t wait to dive in. 6mo
Suet624 Sounds like a book I would enjoy. Stacked! 6mo
CoffeeK8 This sounds interesting! 6mo
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IndoorDame
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#bookmail ! A woman I work closely with has been writing this for a long time during her sabbaticals and was excited to finish and publish it 2 years ago, but I‘m only just now getting around to reading it. I tried to borrow the hoopla version but hearing someone else read the audio was causing major cognitive dissonance, so I figured I‘d support her and order my own copy.

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