Karyn D. Kedar

Prayer is an articulation of our noblest desires, our deepest yearnings, and our darkest places. The prayers in this collection speak directly to the complexity of human life--whether you seek expression for joy, wonder, perplexity, or heartache, for personal use or for your community, you will find here a voice for your experience that will help you linger in the blessings and move forward through the pain. This collection includes prayers for personal use, prayers for use at communal gatherings, prayers and readings for moments of grief and moments of joy, a collection of daily Psalms, and focus phrases and questions for meditation. These readings for contemplative practice and communal gatherings will aid in the search for clarity, for strength beyond what we know, and for an affirmation of holiness, of goodness, of the grandeur of God.

For over one hundred years, the American Jewish community has built a remarkable network of institutions to help manage fundraising, education and social welfare initiatives. Virtually every one of these organizations is currently preoccupied with issues of leadership from succession planning to board development to conflict management. This urgent need for leadership guidance is occurring at the same time organizational life has come under question, with young leaders often claiming that established Jewish organizations are afraid of innovation and change. In this charged atmosphere, this book serves as a practical guidepost for lay and professional leaders to evaluate the current paradigm with insights from the world of business, psychology and research in Jewish demographics and sociology. Accessible and finely focused, it is supported by vignettes from the field that illustrate the successes of the lessons as well as the consequences of not implementing them.

Inspiring spiritual insight to guide readers on their life journeys.

We live in two seemingly incompatible worlds--rational and spiritual. How can we keep our balance? Like the dolphin who exists in both water and air, so must we learn to live and thrive in two conflicting worlds--the rational, material, everyday craziness of life versus the still, spiritual soulfulness of our deepest selves. Balancing the two--difficult as it often can be--is the key to our spiritual survival. Through poignant stories, spiritual teaching and insights, Karyn Kedar shares with us the ways we can integrate the everyday--family, work, personal challenges--with our quest for deeper spiritual understanding. She helps us to decode the three "languages" we must learn to weave the seemingly ordinary and extraordinary together: Prayer--The path through which our souls connect with the Divine. Perspective--How we define life's twists and turns, and how our words and actions define the quality of our lives. Meaning--The quest to understand and make sense of all that seems incompatible. In graceful ways, Kedar shows us that by realizing the connection between the ordinary and the awe-inspiring, we can synchronize our hearts with the ways of the world and live with joy, a sense of calm and greater purpose.

Telling eloquent stories from the lives of ordinary people, Rabbi Kedar reveals 12 gates of spirituality and explains how each person might enter through these gates to find a deeper understanding of his or her relationship with God.

Wonder, joy and beauty are not as far away as we might think--if only we open our minds and souls to the sound of God's whispering voice. So Karyn Kedar reminds us. By sharing significant moments in the lives of ordinary people, she helps us along the journey to spiritual awareness and understanding. Drawing on her experience as a spiritual leader, Kedar's gentle, revealing stories include that of a woman struggling to come to terms with her mother's death at the hands of her father; a thirteen-year-old girl who finds hope within the uncertainty of her parents' divorce; a realtor who entered for the hundredth time a house she was trying to sell--and suddenly saw the beauty of God's creation in the way the sunlight struck the hardwood floors. God Whispers teaches readers of all faiths and backgrounds that the joy and pain in our lives have meaning and purpose, and that by fully embracing life's highs and lows, we can enrich our spiritual well-being. Kedar tells eloquent stories from the lives of ordinary people who, like all of us, must cope with difficulties such as divorce and reconciliation, illness, loss, conflict and forgiveness, loneliness and isolation. God Whispers will inspire you to take a second look at everything around you, and to rediscover a world that can be filled with the wonders of creation. "The universe abounds with gifts," Kedar writes. "Open your heart and receive them."