Description:
How can we best live until we die?
How do Jewish traditions and teachings inform our best lives?
Midrash Hazak is a collection of insightful commentaries on the weekly and holiday Torah portions written by individuals at, or approaching, the biblical span of three-score-and-ten. Our contributors are rabbis, cantors, social workers, doctors, educators, and educated laypeople who span the breadth and diversity of Jewish thought, observance, and practice. All have thought deeply about their respective Torah portions and what they have to say with respect to their personal journeys, and to aging in general.
Review Quotes: Advance Praise
"The Torah states: 'Honor the elderly person' (Leviticus 19:32). The Talmud explains: the elderly person is one who has acquired wisdom (Kiddushin 32a).
"This book is an inspired bringing together of wise seniors to distill wisdom from the Torah's weekly portion - with an eye to guiding us how to better live the latter years of our lives. The book is written by over 70s for over 70s but is filled with nuggets of wisdom for old and young alike."
-Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg, author, The Triumph of Life: A Narrative Theology of Judaism
"Midrash Hazak brings a beautiful and important group of voices to the study of Torah. While many of these contributors are well known to us from their writing and work, the context of this project makes their words new and important in a different way. Bringing the perspective of those over 65 to the study of the weekly parashah leads to the sharing of wisdom about aging, stages of life, priorities, and the definition of success and happiness, all worked through the lens of Torah. This book has a lot to teach people of all ages.
"Those over 65 will see themselves in these textual analyses, finding camaraderie and connection. Those earlier in life will learn from the careful thinking and deep wisdom of those who have experienced more. As usual, Torah becomes the center around which we all orbit at all times of life."
-Dr. Ora Horn Prouser, CEO and Academic Dean, Academy for Jewish Religion