Wed Sep 17, 2008 at 09:08:03 AM EDT
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| I recently finished Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg's excellent spiritual memoir, Surprised By God: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Religion, which chronicles her journey from atheist teenage punk rocker to observant, spiritually-connected Jew (and later rabbi). The book is beautifully written, funny, and honest, but what's most extraordinary is its refusal to offer easy answers. This quality is especially welcome as we find ourselves, yet again, in the midst of an election cycle in which many assume that religion offers easy answers to complicated issues. Ruttenberg resists the temptation to preach to her readers about how awesome her spiritual awakening has been, how easy Jewish practice is, or how she's found the light and wants to bring everyone else along. (especially welcoming to those of us whom someone tries to save just about every morning in the subway) Instead, she shows us the complexities of religious practice and relationship with God. |
| Rabbi Jill Jacobs :: Searching for God in the 21st century |
She speaks movingly of her struggles with God, of what she gave up as well as what she gained in her journey, and of the significance as well as the challenges of her current practice. There is a running joke among Conservative rabbis that whenever someone comes to us with a question, we always say "well--there are at least two answers" and then proceed utterly to confuse the questioner. Confusing and complicated, yes, but also more authentic to Jewish tradition than simply giving a pat answer. What's authentic about Ruttenberg's writing is that she refuses to give pat answers, but instead shows us the messiness and craziness that is religious life. And miraculously, she does this without utterly confusing the reader. It's so rare in Jewish circles to have real and personal conversations about God that are grounded in Jewish (and non-Jewish) text, theology, and practice. I hope that this is a start to a much larger conversation. |
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