Bibliography on Jewish Spiritual Care

Jewish spiritual books abound. Many come from one major publisher: Jewish Lights, which has a Jewish spiritual catalogue. Jewish Lights also has a set of books about explaining Jewish practice and beliefs to Christians. They also have an excellent book on describing faith-based practices across numerous traditions, listed below. Almost all books listed here are available through Amazon.com , on Kindle as well, or in local libraries. The Jewish Lights website has full descriptions and excerpts.

JEWISH CHAPLAINCY:
Dayle Friedman. Jewish Pastoral Care: A Practical Handbook from Traditional and Contemporary Sources (2nd Edition) VT: Jewish Lights, 2010.
This is the Jewish Pastoral Care Bible. “A defining volume … to which one can return again and again for guidance and insight. For those who are called to the profession of Jewish pastoral care, and for those who are ever called to ‘be there’ for another human being—be it a loved one, a friend, or a stranger—this book is a precious resource.” —The Reconstructionist

Cutter, William. Healing and the Jewish Imagination: Spiritual and Practical Perspectives on Judaism and Health VT: Jewish Lights, 2007.

Cutter, William. Midrash and Medicine: Healing Body and Soul in the Jewish Interpretive Tradition. VT: Jewish Lights, 2011.

Levitz, Yisrael and Abraham Twerski.(eds) A Practical Guide to Rabbinic Counseling. NY: Feldheim, 2005.

Gordon, Sol. When Living Hurts (Revised Ed.) NY: URJ Press, 2004.
For teenagers, young adults, their parents, leaders, and counselors.

Meszler, Joseph. Facing Illness, Finding God: How Judaism Can Help You and Caregivers Cope When Body or Spirit Fails. VT: Jewish Lights, 2010.

Brenner, Daniel, Tsvi Blanchard, Joseph Fins, Bradley Hirschfield. Embracing Life and Facing Death: A Jewish Guide to Palliative Care. NY: CLAL, 2002.

Comins., Mike. Making Prayers Real: Leading Jewish Voices on Why Prayer is Difficult and What to Do about It. VT: Jewish Lights, 2010.

GRIEF AND LOSS:
Brener. Anne. Mourning & Mitzvah: A Guided Journal for Walking the Mourner’s Path Through Grief to Healing (2nd Edition), VT: Jewish Lights, 2001.
This is the Bible for grief and mourning which has been a model for other books on the same topic: explanation of death and dying with Jewish rituals explained as well as a pathway to establishing personal rituals to aid in the healing process.

Bookman, Terry. The Busy Soul: Ten-Minute Spiritual Workouts Drawn from Jewish Tradition. NY: Perigree/Penguin, 1999.

Lamm, Maurice. Consolation: The Spiritual Journey Beyond Grief. Phila: Jewish Publications Society. 2005.

Joel Roffman, and Gordon Fuller. Coping with Adversity: Judaism’s Response to Illness and Other Life Struggles. TX: Brown Books, 2008

JEWISH STORIES/PERSONAL REFLECTIONS:
Kushner, Harold. When Bad Things Happen to Good People. NY: Avon, 1983.
The Bible on the Jewish response to suffering. Rabbi Kushner has written numerous books related to spiritual healing. I have listed a few below.

Kushner, Harold. Overcoming Life’s Disappointments: Learning from Moses How to Cope with Frustration. NY: Anchor/Random House, 2006.

Kushner, Harold. Living a Life that Matters. NY: Anchor/Random House, 2002.

Hirsch, Sherre. We Plan, God Laughs: What to Do When Life Hits You Over the Head. NY: Doubleday, 2008.

Levy, Naomi. To Begin Again: The Journey Toward Comfort, Strength, and Faith in Difficult Times. NY: Ballantine, 1998.
This is a personal favorite of mine. Powerful uplifting story of resilience.

Wolpe, David. The Healer of Shattered Hearts: A Jewish View of God. NY: Penguin, 1990.

Leder, Steven. The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Things. NJ: Behrman House, 1999.

Naomi Remen. Kitchen Table Wisdom (1996) and My Grandfather’s Blessings. (2000) NY: Riverhead Press.
This book started the trend towards Jewish healing stories. Marvelous, mostly about cancer patients.

Siegel, Danny. Healing: Readings and Meditations. NC: Town House Press, 1999.

Grollman, Earl. Living with Loss, Healing with Hope: A Jewish Perspective. Boston, Beacon Press, 1977. Living When a Loved One Has Died. Boston, Beacon Press, 2000.

Rosenblatt, Roger. Making Toast: A Family Story. NY: Harper/ Collins, 2010.
I am not sure that this is specific to Judaism, but it is so compelling that I have included it. About a grandfather taking over the care of grandchildren after the loss of a daughter.

Spitz, Elie Kaplan. Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World. VT: Jewish Lights, 2008.

PSALMS:
Kushner, Harold. The Lord is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-Third Psalm. NY: Knopf, 2003.

Chiel, Samuel and Henry Dreher. The Healing Power of Psalms. NY: Marlowe & Co., 2007.

Polish, Daniel.Bringing the Psalms to Life: How to Understand and Use the Book of Psalms. VT: Jewish Lights, 2000.

INTERFAITH:
Matlins, Stuart and Arthur Magida (Eds.) How to Be a Perfect Stranger. 4th Edition. VT: Skylight Paths, 2006.
Includes the funeral and wedding materials. This is the most comprehensive guide available on how to interact with various faith traditions in houses of worship, at life cycle events, and for holidays.