The Jews are known for their intuitive genius in getting out of a pickle. With their long history of persecution, they've developed a knack for escaping seemingly hopeless predicaments: when your back is against the wall, you learn to think fast. Centuries of reasoning and interpreting the Holy Scriptures have also contributed to the Jews' skill in solving the most puzzling problems. This astute way of thinking is known in Yiddish as "yiddishe kop," literally " Jewish head." Through Jewish humor, folklore, and tales of the great rabbis, Rabbi Nilton Bonder presents the basic...

This book challenges us to take a broad and ethical view of economic behavior, which includes all forms of exchange and human interaction, from how we spend our money to how we fulfill our role as responsible human beings in a global economic framework. Drawing on Jewish ethical teachings, mystical lore, and tales of the Hasidic masters, Bonder explores a wide range of subjects including competition, partnerships, contracts, loans and interest, tipping, and giving gifts.

A treatise on when and why to heed your soul's transgressive instinct, with examples drawn from biblical history and Hasidic lore.

Rabbi Bonder turns a few conventional ideas on their heads as he identifies the forces at play in individual, social, and spiritual transformation. Many people believe that obedience to the established moral order leads to the well-being of society as well as the salvation of their souls. On the contrary, says Bonder, the human spirit is nourished by the impulse to betray and transgress the ways of the past. Even the Bible legitimizes our God-given...

One of the most disturbing ideas known to our human imaginations is that of the Final Judgment, the accounting we are called to give at the end of our lives. Born in the depths of our consciousness, this notion of a final judgment is a consequence of our perception that we have priorities and goals in our lives. It is a measurement of just how successful or unsuccessful we have been in the venture of life. This book suggests a possible set of ethics for the individual vis-a-vis his or her own self-ethics that reflect the obligations life imposes on the living. Written in the form of a...

One of the most disturbing ideas known to our human imaginations is that of the Final Judgment, the accounting we are called to give at the end of our lives. Born in the depths of our consciousness, this notion of a final judgment is a consequence of our perception that we have priorities and goals in our lives. It is a measurement of just how successful or unsuccessful we have been in the venture of life. This book suggests a possible set of ethics for the individual vis-a-vis his or her own self-ethics that reflect the obligations life imposes on the living. Written in the form of a...