Illness And Health In The Jewish Tradition

"The premise of the Jewish attitude toward illness is that living is sacred, that good health enables us to live a fully religious life, and that disease is an evil. Any effective therapy is permitted, even if it conflicts with Jewish law. To bring about healing is a responsibility not only of the person who is ill and of the professional caregivers, but also of the loved ones, and of the larger circle of family, friends, and community." "Illness and Health in the Jewish Tradition is an anthology of traditional and modern Jewish writings that highlights these basic principles."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This book integrates the foundations of the values of the Jewish heritage with the actual experiences of patients. Through clinical guidelines and anecdotes, the reader will gain insight into complex issues involving life, death, pain, suffering, illness and health as they affect patients, health care providers and family members. The book discusses contemporary issues such as AIDS, hospice and Baby M based on the value system of the Jewish heritage. It is unique in that it combines the personal reflections of patients with expert discussions of psychological and medical aspects of these issues. Includes a contribution by the winner of the 1991 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.

Essential reading for people interested in the Jewish healing, spirituality and spiritual direction movements, this groundbreaking volume explores the Jewish tradition for comfort in times of illness and Judaism?s perspectives on the inevitable suffering with which we live.Pushing the boundaries of Jewish knowledge, scholars, teachers, artists and activists examine the aspects of our mortality and the important distinctions between curing and healing. Topics discussed include: the importance of the individual; health and healing among the mystics; hope and the Hebrew Bible; from disability to enablement; overcoming stigma; Jewish bioethics; and more.Drawing from literature, personal experience, and the foundational texts of Judaism, these celebrated thinkers show us that healing is an idea that can both soften us so that we are open to inspiration as well as toughen us?like good scar tissue?in order to live with the consequences of being human.

Gift of Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut.

The Jewish people have special concerns, approaches, and attitudes about health and wellness, due in part to certain illnesses known as "Jewish genetic diseases," such as Tay-Sachs, Niemann-Pick, Gaucher, and others. Beyond these genetic diseases, however, the entire range of topics and issues related to health and wellness has long been of great interest to the religious and secular Jewish community. Jewish tradition has developed many special approaches to health and health-related issues, based on the hallowed traditions and precepts found in the Torah, its commentaries, and the vast literature written by rabbinic authorities throughout the centuries. Similarly, Jewish secular culture has developed many special attitudes and approaches to the issues in this book regarding women's health, nutrition, raising children, caregiving, and other special issues. The Hadassah Jewish Family Book of Health and Wellness, written in collaboration with Hadassah: The Women's Zionist Organization of America, known throughout the world for its leadership as a major force in health research and education, provides a much-needed resource and guide to physical health and spiritual issues that are of concern to Jewish families. This practical book is an essential reference for maintaining family health in keeping with Jewish tradition. It is filled with useful advice in an easy-to-understand format. With contributions from top experts in medicine and Jewish education, the book covers the crucial issues of healing and spirituality, marriage and family, sexuality, women's special issues, food and diet, emotional and mental health, and exercise. The Hadassah Jewish Family Book of Health and Wellness is a comprehensive health guide that will prove useful for every member of your Jewish family.

Find spiritual strength for healing in the wisdom of Jewish tradition. The teachings and wisdom of Jewish tradition can provide comfort and inspiration to help you maintain personal balance and family harmony amid the fear, pain and chaos of illness.

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Where Judaism and health intersect, healing may begin. Essential reading for people interested in the Jewish healing, spirituality and spiritual direction movements, this groundbreaking volume explores the Jewish tradition for comfort in times of illness and Judaism's perspectives on the inevitable suffering with which we live. Pushing the boundaries of Jewish knowledge, scholars, teachers, artists and activists examine the aspects of our mortality and the important distinctions between curing and healing. Topics discussed include:The Importance of the Individual Health and Healing among the Mystics Hope and the Hebrew Bible From Disability to Enablement Overcoming Stigma Jewish Bioethics Drawing from literature, personal experience, and the foundational texts of Judaism, these celebrated thinkers show us that healing is an idea that can both soften us so that we are open to inspiration as well as toughen us - like good scar tissue - in order to live with the consequences of being human.

Find spiritual strength for healing in the wisdom of Jewish tradition. Whether you are facing illness yourself, serving as a caregiver, providing pastoral care, or simply wondering where God is when we get sick, the teachings and wisdom of Jewish tradition can help you cope with the difficulties of illness and infirmity. With a format designed t...

Drawing on New Testament studies and recent scholarship on the expansion of the Christian church, Gary B. Ferngren presents a comprehensive historical account of medicine and medical philanthropy in the first five centuries of the Christian era. Ferngren first describes how early Christians understood disease. He examines the relationship of early Christian medicine to the natural and supernatural modes of healing found in the Bible. Despite biblical accounts of demonic possession and miraculous healing, Ferngren argues that early Christians generally accepted naturalistic assumptions about disease and cared for the sick with medical knowledge gleaned from the Greeks and Romans. Ferngren also explores the origins of medical philanthropy in the early Christian church. Rather than viewing illness as punishment for sins, early Christians believed that the sick deserved both medical assistance and compassion. Even as they were being persecuted, Christians cared for the sick within and outside of their community. Their long experience in medical charity led to the creation of the first hospitals, a singular Christian contribution to health care. "A succinct, thoughtful, well-written, and carefully argued assessment of Christian involvement with medical matters in the first five centuries of the common era . . . It is to Ferngren's credit that he has opened questions and explored them so astutely. This fine work looks forward as well as backward; it invites fuller reflection of the many senses in which medicine and religion intersect and merits wide readership."—Journal of the American Medical Association "In this superb work of historical and conceptual scholarship, Ferngren unfolds for the reader a cultural milieu of healing practices during the early centuries of Christianity."—Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith "Readable and widely researched . . . an important book for mission studies and American Catholic movements, the book posits the question of what can take its place in today's challenging religious culture."—Missiology: An International Review Gary B. Ferngren is a professor of history at Oregon State University and a professor of the history of medicine at First Moscow State Medical University. He is the author of Medicine and Religion: A Historical Introduction and the editor of Science and Religion: A Historical Introduction.