Book Description:

The existence of ascetic elements within rabbinic Judaism has generally been either overlooked or actually denied. Diamond shows that rabbinic asceticism does indeed exist. This asceticism is mainly secondary, rather than primary, in that the rabbis place no value on self-denial in and of itself, but rather require of themselves the virtual abandonment of familial, social, and economic life in favor of an absolute commitment to the study of the Torah.

Book Description:

Mystical Bodies, Mystical Meals is the first book-length study of mystical eating and fasting practices and experiences in the kabbalah. Focusing on the Jewish mystical literature of late-thirteenth-century Spain, author Joel Hecker analyzes the ways in which the Zohar and other contemporaneous literature represent mystical attainment in their homilies about eating. What emerges is the effects such practices and experiences have on the bodies of its practitioners.

Book Description:

Bonder presents Jewish wisdom on fasting, vegetarianism, blessings after a meal, the dishonoring of food by wasting it, the importance of fitness in each of the four worlds described by the Kabbalah, and the ways any exploitation of workers introduces a contaminating element into the food chain. The Kabbalah of Food by Nilton Bonder is a work of astonishing depth, profundity, and practicality; it makes conscious eating into an ecological act of spiritual worship.

Book Description:

Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs and Rituals is a brief but comprehensive layman's handbook to Jewish prayer, worship, festivals, customs, history, language, philosophy, and ideology. Its author, George Robinson, returned to synagogue after a 20-year absence and found himself utterly confused about the basics of his religion, despite having attended Hebrew school. According to Robinson, "We fast as if for one day we are angels, purely spiritual."

Book Description:

In this extraordinary, insightful analysis of the Jewish calendar, Joe Bobker’s refreshingly unique and playful approach of asking questions and searching for answers brings thousand-year-old Jewish festival practices into easy focus.In his examination of each Jewish festival, Bobker utilizes a wealth of knowledge, personal experience, and a fiery dedication to the tenets of Yiddishkeit to bring forth some very unique information on fasting and festivals.