One simple, powerful word—hineini—contains
the key to
deepening your relationship with God and with others.
deepening your relationship with God and with others.
Hineini (Here
I am!). This single spoken word appears only fourteen times in
the Bible–each time in a memorable and meaningful story:
Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice to God, Jacob deceiving
his father for Esau’s birthright, Moses answering the
call that comes from the Burning Bush.
Scholar and popular teacher Norman Cohen
explores each of these powerful stories and shows what each can
reveal about you as parent, spouse, sibling, lover, and friend.
By probing these dynamic biblical relationships, Cohen
challenges you to think about the ways you relate to the people
in your life and God.
And, to add other fascinating perspectives
to the conversation, eleven insightful authors and teachers
share personal reflections that exemplify each of the hineini passages.
From Hineini:
Learning How to Respond to Others through
14 Biblical Texts & Personal Stories:
14 Biblical Texts & Personal Stories:
“What Abraham learned on the
mountain is that God doesn’t want us to sacrifice a part
of ourselves in order to serve God. God wants us to pay
attention, to be present, to bring the fullness of our selves
into our relationship with God.”
—Laura
Geller
“The Jewish mystical tradition
teaches that in everything there is a Divine spark, and we are
in the places we find ourselves not by accident but to redeem
the holy sparks present there. Everything invites us into
relationship, but we often refuse. Everything calls to
us 'Here I am' but we aren’t
listening.”
—Sandy
Eisenberg Sasso
“When Adam heard God’s voice
calling him, Ayekkah (Where are you), he had hidden himself for
shame, so he did not answer, ‘Hineini.’ Who knows
what would have been had he stood up and taken responsibility
for his actions before God, owning up to his disobedience? By
seeking to shift blame, he invited blame on himself and
punishment.”
—Zalman
Schachter-Shalomi
“A book that not only teaches us rabbinic insights into the richness of our tradition and shares with us the views of distinguished scholars, but it also allows us to interact with a text and make it part of our lives.”
—Conservative Judaism
“The Book of Genesis is about fallible human beings struggling to do the right thing and to respond to the needs of the other in the absence of a formal legal system. It continues to provide guidance in a world in which the legal system still contains significant gaps and in which hineini responses can be very complicated.”
— Alan M. Dershowitz
“People of all religions will find both wisdom and practical inspiration here. Highly recommended.”
—Library Journal
“What Abraham learned on the mountain is that God doesn’t want us to sacrifice a part of ourselves in order to serve God. God wants us to pay attention, to be present, to bring the fullness of our selves into our relationship with God.”
—Laura Geller
“The Jewish mystical tradition teaches that in everything there is a Divine spark, and we are in the places we find ourselves not by accident but to redeem the holy sparks present there. Everything invites us into relationship, but we often refuse. Everything calls to us—'Here I am'—but we aren’t listening.”
—Sandy Eisenberg Sasso
“When Adam heard God’s voice calling him, Ayekkah (Where are you?), he had hidden himself for shame, so he did not answer, 'Hineini.' Who knows what would have been had he stood up and taken responsibility for his actions before God, owning up to his disobedience? By seeking to shift blame, he invited blame on himself and punishment.”
—Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
