Near-death experiences? Past-life
regression? Reincarnation?
Are these sorts of things Jewish?
With a blend of candor, personal
questioning, and sharp-eyed scholarship, Rabbi Elie Kaplan
Spitz relates his own observations and the firsthand accounts
shared with him by others, experiences that helped propel his
journey from skeptic to believer that there is life after life.
From near-death experiences to
reincarnation, past-life memory to the work of mediums, Rabbi
Spitz explores what we are really able to know about the
afterlife, and draws on Jewish texts to share that belief in
these concepts—so often approached with
reluctance—is in fact true to Jewish tradition.
“The increasing interest and faith
in survival of the soul may grow into a cultural wave that is
as potentially transformative for society as the civil rights
movement and feminism. A renewed faith in ‘the
soul’s journeys’ will call for a reassessment of
our priorities, and will enable traditional religions to renew
and transform their adherents.”
—from the Introduction
“Whether readers accept Rabbi Spitz’s view about life after death, reject it completely, or remain an agnostic regarding it, readers will enjoy the rabbi’s analyses and the many stories that he tells to support his view, and will be stimulated by the discussions to think more deeply about this and related subjects.”
—Jewish Eye
“Very worthwhile…people do not
know enough about the Jewish point of view on death and dying,
and people need to know that reincarnation and afterlife is a
fact. It’s about time and the time is now. This is a
brilliant book that keeps you fascinated.”
—Elisabeth
Kübler-Ross
“A wise, moving, carefully thought
out and provocative first-person exploration into the
immortality of the soul. Indispensable for anyone who has ever
wondered about the mysteries of life before and after this one.
A beautiful book.”
—Lawrence
Kushner, rabbi-in-residence, Hebrew
Union College; author,
Invisible
Lines of Connection: Sacred Stories of the Ordinary
“Rabbi Spitz has taken our most
profound human question and given us an exciting journey into
religious, historical, and present-day answers…. This
inspirational book shows us just how important living our
purpose is.”
—Carol
Adrienne, PhD, author, The Purpose of Your Life
“His initial reticence to believe
people’s stories about life after death and past
incarnations…gives this book credibility even for
skeptical philosophers like me…. Rabbi Spitz has me
wondering!”
—Rabbi
Elliot N. Dorff, PhD, rector
and professor of philosophy,
University of Judaism