Reflections on the Psalms
Discover how the Psalms can inspire you to engage significant contemporary issues. Reflections on the Psalms is not a commentary on the meaning and message of the Psalms; rather, this book considers the Psalms as a collection of phrases and images that invite us into brief meditations using Jewish wisdom for spiritual development.
“Bristling with insights about our lives today, Rabbi Krishef makes the ancient book of Psalms come alive. Here is a wise guide through the great songs of Israel in times of sorrow, bewilderment and joy.”
RABBI DAVID WOLPE, author of Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times and David, the Divided Heart
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Interview
Praise for Reflections on the Psalms
Rabbi Krishef has opened the insight and beauty of the Psalms on two levels: a deeper resonance with its wisdom, and the possibility of adding our voices and experiences to its rippling circles of love. This is a book to savor and to treasure.”
RABBI BRADLEY SHAVIT ARTSON, author of The Bedside Torah: Wisdom, Visions, and Dreams and The Everyday Torah: Weekly Reflections and Inspirations
“A positive and thoughtful approach for integrating Judaism into the everyday of our lives. And a loving invitation to each of us to study the book of Psalms and to reflect on what specifically speaks to us.”
RABBI ELANA ZAIMAN, author of The Forever Letter
“Rabbi David Krishef’s essays on Psalms reflect his commitment to the ongoing process of mining these ancient poems for gems of eternal wisdom. His reading and rereading the Book of Psalms over the course of several years, selecting and writing about a phrase or verse that intrigued or inspired him, and inviting the reader to engage in similar exercise, is an approach that leads us to study biblical texts for a deeper understanding of how to live an ethical and spiritual life. Rabbi Krishef brings a wealth of life experience to this project, and he models how to recognize ourselves in the words of the Psalmist. I especially enjoyed reading his ‘second takes’ on each of the Psalms, which are beautiful in their brevity, simply and elegantly presented for Jewish and non-Jewish audiences alike.”
RABBI PAMELA JAY GOTTFRIED, author of Found in Translation: Common Words of Uncommon Wisdom
“We all experience highs and lows in life and the emotions that accompany them. Arguably more than any other book of the Bible or of literature generally, the Book of Psalms articulates the broad spectrum of our experiences and the emotions that emanate from them. In this book, Rabbi Krishef shows people of any faith tradition or none how to use the Book of Psalms to help us respond in a healthy and fruitful way to whatever life brings us, thus making our lives more thoughtful, satisfying, and meaningful.”
ELLIOT DORFF, author of Jewish Medical Ethics: A 21st Century Discussion and The Way Into Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)
“The Psalms are a forest in a way, each poem a tree with its own shape and size and fruit. To take them all in is impossible. Rabbi Krishef invites you to go through this forest with an eye for the particular in each psalm — a ripe fruit or nut, a shapely leaf or bough, the smoothness of this one’s bark or that one’s roots. By focusing on a single verse, usually a vivid metaphor that still speaks despite the centuries, Rabbi Krishef invites the reader to notice the universal in the particular, the timeless in the momentary. While each brief observation is worth pondering, his greatest gift is letting us know we readers can do the same. He reminds us that the curiosity we had as children can reveal much of this forest to anyone willing to notice.”
REV. FRED WOODEN, author of If Not Now, When?: A Little Theology for Liberal Religion and A Time For All Ages: Stories for Yuletide