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ISBN: 9798893030174
Publishing: March 25, 2025
Price: $22.95 US / $29.95 CAN
Paper Over Board: 256 pages
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The Jewish Way to a Good Life
Find Happiness, Build Community, and Embrace Lovingkindness
by Rabbi Shira Stutman
 

Blending popular philosophy and self-help, here are ancient insights from Judaism on how to live well, cultivate good values, and find joy, from a well-known rabbi and podcaster.

Judaism has survived for 3,500 years by embracing a few, arguably paradoxical ideas: Life is hard. It also has the potential to be joyous. Every single human has a spark of something extraordinary in them. And every one of us should try to do 1% better. In The Jewish Way to a Good Life straight-shooting Rabbi Shira Stutman distills thousands of years of Jewish wisdom into practical, time-tested strategies for living a more meaningful life. She reminds us: You don’t have to be Jewish to do Jewish. And she tells us how.

When looking for inspiration on how to live well, a go-to source is other cultures. We’ve learned how to warm our homes with hygge and to find meaningful work with ikigai. We practice mindfulness and yoga, rooted in hindu philosophy, and study astrology, seeking insight on human nature. Now, The Jewish Way to a Good Life reveals unique insights from Jewish culture that anyone can adopt to find meaning, cultivate good values, and experience joy.

Judaism isn’t just a religion, it’s an ancient culture with much to teach us about modern life. The book covers topics including kindness, love, rest and relaxation, health, education, community, and more.

Rabbi Shira Stutman is the senior rabbi at Aspen Jewish Congregation and cohost of Chutzpod! with The Atlantic’s Hanna Rosen, a podcast that shares Jewish approaches to life’s great predicaments. In 2021, she founded Mixed Multitudes, an organization dedicated to sharing the beauty, power, and diversity of Jewish life, tradition, and conversation. She was named one of America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis by The Jewish Forward, among other awards. Rabbi Shira graduated from Columbia University and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where she was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. She is also a proud graduate of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School.