The first comprehensive resource for pastoral care in the Jewish tradition—and a vital resource for counselors and caregivers of other faith traditions.

The essential reference for rabbis, cantors, and laypeople who are called to spiritually accompany those encountering joy, sorrow, and change—now in paperback. This groundbreaking volume draws upon both Jewish tradition and the classical foundations of pastoral care to provide invaluable guidance.

Offering insight on pastoral care technique, theory, and theological implications, the contributors to Jewish Pastoral Care are innovators in their fields, and represent all four contemporary Jewish movements.

This comprehensive resource provides you with the latest theological perspectives and tools, along with basic theory and skills for assisting the ill and those who care for them, the aging and dying, those with dementia and other mental disorders, engaged couples, and others, and for responding to issues such as domestic violence, substance abuse, and disasters.

Preface to the Second Edition vii
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
Livui Ruchani: Spiritual Accompaniment
Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman

SECTION I
Foundational Concepts for Jewish Pastoral Care
Wresting Blessings: A Pastoral Response to Suffering
Rabbi Myriam Klotz 3
Complexity and Imperfection: A Theology of
Jewish Pastoral Care
Rabbi Rochelle Robins 28
PaRDeS: A Model for Presence in Livui Ruchani
Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman 42
Bikur Cholim: A Paradigm for Pastoral Caring
Rabbi Joseph S. Ozarowski 56
Seeking the Tzelem: Making Sense of Dementia
Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman 75

SECTION II
Basic Tools for the Jewish Pastoral Caregiver
Foundations of Jewish Pastoral Care:
Skills and Techniques
Barbara Eve Breitman 95
Prayer and Presence
Rabbi Anne Brener 125
The Power of Custom-Made Prayers
Rabbi Bonita E. Taylor 150
From the Depths: The Use of Psalms
Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub 161
God Is in the Text: Using Sacred Text and
Teaching in Jewish Pastoral Care
Rabbi Sheldon Marder 183
Spiritual Nurture for Jewish Pastoral Caregivers
Rabbi Nancy Flam 211

SECTION III
Jewish Pastoral Care for Specific Needs and Settings
Jewish Spiritual Care in the Acute Care Hospital
Rabbi Jeffery M. Silberman 225
Preparing for the Chupah: Premarital Counseling
Rabbi Ellen Jay Lewis 243
Responding to Domestic Violence
Gus Kaufman, Jr., Wendy Lipshutz, and
Rabbi Drorah Setel 275
Confronting Addiction
Marcia Cohn Spiegel and Rabbi Yaacov Kravitz 303
Loving the Stranger: Accompanying Individuals
with Chronic Mental Disorders
Rabbi Karen Sussan 325
Letting Their Faces Shine: Accompanying Aging
People and Their Families
Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman 344
Walking in the Valley of the Shadow: Caring for the
Dying and Their Loved Ones
Rabbi Amy Eilberg 374
Grief and Bereavement
Simcha Paull Raphael 400
Jewish Spiritual Care in the Wake of Disaster
Rabbi Stephen Roberts 433
Para-Chaplaincy: A Communal Response to the
Ill and Suffering
Rabbi David J. Zucker 453
Glossary 467
Index of Terms and Concepts 471
Index of Classical Sources Cited
(Biblical and Rabbinic) 479

The first comprehensive resource for pastoral care in the Jewish tradition—and a vital resource for counselors and caregivers of other faith traditions.

The essential reference for rabbis, cantors, and laypeople who are called to spiritually accompany those encountering joy, sorrow, and change—now in paperback. This groundbreaking volume draws upon both Jewish tradition and the classical foundations of pastoral care to provide invaluable guidance.

Offering insight on pastoral care technique, theory, and theological implications, the contributors to Jewish Pastoral Care are innovators in their fields, and represent all four contemporary Jewish movements.

This comprehensive resource provides you with the latest theological perspectives and tools, along with basic theory and skills for assisting the ill and those who care for them, the aging and dying, those with dementia and other mental disorders, engaged couples, and others, and for responding to issues such as domestic violence, substance abuse, and disasters.