The December Project: An Extraordinary Rabbi and a Skeptical Seeker Confront Life's Greatest Mystery - Softcover

Sara Davidson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062281755 ISBN 13: 9780062281753

Publisher: Bravo Ltd, 2015

Synopsis

In the tradition of Tuesdays with Morrie and The Last Lecture, journalist and bestselling author Sara Davidson met with Jewish Renewal leader and iconic rabbi Zalman Shachter-Shalomi every Friday for two years to discuss the spiritual work people must undergo during the December or latter years of their lives. Davidson was surprised to get a call from Reb Zalman asking her to engage with him in what he called, The December Project. At 85, he wanted to teach people how to navigate the December of life and to help them not freak out about dying. Although she has a seeker s heart and a skeptic s mind, Davidson jumped at the opportunity. For two years, she and the rabbi met to explore our greatest mystery. Interspersed with their talks are sketches from Reb Zalman s past. He barely escaped the Nazis, became an Orthodox rabbi in the U.S., was married four times and had eleven children, and formed friendships with leaders of other faiths, such as Thomas Merton and the Dalai Lama. Breaking with the Orthodox, he founded the Jewish Renewal Movement to encourage people to have a direct experience of God. During their time together, Davidson was nearly killed by a suicide bomb and Reb Zalman struggled with a steep decline in health. Together they created strategies to deal with pain and memory loss, and found tools to cultivate simplicity, fearlessness, and joy at any age. Davidson includes twelve exercises in the book so that readers can experience what she did making peace with our fear of dying so that we can live more fully today.

About this title

Review:

An exuberant piece of writing I found both moving and instructive. What makes it so rich for me is that Davidson owns a seeker s heart and a skeptic s mind. This is a great dual portrait of two seekers engaged in a conversation about the things that matter. --Will Blythe, former literary editor of Esquire, contributor to the New York Times Book Review and the New Yorker, and author of To Hate Like This is to be Happy Forever

From the Back Cover:

In 2009, New York Times bestselling author Sara Davidson was surprised by a call from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, asking her to engage with him in what he called "The December Project." At eighty-five, Reb Zalman wanted to teach people how to navigate the December of life and to help them "not freak out about dying."

Davidson jumped at the chance. She feared that death would be a complete annihilation, while Reb Zalman felt certain that "something continues." For two years, they met every Friday to discuss this and how getting "up close with mortality" quickens our ability to relish every day.

Woven through their talks are sketches from Reb Zalman's life: escaping the Nazis; becoming an orthodox rabbi in the U.S.; landing in San Francisco during the sexual revolution; taking L.S.D. with Timothy Leary; befriending other faith leaders, including Thomas Merton and the Dalai Lama; and founding the Jewish Renewal movement.

During their time together, Davidson was nearly killed by a suicide bomb and Reb Zalman faced a steep decline in health. They created strategies to deal with pain and memory loss and found tools to cultivate fearlessness and joy--at any age. Davidson includes twelve exercises so readers can experience what she did, a sea change in facing what we all must face: mortality.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bravo Ltd
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0062281755
• ISBN 13: 9780062281753
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224