The Stamina of Spirit

Rabbi Niles Goldstein is the author of The Challenge of the Soul: A Guide for the Spiritual Warrior. In his last post he wrote about approaching spiritual learning as a black belt martial artist. He is guest-blogging all week for MyJewishLearning and the Jewish Book Council.
I recall a time in my life when I was tempted to give up, to walk away from something that I loved very much.  Continue reading here.

Plowing a “Gonzo” Road through the Rabbinate

Rabbi Niles Goldstein is the author of The Challenge of the Soul: A Guide for the Spiritual Warrior, an approach to spiritual learning as seen through his eyes as a black belt martial artist. He is guest-blogging all week for MyJewishLearning and the Jewish Book Council.
I recently had my ninth book published, The Challenge of the Soul: A Guide for the Spiritual Warrior.  Continue reading here.

The Curious Case of Professor Barabtarlo

Michael Idov is a contributing editor at New York Magazine and the author of the novel Ground Up. In his previous posts, Michael wrote about the reception of his work in Russia and the challenge of self-translation. He has been blogging all week for MyJewishLearning and the Jewish Book Council.
The plan was for me to write this post about The Original of Laura, Nabokov’s unfinished final work – on the logic that, as a first-time self-translator from English to Russian, I might have something original to say about it.  Continue reading here.

A Chanukah visit to the White House with Alison Buckholtz

Alison Buckholtz, author of the recently released Standing By: The Making of an American Military Family in a Time of War, shares her White House Chanukah experience.

The scene was familiar, but not our place in it. Last night, our military family had the honor of lighting the Hanukkah menorah at the White House, reciting the blessings over the candles, and meeting President Obama, Mrs. Obama, and Vice President Biden.  Continue reading here.

A Kind of Homecoming

Michael Idov is a contributing editor at New York Magazine and the author of the novel Ground Up. In his last post, Michael wrote about the challenge of self-translation. He’ll be blogging all week for MyJewishLearning and the Jewish Book Council.
Russia is incredibly small. Yes, I know it’s the world’s largest landmass. But the visible and audible Russia – the Russia emitting the light and noise we call culture – is tiny, comprised of a few thousand people in Moscow and St. Petersburg with occasional outposts in places like Perm and Krasnoyarsk.  Continue reading here.