Sefer Otiyot - The Book of Letters

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Then ... (1975)
Now .. . (1990)
When you open the old prayerbook-like
pages of The Book of Letters you enter a
special world of sacred tradition and
religious feeling. More than just symbols,
all twenty-two letters of the Hebrew
alphabet overflow with meanings and
personalities of their own.
Rabbi Kushner draws from ancient
Judaic sources, weaving Talmudic
commentary, Hasidic folk tales, and
Kabbalistic mysteries around the letters.
Each letter is illuminated and, together
with the comments, is presented in the
author's original calligraphy, recalling the
look and feel of ancient medieval
manuscripts.
For all people, The Book of Letters is a text
of basic religious and spiritual vocabulary.
It brings deep insight and contemporary
meaning to centuries-old traditions and
relates the mystical realm to everyday life.
With a special preface to this New 15th
Anniversary 2nd Edition and a new section
on "ways people have used this book,"
these enhancements further beautify
Lawrence Kushner is a Jew who is
searching for a new spiritual idiom. A
student striving to reconcile traditional
piety with the contemporary world, he is a
guide who leads his students by confronta­
tion with ancient text and ceremony.
Rabbi Kushner serves as Rabbinic Chair­
man of Reform Judaism's Commission on
Religious Living and as a member of the
Board of the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations. He is on the faculty of the
rabbinic school of Hebrew Union College-­
Jewish Institute of Religion.
Rabbi Kushner has written and lectured
extensively on the themes of personal and
institutional spiritual renewaL His
acclaimed books include: Honey from the
Rock: Visions of Jewish Mystical Renewal and
The River of Light: Spirituality, Judaism,
Consciousness.
He is Karen's husband and Noa,
Zachary and Le v's f a t h e r.
He is rabbi and story teller at congrega­
tion Beth El in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
The Book of Letters and testify to its
enduring meaning.
$24.95