The God-Powered Life: Awakening to Your Divine Purpose
By Rabbi David Aaron
Trumpeter Books
Massachusetts, 2010
192 pages
How do we reach estranged Jews with a Torah message in this post-Oprah world of self-help spirituality? Rabbi David Aaron adopts the language and goals of this genre to teach traditional lessons of Torah observance. The commandments, the Talmud teaches, were given in order to refine us as individuals. Rabbi Aaron takes this to the next level. In his able hands, the Torah, and specifically kabbalah, is a self-help manual that enables its devotees to maximize their personal spirituality. The Ten Sefirot are not just descriptions of God’s interaction with the world, but also ten steps for self-improvement. Judaism consists of instructions for personal healing and achievement. While authentic, this dimension of Judaism focusing solely on individual development is not one that is often emphasized. Indeed, this description of Judaism will be barely recognizable to many readers. However, this bold portrayal of a Judaism of the self may be a form to which a large segment of today’s lost Jewry can relate.
Rabbi Gil Student writes frequently on Jewish issues and blogs at TorahMusings.com.