Product Description

This comprehensive how-to guide to the theory and practice of Jewish wilderness spirituality unravels the mystery of Judaism's connection to the natural world and offers ways for you to enliven and deepen your spiritual life through wilderness experience. Over forty practical exercises provide detailed instruction on spiritual practice in the natural world, including:

• Mindfulness exercises for the trail
• Meditative walking
• Four-Winds wisdom from Jewish tradition
• Wilderness blessings
• Soul-O Site solitude practice in wilderness
• Wilderness retreat

For wilderness lovers and nature novices alike, this inspiring and insightful book will lead you through experiences of awe and wonder in the natural world. It will show you the depth and relevance of Judaism to your spiritual awareness in wilderness and teach you new ways to energize your relationship with God and prayer.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #307598 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 221 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this lyrical but practical primer to fusing Torah and nature, Comins writes: "Far from humans, in God's handiwork, my heart sheds its burdens and my prayers flow." An ordained rabbi, he felt suffocated by books and buildings until he returned to the source of his first spiritual feelings: the wilderness. Ironically, he writes, "I felt compelled to rebel against the very tradition that planted the thirst for God within me." To overcome the stereotype that "Jews just don't do that outdoor stuff," Comins offers insights from Jewish philosophers and spiritual practices that include meditations, mindfulness, journal-writing, reciting and writing psalms and blessings, and much more. As the subtitle indicates, Comins asserts that the relationship between Torah and nature is a two-way trail: wilderness is the best place to work out a personal, unscripted, fresh relationship with divinity, and Judaism offers a vocabulary and practice to translate the experience of wilderness into a life of purpose and meaning. For those who love nature and know little about Judaism, and those who love Judaism but know little about wilderness, Comins's message is clear: one need not choose between the two to find potential, promise and fulfillment. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"A soulful manual.... Connects us back to our roots in the wilderness where we can be nourished and tested; where we can encounter God's mystery directly." -- Rabbi Shefa Gold, author, Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land

"An exhilarating view of where we have come from and where we may choose to journey. Beautifully written and insightful. How refreshing!" -- Rabbi Jamie Korngold, author, God in the Wilderness

"Heartfelt, ethical, deeply practical, mystical and accessible ... quietly renews the ancient alliance between Judaism and the animate earth." -- David Abram, PhD, director, Alliance for Wild Ethics; author, The Spell of the Sensuous

"Provocative, playful, profound and thoughtful.... Invites us into a world-embracing, wilderness-savoring faith. Reading this book will ground your soul--and it might just save our world." -- Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, dean, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and vice president, University of Judaism

"Restores our appreciation of what we so glibly refer to as Nature.... Refreshing reading for all seekers of the oldest and most important of all religions--life." -- Rabbi Gershon Winkler, author, Magic of the Ordinary: Recovering the Shamanic in Judaism

From the Inside Flap
Judaism emerged from the Jewish people's experience in the desert. Is this coincidental, or is there an organic, vital connection between spirituality and wilderness? Offering profound insights on the natural world's place in Jewish culture, this spiritual primer explores the partnership between wilderness and Judaism that began at Sinai. Traditional rituals and innovative practices will help Jews of any level of nature experience to engage with the wilderness in ways that enrich Jewish spiritual life--and help establish a direct relationship with God.

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Customer Reviews

a guidebook for spiritual survival
When exploring the wilderness, it is vital to be prepared and carry the proper gear. Rabbi Comin's guide is a full backpack complete with trail maps, a soul directing compass, and just enough guiding to empower us to create and realize an intimate and personal adventure. I particularly appreciate the trek's preparation that conveys in succinct terms relevant Jewish resources that combines moral, spiritual, modern and environmental ideals so that we have the proper tools to traverse the untamed mountaintops (and cityscapes?) and find there nourishment for worn souls. Rabbi Comins is also an exceptional translator who reveals the essential vibrant aroma and intentions of the Hebrew terms for the English reader. This book is a significant addition to our Permaculture, Ecovillage Design and Jewish resource library.
Alex Cicelsky, Educator, Center for Creative Ecology, www.kibbutzlotan.com

Helpful on many levels
A Wild Faith is a highly inspiring yet extremely practical guide to connecting with Judaism through the wilderness. My husband and I just returned from a week of hiking in the Rockies and our trip was very much enhanced by practices such as 25-25-50 walking that Rabbi Comins outlines in this timely book. For anyone who is a fan of the outdoors, I highly recommend Rabbi Comins' lucid, good-humored, well-informed, and profound perspective on Judaism.

Recipes to Explore Spirituality in the Wilds
Essential for those who want to do more than just "walk in the woods", but want to find connection with a larger spiritual dimension in nature, this is a "How To" primer with "recipes" for finding spirituality outdoors. Although written by a rabbi from the approach of Jewish spirituality, it addresses universal themes for blessing, gratitude, experiencing and communication with natural energies, meditation, body movement, and the most basic of all - finding God's presence in wild places.

I appreciated his exploration of the differences between animism, paganism and monotheism, particularly Judaism, as well as thoughtful background information for "testing" the validity of a spiritual practice in one of the excellent appendices. I also welcomed that he grounds his practices in solid theology and Jewish tradition with many references to text sources so it doesn't come off as wildly new age-y (at least not to me) though he does synthesize conventional practice with ideas from other traditions including Native American and Eastern religions.

At times a little dry, Rabbi Comins, who is not only an ordained rabbi but also worked as a trained Israeli desert wilderness guide for 10 years, peppers the text with autobiographical information on how he came to this journey and how he uses the practices is his own wilderness encounters.