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Books

A Labor of Love: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for the Mind, Body, and Soul of the Jewish Woman
By Rachel Broncher
Targum Press, Inc., 2004
Printed in Israel
Purchase from Amazon.com

In this comprehensive new book, Rachel Broncher has endeavored to show the Jewish woman that birthing need not be just a means to an end, but also a process of personal growth.

Expecting Miracles: Finding Meaning and Spirituality in Pregnancy Through Judaism
by Chana Weisberg
Urim Publications: Jerusalem, 2004
Purchase from Amazon.com

Expecting Miracles provides new insights for pregnant women through a diverse array of personal accounts of pregnancy and childbirth by traditionally observant women living in Jerusalem, and includes interviews with distinguished educators and midwives, who discuss how pregnancy and childbirth relate to Judaism and the religious community.

Special Delivery: Jewish Birth Stories of Faith and Inspiration
By Sarah Goldstein
Targum Press, Inc., 2004
targum@netvision.net.il
www.Targum.com
Printed in Israel
Distributed by: Feldheim Publishers, Nanuet, NY
www.feldheim.com

Spiritual Delivery is a collection of real-life birth stories and practical advice from a certified and experienced labor assistant. They show us how faith in God , and the support of our family and friends, can turn challenging moments into positive, memorable experiences.

Inner Torah: Where Consciousness and Kedushah Meet
by Miriam Millhauser
Targum Press, Inc., 2004
Printed in Israel
Purchase from Amazon.com

Inner Torah combines the author's own spiritual odyssey, innovative exercises, and powerful true stories of women whose determined searching and profound inner work helped them overcome their blocks and actualize their dreams. This book helps us uncover the holiness within and harness its unequaled transformative power to change our lives.

Our Bodies, Our Souls
by Tziporah Heller
Targum Press, Inc., 2004
Printed in Israel
Purchase from Amazon.com

Our Bodies, Our Souls shows how the traditional Jewish paths can help lead to a spiritual awareness that works in perfect consonance with a woman's deepest instincts and needs. We see that we need not deny the differences between men and women, we can revel in them. Most important, we heighten our spiritual awareness, allowing us to live our lives to the fullest - and to learn who we really are.

I Remembered in the Night Your Name
by Varda Branfman
Carob Tree Press, 2001
info@carobspring.com

Varda Branfman's essays and poems are essentially songs that celebrate her wonder and thankfulness at finding the answer to her question in the eyes of her children, in the air of Jerusalem, in an unused silver spice box, in the silence of her Old World grandmother. She shares a vision of the peace and wholeness to be found in returning to our higher selves.

Kabbalistic Writings on the Nature of Masculine and Feminine
by Sarah Schneider
Jason Aronson Inc., 2001
www.aronson.com

Kabbalistic Writings on the Nature of Masculine and Feminine presents annotated translations of kabbalistic texts that paint an authoritative and enlightened vision of how man and woman will relate when they have healed themselves and fixed the world.

The Voice of Sarah:Feminine Spirituality and Traditional Judaism
By Tamar Frankiel
Biblio Press, 1990
Purchase from Amazon.com

This is an excellent response to contemporary feminist critiques of classical Judaism. In Tamar Frankiel's analysis, the Jewish woman emerges as a powerful player in both the critical events that have shaped Jewish history, and in the less dramatic, all-important ordinariness of life.

The Blessing of a Broken Heart
by Sherri Mandell
The Toby Press, 2003
Purchase from Amazon.com

The Blessing of a Broken Heart is at once heart-breaking and life-affirming, shot through with immense pain and yet also with immense beauty and courage. The author's determination to choose hope and faith over despair and hate after the brutal murder of her son by terrorists are humbling and moving, and her journey towards light and healing is an inspiration.

Connection: Emotional and Spiritual Growth Through Experiencing God's Presence
by Efim Svirsky
Published by the Institute of Psycho-Spiritual Therapy, 2004
https://secure.aish.com/a/svirskyconnection.asp esvirsky@aish.com

Efim Svirsky has developed a highly original and perhaps even ground-breaking approach to psychotherapy through connecting the vast majority of emotional dysfunction into its metaphysical roots - namely a person's relationship to His Creator.

Visions of a Compassionate World: Guided Imagery for Spiritual Growth and Social Transformation
By Menachem Eckstein (translated by Yehoshua Starrett and foreword by David Zeller)
Urim Publications, 2001
Purchase from Amazon.com

Visions of a Compassionate World is a practical guide for spiritual development that addresses the whole person: Mind, body and soul. In an age of self-discovery and search for awareness, this dynamic work from a half-century ago brings clarity through meditation, guided imagery, psychology and kabbalah.

Living Inspired
By Akiva Tatz
Targum Press, Inc., 2004 Purchase from Amazon.com

In this remarkable book, Rabbi Akiva Tatz shows how an understanding of some of the deeper ideas and patterns of Torah thought can illuminate our everyday experiences. Here life in general and its ordeals in particular are brought into focus - relationships, the unexpected, even life's problems and doubts become springboards to inspiration.

Worldmask
By Akiva Tatz
Targum Press Inc., 1993
Targum Press, Inc., 2004
Purchase from Amazon.com

The world is a mask which hides a deeper reality. But it is a unique mask: it hides and yet it reveals; it is opaque and yet transparent. This book reveals some of the Torah wisdom which reflects that duality, both within the world and beyond it, in physical expression and in root depth. One who learns to perceive the depth behind the scenes of life will experience exhilaration and wonder.

Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal
By Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.
Riverhead Books, A Division of Penguin Putnam Inc., 1996
Purchase from Amazon.com

The short, complete pieces here can be read either separately for inspiration or sequentially as a spiritual journey. Rachel Remen's book is a healing gift to an ailing world.

My Grandfather's Blessings
By Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.
Riverhead Books, A Division of Penguin Putnam Inc., 1996
Purchase from Amazon.com

Through a series of unpretentious, affecting vignettes, Rachel Remen encourages readers to recognize and celebrate the unexpected blessings in their own lives.

Companioning at a Time of Perinatal Loss: A Guide for Nurses, Physicians, Social Workers, Chaplains and Other Bedside Caregivers
By Jane Heustis, RN & Marcia Jenkins, RN
Published by Companion Press, 2005
Purchase from Amazon.com

"This important book will empower nurses, physicians, social workers, chaplains, and other bedside caregivers to feel good about the care they give during times of perinatal loss. Jane Heustis and Marcia Jenkins have the experience, sensitivity, and vision to write this most valuable resource. They have an authentic and abiding commitment to bring compassionate care and comfort to those families that experience perinatal death." - Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition

Overcoming Infertility: A Guide for Jewish Couples
by Richard V. Grazi, MD
The Toby Press, June 2005
Purchase from Amazon.com

Web Sites

www.JewishPregnancy.org

support and resources for infusing spirituality into a Jewish pregnancy (books, links, message boards)

www.Imamother.com

forum for Torah-Conscious parenting (plus other topics)

www.BirthSource.com

for healthcare professionals and expectant parents: general resources on birthing and parenting (articles, books, online store)

www.aish.com

essay by Rabbi Pinchas Winston on his family's experience with stillbirth, finding meaning in tragedy

www.mikvah.org

"Divine Labor" by Chana Luba Ertel, an article on how to spiritually transform pain into joy when giving birth

www.mikvah.org

excerpt from book, Happy Birth Day! by Aviva Rappaport (Feldheim), defining birth within the framework of Jewish spirituality

chareidi.shemayisrael.com

book review of Aviva Rappaport's book: Happy Birth Day! A Jewish Woman's Guide to Childbirth (Feldheim)

www.sichosinenglish.org

Sichos in English - based on the teachings of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, zt"l - Eternal Joy, Vol. 3, Chap. 6 Childbirth: practices to elevate the birthing process

www.chabadonline.com

"The Wonder that is Woman", Yanki Tauber's commentary on role of woman in the creation of life, based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt"l.

www.davidzeller.org

Musical CDs and audio cassettes for relaxation, meditation, healing, birthing, and putting our children to sleep

www.batkol.com

Hanna Yaffe's recordings: Jerusalem lullabies, Hasidic tales, megillot, and more

Thank You, God, for creating
my body so perfectly that I am capable of birthing this baby. Thank You, God, because I know that without these strong contractions, this new soul cannot come into the world. Thank You, God, for giving me the ability to understand that the purpose of the pain is to bring me to redemption.

Miriam Maslin

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