3 comments about The Jewish Mind.

1. I was so impressed with Patai's book THE ARAB MIND, that I read this one, too. But this, while interesting, is not as well organized, and is a bit bloated. I think he was learning on this one, to suceed better with THE ARAB MIND. Nonetheless, an interesting and informative book.



2. This work has much interesting information but I do not think it truly defines the 'Jewish Mind'. I have the sense that the Jewish Mind if we consider its creations from Biblical Time to now is simply too vast and varied for easy definition. I would too say that as Jews value the idea of Creation , their own Mind is in a constant process of Development and creation. Any summary then seems to be a simple reduction, and not true to the Reality.



3. This book contrasts sharply with his Arab Mind. Reading the two together, one can see clearly Mr. Patai's bigotry and hate of Arabs. For a professor who is said to have held high positions at prestigious US universities, I found his stereotypical writings quite scandalous. However, when I balanced this with the fact that his is the son of a well known Hungarian Zionist, I came to realize that his agenda could easily be understood (the vast majority of people hostile to Arabs are Jews). Added to this, his work is highly descriptive and speculative - reinforces the view that Anthropology is not really a science.

5 comments about Setting Your Heart on Fire: Seven Invitations to Liberate Your Life.

1. This is a simply wonderful book. If you are reading this, you have probably been "searching" awhile and have read more than your share of "self-help" books. This is NOT another self-help book. Also.... if you are reading this... you have probably heard of or read books by people like Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj or Sri Ramana Maharshi (along with more contemporary teachers of what could be considered "non-duality", or Advaita Vedanta) or possibly something like A Course In Miracles. While people like Ramana and Nisargadatta were truly "Awake" beings (in my opinion), and works like A Course In Miracles point to that same Ultimate Truth, these books and teachers are often very difficult to understand, much less apply to your everyday life. (much of the writing is "dense" and overly poetic or steeped in Eastern verbiage and tradition) Well, Raphael's book, Setting Your Heart On Fire, is not like that, although it certainly points to that same Truth, which is what makes it so valuable. Most of us know that "self-improvement" in the way we've always thought of it, just doesn't work. At the same time, we sense, deep down, that the possibility of "Awakening" or "Enlightenment" (call it what you will) is no longer just for people like Jesus, Buddha, Ramana (not that it ever was just for certain people). It's what we all ARE, and it's time for us to become aware of the fact that WE are what we've been searching for. So, that leaves a world filled with people who are tired of "self improvement" and at the same time sense that there's something MORE....something REAL, but who don't have any idea how to embody and live that State. Well.... this book is a great place to start. That is why I'm describing it as a "bridge". This book, along with Raphael's first one, Unconditional Bliss, are fantastic "bridges" for people who can "see" the possibilty of discovering Who and What they really are, but who don't know how to get there. (not that there's anywhere to "get to"... one of the great paradoxes) Raphael is a wonderful writer and does a fabulous job of expressing these ideas... making them ACCESSIBLE, which is a rare thing in the world of "spiritual" books. He brings these Truths right down into the middle of your everyday life... the "messiness" that we all live with. The days of people feeling they need to run off to an ashram or monastery are over. If we are going to become a more spiritual, loving and compassionate people, we are going to have to do it in our daily lives, with kids, jobs, a mortgage, etc. When reading this book, I constantly found myself saying, "That is so true, that's exactly how I feel." Rarely does that happen when reading Nisargadatta! (laugh) Although both Raphael and the non-dual writers are pointing to the same Truth, Raphael makes it seem much more attainable and less "mystical". I think it's a great blessing to us all to have teachers like Raphael and books like this which point the way. So, get this book and let Raphael lead you across the bridge.... the bridge Home.



2. This book changed my life and ALL my relationships. I now know how to handle any situation. Raphael is an incredible writer and also an inspirational speaker!



3. If you would like to learn to understand yourself & others, this is a good book.



4. This book is absolutely amazing because it opens the door to dealing with any problem and also for opening the door into your own heart. I had the good fortune of attending a retreat with Raphael and he is so fantastic. He is just so genuine and authentic and his principles are so simple, yet so powerful.



5. First, let me say that I am biased. Raphael Cushnir reviewed my book, "Letters to My Friends: A No Guarantees Guide to Awakening." But I read his book before I asked him to review my book. And I asked him to review my book because I admired his book.
   
   I do not think I am at all like Raphael Cushnir. I am the sort of man who will read the middle of a book first, then the beginning, and then the end. Or sometimes I will read the end first. But what I found in "Setting Your Heart on Fire" was a deliberate and disciplined approach to freeing myself from my own negative attitudes.
   
   But do not misunderstand me; this is not another book about positive thinking. If anything it is a book about positive emotions. It is a book about being aware of yourself, so aware that your emotions and the thoughts that spring from them are witnessed by you as the observer of your own inner life.
   
   Self awareness is the beginning of inner peace. And I truly believe that anyone who reads and practices what Raphael presents in "Setting Your Heart on Fire" will make great strides toward that rarest of all states--being at home with yourself. Thank you, John C. Conley, author of "Letters to My Friends: A No Guarantees Guide to Awareness."

No comments about Raphael's Astronomical Ephemeris 2009: Of the Planets' Places for 2009 (Raphael).

No comments about Creating an Integrated Approach to Literacy Instruction (The Harcourt Brace Literacy Series).

3 comments about Ximena.

1. This is Raphael's best book. Edgy, sexy, and gripping, it is as original as her other stuff, only way more readable. This would make an incredible movie.



2. This last book by Hillary Raphael is truly her best. Dark, sexy, very New York. The story is crazy cool, the characters weirdly believable, the style minimalist and lucid - like a piece of calligraphy. It flows. I couldn't put it down. I couldn't get Jimena and her world out of my head. Absolutely a must read for anyone with a taste for highly sophisticated suspence.



3. I am rarely able to take time to write amazon book reviews, but this is one of the few cases in which I am compelled to make the effort.
   
   Having developed somewhat of a fetish for this author's prose after having read her first cult novel, I (HEART) LORD BUDDHA, which is now probably as near and dear to my heart as Ami Sakurai's INNOCENT WORLD, I could not help but feel the slightest bit afraid that I would compare this latest book to the other, like two lovers, and somehow find something wanting. To my relief, my expectations were vastly exceeded. I was even surprised by some of the twists and turns this plot takes. This is NOT your average revenge tale. It is refreshingly modern, original, thoughtful, and ultra-cool. Edgy and addictive, it stays in the system long after the pages stop.
   
   This author is a talent to be reckoned with. My only complaint is that I am impatient for her next manifestation.

1 comments about Lippincott's Review of Pathology: Illustrated Interactive Q & A.

1. I bought this book as a second year medical student to review for step 1 of the boards. I own the Robbins Review book as well. The questions in this book are good but the explanations are not as thorough as the Robbins Review book where every answer choice is explained. I find that I am able to learn pathology very well with the combo of Goljan Rapid Review and Robbins Review question book. The better explanations in Robbins Review I found really drove home the facts much better than the explanations in the Lippincotts book.
   
   A nice feature of the Lippincotts book not present in the Robbins Review is that it has online access. Strangly however, the online version has parts of each answer missing compared to the printed version.
   
   In short, this is a good book but doesn't match up to the Robbins Review.

5 comments about Room Service.

1. The absolute stunning beauty of Adam Raphael's latest work reduces one to such primitive exclaimations as the above.
   
   The photographer has corralled his usual cadre of boys next door and photographed them in various locales of an upscale hotel. Aside from the luxuriousness of the setting, another difference emerges in this collection, the use of nudity. As an artist of unerring taste, though, Raphael presents nothing gratuitous or grotesque. The naked glimpses are of several shapely backsides and nothing more (and nothing more is needed). Raphael trusts the imaginations of his viewers to fill in any erotic gaps.
   
   The book's design is magisterial, the paper luscious, the lighting ethereal.
   
   Adam Raphael has entered the ranks of the masters. And in ROOM SERVICE he has produced not merely a masterpiece but the finest male picture book ever published.
   
   One would be wise to purchase a copy now, as it will no doubt someday be a collector's treasure on the order of Bruce Weber's early books (and of Raphael's own FRIENDS from several years back).



2. Yes, the pictures in this book are beautiful... beautiful men, beautiful lighting. But unfortunately there's no frontal nudity in the book -- it's all artfully concealed. So I'd say it's definitely high-quality photography, but unfortunately it leaves me disappointed.



3. I've seen lots of photographic art books of the male body, but this one is truly amazing. The lighting is perfect. The color and clarity of the images are crisp and natural. Special praise must be given to the publisher/printer for recreating them in book form.
   
   To say the men are beautiful is an understatement. They make the guys from the old A&F catalog look frumpy in comparison. Two particular models come to mind. One has green eyes that I could lose myself in and never find my way out. Another has the squarest jaw I've ever seen on a human being. The epitome of Scandinavian perfection.
   
   They were all photographed in hotel rooms. The captions for each photo has the model's name along with what room number they were in at the time. I've done only a little traveling in my time, but these hotel rooms represent an order of magnitude of elegance I've never experienced myself.



4. Boring. I was expecting stories, but it's a very expensive book with just photos of very feminine looking boys.



5. Move over Bruce Weber, there's a new shooter in town! Adam Raphael's work is in what I would call the Bruce Weber school, but the student surpases the master in many pictures. This beautifully bound book (that will actually stay open when you lay it flat) is equally suitable for the living room or the bedroom. Adam's work has a quality and depth that will take your breath away, he has included a variety of body types with a concentration on fitness. Included are some of today's most sought after male models including Joseph Sayers, Paul Tornabene, and Evan Wade. If you pine for the Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterlys of yesterday, you'll be more than satisfied with Room Service.

4 comments about Messiah Texts.

1. The Messiah Texts is a comprehensive study of Hebrew messianic prophecy. It explores such topics as pre-existence of the messiah, the suffering messiah theme in Jewish tradition, the signs of times of the messiah. It also explores the Suffering Servant - Israel connection, conceding that the Suffering Servant is a psychological projection of Israel. The quality of research is excellent: excrepts include quotes from Zohar, Genesis Rabbah, Sefer Zerubabel and, of course, the Bible. This book does not present any religious dogma, it simply explores the subject. Anyone studying the Messianic prophecy & tradition will benefit from reading The Messiah Texts.



2. This book is the most comprehensive compilation of Jewish texts about the Messiah that I know of in English. When it first came out, it filled a great need for an intelligently-written book where both Jews and non-Jews could read the traditional sources on what Jews believe about the Messiah. As it turns out, those sources are much richer and far more complex that you might imagine.

   Patai does not seek to present any particular doctrine as "the truth," nor does he seek to convert anybody to anything. He simply presents all the materials he could find, with some academic overviews of the basic themes. His approach is that of an academic folklorist, not a theologian -- in fact, the book is subtitled "Jewish Legends of Three Thousand Years."

   The chapters cover such things as pre-existent names of the Messiah, prophecies, apocalyptic writings, birth of the Messiah, stages of the Great Redemption, Last Judgement, Resurrection, dreams and visions of the future world, etc. There are sources from the Bible, Talmud, Midrash, medieval texts, Hasidic teachings, and modern accounts. Plus there are literary references to the Messiah from such writers as Elie Wiesel, Scholom Asch, Martin Buber, Jacob Wasserman, etc. All in all, 337 pages of prime material.

   Most interesting were the various people who have claimed (or were once thought to be) the Jewish Messiah, ranging from Bar Kochba to Shabbetai Zevi to -- get this -- Theodore Herzl! Yes indeed, the founder of the Zionist movement once dreamed that he was the Chosen One (see pp. 272-73) and apparently saw himself as a savior of the Jewish people -- albeit a secular one. (And I suppose if this book were to be updated now, it would also include the late Lubovitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, as well. He never made the claim, but some of his followers did.)

   One rather startling piece of info is a chapter on a mythological character named "Armilus" who is a villain that will oppose the true Messiah (see pp. 156-64.) This brought me up short, because the Edgar Cayce readings say that the soul of Jesus is called "Armilius" in the next world. Prior to reading Patai's book, that was the only reference to any "Armilius" I had heard of. Did Cayce read this legend somewhere? If so, he got the story all mixed up, because the Armilus described in the Messiah texts is a pretty nasty guy and not at all like the Jesus of the Gospels.

   When the true Messaih does come, according to the legends in this book, the righteous will be treated to a heavenly banquet, where they will eat the Leviathan, a huge fish-creature created especially for this purpose. Also served will be it's dry-land counterpart, Behemoth. (Which means "beast" in Hebrew. Anybody care for a nice juicy slice of Roast Beast?) Those who prefer fowl can enjoy the flesh of the Ziz, a wading bird of cosmic proportions. (Vegetarians, I suppose, will dine on the fruits from the Garden of Eden.)

   All in all, this is an excellent sourcebook for teachings that range from the sublime to the utterly bizarre. If you only buy one book on Jewish Messiah texts, this is it!




3. I picked up my copy of the Messiah Texts in a now-defunct New Mexico metaphysical bookstore, Brotherhood of Life. The only Jewish book in the building, the book had sat on the shelf so long it was permeated with the smell of incense. I loved it the minute I opened it and promptly bought it. Over the years my copy lost its fragance, but not its usefulness. When I was working on my own book, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JEWISH MYTH, MAGIC, AND MYSTICISM, it was invaluable in pointing me to primary sources and highlighting both the major themes and obscure byways of Jewish messianism.
   
   While making heads or tails of the Midrashic style of many of the entries will prove daunting to the casual reader, this book is real prize for anyone interested in Jewish messianic traditions.



4. This is probably the best reference book available for anyone researching
   the messianic idea. It is as simple as that.

3 comments about Renaissance Rivals: Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, Titian.

1. A sumptiously illustrated book, written in a chatty, somewhat prolix style. Worthy of five stars, but for two significant problems, warranting the subtraction of two stars:
   
   1) Some annoying factual errors, the most significant of which is the author's repeatedly giving Michelangelo's date of death as 1566, rather than 1564.
   
   2) The binding is simply not up to the task of keeping the heavy pages of the book together. My copy has already split in a couple of places, even though it has been handled gently.



2. Goffen's book is a powerful and thrilling volume of scholarship. Having passed away of breast cancer, the author rests knowing that her words and scholarship will continue to delight and inform many people desiring a new take on the overly discussed pieces of Michelangelo and his "antagonists."
   
   This books is both complex and lucid. Goffen has taken great care to use her language tactfully, but not sparingly. She presents many solid arguments with charged notation. The author leaves her reader swimming and fascinated at the same time. Goffen discusses the works of Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and Titian with solid grounding in the social context and network previously left behind by many scholars. Goffen is in fact so well grounded in the social context of her subject's time--and her own time--that "Renaissance Rivals" can certainly be seen as a modern day "Lives of the Artists". However, this text has not been embellished, nor fabricated by anyone desiring to create a legacy. Rather, Goffen's careful text offers argument and explanation for why Michelangelo and his rivals were indeed such great artists.
   
   This masterful work is a pleasure to read and will certainly stand in the pantheon of scholars as an accessible text written by a brilliant author.



3. Goffen has provided a clear, engaging, and refreshing view of Michelangelo and allows for further study and questioning.
   
   I do want to make a remark regaring the review called "Qualified Praise." Goffen does not state that Michelangelo died in 1566. She adheres to the February 17, 1564 date:
   
   "Instead, Vasari paraphrased an anecdote reported by an unknown correspondent, writing within a month of Michelangelo's death on 17 February 1564." (p. 117).

1 comments about Eugenie Grandet (Oxford World's Classics).

1. Monsieur Grandet, the father of the titular heroine of Balzac's short novel "Eugenie Grandet," is not just a miser; he is a caricature of a miser, a modern Midas whose first love is gold, as ornately drawn as Dickens's Scrooge, but somehow more believable. He is an elderly vintner living with his wife and daughter Eugenie, his only child, in a provincial French town called Saumur, and even they don't know exactly how much money he has. He is so stingy he has let his house fall into decrepitude and doles out basic necessities like sugar, candles, and firewood as though there were a shortage. He is so sinfully avaricious that even on his deathbed he can only lust for the priest's silver crucifix. He is devious, too--he has a disarmingly strange business manner in which he feigns stammering and deafness to derail his opponent's train of thought. He is, in short, one of the best characters a reader could hope for.
   
   Given the power of Grandet's presence and the extremity of his greed, a reader might expect him to be due for a fall, but Balzac is more interested in demonstrating how Eugenie becomes a noble woman despite, or perhaps because of, her parental influence. The story concerns the fortune of her spoiled but innocent cousin Charles, the son of Grandet's younger brother in Paris, and how she deals with his change in personality after he goes abroad to seek employment after his father's debt-induced suicide and returns having engaged in the cruel enterprise of slave trading. (I was reminded of Ibsen's Peer Gynt, who is hardened by the competitiveness of world commerce into rationalizing his immoral business pursuits.) He forsakes his love for Eugenie by arranging a marriage of convenience to another girl to increase his social status, revealing himself to be as cold and calculating as his uncle, but Eugenie triumphs in the end through her magnanimity.
   
   This is the third Balzac novel I've read, and the third I'd label a masterpiece. Here we have a fascinating study of the interplay between four very strong characters--Old Grandet, his sheltered and naive but soon-to-be-wise daughter, his libertine nephew, and his trusted female servant Nanon, who appears to have the most goodness and common sense of anybody in the story--woven into an elegant tale that has the simplicity and moral lucidity of a fable with the substance of a Shakespearean drama, the work of a playwright at heart who prefers to write in prose. Whether or not it was his intention, Balzac convinces us, with delicious satire instead of tedious didacticism, that there are lessons to be learned from the examples set by flawed as well as virtuous people.