Seven Prayers That Can Change Your Life: How to Use Jewish Spiritual Wisdom to Enhance Your Health, Relationships, and Daily Effectiveness

I liked this book because it was an unthreatening and insightful introduction to prayer. No one ever talks much about prayer, at least not the daily kind of prayer one might do in the morning, before meals, and at night. This book explains how to do it from a Jewish perspective, and makes a strong case for the benefits of prayer to a person's life. Since reading this book, I've tried to say a prayer before eating - it's great because it slows down my eating and adds some holiness to my day. If you're looking for a way to focus some of that nervous energy we all generate to something larger and wiser than yourself, this book will help you start.

When I picked up this book, I expected not to like it. It was, after all, exploring tradional Jewish prayers, so I expected it to be patriarchal and devoid of spirit. Instead, I have found a way to say these old prayers with new understanding.Each chapter offers an everyday situation, and a traditional prayer to help one find the holiness in that moment. The reader is encouraged to think deeply about the words of the prayer, to question, to wrestle with it, to learn the roots of the words and think about all the different possible meanings. Felder discusses the wisdom of the prayers, of the rabbis, in terms of our psychological needs, and much of his argument is convincing. Each chapter ends with the opportunity to pray in your own words, from the heart, so that each prayer is new. Through reading this book, the Shema has opened up to me as an opportunity to affirm both the boundlessness and the indwellingness of G-d, rather than being an affirmation of G-d's maleness (Lord of the Universe.) That is what I hope for in any book - that it will nourish my mind and spirit.

Larry Felder is a wise and gentle soul. With all the books out there addressing the public's desire to either return to their roots or to connect with some sense of large spirituality, few can match Felder's ability to give concrete steps for each of our hectic lives. I especially enjoyed the anecdotes about how incorporating prayer into daily life motions impacted his clients', his family's, and his own life. A true must-read for those interested in sharpening the focus of their lives and facing life with greater compassion.

Very easy to read and practical. I was surprised at how these prayers actually help with daily issues such as distractibility, stress reduction, and family conflicts. There is a great prayer to substitute for the cruder expressions that come to mind in certain traffic situations! I wish I'd had the book when I was younger, and will probably give it as an add-on to bar and bat mitzvah gifts. Felder's approach is so non-dogmatic and respectful of each individual's different approach to God that even my adolescent daughter has been "caught" reading it.