Spiritual Awakenings, Illuminations on Shabbat and the Holidays
Yehoshua Rubin, Urim Publications, 2003. 177 pgs, hardcover. $20.

Spiritual Awakenings is a book of short "takes" on the holidays, beginning with Shabbat and continuing from Elul through Shavuot. This is an inspirational book written in a Carlebachian style, filled with Torah teachings, tales of Chassidic rabbis and heart-warming personal anecdotes.

The book begins with chapters on Shabbat entitled "A Time to Press Pause." Here Rubin tells how one evening after dinner, rather than vegging out in front of the TV as he was so inclined, he bundles up the kids and takes them out to see the sunset. At that critical moment his daughter turns to him and says "Daddy, I love you." Had he not made the time, he could have missed that moment. Taking the time, says Rubin, is the fundamental purpose of Shabbat.

Rubin has a good story for each aspect of Shabbat. There is a short chapter on candle lighting, on wishing "Shabbat Shalom," Shalom Aleichem, Eshet Chayil, blessing the children, Kiddush and Hamotzi, the Shabbat meals and the Havadala. Each chapter is filled with personal anecdotes and messages brought home through charming Chassidic tales.

Why, Rab Karlin was asked, do Chassidim dance during the Friday night service? Because when we dance, one foot is rooted in the physical world and the other reaches toward heaven. Reb Carlebach couldn't have said it better.

Well written and easy to read, Spiritual Awakenings is a collection of inspirational essays drawn from Rubin's personal experiences and observations. The stuff of every day life becomes significant, be it talking to the guy next to him on the plane or getting lost in Atlantic City. Rubin finds a Rosh Hashanah message in Disney's "The Lion King." The replacement for his stolen bike becomes his Yom Kippur bike because it gives him another chance. Rubin's wife and children are so much a part of his experience, you'll know them if you meet them on the street.

In Spiritual Awakenings, Rubin teaches us how to awaken the spiritual in our most mundane activities. Rubin's acknowlegements at the beginning of the book say it all. Who reads the acknowledgements? You do when the first is to "Gd for having given the Jewish people all these wonderful and special days." The Jewish holidays, teaches Rubin, give us pause and tune us in. Take nothing for granted, enjoy every moment, and let the holidays be the window into Gd's special world.

Yehoshua Rubin received rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Shlomo Riskin and was a student of Reb Shlomo Carlebach. He teaches both in high school and college is a guidance councelor, storyteller, tour guide, writer and lead vocalist in a band. Yehoshua lives in Israel with his wife Annette and four children.