"We no longer live in a global village. We live in a global apartment house and the walls are very thin."
Alan Lew is known as the Zen Rabbi--a leader in the Jewish meditation movement and a Zen practitioner for more than thirty years. His story will take you from Brooklyn, where his grandfathers introduce him as a child to the rituals of Jewish life, to the flowering of the sixties in California where, in the company of poets, hipsters, and beats, he settles on Zen Buddhism as a spiritual path. The enhanced self-awareness he learns in Zen practice leads to a completely unexpected revelation--the depth of his attachment to being a Jew. Yet even after settling in as rabbi of the largest conservative synagogue in San Francisco, he is not at the end of his search for a spiritual home. One God Clapping is more than just a spiritual autobiography--it is a bold experiment in the integration of Eastern and Western ways of looking at the world. From Zen Buddhist practitioner to rabbi, East meets West in this firsthand account of a spiritual journey.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
an interesting autobiography:
An interesting, easy to read narrative of the author's journeys. I can't say I learned all that much about why Rabbi Lew returned to Judaism, except that most of his decisions come from the kind of flashes of insight that are not easily reduced to words. He did, however, explain reasonably coherently why he was attracted to Conservative Judaism rather than to Orthodoxy - a somewhat unusual phenomenon, because baal teshuvot (Jews who have "returned" to religious observance) generally veer towards... more info
Stunningly self centered!:
I have never written a review before, feeling that until I became an author, I should keep quiet. However this book has moved me to reevaluate. I have never seen such a rambling, self involved, free association, represented as a "spiritual path" in all my years of reading spiritual books of many varities. The author never stops talking about himself, and a myriad of unconnected and unexplained bits of memories to mention anything of substance about ANY spiritual traditions, other than in passing. I question... more info
Interesting:
Rabbi Alan Lew discusses his rich Brooklyn childhood, his family's move to largely anti-Jewish suburbs of Westchester, his studies at Penn, his marriage, his move into Zen and ten years in monastic contemplation to fulfill his spiritual yearnings, and his return to Judaism and the rabbinate. This is the story of his integration of the East with the West. It's about Jewish karma, and the reclamation of spirituality. It's about why so many Jewish youth turn East in their spiritual quests, experiment with... more info
Applause for One God Clapping - an inspiration:
This book has been a continuing source of inspiration on my spiritual journey. I am going through the process of converting to Judaism and hold a strong interest in Zen meditation, Yoga and a mindful way of life. The stories told in One God Clapping touched my heart, my soul, and my intellect, and gave me the sense that I was reading about my own life. Rabbi Lew offers up a heartfelt glimpse into the experiences of his life with a warmth and honesty that speaks a universal truth about humanity. I laughed. I... more info
