Marriages sometimes come to an end. Divorce can be extremely difficult--but it also can be a time for spiritual and personal growth.
What does Judaism say about ending a marriage? How can its teachings help you to make hard decisions about divorce that will affect you, your family, friends, and particularly your children? In this practical guide from a Jewish perspective, rabbi, father, divorcé, and pastoral counselor Perry Netter provides information, inspiration, wisdom, and strength for those experiencing--either directly or indirectly--this challenging life transition. Rabbi Netter explores the inner landscape of relationships, drawing on wisdom from centuries of biblical and rabbinic teachings, as well as modern psychological research, to offer practical suggestions for transitioning through the stages of separation and building a new life.
Topics covered include: The existential question: "Why is this happening to me?" The hardest question: "To leave or not to leave; how do I decide?" The guilt question: "Is divorce kosher?" The psychological question: "What do I do with all this anger?" The most painful question: "How do we tell the kids?" The ritual question: "How can I get closure?" The awkward question: "What do I say to others?" The legal question: "Should I mediate or litigate?" The most important question: "How do we continue to raise children together?"
Divorce Is a Mitzvah is an indispensable guide for people in crisis and those who interact with them, showing us how to transform a traumatic time of life into one of growth, right behavior, and greater spiritual understanding.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Very Helpful:
As a practicing Conservative Jew, I found this book and Rabbi Netter's thoughts very helpful and insightful into my own situation. I highly recommend this book for anyone, Jewish or not, going through the pain of a divorce.
More Divorce Promotion Unfortuately:
God does not want divorce. It is not a mitzvah (commandment or good deed). Unbelievable. I thought there were 10 commandments given to Moses. Rabbi Geller must have been given the 11th that we did not know about. When did that happen I wonder? Hmmm, perhaps before or during her divorce? Marriage is God's institution and creation. This pseudo-religious nonsense is not supported in the Bible. It's pure self serving and 'new-age' deceptional interpretation. The flippant :"I deserve to be happy"... more info
Rabbis and other clergy should be on the side of marriage!:
This book inspired my wife to divorce. She did not want to go to counselling, she did not want to attempt to work out our problems. I spoke with this Rabbi and he readily dispenses the advice to divorce. He totally glosses over the trauma it brings to children with "they will be all right" and let me tell you -- they are NOT all right. Even if they do recover, that is like making the arguement that since kids recover from broken arms fairly quickly and easily that it is ok to break their arms! The book... more info
Advice from a Rabbi that lives in the real world:
In "Divorce is a Mitzvah" Rabbi Perry Netter takes the reader through a Jewish perspective of divorce. A mitzvah is defined as a response to the voice of God that commands us to behave in a particular way. While Jewish scholars have many writings on the importance and symbolic significance of marriage and being an ideal couple, there is a dearth of writings concerning divorce.
Rabbi Netter tackles this problem and many of the hardest questions of divorce. Chapters include: "Why is this happening to me?",... more info
