OU Press Hosts 2/29 Live Webcast with Rabbi Gidon Rothstein

23 Feb 2012

OU PRESS PRESENTS WEBCAST WITH RABBI GIDON ROTHSTEIN, AUTHOR OF WE’RE MISSING THE POINT: WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE ORTHODOX JEWISH COMMUNITY AND HOW TO FIX IT, FEBRUARY 29

OU Press | Jewish Educational Publications will present a live webcast with Rabbi Gidon Rothstein, author of the newly published, highly-acclaimed We’re Missing the Point: What’s Wrong with the Orthodox Jewish Community and How to Fix It, recently published by OU Press.

The live webcast can be watched at . It will be archived for future reference.

In We’re Missing the Point, Rabbi Rothstein argues vigorously and convincingly, but always respectfully and lovingly, that the Orthodox Jewish community is “missing the point” in many aspects of its Torah observance and mindset. Too often, it seems, modern Orthodox American Jews express their observance through attention to technical details while ignoring the profound transcendent truths and principles that should breathe life into the performance of those technical details. The result — perfunctory “outer” observance devoid of authentic “inner” God-awareness — only superficially resembles what the Almighty wants and the Torah legislates. Rabbi Rothstein identifies those transcendent truths and demonstrates their conspicuous absence in contemporary Orthodox Jewish life.

Not content just to point out the failings, Rabbi Rothstein prescribes sensible, practical solutions by placing an awareness of God squarely at the center of religious life and encouraging Orthodox Jews to exercise personal autonomy, good judgment, and creativity in their service of the Creator. His prescriptions produce an Orthodoxy that is vibrant, confident, creative, and inviting, rather than a lifestyle that seems to many to be burdensome, restrictive, mindless, and passive.

On the webcast, Rabbi Rothstein will give an overview of some of those ways in which we, as a community, are missing the point, after which he will present his practical approach for creating a religious life that is rich, meaningful, and ‘on point.’ Throughout this live, interactive, participatory presentation, Rabbi Rothstein will be inviting comments, questions, and feedback from the viewing audience via phone, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging.

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