The Shabbat Effect - by Alan Morinis (Hardcover)

About the Book

Drawing on the Mussar movement, a Jewish spiritual tradition, this book demonstrates how a weekly day set aside for genuine rest brings about a deep, lasting, and pervasive transformation of character.

Book Synopsis

What if one day of rest could transform your entire life?
One of the most important biblical mandates, so significant that it numbers among the Ten Commandments, is the directive to observe a weekly day of rest. The Shabbat Effect illuminates how the practice of a day set aside for rest brings about a deep, lasting, and pervasive transformation of character, not just on that seventh day but every day. Drawing on venerable Jewish sources as well as the experiences of contemporary practitioners, this user-friendly and accessible guide explores the eight essential traits that reflect the true meaning of Shabbat.

Rooted in the 1,100-year-old Jewish tradition of Mussar as well as the experiences of contemporary practitioners, this accessible guide offers a radical and moving exploration of how the practice of Shabbat enhances and refines core traits of character. Readers will find that it contributes immeasurably to their enjoyment of life, as well as helping them fulfill their highest human potential.

Review Quotes

"This book will likely appeal most to Jewish readers looking to understand Shabbat from a uniquely Jewish perspective." --Spirituality and Practice

"[Morinis'] the-sis is com-pelling in the fast-paced, mod-ern world...The Shab-bat Effect will leave you feel-ing more ground-ed and present just for hav-ing read it. More impor-tant-ly, not only will the prac-tices it leaves you with cre-ate a more mean-ing-ful Shab-bat, but also their effects will radi-ate out into the oth-er days of your life." --Jewish Book Council

"The Shabbat Effect is a tome to be read slowly and remembered." --Booklist

"Morinis presents Shabbat not as a burdensome ritual but as a vital, rejuvenating pause amid modern life's chaos." --San Diego Jewish World

"Bolstering the narrative with valuable prompts to help believers track their progress, the author meaningfully frames Shabbat as a lens through which readers can zoom in on what matters, "scrutinize" their spiritual challenges, and carry the resulting lessons into their daily lives. It's a lucid guide to reinvigorating an ancient religious practice." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Alan Morinis received his doctorate from Oxford University where he went on a Rhodes Scholarship. He is one of the leading lights in the revival of the Jewish spiritual tradition of Mussar and is the author of Climbing Jacob's Ladder (2002), Everyday Holiness (2007) and With Heart in Mind (2014). He is the founder of The Mussar Institute and a student of Rabbi Yechiel Yitzchok Perr, zt"l.