Travel to Middle East

Israel A Spiritual Travel Guide: A Companion For The Modern Jewish Pilgrim

Format: Paperback
Author: Lawrence A. Hoffman
ReleaseDate: 29 January, 2005
Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing
Rating:

A Guide for a Sacred Journey
It is well organized and it provides a great framework to prepare you spirtually for the trip as well as each remarkable location when you are there. As a first time traveler to Israel, I found this book to be an extremely helpful guide for both mind and soul. I felt connected to the places I visited, to the people who have come before me, and to God. I was able to reflect on how the experiences affected me each day. This book helped me to organize my thoughts and memories that I will cherish forever. I am grateful to the author for his hard work in creating this well written book.

Use Fodors for the hotel & body, and this for the spirit
The blurb says it best, "the other travel books tell you how to get there, Hoffman tells you why to go and what to do when you're there. It is the must companion for any traveler to Israel. " Hoffman, a Professor of Liturgy at HUC-JIR, is best known for his book, "What Is A Jew?" His travel guide is in four sections. The first contains eighteen (chai) meditations to be read before embarking on one's trip to Israel. The second section is on preparations for "the eve before the trip. " Section three focuses on "How to prepare while on the way. " And Section four is filled with 25 specific pilgrimage destinations for the traveler. For each site, such as The Kotel or a Kibbutz, Professor Hoffman provides THE FOUR A's -- four sections on "Anticipation," "Approach," "Acknowledgment," and "Afterthought. " In Anticipation, one reads an overview of the sight; Approach contains biblical, rabbinic and other writings about the site; Acknowledgment is filled with prayers or readings for you to recite at your destination; and Afterthought provides a blank space in which you may record your feelings, emotions, or just plain journal entries that you can keep forever. This is an excellent companion for a trip to Israel.

Beyond camera-toting tourism
Full of inspired suggestions for spiritual preparation, meditations, and prayers. Hoffman, a prolific author of scholarly and popular works on Jewish liturgy, now offers the first guide that speaks to the many travelers to Israel who visit for spiritual growth, not suntanning.

One important caveat: Hoffman, surprisingly, includes a self-composed Jewish prayer to be said on the Temple Mount. Visitors should be aware that, in order to avoid tensions with the Mount's Muslim administrators, it is ILLEGAL for non-Muslims to pray on the Temple Mount, and any non-Muslim caught doing so faces immediate expulsion and prosecution.

Apart from this oversight, Hoffman's guide is essential for anyone making a spiritual pilgrimage to Israel.

Related products:
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	Fodor's Israel, 6th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides)
	How to Walk in the Footsteps of Jesus and the Prophets: A Scripture Reference Guide for Biblical Sites in Israel and Jordan
	Kids Love Israel Israel Loves Kids: A Travel Guide for Families