Pirkei Avot is the urtext of Jewish practical wisdom. In many ways, the words of Pirkei Avot were the first recorded manifesto of social justice in Western civilization. This commentary explores the text through a lens of contemporary social justice and moral philosophy, engaging both classical commentators and modern thinkers.

The Book of Proverbs, attributed to King Solomon, is a profound collection of Jewish wisdom, song, and inspiration. Yet to contemporary readers, the text can appear vague, ambiguous, and contradictory. In this refreshing and relevant commentary, Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz challenges us to find modern meaning in this ancient text. Using his signature blend of social justice practice and Jewish thought from throughout history, Rabbi Yanklowitz shows how the words of Proverbs are strikingly pertinent to issues we face today. Drawing on a wide range of sources, Rabbi Yanklowitz explores such topics as income inequality, feminism, animal rights, environmentalism, and many more. The author's commentary is paired with the full text of Proverbs-in both Hebrew and an updated, gender-accurate translation-so readers can glean their own insights.

If you had the power to save a life, would you do it? If you knew you could save the life of someone who would surely die without a kidney transplant, would you give them one of yours? These are the questions that burned in Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz. He had that power, that knowledge. Could he go through with the surgery to donate a kidney to someone who desperately needed it? The more he considered it, the less he could imagine not donating.

The Five-Ounce Gift charts Rabbi Yanklowitz's journey of research, reflection, and commitment to honoring the call to action in Pirke Avot - Ethics of our Fathers: It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.

Rabbi Yanklowitz could not refuse the call to help someone in need if it was in his power to do so. Walk with him as he wrestles with the personal, spiritual, religious, and ethical aspects of becoming a living kidney donor, and as he shows you a way to consider the same path for yourself.

Every day in the U.S., a dozen people waiting for a kidney transplant die for lack of a donor; that's about 5,000 people a year. Of the almost 100,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list, only about 20,000 get a transplant - most often from a deceased organ donor. The rest are still waiting...some on dialysis...all of them running out of time.

This is more than an extraordinary book; it is a proposal that could change the world. It is more than a remarkable memoir; it is a true inspiration. It is more than a superb work of scholarship; it transforms a theoretical idea into a lifesaving strategy. Rabbi Yanklowitz is an exceptional person with a stunningly beautiful vision. You will never forget this book.

-Rabbi Arthur Kurzweil, author of On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz

The notion of separating oneself from a body part is difficult to understand, and even more so when the recipient is a stranger. I was moved by Rabbi Yanklowitz's selfless act of donating a kidney and found his reasoning to do so fascinating. This book is a wonderful collection of spiritual and personal writings about the transformational power of giving back to others who are in their most vulnerable hours. A powerful read.

-Rabbi Dr. Daniel Sperber

Consistent with morals and Jewish law, organ donation is a big mitzvah. It's a way to continue life even as your soul leaves the Earth. I support Rabbi Yanklowitz's teaching and writing on this topic.

-U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman

I respect Rabbi Shmuly's kidney donation so much and applaud his tireless advocacy.

-U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren

I'm inspired by Rabbi Yanklowitz's selfless act of donating a kidney to a total stranger. It tells us a lot about the moral character of a life dedicated to Jewish ethics and values.

-Natan Sharansky

I know of no book like it. It is moving, uplifting, and profoundly challenging. Although I have no idea how many ounces this book will weigh, it is itself a precious gift!

- Dr. Martha C. Nussbaum, The University of Chicago

The Book of Jonah is a unique text in the Jewish canon. Among the shortest books in the Bible, it is also one of the most mysterious and morally ambiguous. Who is this prophet running from God, hiding at the bottom of the ocean? Why does he struggle with God's mission to save and forgive Israel's enemies? In this volume, Rabbi Dr. Yanklowitz shows that the Book of Jonah delivers a message of human responsibility in a shared world. Illuminating such contemporary ethical issues as animal welfare, incarceration, climate change, weapons of mass destruction, and Jewish-Muslim relations, this social justice commentary urges us to join in repairing a broken world--a call that we, unlike Jonah, must hasten to answer.

In this new forty-five-chapter series, Rabbi Shmuly explores forty-five of the most influential philosophers throughout history and how Jewish ideas might engage with each of the philosophers and their philosophical projects. At times, Judaism may need to reject harmful, foreign ideas. Other times, Judaism may need to adapt, integrate, and expand. There are many other approaches we'll see of how Jewish thought can engage with other philosophies as well. In this exciting new exploration, we learn about Jewish intellectual history and what it means for us today.

Two Jews, three arguments - as the saying goes. But what kinds of topics have Jews disagreed about historically, in the present day, and potentially also in the future? Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz surveys forty major controversies in Jewish culture, and presents how opposing sides have each laid out their arguments in good faith.

Disagreements happen between people: Hillel vs. Shammai, Ayn Rand vs. Karl Marx, Tamar Ross vs. Judith Plaskow... but also Abraham vs. God, and God vs. the angels! Movements debate each other: Reform versus Orthodoxy, one- two- and zero-state solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, gun rights versus gun control in the United States.

The book doesn't shy away from the fundamental questions of existence either. Is life about struggle or about peace? Should we focus on love based on emotions or love based on deeds? What is better: seeking absolute truth, or building compromise? Ultimately, what is the meaning of life?

Rabbi Yanklowitz presents difficult and often heated disagreements with fairness and empathy, helping us consider our own truths in a pluralistic Jewish landscape.

In this book, we will share forty lessons, each with its own unique theme. The common thread to the series is living with deeper kindness. How can the Jewish tradition inspire us to live with deeper love and compassion? How can Jewish pearls of wisdom inform how we care for one another? The book contains five sections: Kindness Toward Specific Individuals; Kindness Toward All Individuals; Kindness Through Restraint; Care for Our Environment; and Self-Improvement as a Catalyst for Kindness to Others. The first two sections address proactive kindness towards our fellow humans; the third addresses kindness by avoiding hurting others; the fourth, kindness towards all of God's creations, including animals and nature, as kindness cannot be only people-directed; the fifth serves as a starting point and catalyst for all of the above, for without first being kind to ourselves and improving our general character we cannot be truly kind towards others. The argument is not only that God wants us to live with kindness and that Torah necessitates it, but that kindness has the greatest chance of bringing happiness and meaning to our lives.

In this new forty-five-chapter series, Rabbi Shmuly explores forty-five of the most influential philosophers throughout history and how Jewish ideas might engage with each of the philosophers and their philosophical projects. At times, Judaism may need to reject harmful, foreign ideas. Other times, Judaism may need to adapt, integrate, and expand. There are many other approaches we'll see of how Jewish thought can engage with other philosophies as well. In this exciting new exploration, we learn about Jewish intellectual history and what it means for us today.

In this book, we will share forty lessons, each with its own unique theme. The common thread to the series is living with deeper kindness. How can the Jewish tradition inspire us to live with deeper love and compassion? How can Jewish pearls of wisdom inform how we care for one another? The book contains five sections: Kindness Toward Specific Individuals; Kindness Toward All Individuals; Kindness Through Restraint; Care for Our Environment; and Self-Improvement as a Catalyst for Kindness to Others. The first two sections address proactive kindness towards our fellow humans; the third addresses kindness by avoiding hurting others; the fourth, kindness towards all of God's creations, including animals and nature, as kindness cannot be only people-directed; the fifth serves as a starting point and catalyst for all of the above, for without first being kind to ourselves and improving our general character we cannot be truly kind towards others. The argument is not only that God wants us to live with kindness and that Torah necessitates it, but that kindness has the greatest chance of bringing happiness and meaning to our lives.

Valley Beit Midrash presents KOLOT: Celebrating the Plurality of Jewish Voices. The first volume of essays is centered around the question of I am Jewish and I believe in the power of... Writers featured in this issue include Anita Diamant, Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, and Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz.

When the news of the world moves at supersonic speed, and the rising tides of rancor and partisan division take hold of the popular imagination, what is the best course of action to stem the tide of bitterness and resentment? Are we to remain cynical and silent or are we to be bold and audacious? Are we to stay within the squares of mediocrity, or launch ourselves head first into new, dynamic modes of thought and interaction? The postmodern mind allows for the greatest expansion of human potential, while still absorbing all preceding knowledge. It is in this vein of discovery and boundary-breaking where Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, one of this generation's most forward-looking Jewish thinkers, takes his latest volume of Jewish philosophy and virtues. In POSTMODERN JEWISH ETHICS: EMERGING SOCIAL JUSTICE PARADIGMS, Rabbi Yanklowitz explores the nexus of traditional texts and contemporary attitudes in response to the constant state of flux we call the present. Contained within these pages are carefully rendered Jewish meditations about the delicate nature of the modern condition, the call for more pronounced participation in animal welfare issues, the realities of fostering vulnerable children, examining the damage of social instability, and more. POSTMODERN JEWISH ETHICS is Rabbi Yanklowitz's most personal and daring volume of Jewish thought to date. Readers looking for insight will walk away fresh with more questions and purpose. That is the way it should be.

This volume of collected essays brings forth new paradigms in the exploration between the intersection of Judaism's concern with eating, dignity, food ethics, and animal welfare. Contained here are rabbinic reflections on the nature of Judaism's timeless concern with upholding the moral and spiritual integrity of kosher laws in theory and practice.

In The Soul of Activism, author and activist Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, gives a unique re-examination of the power of interfaith spirituality to fuel the fires of progressive activism. 'Religion' in the public sphere has been claimed by far-right ideologues while progressives, turned off by the hypocrisy of the religious influence on contemporary policy, have lost out on the experience of religious community. As a result, progressives are losing control of political discourse because they neither grasp nor trust the universal and invigorating language and practice of religion when expressed productively for social justice. Progressive activists must find these missing spiritual tools, cultivate compassion, and lead affirmative change in their communities.

This volume of collected essays brings forth new paradigms in the exploration between the intersection of Judaism's concern with eating, dignity, food ethics, and animal welfare. Contained here are rabbinic reflections on the nature of Judaism's timeless concern with upholding the moral and spiritual integrity of kosher laws in theory and practice.

Discover the breadth of wisdom provided by this generation's giant of Torah: Rabbi Irving Yitz Greenberg. Rabbi Yitz is one of the most renowned leaders in contemporary Jewish communal life. His dedication to foster a more interconnected and vibrant Judaism has been felt across the academic and broader world. In this new work, the legacy of Rabbi Yitz is discussed at length by those who have been affected by his inclusive model of contemporary Judaism, his approachable erudition, commitment to fostering meaningful interfaith dialogue, and constant striving to make the world a more just place. These intellectual progenies divulge the lasting impact Rabbi Yitz has had on their lives and the lives of people around the globe.