What people are saying.
“ Strassfeld believes that we can choose to engage in Judaism to create a meaningful life, committed to inner spiritual work and social justice, as part of a sustaining community. The key involves understanding observances as spiritual practices. “Judaism is actually about how to live a life of freedom,” he says, quoting the 19th-century Chasidic work, Sefat Emet.
“It is kavannah, the intention of the heart and mind, which gives these precepts meaning,” he writes.
“By doing good, we are not guaranteed to win the lottery, but we are ‘guaranteed’ to live a life of harmony and peace rather than discord and anger. We create our own spiritual environment. It can be an environment so polluted with negativity that it is hard to breathe or an environment redolent with the scent of the Garden of Eden,”
from a review of Judaism Disrupted in the Detroit Jewish News June 2023
“Rabbi Strassfeld calls for a seismic shift in Jewish practice in this thought-provoking treatise .…Strassfeld’s vision of Judaism is compassionate and flexible, and he’s frank about the challenges the religion faces without resorting to apocalyptic prognostications about its survival. Those looking to revitalize their Jewish identity should pick this up.”
"The great disrupter does it again. For half a century, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld has been a successful disrupter of religious laissez-faire, insisting instead on being excruciatingly honest about the changing nature of the time and the need for Judaism to change along with it. In this, his latest book he again challenges all our old bromides and emerges with an optimistic assessment of Judaism as a religion of deep awareness, of freedom and search, and holiness and helpfulness, and of uncertainty striving for wholeness."
-Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, Professor Emeritus of Liturgy, Worship and Ritual, Hebrew Union College, NY
“I can’t remember the last time I felt pulled to underline a book constantly as I was reading it, but “Judaism Disrupted” is exactly that intellectual, spiritual and personal adventure. You will find yourself nodding, wrestling, and hoping to hold on to so many of its ideas and challenges. Rabbi Strassfeld reframes a Torah that demands breakage, reimagination, and ownership. Not only did I learn so much from Strassfeld’s 11 principles; I was changed by them.”
- Abigail Pogrebin, author, “My Jewish Year; 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew”
“A three-thousand-year-old history told with the immediacy of the evening news. A Haggadah that would keep my Uncle Sol happy, because it lets you get to dinner before next year’s seder; and my wife is happy, too, finally, because this Haggadah fills Miriam’s cup.”
— Many Patinkin, actor, on A Night of Questions A Passover Haggadah
“Why is this night different? Because on this night, finally we have a Haggadah that welcomes our differences! A Night of Questions offers a wonderful opportunity for families and friends of diverse backgrounds to be immersed in an authentic seder experience. This year, all are truly welcome around the seder table. This year-with spirituality and depth, as well as activities and drama-a satisfying seder awaits us all. “
— Rabbi Rachel Cowan on A Night of Questions A Passover Haggadah