Psalms are spiritual poems to God that emerged from pivotal moments in the lives of their biblical authors. They serve as essential components of Jewish and Christian liturgy and are integral to secular culture, such as the widespread familiarity with “The Lord is my Shepherd” or the exclamation of “Halleluyah.” These ancient compositions are marked by an honesty that conveys wisdom colored with a wide-pallet of intense emotions. In Duets on Psalms (release date of November 2023), Rabbi Elie Spitz and Rabbi Jack Riemer, a pair of rabbis of differing generations, examine eleven psalms as if wearing bifocals: looking closely at the artistry and original context while extracting personal insights for contemporary readers. Join uis on November 12th to learn about this welcome addition to the Jewish bookshelf and to explore two of the psalms featured in the book, Psalm 1 and Psalm 23.

Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz approaches the familiar in unfamiliar ways. A spiritual leader and scholar specializing in topics of spirituality and Judaism, he teaches, writes and speaks to a wide range of audiences. He served as the rabbi of Congregation B’nai Israel in Tustin, California, for over three decades and served as member of the Rabbinical Assembly Committee on Law and Standards for twenty years. Rabbi Spitz is author of Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World; Does the Soul Survive? A Jewish Journey to Belief in Afterlife, Past Lives & Living with Purpose and Increasing Wholeness: Jewish Wisdom and Guided Meditations to Strengthen and Calm Body, Heart, Mind and Spirit (all Jewish Lights) and many articles dealing with spirituality and Jewish law. Rabbi Spitz spent the past 17 months teaching the Psalms with half-hour presentations for each Psalm (recently completing all 150 Psalms!). To enjoy all or some of the 150 Psalm sessions, visit this LINK.

Rabbi Jack Riemer is a well-known author and speaker. He is rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Tikvah (now Shaarei Kodesh) in Boca Raton, Florida, and founded the National Rabbinic Network, a support system for rabbis across all denominational lines. He is the author of Finding God in Unexpected Places: Wisdom for Everyone from the Jewish Tradition and is editor of The World of the High Holy Days (Bernie Books) and Wrestling with the Angel (Schocken), coeditor of So That Your Values Live On: Ethical Wills and How to Prepare Them, and contributed to May God Remember: Memory and Memorializing in Judaism Yizkor (both Jewish Lights). Widely sought after as a master storyteller and teacher, Rabbi Riemer is one of the most frequently quoted rabbis in the U.S. That’s because of the winding paths he takes in describing the relevance of timeless Jewish wisdom in our modern world. He is often referred to as the “rabbi’s rabbi” among Jewish clergy, because he has taught and mentored so many of his colleagues. Rabbi Riemer offers us the kind of wisdom that we need in order to survive and thrive, writes Dr. Bernie Siegel, best-selling author of a dozen books about spirituality and healing. The late Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel adds, Jack Riemer’s words are songs of hope and faith. Listen to them as I do.