Choosing Hope: The Heritage of Judaism

Throughout our history, Jews have traditionally responded to our trials with hope, psychologist David Arnow says, because we have had ready access to Judaism’s abundant reservoir of hope.                The first book to plumb the depths of this reservoir, Choosing Hope journeys from biblical times to our day to explore nine fundamental sources of hope in Judaism:    Teshuvah—the method to fulfill our hope to become better human beingsTikkun Olam—the hope that we can repair the world by working togetherAbraham and Sarah—models of persisting in hope amid trialsExodus—the archetype of redemptive hopeCovenant—the hope for a durable relationship with the One of BeingJob—the “hard-fought hope” that brings a grief-stricken man back to lifeWorld to Come—the sustaining hope that death is not the endIsrael—high hope activists work to build a just and inclusive society for all IsraelisJewish Humor—“hope’s last weapon” in our darkest days   Grounded in a contemporary theology that situates the responsibility for creating a better world in human hands, with God acting through us, Choosing Hope can help us both affirm hope in times of trial and transmit our deepest hopes to the next generation.