The Committed Life: Principles for Good Living from Our Timeless Past

by Esther Jungreis and Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis

Book Overview

The search for meaning in our lives has become a particularly difficult quest. The high-pressure world we live in, with its emphasis on material goods, has eclipsed the timeless values of commitment and spirituality. Today success is measured not by what we are, but by what we possess: the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, the trinkets we buy.

As a result, more and more people live with self-doubt, depression, ennui, and familial dysfunction...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060191368
• ISBN13: 9780060191368
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read for All, Jews and Non-Jews Alike

This is one of those books that opens your heart and helps your faith in G-d to grow. Just reading the stories reaffirmed my faith in G-d, in prayer, in life. Quite frankly, I frequently found myself in tears when reading the stories--what kind of tears? I'm not sure... sort of the tears that makes one happy to know that G-d exists still. Rebbetzin Jungreis writes in a gifted manner. As a non-Jew (but Monotheist), I was amazed at the wealth of wisdom that can be found in the Torah. Raised as a Christian, it was commonplace to perhaps read through Genesis and Exodus and then skip on over to the New Testament. What a mistake. For me, this book helped me in many ways... it made me even more committed to the act of charity... it made me more committed to exploring the Jewish roots of the monotheistic faiths. I think this would make an excellent book for teachers to use in helping to make their students more aware of Judaism... to give their students a healthier respect for Judaism. I also think it would be a good book for families to read together and then discuss. I highly encourage you to buy this book. It's a treasure that has the potential to change your life and your faith.

A Book to Live By

This book seemed to lift itself from the shelf in the library where I was browsing the new book section a few months ago. I couldn't put it down once I started to read it. I am not Jewish, but the book spoke volumes to me. It touched me as nothing religious has in a long time. Thank you Rabbitzin Jungreis for sharing your life, dreams and values with us. I'll never forget your beautiful, inspiring book.

Wonderful! Inspiring! Ten stars!

An amazing book by a wisdom-filled elder of our people! I absolutely loved it! All too often, the only stories we ever hear about Holocaust survivors are those who lost their faith in God because he supposedly was "not there" and failed to rescue the Jews. Why be religious, the skeptics always say, if it doesn't help you to physically survive? But for Rebbitzin Jungreis, descendant of an illustrious rabbinic dynasty and a survivor of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, there is more to life than mere survival. God is always there, even under the most horrible conditions that life can throw at us. The question is not how we die, but how we live. As her father taught her -- and she quotes him in the book -- "A long life is not good enough, but a good life is long enough." To Rebbitzin Jungreis, the "good life" is not one filled with material possessions, but rather, a life devoted to God, Torah, and mitzvahs -- a life filled with hope, forgiveness, joy and love. Short or long, such a life is always a good life. After surviving Bergen-Belsen, her father, who had been Chief Rabbi of Szeged, Hungary, before the Nazis came, charged her with a sacred mission: to help renew the faith in God among Jews, which the Nazis had tried to destroy. Rebbitzin Jungreis has devoted her life to doing just that. Her deep spirituality radiates from every page of this book -- not the wishy-washy, self-centered form of "spirituality" so often preached by New Agers nowadays, but the real thing -- the kind of spirituality that takes hard work -- and which manifests itself in a life committed to God and service to one's fellow human beings under any and all circumstances. I especially liked the parts where she talks about about doing tikkun olam (repairing the world) and forgiveness, saying: "To respond to hatred with hated can only beget further hatred and reduce the world to chaos. Whenever possible, we have to try to communicate by using the formual of our father Abraham by attempting to awaken the Divine spark even in the darkest of souls." (p. 38) Remember, this is from a Holocaust survivor, who personally experienced the darkest chapter in Jewish history. But, unlike many Jews who became embittered and still say "Never forgive," Rebbitzin Jungreis does not allow hatred to fester and poison her soul. Instead, she lights a candle in the darkness, working to heal broken hearts and rescue wounded souls from the abyss. This is a book you will want to read over and over. Whatever your own level of religious observance might be, her personal stories and heartwarming, down-to-earth advice will help you to lead a more meaningful life.

Wisdom and Torah insights written by a Tzadeket for everyone

For me there are no suprlatives that adequately hit the mark for the knowledge, wisdom and personal insights provided by Rebbetzin Jungreis in this wonderfully written book.After having read this book I was fortunate to have been able to attend a lecture given by the Rebbetzin and I am convinced that she is blessed by God and is indeed a special person. Her knowledge of the Torah is encyclopedic and her spirituality is of the level of the Matriarchs. Anything done by the Rebbetzin, whether it be a book, a lecture, or a video broadcast is not to be missed; she can change your life.

A BEAUTIFUL REMINDER OF HOW PRECIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL LIFE IS

A MOST BEAUTIFUL AND INSPIRING BOOK. FROM THE MOMENT I BEGAN TO READ IT,I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. IN A TIME SO THIRSTY FOR MORALS AND DIRECTION, THIS BOOK SHINES WITH SPIRITUALITY AND SENSITIVITY. THIS IS NOT A BOOK THAT SIMPLY READS, THIS BOOK SPEAKS TO YOU. RIGHT TO THE HEART!! I HAVE GIVEN THIS BOOK AS GIFTS TO MANY FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS. I PLAN TO BUY MORE COPIES FOR HANUKAH GIFTS. THIS BOOK IS THE GREATEST REMEDY FOR ALL THAT AILS US. I LOVED IT, AND AM GRATEFUL REBBITZIN JUNGREIS TOOK THE TIME TO SHARE HER WONDERFUL KNOWLEDGE AND STORIE S WITH US.