Book Description
It is possible to infuse every moment of life with meaning--from the routine act to the once-in-a-lifetime situation--and this first-of-its-kind introduction to Martin Buber’s I-Thou shows you how. Drawing on Jewish tradition, the science of human behavior, Buber’s ideas and the Hasidic stories that he loved, Rabbi Dennis Ross illuminates a theology of relationships in easy-to-understand, accessible language. You will clearly see how to use the principles of I-Thou to create new answers to critical issues in life, such as: How do I react to others in times of stress? How do I relate to strangers? How can I take full advantage of the time I have to spend with my loved ones? By unlocking the depths in Buber’s concepts for spiritual growth, Ross supplies you with the tools you need to communicate better, love more completely, and find the sacred in everyday life.

From the Author
The I-Thou relationship comes easily and often, over breakfast or at work, in the classroom or at the gym as well as in turning points of life. In the eighty years since Jewish thinker Martin Buber proposed the idea of I-Thou, no one has taken ordinary language to describe this simple spirituality in words, gestures and glances. God in Our Relationships: The Spirituality between People from the Teachings of Martin Buber makes clear the ephemeral and often overlooked encounter of I and Thou. Many people turn into the soul for insights of belief and for faith. God in Our Relationships looks outward, to holy possibilities between people, to the spiritual opportunities in words, gestures and glances. Drawing from the writings and biography of Martin Buber, from his loving edition of Hasidic tales as well as from the Bible and events in my typical day, God in Our Relationships speaks to all faiths about an interpersonal spirituality, that special feeling "in the air" in simple exchanges of words and in heart-to-heart conversation. As a rabbi, I talk about God. As a social worker, I focus on interpersonal communication. In God in Our Relationships, I weave together two decades of religious and social life to describe the holiness of the I-Thou relationship -- what it is, when it arrives, why it must end, what of it endures and why it is so important. Writing this book deepened my spiritual awareness and strengthened my devotion to human relation. It is my hope that God in Our Relationships brings you the same insight and fulfillment.

About the Author
Rabbi Dennis S. Ross is a hospital chaplain, a trained social worker, and a congregational rabbi at Temple Anshe Amunim in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. An inspiring teacher and writer, he is author of The Ten Commandments: From the Shadow of Eden to the Promise of Canaan. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and MultiCultural Review. He lives in western Massachusetts with his family.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It is possible to infuse every moment of life with meaning-from the routine act to the once-in-a-lifetime situation-and this first-of-its-kind introduction to Martin Buber's I-Thou shows you how.

Drawing on Jewish tradition, the science of human behavior, Buber's ideas and the Hasidic stories that he loved, Rabbi Dennis Ross illuminates a theology of relationships in easy-to-understand, accessible language. You will clearly see how to use the principles of I-Thou to create new answers to critical issues in life, such as:
How do I react to others in times of stress?
How do I relate to strangers?
How can I take full advantage of the time I have to spend with my loved ones?