Winner of the 1997 National Jewish Book Award for Jewish Thought, "Stalking Elijah" traces Rodger Kamenetz's rollicking and profound cross-country journey in search of the great teachers revitalizing Judaism today.
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Winner of the 1997 National Jewish Book Award for Jewish Thought, "Stalking Elijah" traces Rodger Kamenetz's rollicking and profound cross-country journey in search of the great teachers revitalizing Judaism today.
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Poor. Some outer edges have minor scuffs. Cover has light scratches/marks. Spine is creased. Textblock has tanning. Content has tanning. Some pages have pencil marks but still in good readable condition. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 384 p.
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Good. The book is nice and 100% readable, but the book has visible wear which may include stains, scuffs, scratches, folded edges, sticker glue, torn on front page, highlighting, notes, and worn corners.
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Good. Paperback This item shows wear from consistent use but remains in good readable condition. It may have marks on or in it, and may show other signs of previous use or shelf wear. May have minor creases or signs of wear on dust jacket. Packed with care, shipped promptly.
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Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
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Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Remainder mark; tiny chips to the forecorners. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 370 p. Audience: General/trade.
"Stalking Elija: Adventures with Today's Jewish Mystical Masters" (1997) is a sequel to Kammenetz's "The Jew in the Lotus" which recounts a visit of Jewish thinkers of various backgrounds and persuasions to Dharmsala, India, the home of the Tibetan Government in exile, to discuss the secret of Jewish survival in the diaspora with the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan leaders. The book, and the discussions, went far beyond that topic, however, and centered upon an inter-faith dialogue between the Jewish leaders and the Tibetans on the nature of their religious beliefs and practices.
In "Stalking Elijah", Kammenetz tries to find his way back to a Jewish observance using the insights he had gleaned from his meeting with the Tibetans. In other words, he undertakes a journey from Dhramasala to Judaism. The book recounts Kammenetz's meetings with Jewish spiritual leaders, most of whom practice a form of "mystical" or contemplative Judaism in Kammenetz's attempt to recover something of Judaism for himself.
I was frustrated by the book and found it hard to write about it. The book strikes me as self-indulgent and as unduly polemical. Also, Kammenetz's discussions of his meetings with his teachers are superficial. We don't really see enough of the teachers to get a good feeling for what they have to say.
The most valuable theme of the book, for me, is given in the title of this review. This is advice given by one of the Rabbi's to whom Kammenetz turns for spiritual advice, an ex-Lubavitcher Rabbi who, like Kammenetz, visited the Dali Lama. In the context of the book, the Rabbi advises the author to begin where he is in life in his search for spiritual enlightenment. Thus, Kammenetz finds he his to work within the scope of his Jewish background and learning, and follow a Jewish path to define and to realize his religious goals. The advice to "start from where you are" is wise, I think, beyond the use to which it is placed here. In every walk of life at every stage, the beginning of wisdom is to "start from where you are" rather than to try to be someone else or to be discontented with one's life. Good rabbinical advice, and good Buddhist advice too.
In addition to this component of the book, I found the final chapter describing a Passover seder in Dharamasala attended by Jews and Tibetan Buddhists well written. It can stand alone as an essay.
The book is of mixed merit, but its goal and message are valuable.
