See below, Michael Alan Ross' original mystical, kabbalistic, tour de force, pause for refreshment, Commit considering the 1st Commandment, Recognize God/Goodness!

Now available! The Jewish Friendship Trail Guidebook 6 Self-Guided Walking/Bicycling Jewish Boston History Tours Covers Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge Softcover 198 pages with maps & b/w photos Print out this Book Order Form to order now!

Now available! The Ten Commandments Guidebook Ways to Self-Struggle with Classic Morals In Song, Poetry, and Prose Covers 10 Commandments Plus One Other! Softcover 153 pages with practical suggestions pages! Print out this Book Order Form to order now!

Boston Walks Publishers presents

The mystical, kabbalistic, tour de force,
pause for refreshment

Commit

From the New

The Ten Commandments Guidebook

Spiritual and practical ways to self-struggle
with our The Ten Commandments

Copyright © Michael Alan Ross, 2004-2008.
All Rights Reserved.

Email: BostonWalks

Telephone: 617-489-5020

Can a post-denominational, American Jew elucidate both spiritual and practical ways to self-struggle with our traditional Jewish faith in God? Michael Alan Ross uses his creative poetry, prose, and lyrics to construct modern midrashim and piyyutim, prosaic and poetic commentaries to meet such a challenge. Mr. Ross has the chutzpah, audacity, to look anew at some of our Jewish texts and experiences. As a modern, post-denominational, committed, American Jew, he seeks meaningful ways to struggle with our Jewish texts, rituals, good deeds, and beliefs. In his newly published, The Ten Commandments Guidebook, he offers many such ways. He also is author of BostonWalks' The Jewish Friendship Trail Guidebook - 6 Self-guided Jewish History Walk Tours of Downtown Boston. Here is an example of his tour de force, Commit which considers the 1st Commandment in the following verses:

Commit © Michael Alan Ross 2004-2008. All rights reserved. Bicycling from Bedford to Lexington Green, During a Friday respite from the rain-machine, I paused to sip water at Chabad’s corner repose, where stood a bearded fellow in casual clothes. After we substituted a nod for hello, I drank from my bottle, cooling H2O, In the moments I sipped, hesitating to go, He faced me head-on, and said, “You know?” “It’s not known whether Torah comes from God, whom is its source or its rod? Did humans compile some folk tradition? Draw from our own well, erudition?” Did I hear him correctly? I asked myself. As he spoke again to his audience of one: “Does it really matter from whom the words of Torah come? For a student, aren’t its teachings, what are to be won?” My hesitation to remount my bike seemed to encourage him. “Aren’t our tales as instructive as sociology and psychology? Aren’t the stories of the Jewish people as powerful as Greek mythology?” Fleetingly, I imagined blue Jews with Torahs marching on a white-glazed bowl rim. I nodded yes, as he looked skyward, toward a thickening black cloud. “Morality, democracy, and justice, aren’t those issues about which Torah speaks loud?” He raised his arms, like he was a prophet on a soapbox. “Torah is our tool for finding flowers among rocks!” He turned once more to me. “If there is a force behind the universe door, God it may be.” He now smiled, returning from possible heresy, “Torah’s teachings are my key.” With that said, he shook my hand, and walked away, Leaving me wondering, was it a Spinoza who blessed my last day of May? Astounded and awed, I mounted and peddled with home in sight. To celebrate Shabbat’s arrival that coming night. Notes 1. Chabad (Hebrew acronym for wisdom, understanding, & knowledge) is a Jewish movement with local synagogues. 2. Spinoza was a 17th century, Jewish philosopher.