Moffic
takes us through a Hebrew prayer that has made a profound difference
in his life. The Eilu Devarim is ten short verses written some two
thousand years ago. Moffic has been saying the prayer and living the
ten practices for the last eight years.
The
prayer reveals spiritual truths that will benefit all people, Moffic says. “No one religion is the sole path to happiness,” he writes.
(13-14) Each of us can make the choice to live these practices,
making us happier. These practices include gratitude, kindness,
learning, celebration, forgiveness, and more. Moffic offers many
stories from his own life and the lives of others to illustrate the
benefits of the prayer.
Moffic is a Jewish rabbi. The happiness prayer, the Eilu Devarim, is based
on the Jewish understanding of God. Moffic does not recognize the
saving and sustaining faith of Jesus Christ nor the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit. For Christians, this book lacks the essential truths about
happiness and inner joy taught in the New Testament.
Moffic
has included questions for personal reflection or for discussion in a
group. One minor irritation for me was that Moffic made reference to
authors and studies, such as the benefits of journal writing, for
example, but provided no bibliography for our further study. (This,
even though “keep learning” is one of the wisdom practices.)
I
recommend this book to readers who are not Christians yet are looking
for wisdom practices to increase their happiness and enjoyment of
life. You will also find out quite a bit about Jewish tradition and
contemporary practice.
Food
for thought: “Happiness begins in the mind.” (62)
You
can find out more about the book at https://happinessprayerbook.com/.
My
rating: 4/5 stars.
Evan
Moffic leads Congregation Solel in suburban Chicago. A graduate of
Stanford University, Moffic was ordained as a rabbi in 2006. He
speaks at book festivals, religious groups, and organizational
gatherings across the country. He appears regularly on cable news
stations as a commentator on religious events. He and his wife have
two small children.
Center
Street, 208 pages.
I
received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My
comments are an independent and honest review.
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