Experiencing deep personal fulfillment, happiness, and sustenance comes from feeling connected to our authentic selves, which involves building an ongoing relationship with the Divine Presence within us, says author Yiscah Smith. Quite organically, then, we may begin sensing the Divine in our interactions with other people. This is because, for each of us, “our essence, as a creation by God, is God.”
Planting Seeds of the Divine elucidates how Judaism’s sacred texts can provide the foundation for the “end destination” of experiencing intimate encounters with the Divine Presence within-the God-consciousness that so many of us find elusive. Imagining ourselves as spiritual gardeners, we can cultivate our unique gardens with seeds centered on middot (emotional dispositions, character traits, spiritual sensitivities). Each seed corresponds to an aspirational Torah commentary, consisting of a selected Torah verse linked to one of the middot, a summary of the biblical text preceding the verse, classical commentaries, teachings of Hasidic and Neo-Hasidic masters and the author, and step-by-step experiential practices to help us internalize the middot and encounter the Divine.
Each seed contributes to the garden’s beauty-the beauty of the self in God-consciousness-which hopefully blossoms into a magnificent garden of the soul.
By:
Yiscah Smith
Imprint: Jewish Publication Society
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9780827615717
ISBN 10: 082761571X
Pages: 340
Publication Date: 01 June 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgments Introduction Notes on Translations 1. Genesis (Bere’shit) Bere’shit – The Need to Connect with Others Noaḥ – Talking to the Divine Lekh Lekha – Taking Our Next Step Va-yera’ – Cultivating the Spiritual Practice of Hospitality Ḥayyei Sarah – Spiritual Protest Toledot – Spiritual Conflict Resolution Va-yetse’ – Yearning for a Personal Encounter with God Va-yishlaḥ – Transforming Heel Consciousness to Face Consciousness Va-yeshev – Navigating Our Inner Opposing Personalities Mikkets – Removing Our Disguises To Show Our True Selves Va-yiggash – Seeking and Granting Forgiveness Va-yeḥi – Finding Favor in Others 2. Exodus (Shemot) Shemot – Overcoming Habitual Behaviors Va-’era’ – Awareness of the Divine in Our Midst Bo’ – Inner Self Renewal Be-shallaḥ – Jumping Into Our Own Sea of Mystery Yitro – Spiritual Intimacy Mishpatim – Doing Before Understanding Terumah – Creating the Inner Home for the Divine Tetsavveh – Being in Service Ki Tissa’ – The Inherent Value of Every Person Va-yak’hel/ Pekudei – Transforming the Ordinary into Wonder 3. Leviticus (Va-yikra’) Va-yikra’ – Hearing Our Individual Calling Tsav – Keeping Our Inner Fire Burning Shemini – A Time to Remain Silent Tazria’/ Metsora’ – Spiritual Self-Care ’Aḥarei Mot/ Kedoshim – Letting Go of the Me to Be with the We ’Emor – Loving Peace and Pursuing Peace Be-har/ Be-ḥukkotai – Taking a Leap of Faith 4. Numbers (Be-midbar) Be-midbar – Ascending the Ladder of a Sinai Consciousness Naso’ – Creating Soul to Soul Connections Be-ha’alotekha – Receiving a Second Chance Shelaḥ-Lekha – Cultivating Self-Confidence Koraḥ – Healing an Inflated Sense of Self Ḥukkat/ Balak – Using the Power of Speech To Enhance the Quality of Life Pinḥas – Cultivating Shepherd Leadership Within You Mattot/ Mas’ei – The Wondrous Journey to Your Soul 5. Deuteronomy (Devarim) Devarim – Discovering Our Inner Moral Compass Va-’etḥannan – Loving Life with All of Our Heart, Soul, and Might ’Ekev – Reimagining Mitzvot as a Source to Shine Our Inner Light Re’eh – Seeing the Potential Blessing in Each Moment Shofetim – Cultivating Wholeheartedness Ki Tetse’ – Eliciting Compassion To Flow from Above Ki Tavo’ – Dynamically Walking in the Eternal’s Ways Nitsavim/ Va-yelekh – Connecting in Vulnerability Ha’azinu – Remembering Our Third Parent Ve-zo’t ha-berakhah -Touching Immortality Notes Bibliography
Yiscah Smith is a thought leader and spiritual activist committed to empowering and ennobling others in the spiritual practice of encountering the Divine spark within and beyond. She teaches Jewish contemplative practice and spiritual texts at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and for the online platform Applied Jewish Spirituality. She is the author of Forty Years in the Wilderness: My Journey to Authentic Living and founder of Conscious Community Nachlaot, an alternative prayer space in Jerusalem. Her Authentic Jewish Living with Yiscah podcast episodes are available on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Reviews for Planting Seeds of the Divine: Torah Commentaries to Cultivate Your Spiritual Practice
""Smith . . . provides unconventional analyses of all 47 Torah portions. . . . Readers will find this a thought-provoking companion to their Torah study.""—Publishers Weekly “Yiscah Smith has done a remarkable job of painting a wonderfully textured method of reading the Torah as a guide for spiritual development.”—Ariel Evan Mayse, assistant professor of religious studies at Stanford University and coeditor of A New Hasidism: Roots and A New Hasidism: Branches “An important contribution to this emerging school of Torah commentary that is smart and intellectually sophisticated while also embodied and psychologically and spiritually informed.”—Rabbi Josh Feigelson, president and CEO of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality
