Contemporary culture blasts us daily with models of how we should behave -- dubious models at best. From the strip club aesthetics of MTV teen idols to the clawing, hell-bent competitions of reality TV, sometimes it can seem that every corner of our media-drenched society is sending an unmistakable message to us and our children: Shed your dignity, exploit yourself and others, and you'll be on the path to glory.  And yet, as popular talk-radio host Shmuley Boteach contends, there's another way to live, another path to heroism -- and its avatars are all around us.   The Private Adam takes its name from an oft-overlooked passage in the earliest chapters of the Bible -- a passage that speaks directly to the warring impulses that pervade our culture today. As Boteach notes, the figure of Adam is introduced twice: first as a figure in God's image, commanded to subdue and conquer the world; and then as a man created from dust, told to nurture the Garden of Eden and care for it. In this image of two divergent Adams -- the aggressive public figure and the humble private man -- Boteach finds a parable for man's eternal struggle between ambition and altruism, self-promotion and self-sacrifice. In The Private Adam, Boteach contends that society today is fixated on the dubious values of the Public Adam -- the macho warrior motivated by insecurity more than honor -- and that the result is a crueler and more soulless world. In contrast, he celebrates the Private Adam, the selfless man or woman whose struggle to do right is the stuff of unsung battles every day. Illuminated with inspiring examples from history and contemporary life -- and filled with valuable advice -- The Private Adam is Boteach's most thoughtful and universal book yet.

The Private Adam: Becoming a Hero in a Selfish Age

Boteach, Schmuley

Self-Help

Hodder&Stoughton Ltd

With the publication of his runaway best seller Kosher Sex (1999), Rabbi Shmuley Boteach gained instant fame as a sage and savvy commentator on public and private life. Now he turns his outspoken energy and vast erudition to the core teachings of Judaism itself. During his eleven years as Rabbi of Oxford University and founder of the university's Jewish outreach organization, the L'Chaim Society, Boteach began to realize how well-matched the foundational beliefs of Judaism are to the broad human needs of the modern world. Unlike the dualist credo of other religions--in which the material and spiritual are always in conflict--the Jewish faith, argues Boteach, uniquely represents a spiritual philosophy concerned about life in this world, rather than in the hereafter. In Judaism for Everyone this most unorthodox of orthodox rabbis explores the Jewish and Biblical origins of civilization's seminal moral ideas and presents Judaism as a program of action for people of all faiths.Boteach's interpretations and commentary are a vibrant celebration of the dynamism that is Judaism. Whether he's peppering his points with stories from his childhood, promoting feminism and decrying boredom, or extolling the virtues of leisure and solitude, Shmuley Boteach never fails to inform, inspire--and surprise. Judaism for Everyone is for everyone seeking a universal moral creed to maximize human goodness and inner potential.

Judaism For Everyone

Religion & Spirituality

Judaism

Basic Books

Judaism for Everyone: Renewing Your Life Through the Vibrant Lessons of the Jewish Faith

The outspoken author of the best-selling Kosher Sex turns his energy and erudition to the core teachings of Judaism itself, presenting the Jewish faith as a source of inspiration and meaning to people of all religions.

Judaism For Everyone: Renewing Your Life Through The Vibrant Lessons Of The Jewish Faith

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Books by Boteach, Schmuley