Recovery, the 12 Steps and Jewish Spirituality

Rabbi Paul Steinberg is a nationally renowned Jewish educator and a professional staff member at Beit T'Shuvah, the acclaimed recovery center in Los Angeles. Previously a rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom congregation in Encino, California, his books include the three-volume series Celebrating the Jewish Year, which won the National Jewish Book Award.Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, MD, a psychiatrist, rabbi and frequent lecturer on a broad range of topics including spirituality and self-esteem, is author of over fifty books, including Happiness and the Human Spirit: The Spirituality of Becoming the Best You Can Be; A Formula for Proper Living: Practical Lessons from Life and Torah (both Jewish Lights); Waking Up Just in Time; The Spiritual Self and Getting Up When You're Down. He is the founder and medical director emeritus of Gateway Rehabilitation Center. For more information, visit www.abrahamtwerski.com.Harriet Rossetto is the founder, CEO and clinical director of Beit T'Shuvah. She is the author of Sacred Housekeeping: A Spiritual Memoir.

"One of the important similarities between AA and Jewish spirituality is the statement in Step 12, 'to practice these principles in all our affairs….' There is no dichotomy of sacred versus secular. Jewish spirituality applies to how we eat, sleep, work, socialize and recreate. There is nothing that is external to the relationship of human being to God."—from the ForewordThis easy-to-read exploration from a Jewish perspective is the first comprehensive approach to successfully integrate classic Jewish spirituality with the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other recovery resources.With clarity and passion, Rabbi Paul Steinberg masterfully weaves traditional Jewish wisdom with the experience, strength and hope of AA. He draws on Jewish resources—theological, psychological and ethical—that speak to the spiritual dimension of the disease, and shows how the principles of Jewish spiritual recovery directly align with those of the AA 12 Steps. Along the way, he courageously shares his own personal struggles with alcoholism and addiction in a way that will help others find guidance and a new life path—and stay on it.

• Foreword xiPreface xiiiIntroduction xviiPart I A Judaism of Experience, Strength, and Hope:A Rabbi's Journey through Alcoholism 11 Understanding Addiction, Jewish Spirituality, and Medicine 7Addiction and Choice 8Treating Body and Soul 10Personal Reflections 112 A God and Religion of Recovery 13Discovering God 13Discovering Religion 18Personal Reflections 203 The Dignity of the Self 23The Dignity of Infinite Value 24The Dignity of Equality 27The Dignity of Uniqueness 29Embracing Dignity 32Personal Reflections 35Recovery4 The Evil Inclination 37The Origin of "Evil" 37Outside the Garden 38Suppressing versus Repressing the Yetzer Ha-Ra 40Identifying the Yetzer Ha-Ra 42Elevating Evil 46Personal Reflections 485 Judaism and Alcohol: A Complicated Relationship 50A Source of Depravity 53Getting Loaded on Purim 57Personal Reflections 60Part II The Covenant of Recovery—Spirituality in Action:Aligning Jewish Spirituality with AA 636 Study—Talmud Torah 67Torah Study as a Spiritual Practice 68Study and AA 717 Prayer—Tefilah 74Connecting I, You, and Us 76Prayer and AA 788 Repentance—Teshuvah 81The Process of Spiritual Transformation 82First Comes the Awakening 83Teshuvah and Steps 4 and 5 84Teshuvah and Steps 8 and 9 86Teshuvah: An Everyday Occurrence 879 Service—Tikkun 89Healing the World's Brokenness 90Broken Open 91Service and AA 95Part III 12 Texts for the 12 Steps 99Step 1 103Step 2 105Step 3 107Step 4 110Step 5 113Step 6 115Step 7 118Step 8 120Step 9 122Step 10 125Step 11 127Step 12 130Gratitude 133Glossary of Jewish Terms and Thinkers 135Notes 143Suggestions for Further Reading 149