Product Description
by Norman J. Cohen (Author)
A brilliant blending of modern midrash and the life stages of Erik Erikson's developmental psychology. How can the pain, pleasures, and drama of the great characters in Genesis provide insights for our own life journeys? Many of us feel alone in the struggles and triumphs we face during different stages of our lives. Norman Cohen shows how the pathways of our lives are quite similar to those of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekkah, Jacob, Rachel and Leah, and Joseph. Voices from Genesis brings to life the leading figures of Genesis to speak directly to us, telling of their spiritual and emotional journeys, struggles, frustrations, and confusions--from birth to maturity to death--as if they were in conversation with us right now. Combining midrash (finding contemporary meaning from ancient biblical texts) with the developmental psychology insights of Erik Erikson, a twentieth-century psychoanalytic legend, Cohen explores the great characters of Genesis, letting the wisdom of the ancient text resonate with our own modern lives.
Author Biography
Dr. Norman J. Cohen is widely recognized as one of the great teachers of his generation. A rabbi, professor emeritus of midrash and former provost of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, he frequently lectures to Jewish and Christian laypeople and scholars on Bible study and midrash-finding contemporary meaning from ancient biblical texts. Cohen was a participant in Bill Moyers's Genesis: A Living Conversation on PBS. He is author of Self, Struggle & Change: Family Conflict Stories in Genesis and Their Healing Insights for Our Lives; Voices from Genesis: Guiding Us through the Stages of Life; Moses and the Journey to Leadership: Timeless Lessons of Effective Management from the Bible and Today's Leaders; Hineni in Our Lives: Learning How to Respond to Others through 14 Biblical Texts & Personal Stories and The Way Into Torah (all Jewish Lights).
