The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Things

Through vignettes at times funny and poignant, Rabbi Leder points out those easily overlooked connections between everyday experiences and the teachings of Judaism. God and spirituality can be found in every aspect of our daily routines. Ordinary things--a pet frog, a weekend fishing trip, a roller coaster ride--become extraordinary when re-examined through Jewish eyes.

Woven throughout Rabbi Leder's essays are midrashic texts, talmudic excerpts, and passages from the Torah, reflecting thousands of years of Jewish wisdom. Whether recalling a memorable walk along the beach with Dad, teaching a child the commandment of tzedakah, or stepping into the shoes of an anxious father-to-be as he paces the halls of the maternity ward, these stories reveal Judaism's power to illuminate our lives.

• On child-rearing: "Eleven Suggestions for Raising a Mensch"
• On the paradox of modern life: "You can't put one tuchus in two chairs."
• On miracles: "The miraculous is the common and the constant: birth, teaching, our breath."

Discover The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Things.

Rabbi Leder is everything we search for in a modern wise man; learned, kind, funny, and non-judgmental. For those of us whose daily issues are those of family, love, and loss, he offers remarkably healing guidance. In this book, he finds the true fabric of our spiritual lives.

Wendy Wasserstein, Playwright