In Speech and in Silence: The Jewish Quest for God

In Jewish tradition, God created the world with words. In this luminous, often lyrical meditation, of value to Jews and Christians alike, Wolpe ( The Healer of Shattered Hearts ), a rabbi in Los Angeles, explores language as a double-edged sword. Words, he reminds us, have the power to mislead or conceal but also to unlock the spirit, to bring us closer to other humans and to God. With examples ranging from the Tower of Babel to Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream , Wolpe seeks to redirect the often aimless monologues inside our heads toward more authentic speech. In one chapter he explains how his mother's stroke, which left her barely able to speak or write at age 53, launched his personal inquiry; in others he explores prayer, song and tears as valid forms of communication. Words, he contends, ultimately lead to silence--a stillness by which we let God in, and our ultimate destination. (Oct.)