For all the cycles of life, best-selling author, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld, presents traditional Jewish teachings as a guide to behaviour and values. Where the tradition is replete with rituals (for example, the Sabbath), he describes them and shows how they can enrich spiritual living. Where rituals are sparse or non-existent (for example, returning home at the end of the workday), he suggests new ones gleaned from his own study and experience. Strassfeld, also, brings the principles of insight meditation to Jewish life, using this practice to recover and reconstruct Judaism’s spiritual dimension. He describes a Judaism that encourages within us a spiritual awareness as we participate in both traditional Jewish practices and the mundane activities of daily life. By engaging with Jewish tradition in ways that recapture its original kavanah, or intention, we will, Strassfeld maintains, achieve the two fundamental goals of Judaism: to become better human beings and to be in God’s presence.