Showing results by narrator "S.D. Cousins" in All Categories

Maral, a fawn left alone in the thickets of the forest, befriends a white-bearded gnome named Bilge. An unlikely friendship blossoms, and Bilge becomes an audience to Maral’s poignant sadness about the fleeting nature of happiness. Determined to show her a way toward fulfillment, Bilge takes Maral on a contemplative walk through the forest. As they wander to the edges of the forest and back, Bilge points out the special wisdom revealed by natural life.

Rumi is a renowned Sufi mystic who lived a life in devotion to the divine, through adhering to the ways of the appointed seal of the prophets, Muhammad (SAW), who can be more commonly referred to as the chosen one. Many fail to recognize and realize this. Many also fail to recognize who Shamsudeen Tabrizi (RA) was and how he had such a life-changing impact on the life of Rumi that would then make him world-famous and his works magnetic. This is a unique book written about Maulana Jalaludeen ar-Rumi (RA), who is famous for his poetry, writings, and his spirituality.

We live in a radically different world than we did just a year and a half ago. The world has experienced unprecedented fear due to COVID-19. Consequently, most countries have undergone lockdowns, social distancing, and mandated masks because of the worldwide pandemic. The concept of community and its importance has radically changed in the minds of many people. This especially applies to religious communities, and the consequences of this are disturbing. This work discusses the importance of religious community from a Jewish perspective, but also emphasizes other religious traditions.

In the context of Crypto-Jewish individuals and communities, both in the Iberian Peninsula and in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies of the New World, as well as in India, the knowledge of and distinction between halakhah and minhag persisted. But as contact with established Jewish communities (in particular, in Spain before the expulsion), with rabbis, and with Jewish texts lessened, the overall knowledge of Jewish practice and beliefs diminished. This short work explores the practices and beliefs that characterized the dual identity of crypto-Jews.