In Search of Theological Modesty

The twenty-first century is emerging as a challenging time for people with faith-based traditions who also seek paths of openness to pluralistic voices and streams of spirituality. In Search of Theological Modesty: Biblical Lessons, deeply rooted in traditional Jewish approaches to biblical exegesis, finds new ways to support this commitment to tolerance and respect through examination of key stories and commandments in the Torah. Blending homiletics with profound psychological insights, Liss-Levinson creates images, themes, and lessons that are both particularistic and global. In this accessible discussion of Torah, the author invites people of varying backgrounds and understandings to join in his search to more humbly approach their own beliefs, other people, and their beliefs and faiths.

""Filled with acute psychological insights, careful attention to often-overlooked details, and . . . striving to achieve a precise understanding of the Hebrew text, Liss-Levinson has added an important book to the genre of biblical commentary.""
--Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of A Code of Jewish Ethics

""These insightful, engaging and thought-provoking essays are models for Jews of all denominations and flavors for how to express: passion without arrogance, innovation without loss of integrity, and accessibility without superficiality. By giving us space to develop our own ideas while humbly sharing his, Liss-Levinson does more than search for theological modesty, he inspires us to emulate him and join in that search.""
--Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand, author of The Barefoot Book of Jewish Tales

""Irresistibly clear and compelling; a rare gem that invites the reader to embark on an engaging and multi-layered journey of discovery. Liss-Levinson offers an interpretation of Torah as a mandate for the Golden Rule, as a call to action directing a divided Jewish community to participate in respectful conversation about their diverse truths and to honor one another. It not only presents a coherent theology of intra-faith, but equally important, of interfaith relations. Liss-Levinson has given us a personal, communal, and global gift.""
--Joyce S. Dubensky, CEO, Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding



William Liss-Levinson, PhD, is a healthcare publishing executive in New York. He was the founding director of one of the first hospice programs under Jewish auspices in the United States. He has written and lectured extensively on topics in Jewish philosophy and theology, as well as healthcare. Throughout his life, he has sought to understand the individual's relationship to God.