A Man's Responsibility: A Jewish Guide to Being a Son, a Partner in Marriage, a Father, and a Community Leader

For centuries, Jewish men have taken on a distinctive role in being responsible before God, their families and their communities. They understood themselves as keepers of the covenant between God and the Jewish people, and they knew they were obligated under a code of tradition to fulfill their responsibilities as sons, partners in marriage, fathers and leaders in their communities. Today, however, what is understood to be man?s role in all aspects of life seems unclear.This provocative book looks at how a new generation of Jewish men can grow spiritually, and in doing so, strengthen the intangible bonds of family, love, duty and truth which ultimately lead to God. With candor and scholarship, it unearths the male stereotypes that exist in Judaism and color the expectations for what it means to be Jewish man in today?s world. It examines Jewish sources that reveal the traditional life cycle of a man?from son to partner in marriage to father?and in doing so uncovers the ideals that define being a Jewish man. Finally, it views Jewish men within the context of a sacred community and what that means for the sacred obligations of manhood.