In essays as likely to turn to baseball, Denzel Washington, and the NASDAQ as to Macbeth, quantum physics and psychoanalysis, William Kolbrener provides powerful - and often surprising - insights into how open mindedness allows for authentic Jewish commitment in an age otherwise defined by fundamentalism and unbelief. Open Minded Torah presents - on topics ranging from parenting a son with Down syndrome to Biblical criticism to Talmudic interpretation of dreams - a perspective on Torah which emphasizes scepticism, creativity and the need to embrace difference. Through a personal synthesis of Western and Jewish learning, popular culture and philosophy, Kolbrener offers a compelling new vision where being open minded allows for a non-dogmatic and committed Jewish life. Informed by Kolbrener's considerable erudition, but always accessible, the essays show that scepticism informs belief, commitment grounds creativity, and non-defensive receptiveness makes individual autonomy possible. For every person, it is said, there is a corresponding letter in the Torah: this innovative collection shows Kolbrener writing his letter, and providing the inspiration for others to write their own.

Kolbrener's blog on similar topics drew up to 30,000 visitors last year.

Prologue: Velvel, Govorovo, 1939 I. Desire and Self 1 Making Exceptions 2 Do it Again Denzel: Fantasy andSecond Chances 3 Caught in the Act: Torah and Desire 4 Just Dreamin': The Talmud and the Interpretation of Dreams 5 The Big Game: Baseball, John Milton and Making Choices 6 Of Rabbis and Rotting Meat 7 Identity is Out! 8 Isaac's Bad Rap 9 Cheeseburger 10 Writing an Inspirational Story 11 Eros and Translation 12 Swaying Towards Perfection: Torah, Worldliness and Perversion 13 Jacob's Scar: Wounding and Identity 14 Torah and the Pleasure Principle II. Dispute and Community 15 Oedipus in a Kippa 16 Open Minded Torah I: Judaism and Fundamentalism 17 Irony Über Alles: An Episcopal Passover 18 Of False Kabbalists and Conjurers:Parenting and Idolatry 19 From Sinai to the Uzi: New and Old Zionisms 20 Modernity is Hell: Korah and Hobbes 21 Lost and Found 22 The Poetry of the World: God's Place 23 Open Minded Torah II: Judaism and Postmodernism 24 Stepping Up 25 Prayer and the People: A New Siddur 26 A Religion for Adults? 27 Of Fundamentalists, Rabbis and Irony 28 Don't Take Away My Mitzva! 29 Fear and Loathing in Jerusalem 30 Open Minded Torah III: Between Fundamentalism and Postmodernism III. Time and Memory 31 Carpe Diem, Dude 32 The Antidote for Religion: Fear of God 33 Speech in Exile and the Voice of the Shofar 34 Back to the Future: Yom Kippur and Creative Repentance 35 Shades of Faith: My Sukka is Not Insured by AIG 36 'A Special Conversation': Freud, the Maharal and the Sabbath 37 Lighting Up: The Beauty of Hanuka 38 Whose Letter is it Anyway: Esther, Aristotle and the Art of Letter-Writing 39 Cosmic Consciousness: The Beatles, Passover and the Power of Storytelling 40 Trauma's Legacy: On Israel's Memorial Day 41 Why I Gave Up Biblical Criticism and Just Learned to Love 42 Faceless: the Ninth of Av Epilogue: Shmuel, Jerusalem, 2011 Citations Select Bibliography Index