Nachum welcomed Rabbi Mark Wildes, founder and Director of the Manhattan Jewish Experience (MJE) to this morning’s JM in the AM to explore his new book, “Beyond the Instant: Jewish Wisdom for Lasting Happiness in a Fast-Paced, Social Media World.” From the book’s Amazon page: “More than ever, young people today are searching for a sense of purpose and direction. Advances in science and technology have given our generation opportunities our grandparents could only dream of, yet our need for meaning and values is more unfulfilled than ever. Growing addiction to instant gratification and attachment to circumstantial highs leave us lacking when it comes to long-term contentment.
Beyond the Instant shows young adults how to enrich their lives through faith. It examines ten different areas of contemporary life, including friendship, family, dating, money, and career, to demonstrate how a return to spirituality can help people find happiness and satisfaction. It addresses many important questions along the way: What is the true role of sex in relationships? What is the significance of failure? How can people really make a difference in the world?
In the book, Rabbi Mark Wildes draws upon Jewish tradition and wisdom to bring a sense of balance, stability, and purpose to the often frenzied and occasionally directionless twenty-first-century way of life. Each chapter examines what the Torah has to say about a particular concern of modern life and then shows how thousands of years of rabbinical teachings can be applied to the contemporary situation. Written in a relatable and engaging style, it shows how faith and religion can provide a practical guide to finding happiness that goes beyond the instant.”