Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Lord Get Me High - Psalm 27 Explained

Psalm 27 is said every day from the 1st of Elul through Simchas Torah. Lord, Get Me High! goes through the 14 passukim and Rabbi Elchanan Shoff brings out a short, but meaningful lesson on each one. 

Judging the Book by its Cover -  a first glance review:

With less than 100 pages, after the acknowledgements, introduction, etc., this book seems like a quick read, but due to the depth and concentration of material, it is not. It is however written in a way that is easy to understand and appreciate.

"Lord, Get Me High!" has a bit of a pun to it. The actual psalm starts off with G-d is my light, but the running theme of the perek is to get close to the One Above.

Some Details I Liked:

I like that this is an organized work. There is a wide range of sources and they are well documented in the foot notes. Each chapter includes a balance of relevant stories, divrei Torah and words of encouragement. 

Who This Book is For:

I recommend Lord, Get Me High! for anyone looking for an "Elul/Tishrei pick me up" that is in English and not too hard to keep up with, even if read a few pages at a time throughout the season. 

It is also a great resource for any teacher, one-on-one learning partner or youth group leader who is looking for inspiration to share, but doesn't have the time to go digging for it.

Who This Book Isn’t For:  

If someone is not ready for Teshuva or to read sentences like "To love what we accomplish religiously is such a precious thing.", then this book is not for them. Lord, Get Me High! is no doubt a spiritual-growth oriented book, so only those looking to enhance their religiousness should read it.

What I Didn’t Like/Would Have Made it Better: 

I would love to see a similar book for other Psalms that we say regularly. 
For example, Psalm 23- The Lord is my shepherd, which is said by the third meal on Shabbos or 
Psalm 30 -... I will exalt you, Lord... which is said for Chanukah.

In Conclusion:  

Although this book is somewhat seasonal, I definitely would also read this book for inspiration during the rest of the year. Lord, Get Me High! is a seriously great work.


Disclaimer:
I received this book for the purpose of reviewing it, but that it no way changed the way I read it and reviewed it.