See below, Michael Alan Ross' original Walter-Mitty style poem, Dance before God, considering the 2nd Commandment, Have one God only!

Now available! The Jewish Friendship Trail Guidebook 6 Self-Guided Walking/Bicycling Jewish Boston History Tours Covers Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge Softcover 198 pages with maps & b/w photos Print out this Book Order Form to ordernow!

Now available! The Ten Commandments Guidebook Ways to Self-Struggle with Classic Morals In Song, Poetry, and Prose Covers 10 Commandments Plus One Other! Softcover 153 pages with practical suggestions pages! Print out this Book Order Form to order now!

Boston Walks Publishers presents

The original Walter-Mitty style poem,

Dance before God,

From the New

The Ten Commandments Guidebook

With

Spiritual and practical ways to self-struggle
with our Ten Commandments

Copyright Michael Alan Ross, 2004-2009. All Rights Reserved.

Email: BostonWalks

Telephone: 617-489-5020

Can a post-denominational, American Jew elucidate both spiritual and practical ways to self-struggle with our Ten Commandments? In this book, Mr. Ross uses his creative poetry, prose, and lyrics to construct modern midrashim and piyyutim, prosaic and poetic commentaries, to meet such a challenge. Rabbi Ellen Pildis, a post-denominational rabbi, offers praise of his text on the book's back cover. New Guidebook Re-Visits The Ten Commandments Can a modern, post-denominational, committed, American Jew find meaningful ways to struggle with our Ten Commandments? Michael Alan Ross, author of the newly published, The Ten Commandments Guidebook, offers many such ways. Mr. Ross, author of BostonWalks' The Jewish Friendship Trail Guidebook - 6 Self-guided Jewish History Walk Tours of Downtown Boston, now has written The Ten Commandments Guidebook as a spiritual invitation to the Ten Commandments. In The Ten Commandments Guidebook, Mr. Ross offers a personal and creative perspective of the Ten Commandments by means of his original poetry, prose, and song lyrics. His writings are drawn from a lifetime of Jewish American experiences. As an example, his poem, Dance Before God, considers the 2nd Commandment in the following verses:

Dance before God Copyright Michael Alan Ross 2004-2009. All rights reserved. Twenty hours into the fast, I pumped up with Shma, Listen to your own voice, I told myself. You will survive. Protectively, though, my mind lifted me afar... Tonights guest host, Moshe Ben Nachum, live! The audience roared welcome like I was the Sabbath bride, The band played Lecho Dodi, uptempo, loudly, I sauntered, waved, shook hands, smiled, proudly, Leno, Carson, Allen, and Paar were by my side. Thank you, I confidently calmed the crowd, We have a r-e-a-l-l-y great show for you, A midrash, Maimonides said he will do. And, on his harp, King David. I bowed. First, a special treat, a senior citizen dance troupe, Who cherkiziya, mayim, and Yemenite in bare feet, Sing-a-long, yelp, even manage an occasional leap, Let us give it up for this outstanding group! Were they not terrific, they will be appearing on the coast, For the annual dance festival with Haifa as host. Coming out now, the philosopher extraordinaire, The Rambam, himself, let us show him we care. So, tell me, Rav, what deeds have you been up to? Well, I have been reorganizing Halacha, what folks should do. Does that mean the whole Torah and Talmud, you have gone through? Yes, it was an extreme olympic challenge which I wanted to pursue. And what wit or wisdom, would you leave us to digest? Well, given the shortness of our lives, do not overdo it on rest, To focus on good deeds probably is our human test, Making life easier and fulfilling for yourself and neighbors is best! Thank you, Rav. Coming up next is King David on his harp. First this message from Tiberious Fish and Carp! What page are we on? I felt a tapping on my shoulder. An attractive woman had sat down beside me. Page 236, I told her. The momentary distraction did not bother me. Five seconds, from the producer, a call. Welcome back, I smiled at my audience, standing with my shoulders back, my head tall, Now leaving the green room, straight from Jerusalem, where he has just finished building a wall, Our King David, still as handsome, lyrical and melodic...give him a warm welcome, you all. The harps tones must have lulled me to sleep, for the next moment I was aware, Are you all right? The page seeker raised my head with great care. You were falling over, she said. Perhaps, you should end your fast early? Her act coupled with her concern made me sit straight in my chair. Thanks, I said to her. I was drifting, dreaming, and now am back here. Her smile so made me want to hand her a fruit offering, perhaps a sweet pear, Forgetting my Walter Mitty-ish hosting, I responded warmly to her touching, so rare, Embracing a Godly moment during my fast, of another persons empathy to share. To appreciate a clock telling time, we have to recognize every tick. What do you mean? she whispered back at me. Each of us is like a second and it takes hands to bring us together, I replied. Oh, she said. You are thanking God for our dance music. Notes Shma (Hebrew for listen) is a central Jewish prayer. Lecho Dodi (Hebrew for Come my Beloved) is a Sabbath welcoming prayer. Maimonides, Rabbi Moses ben Maimom - acronym: Rambam - was a 12th century Jewish rabbi/philosopher/physician. Cherkiziya, mayim, and Yemenite are Israeli dance steps. Rav, generally, is Hebrew for teacher or rabbi. Halacha (Hebrew for the way) is the body of Jewish religious law. Walter Mitty was a James Thurber fictional character who frequently day-dreamed.