The Shadowed Valley Solace for Bereaved Schachtel 1962

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Book Description/Condition  

The Shadowed Valley
A Solace for the Bereaved

Additional information:

FROM HIS wide experience with those be­reaved by death, from his thirty years in the ministry, and from a warm and understand­ing heart, Dr. Schachtel offers sensible and non-sectarian counsel on how to meet the inevitable event with courage, intelligence, and faith. Combining the best insights of modem psychology with the wisdom drawn from religious, philosophical, and poetic lit­erature of the ages, The Shadowed Valley transcends doctrine and offers counsel to anyone seeking a way of ~life which is un­afraid of death and a concept of immortality acceptable to the modem mind.

Dr. Ralph W. Sockman, distinguished Protestant churchman, who joined his col­leagues of other creeds in praising The Shad­owed Valley, noted among the many helpful features of the book the author’s “treatment of the element of resentment and guilt in grief; the consideration that it is not time but eternity which assuages grief; the con­tribution of the various religious streams to the assurance of immortality; and the healing effects of religious ritual.” Dr. Sockman also commented on the value of the author’s treat­ment of “how the family helps in consolation; the practical discussion of a sane attitude toward grief and the comfort of those in sorrow.”

Dr. Schachtel writes: “When I looked for literature which might help to prepare one for the inevitable experience of death, I found very little. Yes, there are certain ref­erences to it, and chapters on it within cer­tain volumes dealing with a philosophy of life, for all of which I am deeply grateful. But I could not find a book which seemed to me to be written completely with the object of being a preparation as well as a consola­tion for death. I therefore set myself to pro­ducing this work, in the hope that it would satisfy, at least in part, some of the felt need in all of us for some kind of philosophical strength and intelligent reconciliation with what must be.”

The Shadowed Valley is a volume of hope, philosophy, and spiritual therapy which can bring strength in sorrow, wisdom to master grief, and solace for loneliness.

Hyman Judah Schachtel was born in England but grew up and was educated in this country. He received his B.A. from the University of Cincinnati in 1928, his B.H. from the same university, also in 1928. He has served in the ministry since 1931, first at the West End Synagogue in New York City from 1931 to 1943, and since ‘943 has been Rabbi at Beth Israel in Hous­ton, Texas, where he is active in civic affairs as writer and speaker. Dr. Schachtel is a member of the Crime Commission in Hous­ton, a member of Houston’s Symphony Board, and President of the Mental Health Association of his county in Texas. He has written four previous books and writes a weekly column for several newspapers under the title “The Enjoyment of Life.” Dr. Schachtel received his D.D. from Hebrew Union College in 1958 and has received the honorary degrees of Doctor of Education from the University of Houston in 1948 and Doctor of Humane Letters from Southwest­em University in 1955. His wife, Barbara Levin Schachtel, and he have two children.

Distinguished clergymen of other faiths join in praise of Rabbi Schachtel ‘s book

THE BOOK impresses me as one which stands above the ordinary level of volumes on this subject. Dr~ Schachtel has an arresting style and distinguished diction. The book is a rich mine of quotations which have been chosen with ‘unusual discrimination. . . . Dr. Schachtel ap­proaches death as a fact to be faced and not to be avoided. By looking realistically at what men call “The Grim Reaper,” he helps take away the cutting edge. . . . I should regard the book as one which makes a real contribution to the literature in this field.   RALPH W. SOCKMAN, Minister, Christ Church Methodist, New York

THIS LITTLE BOOK is intended to comfort and console in the hour of bereavement. Bringing to his task a mind rich with the treasures of literary,,,,philosophic, and religious lore, and speaking from a heart vibrant with sympathy and understanding, Hyman Judah Schachtel proffers hope to the despairing and solace to the grieving in their hour of anguish. Men of all creeds will find herein courage to face the fact of loss and separation. Those of wavering faith will shake off their doubts and questionings as they read such positive affirmations of immortality.  W.J. NOLD, Bishop, Diocese of Galveston-Houston

The Shadowed Valley by Rabbi Hyman Judah Schachtel is a book to strengthen one against the ultimate and inevitable. It not only con­fers upon the reader a mature philosophy of death, but helps him to face it with serenity and understanding. I found the book at once comforting and strangely satisfying. It has the elements of a master­piece in the literature of solace. NORMAN VINCENT PEALE, Minister, Marble Collegiate Church, New York

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