In Caring, Naomi Brudner offers practical guidelines for helping a family member or friend who needs care, whether physical, psychological or spiritual. Although Ms. Brudner calls her book a pragmatic approach to care-giving, what makes it unique is that the entire subject is presented within a Torah framework. With an emphasis on the mind-body connection, the author shares her knowledge in a way that can be appreciated and understood by readers with diverse levels of religious commitment. Many references are made to Jewish concepts, especially the mitzvah of being of service to someone in need.
Among the topics she deals with are: how to be a caregiver; how to listen and respond effectively; how to care for the seriously ill, the mentally ill, and the elderly; and various ways to be supportive. The chapter on mental illness is simplistic in places, confusing the symptoms of an individual who has minor psychological problems with those of someone suffering from a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia. This reservation aside, Ms. Brudner provides practical tools and wisdom from the Torah to guide readers in caring for those in need.