Nine essential things i've learned about life

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Title:

Nine essential things i've learned about life

Author:

Kushner, Harold S.

ISBN:

9780385354097

Physical Description:

x, 171 pages ; 20 cm

Contents:

Lessons learned along the way -- God is not a man who lives in the sky -- God does not send problems; God sends up the strength to deal with the problem -- Forgiveness is a favor you do yourself -- Some things are just wrong; knowing that makes us human -- Religion is what you do, not what you believe -- Leave room for doubt and anger in your religious outlook -- To feel better about yourself, find someone to help -- Give God the benefit of the doubt -- A love letter to a world that may or may not deserve it.

Subject Term:

Self-actualization (Psychology) -- Religious aspects -- Judaism.

God (Judaism)

Jewish way of life.

Spiritual life -- Judaism.

Summary:

"A profoundly inspiring yet practical guide to well-being from one of modern Judaism's most beloved sages.As a congregational rabbi for half a century and the bestselling author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People and twelve other books on faith, ethics, and how to translate the timeless wisdom of religious thought into dealing with everyday challenges, Harold Kushner knows a thing or two about living a good life. In this compassionate new work, Kushner distills nine essential lessons from the sum of his teaching, study and experience, offering a lifetime's worth of spiritual food for thought, pragmatic advice, inspiration for better living, and strength for trying times. With vital, original insights into everything from belief ("there is no commandment in Judaism to believe in God"), to conscience (the Garden of Eden story as you've never heard it), to mercy ("forgiveness is a favor you do yourself, not a favor to the person who offended you"), grounded in Kushner's brilliant readings of Scripture, history and popular culture, Nine Essential Things I've Learned About Life is a capstone addition to Kushner's oeuvre"--

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Bayport Public Library	296.7 KUS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Oakdale Library	296.7 KUS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	296.7 KUS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	296.7 KUS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Stillwater Public Library	296.7 KUS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi)	296.7 KUS	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

From the beloved author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People , deeply moving and illuminating reflections on what it means to live a good life.

As a congregational rabbi for half a century and the best-selling author of twelve books on faith, ethics, and how to apply the timeless wisdom of religious thought to everyday challenges, Rabbi Harold S. Kushner has demonstrated time and again his understanding of the human spirit. In this compassionate new work, his most personal since When Bad Things Happen to Good People , Kushner relates how his time as a twenty-first-century rabbi has shaped his senses of religion and morality. He elicits nine essential lessons from the sum of his teaching, study, and experience, offering a lifetime's worth of spiritual food for thought, pragmatic advice, inspiration for a more fulfilling life, and strength for trying times.

With fresh, vital insight into belief ("there is no commandment in Judaism to believe in God"), conscience (the Garden of Eden story as you've never heard it), and mercy (forgiveness is "a favor you do yourself, not an undeserved gesture to the person who hurt you"), grounded in Kushner's brilliant readings of Scripture, history, and popular culture, Nine Essential Things I've Learned About Life is compulsory reading from one of modern Judaism's foremost sages.

Distilling the wisdom of an extraordinary career, this profoundly inspiring yet practical guide to well-being is truly the capstone to Kushner's luminous oeuvre.

Author Notes

HAROLD S. KUSHNER is rabbi laureate of Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, having long served that congregation. He is best known as the author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People . This is his thirteenth book.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

As he enters his eighth decade, Kushner (When Bad Things Happen to Good People) offers a capstone volume to his decades as a congregational rabbi and popular writer. In sharply intelligent yet friendly prose, Kushner provides a thoughtful living guide for doubters and the faithful alike. There are pointed but gracious admonitions for those claiming that a self-developed religion is all they need. Your daily paper, spring flowers, and gratitude are not enough, Kushner says: when facing serious illness or other disasters, you need the support of a faith tradition and a community that has "learned to find God in the shadows as readily as in the sunshine." Kushner braids together stories from his professional and personal lifeâ_"longtime readers will remember that his son died at age 14 of a rare rapid-aging disease-alongside wisdom from biblical and theological texts and commentary on events related to science, culture, and literature. This book is a provocation and a balm for the skeptical and the religious, offering persuasive evidence that belief, forgiveness, hope, altruism, and joy are all possible, even in the face of death. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

Kushner is best known as the author of the best-selling When Bad Things Happen to Good People, which addressed his discussion of the issue of theodicy (a defense of God's goodness in the existence of evil) in light of his child's death from a rare disease called progeria (rapid-aging disorder). In fact, Kushner has written over ten additional books, and his most recent one deals with nine lessons he has learned through his role as a Rabbi and from a lifetime of experience. Each chapter provides detail on one of his lessons or insights into life. Chapter titles include "God Is Not a Man Who Lives in the Sky," "Forgiveness Is a Favor You Do Yourself," and "Religion Is What You Do, Not What You Believe." The author utilizes stories from his own life and also from the accounts of others to support his knowledge; this approach makes the book an absorbing read and easy to comprehend. VERDICT Those interested in the Jewish faith and in practical theology will find this book helpful.-John Jaeger, Dallas Baptist Univ. Lib. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Excerpts

A Love Letter to a World That May or May Not Deserve It Dear World, We've been through a lot together over the past eight decades, you and I--marriages, births, deaths, fulfillment and dis- appointment, war and peace, good times and hard times. There were days when you were more generous to me than I could possibly have deserved. And there were days when you cheated me out of things I felt I was entitled to. There were days when you looked so achingly beautiful that I could hardly believe you were mine, and days when you broke my heart and reduced me to tears. But with it all, I choose to love you. I love you, whether you deserve it or not (and how does one measure that?). I love you in part because you are the only world I have. I love you because I like who I am better when I do. But mostly I love you because loving you makes it easier for me to be grate- ful for today and hopeful about tomorrow. Love does that. Faithfully yours, Harold Kushner Excerpted from Nine Essential Things I've Learned about Life by Harold S. Kushner All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Library Journal Review

Excerpts

Excerpts

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