Harold S. Kushner

From the author of the best-selling When Bad Things Happen to Good People and Living a Life That Matters--a new book of practical spirituality, of inspiration and encouragement gleaned from what may be the best-known and best-loved chapter in the Bible: the Twenty-third Psalm. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." So begins the psalm that, for millennia, has been a source of comfort in grief and of courage in fear. Now Harold Kushner discovers what it has to teach us about living our day-to-day lives. Each chapter discusses one line of the psalm in the context of both the time when it was written and the present day, and illuminates the life lessons contained within it. For example, Kushner shows us that the phrase "My cup runneth over" is a declaration of our gratitude for what life has given us and a rejection of the envy we may feel for what others have. And he draws on the ideas and thoughts of various spiritual figures--from G. K. Chesterton to Martin Buber to Paul Tillich--to further expand our understanding of this great psalm and help us benefit from its everyday spiritual wisdom.From the Hardcover edition.

From Harold S. Kushner, the author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, a book that shows us how to be our best selves even when things don't turn out as we had hoped--that is, how we can overcome life's disappointments.Kushner turns to the experience of Moses to find the requisite lessons of strength and faith. Moses towers over all others in the Old Testament: he is the man on the mountaintop to whom God speaks with unparalleled intimacy, and he leads his people out of bondage. But he is also deeply human, someone whose soaring triumphs are offset by frustration and longing: his people ignore his teachings, he is denied entrance to the Promised Land, his family suffers. But he overcomes.Through the example of Moses' remarkable resilience, we learn how to weather the disillusionment of dreams unfulfilled, the pain of a lost job or promotion, a child's failures, divorce or abandonment, and illness. We learn how to meet all disappointments with faith in ourselves and the future, and how to respond to heartbreak with understanding rather than bitterness and despair.This is a book of spiritual wisdom--as practical as it is inspiring.From the Hardcover edition.

For everyone who has been hurt in life. This is a book that heals.

Most of us need to feel that we matter in some way; perhaps this explains the high value placed on titles, corner offices, and even fleeting celebrity. But most of us also need to feel that we are good people. In this luminous yet practical book of spiritual advice, Harold Kushner bridges the gap between these seemingly irreconcilable needs, showing us how even our smallest daily actions can become stepping stones toward integrity.Drawing on the stories of his own congregants, on literature, current events and, above all, on the Biblical story of Jacob, the worldly trickster who evolves into a man of God --Kushner addresses some of the most persistent dilemmas of the human condition: Why do decent people so often violate their moral standards? How can we pursue justice without giving in to the lure of revenge? How can we turn our relationships with family and friends into genuine sources of meaning? Persuasive and sympathetic, filled with humanity and warmth, Living a Life That Matters is a deeply rewarding book. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Author's writings on the practices and traditions of Judaism.

This book is asks the question: How good does God need us to be, for us to be loved? Does God require perfection? Effort? Humility? Willingness to admit mistakes? Most importantly, the author shows how guilt and shame are not helpful in our path, since they reduce our confidence and ability to be brave in difficult situations. Highly recommended.

"Drawing on the Shambhala tradition and on Buddhist teachings, [Trungpa] explains how we can each become a spiritual warrior: a person who faces each moment of life with openness and fearlessness ... This book explains: how the practice of sitting meditation can help us to uncover our inherent confidence and bravery; how fear and embarrassment about ourselves keep us trapped in cycles of suffering; the wisdom of loving-kindness and nonaggression; [and] how true invincibility depends on becoming more open and vulnerable."--Page of jacket.