If you only read one book about Judaism and the Jewish people this year, put at the top of your list the “Amen Effect, Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World.”  Written by Rabbi Sharon Brous, this book is very inspiring and a fast read. Rabbi Sharon Brous is the founding Rabbi of the fastest growing synagogue in Los Angeles which she grew from 10 to over 1,000 families in only 15 years. Active members include Steven Spielberg and Mayim Bialik. This book is a must read for anyone who cares about Jewish life with vibrancy in 2024.  

The Amen effect is about engaging in sacred conversations that create lasting bonds between people.   In one emotional packed chapter Rabbi Sharon Brous translates the Kaddish, not literally, but like a screen play to reveals the Kaddish’s inner essence.  Below is her description of what can happen when you say kaddish in-person in a synagogue today. This ritual is repeated by hundreds of thousands of people in synagogues around the world every day.  Here the author describes the psychological healing experience of the ancient Kaddish ritual.

(From Page 17), “The MOURNER -tired, disoriented, teary- rises. The community stops its quiet chatter and looks over as he begins, slowly, almost on a whisper.

MOURNER:  I am in anguish-

In one, unified voice the COMMUNITY responds.

COMMUNITY: Amen! We’re right here. We see you.

The mourner takes a breath and continues.

MOURNER: I don’t know how to hold this pain.

COMMUNITY AND MOURNER:  Amen. We wish it could be different.

MOURNER: I’m afraid I’ll forget the sound of her voice, the smell of her hair.

COMMUNITY: Amen. We will never let you disappear from this world. We will say her name and honor her memory. Amen.

MOURNER:

I can’t do this alone.

COMMUNITY: 

Amen. We are not going anywhere. We can’t take your pain away, but we can cry with you and laugh with you. We can hear the same story as many times and you need to tell it. We can help you remember. Amen!”

Many of us who have experienced grieving for a family member may find Rabbi Brous’s meaningful depiction particularly relevant in articulating the comforting power of mourning in a supportive community.

Rabbi Sharon Brous’s approach is rooted in this world and this moment.  Looking out at all the suffering in the world today she asks “How do we keep from numbing in a world drowning in human suffering?” Is it even possible to stay compassionate and vulnerable and healthy, while holding the vastness of the pain around us? How do we not fill up with the cumulative toll of other people’s suffering, or grow callous to their wounds?”

“After all these years, I am certain that the only … is in full awareness that one day we, too, will walk in the direction of the bereaved and broken hearted. And to trust that when we do, there will be someone there to see and hold us, to tenderly release the grief frozen in our bodies, to bring us raspberries and weep with us, too. When we allow ourselves to be held, when we embrace our own vulnerability, we can be revitalized not only with greater humility, but also with deeper compassion for ourselves, and for those with who we share our love.”

As our congregation looks to the future and asks what does it take to be a “Kehilla Kedosha” (a sacred community of partnership and openness), I believe Rabbi Sharon Brous offers an effective guide for reinvigorating today’s synagogue with relevance. I encourage you to read “The Amen Effect, Ancient Wisdom to Mend our Broken Hearts and World.”