To Begin Again
The Journey Toward Comfort, Strength, and Faith in Difficult Times
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
To Begin Again signals the arrival of an important new voice. In words that are as wise as they are comforting and as universal as they are specific, Rabbi Naomi Levy tells us how to survive, emotionally and spiritually, when we feel overwhelmed by grief, loss, or life itself. Her book provides a safe harbor where we can begin to reconstitute our lives.
Where do we find the strength to rebuild our lives after difficult times? Is it possible to recapture our hope? Our innocence? Our faith? The answers, never simple but always inspiring, are indeed found in this wonderful book.
Naomi Levy was a bright, cheerful fifteen-year-old girl who awoke to the devastating news that her father had been shot. His senseless murder shattered her belief in God and left her feeling helpless and full of rage. But, in time, she learned to fight her way through the darkness to conquer her heartbreaking pain. She describes, with humor and extraordinary honesty, how she managed to emerge victorious over sorrow.
Later, in her years as the rabbi of a congregation in Venice, California, Levy quickly learned that her own painful experiences were not unique. Many of her congregants had also suffered--divorce, addiction, rape, loss, illness. They too had searched long and hard for ways to bring joy back into their lives.
A natural and engaging storyteller, Levy weaves together her own story and the struggles of her congregants with the ancient lessons of great sages. She offers up exquisitely simple prayers, which--no matter what our religious beliefs--remind us that we are far, far stronger than we ever imagined. What emerges is a remarkable tapestry that teaches us how to mend our hearts and souls.
To Begin Again is a book that will be passed to friends when tragedy strikes, a book that will rest at our bedside tables during troubling times. It is a testament to the human spirit--to the undying strength that enables us to make our way through whatever darkness we may face and begin living once again.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Levy's debut offers a progressive Jewish approach to coping with life's darker moments. Having faced the murder of her father when she was 15, Levy joined the first class of women to study at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Drawing on her own suffering and her experience as a rabbi, she constructs a map for personal renewal in the tradition of Harold Kushner's When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Initially, Levy deals with misfortune and addresses what can be done in the aftermath of a loss. Learning to face sadness and to share one's pain are essential elements in the author's understanding of recovery. Further on, through stories about her family and members of her congregation, Levy details how adversity can be a positive force, leading people to open their hearts to God. She doesn't promise simple solutions, however. Her last chapters illustrate how pain can be a permanent part of life, and how coping is an ongoing process. Though Levy offers much constructive wisdom, some of the stories she presents seem stretched to fit her message. Characters cry at just the right cue and various prescriptions seem to work in just the right way in nearly every episode she describes. But even if pat at times, Levy's treatise offers helpful ideas in a neatly organized fashion, as her deep experience and knack for colorful storytelling bring life to a somber subject. 75,000 first printing.
