The Lord Is My Shepherd
Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-third Psalm
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4.2 • 13 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
The bestselling guide to the healing wisdom of the Twenty-Third Psalm—from the beloved author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People. “A book worthy of attention from people of all faiths.” —The Dallas Morning News
Rabbi Harold Kushner has found that the simple, beautiful verses of perhaps the most memorable and cherished chapter of the Bible—full of honesty and optimism—have an almost magical power to comfort and calm—and to change your life. The psalm does not pretend that life is ever easy, but it offers a masterful guide to living in the world with faith and courage. Drawing on over forty years of his own thinking, on other biblical scholars, and on history, Kushner gracefully demonstrates how this sustaining work can help us cope with every aspect of life, from mundane jealousies to the death of a loved one to unimaginable tragedies of global proportions.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Many people regard the 23rd Psalm as one of the most familiar and comforting passages in the Bible. Rabbi Kushner, bestselling author of the spiritual classic When Bad Things Happen to Good People, looks to the psalm as a microcosmic statement about God its 57 Hebrew words, he says, present "an entire theology" about life and loss. The psalm begins in a place of perfect peace the psalmist lacks for nothing, and is tended perfectly by God the shepherd but that peace is shattered by "the shadow of death." Going phrase by phrase through the psalm, Kushner tackles serious questions: what does it mean to lack for nothing? Where is God when we suffer? Some of his interpretations are quite fresh and interesting; for example, "the straight paths" in which God leads the psalmist are anything but straight, he claims, noting that the Hebrew is more accurately rendered "roundabout ways that end up in the right direction." Ultimately, that phrase's message is about trusting God when the way does not seem straightforward. The psalm is not Pollyannaish, but realistic: as Kushner points out, the psalmist has enemies, has known failure and has probably lost a loved one. He draws heavily on rabbinic Judaism, but also references popular culture (including Woody Allen films), Freud, Michelangelo and other diverse sources. Kushner writes well and engagingly, and his tone will make readers feel personally welcomed into the rabbi's study for a comforting one-on-one chat.
Customer Reviews
The Lord is My Sheperd
This book is a resource for Christians, Jews, or other seekers who are wanting something more. Rabbi Kushner is the author of the book Why Bad Things Happen to Good People. He had tragedy in his own family with the death in childhood of a son from a rare disease. The book treats every verse of the 23rd Psalm separately. There are powerful insights in nearly every chapter. While giving great deference to the King James translation of the Psalm, Rabbi Kushner brings true depth by explaining what the classic Biblical Hebrew said without an English gloss. This insight into the Hebrew meanings can free the reader from prior bad feelings about a specific verse and give the Psalm a more personal meaning.
Examples of how the Rabbi's discussion of the Hebrew can powerfully impact the reader are: (a) "I shall not want". Kusher notes that the Hebrew text really says "I lack nothing" - - a different meaning; (b) "Valley of the shadow of death". Kushner notes that the Hebrew text is different, but that the King James classic language of this passage might be one of the great renderings of all time; (c) "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me". This passage may be the most powerful in the book. Kushner discusses that a better translation of "follow" is PURSUE. And the word for "mercy" in the King James is the incredibly rich Hebrew word HESED - - which means far more than what "mercy" might mean in English in 2011.
In our button tech culture, we memorize few things. The 23rd Psalm is one text which can be easily remembered. It is used often at funerals and other events.
Rabbi Kushner's book takes the soaring text and promises of the Psalmist to place the comfort that the psalm says is forthcoming in terms that make more sense in 2012.
No easy answers. No false comforts of never facing adversity of "deep dark valleys".
But if one wants a book which is a KEEPER and not to be discarded and which can provide fresh insights and potential for change, this is the book for you.