Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World

"From one of our country's most prominent rabbis, an inspiring book about the power of community based on one of her most impactful sermons. In 2013, Rabbi Sharon Brous gave a sermon in which she preached the need-in an era riven by loneliness, social alienation, polarization, and ideological extremism-to reclaim the simple act of showing up for one another. That day marked the beginning of an essential change in the community. Based on that original sermon, The Amen Effect dives into our fundamental human longing for connection-in our most intimate relationships, in our community, with strangers, perhaps with God. Faith and ritual are powerful vehicles for this kind of connection, but so is simply reaching out, showing up, being present when others needus most. These are the ways that we reawaken to one another's humanity, and to our own. Brous argues that connection and kinship in times of sorrow and celebration not only give our lives meaning, but can help us establish the foundation for a more just and loving society. Drawn from ancient Jewish wisdom, contemporary social science, and Rabbi Brous's twenty years of pastoring to a leading-edge faith community, The Amen Effect argues that human connection is the very heart of life itself, and has the power to transform the way we think, feel, and live"--
Based on one of her most impactful sermons, a leading American rabbi pairs anecdotes from building and pastoring a leading-edge faith community with ancient Jewish wisdom and contemporary science to offer a blueprint for a more meaningful life and a more connected, caring world.
From one of our country’s most prominent rabbis, an inspiring book about the power of community based on one of her most impactful sermons.In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society?Sharon Brous—a leading American rabbi—makes the case that the spiritual work of our time, as instinctual as it is counter-cultural, is to find our way to one other in celebration, in sorrow, and in solidarity. To show up for each other in moments of joy and pain, vulnerability and possibility, to invest in relationships of shared purpose and build communities of care. Brous contends that it is through honoring our most basic human instinct-- the yearning for real connection-- that we reawaken our shared humanity and begin to heal. This kind of sacred presence is captured by the word amen, a powerful ancient idea that we affirm the fullness of one another’s experience by demonstrating, in body and word: “I see you. You are not alone.” An acclaimed preacher and story-teller, Brous pairs heart-driven anecdotes from her experience building and pastoring to a leading-edge faith community over the past two decades with ancient Jewish wisdom and contemporary science. The result is a clarion call: the sense of belonging engendered by our genuine presence is not only a social and biological need, but a moral and spiritual necessity.With original insights and practical tools, The Amen Effect translates foundational ideas into simple practices that connect us to our better angels, offering a blueprint for a more meaningful life and a more connected and caring world.