Book Review - Living A Life That Matters

Book Review
Living A Life That Matters
By Harold S. Kushner

Living A Life That Matters blends rabbinic scholarship, years of pastoral experience, psychology, and common sense to paint a picture of the human soul that is both inspiring and practical. Kushner maintains people have an innate desire to see themselves as good. They also have an innate desire to matter. People want to make a difference and know their lives mean something to their loved ones, family and community. A good deal of human behavior can be explained with this in mind.

Like all of Rabbi Kushner’s books, this offering is rich in knowledge and compassion and presents a way of looking at life which is medicine for the heart and the spirit. Today’s world is obsessed with attractive successful people. It defines success as being wealthy and popular. Yet most of us are not extraordinarily attractive or wealthy. There is so much in today’s world which contributes to a feeling of insignificance. Kushner shows that ordinary people do matter. We are significant and we do make a difference even if we do not realize it. Living a life that matters does not depend upon attractiveness or wealth. Quite the contrary. Living a life that matters depends on love and loyalty to one’s family and friends.

I always learn more in five minutes of reading Rabbi Kushner’s work than I do after listening to 50 sermons. This book is full of wisdom and made me look at a number of things from a whole new perspective. One of the ideas Kushner explores is that God is not found in us, but between us. In other words, God can be found in our relationships with other people. This is an intriguing idea because it shows we cannot function in isolation. Finding God and mattering are both done through relationships with other people, and the closer our relationships, the more we matter.

As a student of the Bible, I am often struck with how rich the Bible is if you know Hebrew. Kushner draws primarily from the story of Jacob to illustrate our spiritual struggles through life, and his insights into the language of Genesis are very revealing. Biblical plays on words and concepts contained in words that are not apparent when reading in English, are brought to life and the insights Kushner gathers from the scriptures are quite profound.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has thought about life and their place in it. This book will be one of the best investments you ever made.