Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life [Hardcover]

Irwin Kula (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2006

"Irwin Kula shows us how to to live our humanness -- the pleasures and the challenges, the messiness and the triumphs -- with a profound acceptance of our desires and foibles and a joy that can only come from understanding." --Deepak Chopra

"Yearning. After twenty-three years as a rabbi, I can think of no more defining human experience."

Life can be messy and imperfect. Were all looking for answers. And yet, as renowned rabbi Irwin Kula points out, the yearning for answers is no different now than it was in the times that gave rise to Moses, Buddha, and Jesus. Far from being a burden, however, these yearnings can themselves become a path to blessing, prompting questions and insights, resulting in new ways of being and believing. In this, his first book, Rabbi Kula takes us on an excursion into the depths of our desires, applying ancient Jewish tradition to seven of our most wonderful yearnings. Merging ancient wisdom with contemporary insights, Rabbi Kula shows how traditional practices can inform and enrich our own search for meaning. More importantly, he invites us to embrace the messiness and complexities of the human experience in order to fully embrace the endless and glorious project of life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" This sagacious book will be a blessing to all who read its teachigns on the value of spiritual learning." -- Spirituality & Health

About the Author

Rabbi Irwin Kula is an eighth-generation rabbi and the president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. He has been a repeat guest on Oprah and the host of a 13-part public television series called Simple Wisdom. Rabbi Kula lives in New York City. Linda Loewenthal is a writer and literary agent based in New York City.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (August 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401301924
• ISBN-13: 978-1401301927
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #800,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning revelations for the agnostic!, January 3, 2007

By 

Rebecca Driscoll (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life (Hardcover)

With journalistic skepticism and scientific training carefully guarding any religious conclusions, I nonetheless am drawn to seek better understanding of spirituality, as experienced world-wide throughout the ages, taking wisdom wherever I find it, as long as it applies broadly. This book takes the stories that shaped our civilization as well as touches on others civilizations also, to help us understand where we came from. It suggests what we can take from those stories to live better, richer lives, regardless of whether or not the stories are precisely true. It explains how rituals developed and what they mean, and how they can be relevant today. Although Kula is a Jewish Rabbi, his insights are relevant to all beliefs. As a non-Jewish person myself, I never for a moment felt the book was written for Jewish people; on the contrary, I think his goal was to include everyone in a common understanding . . . an understanding of the differences of mankind.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life is easier when you appreciate its complications, September 8, 2006

By 

Marc Slutsky (Chicago) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life (Hardcover)

Irwin Kula takes us past our longing that a single truth applied everywhere will give us fulfillment. Instead he shows that in every problem is an opportunity--that what initially seems confusing and complicated doesn't need to be feared but appreciated. As I read his book, I felt optomistic without feeling naive or simplistic.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Voice for Everyone, January 30, 2007

By 

James Klein (Overland Park, KS) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life (Hardcover)

Rabbi Kula is a special breed of spiritual leader whose voice transcends the boundaries between religions. His book reveals a gift of communicating in a different way than typically comes down from the pulpit. In spreading his perspective of "wisdom", he is not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom and traditional interpretations; in fact he is at his best when looks inside these axioms that most of us take for granted. His willingness to share his personal experiences and his own transgressions lend credibility and humility to his stories and observations. This book serves as encouragement to look inside ourselves without judgment and look outward with a healthier perspective.