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Summary
Summary
Winner of the 2017 Nautilus Award in the Religion/Spirituality of Western Thought category
A bestselling author and rabbi's profoundly affecting exploration of the meaning and purpose of the soul, inspired by the famous correspondence between Albert Einstein and a grieving rabbi.
"A human being is part of the whole, called by us 'Universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts, and feelings as something separate from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness..." --Albert Einstein
When Rabbi Naomi Levy came across this poignant letter by Einstein it shook her to her core. His words perfectly captured what she has come to believe about the human condition: That we are intimately connected, and that we are blind to this truth. Levy wondered what had elicited such spiritual wisdom from a man of science? Thus began a three-year search into the mystery of Einstein's letter, and into the mystery of the human soul. What emerges is an inspiring, deeply affecting book for people of all faiths filled with universal truths that will help us reclaim our own souls and glimpse the unity that has been evading us. We all long to see more expansively, to live up to our gifts, to understand why we are here. Levy leads us on a breathtaking journey full of wisdom, empathy and humor, challenging us to wake up and heed the voice calling from within--a voice beckoning us to become who we were born be.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Levy (To Begin Again), a rabbi and founder of Nashuva, a Jewish spiritual community in Los Angeles, uses an engaging framing device to begin this inquiry into the soul: her experience of reading a letter from Albert Einstein to Rabbi Robert Marcus, a chaplain who had been present at the liberation of Buchenwald and who had recently lost a child. The legendary scientist wrote that peace of mind could be achieved by overcoming the delusion that people are separate from the rest of the universe. That letter led Levy "on a journey that would deepen [her] understanding of the soul and eternity" as she searched for the letter Marcus had written to Einstein that had prompted the physicist's response. That pursuit eventually paid off, but some readers won't follow Levy's quest to the end. The intervening sections features advice that will strike many as platitudinous; for example, her five tools to help someone move from potential to action are praying, talking to others, being honest, listening and seeing, and feeling the pain. There are some genuinely moving sections, but too often Levy's rose-colored vision comes across as too good to be true. Readers who are fans of Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul are most likely to find this volume of use. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Himself immortalized for his science, Einstein once offered spiritual counseling to a rabbi distraught over the untimely death of his son. Through this largely forgotten episode, Levy herself a rabbi enters an intense human drama that draws readers into her own lifelong inquiry into the nature of the soul. That inquiry began when as a young college student Levy suddenly felt the spiritual presence of her murdered father beside her on a campus walkway, his spiritual presence ultimately guiding her toward study of the soul as the wellspring of love and wisdom. Engaged in that study, Levy discovers Einstein's letter to the distressed rabbi Robert S. Marcus, a decorated battlefield chaplain in WWII and a postwar activist for Holocaust survivors. Perplexed as to why Marcus sought solace, not from a Jewish religious leader but rather from Judaism's greatest scientist, when his 11-year-old son died, Levy wants to find the letter Marcus wrote to Einstein to establish interpretive context for the physicist's reply, an affirmation of a cosmic unity enveloping every soul. In the inspiring story of how she finally finds the long-lost letter, readers may glimpse astonishing evidence that the universe does weave souls together in one surprising tapestry. A stirring spiritual journey.--Christensen, Bryce Copyright 2017 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Levy is a Los Angeles-based rabbi and founder and spiritual leader of Nachuva, a Jewish spiritual outreach movement, meaning she thinks a lot about the nature of the soul and its role in helping people lead fulfilling lives. The author's inspiration for this work comes from an unlikely source: Albert Einstein. Levy found a letter from Einstein to Rabbi Robert S. Marcus that she felt perfectly described the unity of existence and how our souls are essential to discovering that connection. Levy uses the three layers of the soul found in the Jewish mystical tradition-the life, love, and eternal forces-to structure the contents of this book. Weaving her journey to discovering the letter that prompted Einstein's response, stories of her own vulnerability, and her counseling experiences as a rabbi, Levy demonstrates the interconnectedness of these layers of the soul and how we can work toward understanding this relationship even through difficult times. VERDICT Spiritual seekers of any faith should find guidance and comfort in these intricately woven stories of love, loss, suffering, and success.-Amanda Folk, Ohio State Univ. Libs. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Searching for the Soul | |
| 1 Meeting the Soul | p. 3 |
| 2 Einstein and the Rabbi: Reviving Souls | p. 12 |
| 3 Finding the Me Within me: Locating Your Inner Essence | p. 25 |
| 4 Taking a Soulfie | p. 28 |
| 5 Encountering the Three Levels of the Soul | p. 34 |
| Tapping into the Life Force: The Key to Vision and Action | |
| Raising the Volume of the Soul's Voice: Feeding and Awakening the Soul | p. 43 |
| 6 Giving the Soul What It Wants | p. 45 |
| 7 Meditating Is Medicine for the Soul | p. 50 |
| 8 Letting Music Lift Your Soul | p. 58 |
| 9 Eating to Satisfy Your Soul | p. 64 |
| 10 Praying and Learning as Keys to Understanding | p. 69 |
| 11 Restoring the Soul in Nature | p. 75 |
| 12 Welcoming the Sabbath: Reviving Your Soul with a Day of Rest | p. 78 |
| Accessing the Soul's Expansive Vision | p. 84 |
| 13 Stepping Back to Gain a Wider Perspective | p. 85 |
| 14 Moving Beyond Our Narrow Thoughts | p. 92 |
| 15 Seeing Through the "Truths" We Tell Ourselves | p. 98 |
| 16 Glimpsing the Tapestry: Detecting Hidden Connections | p. 107 |
| Discovering the Power to Act | p. 113 |
| 17 Breaking free of Old, Familiar Patterns | p. 114 |
| 18 Pregnant Forever: Finding the Courage to Complete What You've Begun | p. 119 |
| Listening to the Love Force: The Key to Intimacy and Uncovering Your Calling | |
| Learning to Love Deeply | p. 129 |
| 19 Turning a Heart of Stone into a Heart of Flesh | p. 131 |
| 20 Experiencing the Healing of Forgiveness | p. 140 |
| 21 Praying for Holy Fear: Learning to Think Before You Act | p. 151 |
| 22 Recognizing the Saving Power of True Friends | p. 157 |
| 23 Finding a Soulmate | p. 162 |
| 24 Entering Marriage with Five Holy Qualities | p. 165 |
| 25 Discovering the Secret to a Lasting Marriage | p. 169 |
| 26 Parenting with Soul | p. 174 |
| Uncovering Your Holy Calling | p. 180 |
| 27 Heeding the Call of the Soul | p. 181 |
| 28 Knowing You Are the Right Man for the Job | p. 185 |
| 29 Feeling the Soul's Tug | p. 198 |
| 30 Turning Your Weakness into Your Strength | p. 205 |
| 31 Bringing Your Soul to Work | p. 212 |
| 32 Defeating the Soul's Adversary | p. 216 |
| 33 Know Who You Are: Recognizing Your True Divine Power | p. 223 |
| Welcoming the Eternal Force: The Key to Your Higher Knowing | |
| Experiencing Unity and a Taste of Eternity | p. 239 |
| 34 Bridging Distances and Returning Home | p. 241 |
| 35 Perceiving the Forty-Two Journeys of Your Soul | p. 246 |
| 36 Recognizing How Setbacks Can Lift You Higher | p. 251 |
| 37 Seeing Your World to Come | p. 259 |
| 38 Treasuring Blessings That Can Never Die | p. 267 |
| 39 Living on Soul Time | p. 274 |
| 40 Experiencing the Oneness | p. 284 |
| 41 Giving Pleasure to the Soul | p. 290 |
| 42 Beholding Threads of Connection | p. 295 |
| Coming Full Circle: The Letter | p. 309 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 325 |
| Notes | p. 331 |
| Bibliography | p. 337 |