Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times - Hardcover

Wolpe, David J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1573221414 ISBN 13: 9781573221412

Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover, 1999

Synopsis

Sharing a message of hope in difficult times, a rabbi explains how the inevitable appearance of loss in our lives can become a source of strength, faith, hope, meaning, and purpose rather than of despair.

About this title

About the Author

Rabbi David Wolpe is a regular guest on national television and radio, and has been featured on the A&E series Mysteries of the Bible. The rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, he was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and has taught there and at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. Wolpe is the author of four previous books, including In Speech and in Silence.

Reviews

Early in his book, Wolpe, rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, shares a sobering thought: "Losses are the stuff of life. They will not miss you, they will not steer around those whom you love." The author's search for meaningful ways to deal with loss came soon after his wife, Ellie, was diagnosed with cancer. He admits that his "life was suddenly full of shadows," and he feared that his vibrant wife might die. As Wolpe struggles with his fear of loss and with the daily crises brought by Ellie's illness, he realizes that facing loss requires courage and love. Although he had been writing this book before his wife's illness, her cancer gave him a new perspective on facing suffering. Wolpe uses personal anecdotes, ancient stories of suffering and joy, the sagacious parables of rabbis and the wisdom of poets and philosophers to explore the nature of loss and the ways we can respond meaningfully to it. He notes that throughout life we experience a variety of losses, some trivial and others grave, such as the loss of home, dreams, self, faith, love and life. On the loss of dreams, for instance, Wolpe writes, "Dreams can ennoble us even when they fail.... Each dream can be a step on the ladder we climb in order to become the person we were meant to be." In order for loss to be meaningful, he contends, we must not run from it but incorporate its scars deeply in our lives, face it with faith and courage and celebrate the new identities that we derive from our experience. Although Wolpe really offers no new ideas about coping with loss, his easy manner and eloquent storytelling will help readers suffering from loss feel as if they have found a companion on their journeys. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Psalmist wrote that although weeping would endure for the night, there would be joy when morning came. This is a book about that transformation, and its painful to read. Wolpe, a Los Angeles rabbi who is featured on A&Es Mysteries of the Bible, has a spiritual counselor's instinct for sharing in the afflictions of the people he interviews. He wrote several drafts of this book, each becoming increasingly personal; the final version is colored by the unexpected news that his 31-year-old wife had developed cancer. Despite an apparently successful surgery, they will never have another biological child. He writes that we experience loss not only with such tragedy but also with ``things that die while we are still alive: relationships, dreams, loves.'' There comes a moment, for instance, when each of us realizes that our childhood dreams are not going to materialize. These losses can make us bitter or help us to grow and redefine our values. Then there is the ``culmination of losses,'' death, with its utter finality and apparent arbitrariness. Mourning must be transformed gradually, never denying the very real pain of loss. Its that stinging pain which reminds us to seek the meaning in the loss. This is a book to pass on to those who are grievingi.e., to every single person we know. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Rabbi Wolpe quotes the Bible, the Talmud, the Midrash, and illustrious rabbis, scholars, and philosophers in examining different kinds of losses: love, home, youth, life, and more. He tells readers how to find faith, hope, and a purpose in life to help endure and survive difficult times. He writes about the importance of our homes and home life, of our dreams (from youth to old age), of our selves and self-discovery, of love, and of faith. He combines personal experiences with religious exegeses to advance his beliefs. Wolpe, author of four other books, addresses the reader with a keen sense of compassion and understanding. George Cohen

Rabbi Wolpe weaves together a finely constructed tapestry of biblical stories, Western and Eastern philosophy and literature, and incidents from his own life to explain how to deal with the pain of personal loss, whether of love, life, home, faith, or dreams. Rabbi Harold Kushner's When Bad Things Happen to Good People could be considered the predecessor of Wolfe's discussion of personal loss and ways to turn it into strength and hope. Both rabbis write in a clear, straightforward style, accessible to Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike. However, by stressing his own life and losses, Wolfe gives depth and meaning to concepts that might otherwise remain abstract and theoretical. Wolpe's strength is in showing how a caring and direct approach to dealing with losses can reenergize the human spirit and give us courage to continue living life to the fullest. Strongly recommended for general religion/spiritual collections in most libraries.AOlga B. Wise, Compaq Computers Inc., Austin, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 1573221414
• ISBN 13: 9781573221412
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 226