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The Forgiveness Experiment: What Would Your Life Look Like If You Let It All Go?
What if the only thing between you and peace… was letting go?
We’ve all been hurt.
We’ve all held grudges longer than we wanted to.
We’ve all said, “I’m fine,” when the truth was, we weren’t.
This book is for anyone who’s tired of carrying emotional baggage but doesn’t know how to set it down.
The Forgiveness Experiment is Rabbi Yisroel Bernath’s personal and practical journey into the messy, sacred work of letting go. Blending ancient Jewish wisdom with modern therapeutic tools, Rabbi Bernath walks you through the inner terrain of anger, shame, grief, and grace with plenty of stories, soul, and a touch of humor along the way.
Inside, you’ll discover how
Stop rehearsing the past
Stop giving power to people who hurt you
Stop living someone else’s life
You don’t have to forget.
You don’t have to reconcile.
But you do have to live.
So let’s try an What happens when you finally forgive?
Not for them. For you.
About the AuthorRabbi Yisroel Bernath is a Chabad rabbi, relationship coach, matchmaker, and storyteller whose work sits at the intersection of soul, psychology, and Jewish wisdom. Affectionately known as “The Love Rabbi,” he has helped hundreds navigate the complexities of the human heart, from heartbreak to healing, from resentment to radical forgiveness.
A spiritual leader in Montreal’s NDG community for over two decades, Rabbi Bernath is also the host of three podcasts and a widely followed voice on Jewish spirituality, emotional health, and human connection. His daily inspiration and heartfelt reflections reach millions worldwide.
He lives in Montreal with his wife, Sara, and their six children. This book is not just his teaching—it’s his personal journey.
We’ve all been hurt.
We’ve all held grudges longer than we wanted to.
We’ve all said, “I’m fine,” when the truth was, we weren’t.
This book is for anyone who’s tired of carrying emotional baggage but doesn’t know how to set it down.
The Forgiveness Experiment is Rabbi Yisroel Bernath’s personal and practical journey into the messy, sacred work of letting go. Blending ancient Jewish wisdom with modern therapeutic tools, Rabbi Bernath walks you through the inner terrain of anger, shame, grief, and grace with plenty of stories, soul, and a touch of humor along the way.
Inside, you’ll discover how
Stop rehearsing the past
Stop giving power to people who hurt you
Stop living someone else’s life
You don’t have to forget.
You don’t have to reconcile.
But you do have to live.
So let’s try an What happens when you finally forgive?
Not for them. For you.
About the AuthorRabbi Yisroel Bernath is a Chabad rabbi, relationship coach, matchmaker, and storyteller whose work sits at the intersection of soul, psychology, and Jewish wisdom. Affectionately known as “The Love Rabbi,” he has helped hundreds navigate the complexities of the human heart, from heartbreak to healing, from resentment to radical forgiveness.
A spiritual leader in Montreal’s NDG community for over two decades, Rabbi Bernath is also the host of three podcasts and a widely followed voice on Jewish spirituality, emotional health, and human connection. His daily inspiration and heartfelt reflections reach millions worldwide.
He lives in Montreal with his wife, Sara, and their six children. This book is not just his teaching—it’s his personal journey.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 16, 2026
Absolutely written from the heart. The stories are personal and the lessons we can learn are relatable. I appreciated the ties to Jewish wisdom and parallels in our daily lives. It feels like Hashem is in the same room with you when reading the book and the chapters aligned at the moments when I needed them the most. As you continue reading the book just keeps getting better and you feel yourself genuinely letting go, moving on, and feeling lighter. Beyond grateful for Rabbi Yisroel’s wisdom and will remain the book of the year for me❤️
June 14, 2026
I read this book in order to lead a discussion about it, so my main perspective as a reader was that if a teacher. From that point of view there were many opportunities for rich conversation and discussion, as well as personal reflection. There are experiments at the end of each chapter to facilitate the reader’s own forgiveness process. If I’m being honest I didn’t delve into my own opportunities for forgiveness, and I can definitely see going back and focusing on certain chapters and experiments to do that important introspection and work.
January 16, 2026
The path that The Forgiveness Experiment lays out before the reader is relatable, powerful, and encouraging. As a lifelong ‘seeker’, somehow I had never truly asked myself: What does forgiveness ACTUALLY look like? Have I honestly and authentically released certain resentments? If I’m so ‘easy breezy’ with forgiveness, why does my body still head into fight or flight mode when those memories arise?
I have been working with the material directly from this book for months now (in small, group-discussions, journaling, and of course, reading and re-reading this book.) I have started to see many things in my life differently. With every layer I peel back, I find another experience to investigate, another story to release. With interactive exercises provided in every chapter, I’ve been able to shine a light into some of those dark, once-hidden corners that felt so very ominous. But the depth to which we dig is left up to us.
Rabbi Bernath shares his own stories and experiences, as well as tools for us to utilize in order to peek behind the curtain of what we still carry.
No kidding; dropping just one of those internal weights, just one painful story I have been telling and retelling, feels like I’m immediately given more space in my lungs to breathe. I’ve been lugging around all these chains that I didn't even know were there, let alone that I actually attached them there myself.
Thank you, Rabbi Bernath! This material is life-changing in all the places we allow it to be…Here’s to changing the world for the good. Thank you for inviting us on a new path to ease-of-being.
If you were waiting for a sign to take an honest gaze inside your own soul…. THIS IS IT.
I have been working with the material directly from this book for months now (in small, group-discussions, journaling, and of course, reading and re-reading this book.) I have started to see many things in my life differently. With every layer I peel back, I find another experience to investigate, another story to release. With interactive exercises provided in every chapter, I’ve been able to shine a light into some of those dark, once-hidden corners that felt so very ominous. But the depth to which we dig is left up to us.
Rabbi Bernath shares his own stories and experiences, as well as tools for us to utilize in order to peek behind the curtain of what we still carry.
No kidding; dropping just one of those internal weights, just one painful story I have been telling and retelling, feels like I’m immediately given more space in my lungs to breathe. I’ve been lugging around all these chains that I didn't even know were there, let alone that I actually attached them there myself.
Thank you, Rabbi Bernath! This material is life-changing in all the places we allow it to be…Here’s to changing the world for the good. Thank you for inviting us on a new path to ease-of-being.
If you were waiting for a sign to take an honest gaze inside your own soul…. THIS IS IT.
February 13, 2026
The book helped me develop clear boundaries. Not necessarily a list of people or experiences to Forgive. It was triggering at times and honestly I didn’t want to do it.
I would rather leap out of an airplane without a parachute than do this.
But I kept reading
I kept letting myself feel my resistance
And slowly I started to find some objectivity. I started to see that someone’s else’s narrative of our shared reality didn’t have to belong to me.
Then I started to really let go. Let go really- not pretend letting go. No New Age hype.
And then one day hidden behind some refrigerator magnets I found this:
“Today, I trust God is the author of my story. I let go of control and choose to show up with kindness and faith.”
Forgiveness is really just the act of removing the resistance.
I would rather leap out of an airplane without a parachute than do this.
But I kept reading
I kept letting myself feel my resistance
And slowly I started to find some objectivity. I started to see that someone’s else’s narrative of our shared reality didn’t have to belong to me.
Then I started to really let go. Let go really- not pretend letting go. No New Age hype.
And then one day hidden behind some refrigerator magnets I found this:
“Today, I trust God is the author of my story. I let go of control and choose to show up with kindness and faith.”
Forgiveness is really just the act of removing the resistance.
July 22, 2026
I love this book, it really hit home for me. I know so many people who need to read this book.
What I liked most is that it does not treat forgiveness like something simple. It does not say you have to forget what happened, excuse someone’s behaviour, or let them back into your life.
I really like how practical it is. The sections about my business, their business, and God’s business and writing a letter you may never send were especially helpful for me. They gave practical ways to think through things instead of just being told to let it go.
The book is personal, easy to read, and full of stories that make the ideas feel real. A really thoughtful book for anyone who is still carrying hurt and wants to understand how to move forward without pretending the past did not happen.
What I liked most is that it does not treat forgiveness like something simple. It does not say you have to forget what happened, excuse someone’s behaviour, or let them back into your life.
I really like how practical it is. The sections about my business, their business, and God’s business and writing a letter you may never send were especially helpful for me. They gave practical ways to think through things instead of just being told to let it go.
The book is personal, easy to read, and full of stories that make the ideas feel real. A really thoughtful book for anyone who is still carrying hurt and wants to understand how to move forward without pretending the past did not happen.
February 1, 2026
I didn’t expect this book to hit me the way it did.
The Forgiveness Experiment isn’t preachy, fluffy, or “just think positive and move on.” It’s honest. Sometimes uncomfortable.
What I loved most is that it doesn’t rush forgiveness or shame you into it. It respects the pain. It understands that some things take time and some things leave marks.
This book feels like sitting across from someone who’s been through it, who doesn’t need to impress you, and who isn’t trying to fix you, just walking with you while you loosen your grip on what’s been weighing you down.
I laughed in a few places. I got quiet in others. And more than once I caught myself thinking, oh… this is about me.
If you’re holding onto something... a person, a moment, a story you keep replaying, this book doesn’t tell you what to forgive. It just helps you imagine what life might feel like if you didn’t have to carry it forever.
The Forgiveness Experiment isn’t preachy, fluffy, or “just think positive and move on.” It’s honest. Sometimes uncomfortable.
What I loved most is that it doesn’t rush forgiveness or shame you into it. It respects the pain. It understands that some things take time and some things leave marks.
This book feels like sitting across from someone who’s been through it, who doesn’t need to impress you, and who isn’t trying to fix you, just walking with you while you loosen your grip on what’s been weighing you down.
I laughed in a few places. I got quiet in others. And more than once I caught myself thinking, oh… this is about me.
If you’re holding onto something... a person, a moment, a story you keep replaying, this book doesn’t tell you what to forgive. It just helps you imagine what life might feel like if you didn’t have to carry it forever.
January 30, 2026
Reading this book was more like having a conversation in my head with our good friend Rabbi Bernath. He bears his soul and shares beautiful heartfelt stories that lead you in a natural way to your own hard truths of being wronged or hurt by others. At the same time the book allows the reader to draw from our own experiences , the times we hurt others and exactly how to process and release it. We as humans can all relate to this at some time of our lives. It’s an easy flow read with derp profound yet simple ideas to process a forgiveness of any kind. I’ve already bought several books for gifts. Highly recommend.
February 2, 2026
This book is at once raw and confessional, intellectual and comforting, passionate and emphatic. There is no preaching and no pontification, no "what you should do" and "this is how you fix it". This is a journey you can join on every step or retrace your steps.
This is not an easy reading. It does not have ready answers. This is a book that starts with you and ends with you - your experience, your pain, your life. It is there for you to discover yourself.
This is not an easy reading. It does not have ready answers. This is a book that starts with you and ends with you - your experience, your pain, your life. It is there for you to discover yourself.
February 2, 2026
I’ve been a fan of Rabbi Bernath’s teachings since I’ve met him, so I am obviously a fan of this book also. It’s ground breaking on so many levels. It’s the book on forgiveness that you didn’t know you needed. It peels back layers within us we didn’t even know were there. Definitely a must for a life well lived; a life of peace & joy.
February 3, 2026
The forgiveness experiment book first talks to your soul, then gently guides you, opening possibilities to forgive others and yourself.
Assisting you in how to lead with all the grudge, anger, and resentment one can have.
Real and powerful stories of forgiveness. People who were able to give a new meaning to their lives
I love this book.
Assisting you in how to lead with all the grudge, anger, and resentment one can have.
Real and powerful stories of forgiveness. People who were able to give a new meaning to their lives
I love this book.
January 30, 2026
This book was a pleasure to read. Captivating and couldn’t put it down. The ideas are still on my mind and I really enjoyed the practical exercises at the end of each chapter.
February 1, 2026
A must read for healing relationships.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews