Einstein and the Rabbi: Searching for the Soul

by Naomi Levy

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Judaism, Spirituality, Religion, Jewish, Philosophy, Biography

338 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2017

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

A special thanks to an old friend - since High School : Jerry Mendelsohn.
He and his wife invited me to join a Friday night zoom service recently.
I knew something ‘different’ was going on at his congregation—and I liked it.

Of course, as soon as I knew Rabbi Naomi Levy was also an author - (national best seller, author, to boot), I jumped at the chance to read one of her books.

A little about Naomi Levy - Around 6000+ people follow her.

Naomi is the founder and leader of Nashuva, a groundbreaking Jewish spiritual outreach movement based in Los Angeles. Levy was named one of the top-50 Rabbis in America by Newsweek and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, the Today show, and NPR. She was in the first class of women to enter the Jewish Theological Seminary’s rabbinical School and the first woman in her movement to head a congregation on the West Coast. Naomi lives in Venice Beach, California, with her husband Rob Eshman.(he’s a yummy chef we learn in this book),.... and they have two children, Adi and Noa.

I was and am still soaking in messages - ( sure a few I’ve heard before) - but much was a different take - a different spin on life, love, family, hurts, healing.

I laughed...
I cried...
I thought...
I’m still thinking ....
I hope I’m growing from it.

Rabbi Levy writes beautiful....
She writes about ‘the soul’. ( our inner voices) > the role the inner voice plays out in our lives.
She teaches meditation- Mantra meditation- ( love how she explains this in this book),
and she weaves together a series of stories from her perspective as a Rabbi. Part memoir...and part philosophical discourse.

Believe it or not.... most of us ....no matter how successful we are....have a negative voice as well as a peaceful voice inside us....
Ha....maybe Trump is another species....
But the negative voice can be towards ourselves or others
Here are sample words that many of us have experience about ourselves at some points in our life:
Negative ( self loathing), words inside us such as: I am ugly, I’m fat, I’m not strong enough, I’m not smart enough, I don’t work hard enough, I have not accomplished enough, I’m a loser, I’m out of shape, I’m undisciplined, I am weak, I’m not a competitor, I am a bad spouse, I’m a bad parent, I’m a bad child,, that friend, I’m a bad person, i’m a coward, I’m a disappointment, I’m too old, I’m too young, I hate my hair, I hate my nose, I hate my face, I hate my body, I hate myself,.....( got the point?)...
Haha....if you have to ask “what inner voice?”.... haha, “THAT voice, the one that just asked”!
Think you can’t change that inner voice? Think again 😉

Levy asks....
“How can we expect to make any positive strides at all if every time we take the most tentative step forward, we listen to the inner voice barking at us for even trying?”

Science minded readers might love the parts about Albert Einstein. ( ways she interweaves his philosophies)....
“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 past—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness”. — Albert Einstein

Parts of the book are stories taken from sermons from her congregation. Rabbi Levy shares about a letter that Albert Einstein wrote to a grieving Rabbi about the mysteries of the soul. It’s fascinating —
Other stories were charming -
Others - very sad.
Other times, Levy inspires us with her love for music - and the positive ways music shifts our brains and connects us to humanity at large.

The purpose of this book - I believe is to get in touch with love - for ourselves and others. Let go of the criticism that drives us - the worries of our worthiness- and other reoccurring driving thoughts that occupy our minds.

Levy has a gift.... not only do we hear her words for understanding what the hell the soul is..... but she touches our soul...we ‘feel’ it.

Personally - I’ve been grieving over a relationship - and this book was helpful - a start - an opening... Really helpful!!!

It’s not a book I need to recommend- but I do - this is a ‘self select’ type....
You might have no need for it.. I did - really glad I read this.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Most Personal Review

My interest was piqued regarding Einstein and the Rabbi simply with this featured post:



And the book recommendation did not disappoint one bit, upon starting.

"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.

Back in late 2016, looking desperately for a way to reinvent myself or, at the very least, like when I heard myself talk, I overheard a lesson by Rabbi Reuven Fierman on TV that would come to change the course of my life over the next two years.

"Sometimes something breaks through to you. It may be an unexpected feeling of ease or even holiness while you are simply enjoying a moment with a loved one. Or it may be the power of the words you read or a melody you hear, the power of being at one with nature, the power of praying in community, the power of a teaching, the advice someone gave you long ago. Suddenly the lesson you need to hear isn’t just washing over you—it hits you deeply."

At the time, influenced by every culture but my own, I was startled to hear a Rabbi state: "Not all that is written in the Torah is the real physical truth as it is," which was eerily similar to what I'd told my mother before, who was by then already deep into returning to our roots. "The Torah writes what we can understand, not what specifically happened." That's all it took to hook me in.

I started listening and delving deeper into the Jewish philosophies the Rabbi shared, which include lessons on parenting with joy, the truth of love, exposing classic writers and artists for the antisemitism in their works, positive psychology, the different levels of the soul, wartime, Holocaust culture, and so much more that came to shape all that I am today.

It's become this phenomenon in every book I read or any lecture I listen to, where it all circles back to, "Oh, that's like Reuven Fierman said in that one lesson." Or, if I disagree, "Oh, that's like Reuven Fierman said in that one lesson on how not to act."

The past year I've delved deeper and deeper into the roots of Judaism, and I never thought it would come to save me as much as it did.

Have you ever wondered: Why do I say stuff I don’t agree with? Why am I so quick to turn to anger? How do I establish more meaningful relationships? How do I turn the world around me into a better place?

The other day, my mom viewed this powerful scene from the film The Edge of Seventeen  that clicks everything together about sensitive souls stuck in a place that doesn't accommodate them.


Source

"And I don't know how to change it" captures best the feeling of isolation I experienced throughout my growing up, like there was this invisible bubble serving as a buffer between me and the outside world with no handy tools to pop it; I could poke and move the bubble around but it was still very much there.

And I need to remember my contemplative thoughts about how I got through that stage, in case the memory slips away with time, so I'm writing this personal post. In a way I owe it all to my mother; it always comes back to my roots. My mom was the one listening to that fateful lesson by Rabbi Reuven Fierman on TV that I managed to walk right by as he said the puncturing sentence that stopped me in my tracks.

I've grown and learned so much about the power behind choosing to be who you want to be, thanks to these valuable and encompassing life lessons. AND IT'S AVAILABLE AT THE CLICK OF A BUTTON... FOR FREE.

My personal favorite lessons in Hebrew (Available for English listeners here and Russian listeners here):

• For those struggling with anxiety and depression, listen to this lesson on identifying and neutralizing the ten prototypical thoughts that when unchecked can affect your mindset deeply: http://www.meirtv.co.il/site/content_idx.asp?idx=24161&cat_id=3702

You're not unnecessary. It's not all or nothing.

• The true definition of love, not what Hollywood brainwashes people to believe: http://www.meirtv.co.il/site/content_idx.asp?idx=48141. The same "fish love" concept shared in the short two-minute video below:



• Being grateful and voicing it so the other side can feel it too. Saying 'thank you' because it is a recognition of the light of HaShem that appeared between you.
Also: How do you appreciate what happens to you, not what actually happens to you? It's not the reality that determines, it's your absorption: http://www.meirtv.co.il/site/content_idx.asp?idx=22657&cat_id=3702.

• The biological origins behind anger, the rush of adrenaline it provides, and identifying tiny triggers that sets your body on alarm, all of this revolutionized my perception regarding my anxious thoughts. You’re mind is essentially going through all these loops when little things happen that can spiral down to receiving the rush of adrenaline and anger of "I’m in danger." So it's up to you to research yourself in modes of anger: what triggers it (heat, crowds, etc.), what’s the root, how do you react... http://www.meirtv.co.il/site/content_idx.asp?idx=22668&cat_id=3702


And with all that off my chest, this is where Einstein and the Rabbi by Naomi Levy steps in. It took me quite some time to fully complete this reading journey, only upon reaching the chapter “Knowing You Are the Right Man for the Job” did I realize what kept me from reaching for this book throughout the month: the author spent half of Einstein and the Rabbi , talking about neither Einstein nor the Rabbi, but rather focuses on themes and ideas they represent.

I came to cherish this book for the vulnerable tales from the author's personal life or from the people she encountered, so it took me quite some time to push through those chapters that are just full of advice. I do have to say, the author knows how to tell a story expertly and make us live through it, instead of revealing all the details ahead of time.

Key moments from the book that stayed with me:

• Judith and her Buchenwald boys. This chapter made me blink back one too many tears, starting with this passage:

“The adults were expecting to receive pitiful, well-mannered children grateful for any drop of kindness. That’s not at all what they got. The boys were exploding with rage. They were suspicious of everyone. They were petrified of doctors, who reminded them of Dr. Josef Mengele, the infamous sadist of Auschwitz. The boys hardly spoke at all. They were violent, and they obsessively stole and hoarded food.
Many of the boys couldn’t even remember their names. Whenever an adult asked a child, “What’s your name?” he’d answer by calling out his concentration camp number. The boys all looked alike, with their shaved heads, emaciated faces, and the black circles around their cold, apathetic eyes. They didn’t know how to laugh or smile or play.”

There's rarely any talk of the survivors right after escaping hell on earth, and this was a gripping account.

• The author, Naomi Levy, coping with the grief for her beloved father.

“We went to visit the Kotel, the Western Wall in Jerusalem. I walked up to the wall and at first I just touched the ancient stones. Then I got closer and closer and I smelled it.
I smelled the Kotel. And the Kotel smelled like my father. It didn’t smell just a little like my dad, it smelled like my father’s armpit!
There I stood, eyes closed, with both of my arms outstretched, leaning against the wall so hard that I couldn’t tell anymore if I was standing up or lying down. Just lying there with my nose in my father’s armpit. And I began sobbing. The wall melted.”

• The story shared of her friend Rachel that puts explicitly on the page how one moment can change your life, for better and for worse. From being the one judging people to suddenly “She said to me, “I was hated. I was the evil person. I couldn’t show my face to Jack’s family.” It's frightening to what extent your actions can lead to accepting a pivotal turning point that'll finally open up your eyes.

“She began praying the morning and night prayers. She told me, “I love that there are words I can say to guide me into the dream state—night is a scary time. And I love that there are words for waking when that harsh pain of returning to reality washes over you.”

This says so much.


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This review and more can be found on my blog.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A human being is part of the whole, called by us the ‘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. The striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. Not to nourish the delusion but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of peace of mind.”- Albert Einstein to Dr. Robert S. Marcus, a grieving father

Dr. Marcus was a rabbi. He was a Jewish chaplain in General Patton’s army and experienced D-Day. Among the many children and teens he was responsible for liberating at Buchenwald concentration camp were Elie Wiesel and Dr. Ruth Westheimer. He became the World Jewish Congress UN representative fighting against genocide and for the status of stateless peoples.
It was 1949 and Europe’s remaining Jewish population continued to need an arbiter for better protection; Dr. Marcus went to France, and his wife and three children went to the Catskills for the summer. Tragedy struck. And Dr. Marcus reached out to Einstein.

The author, one of the first female rabbis, takes the reader on a journey to find this “whole-ness” by teaching one to better understand her soul. She explains the three levels of the soul and how to tap into them. Several chapters follow discussing various activities the reader can do to exercise her soul. And they actually make sense. They are relevant and nourishing. I was most moved by the chapter on music for the soul. When I was a little girl I was surrounded by music. My mother was a fan of oldies and county; my daddy listened to Jimi Hendrix. I was given their old 45s along with my Mickey Mouse club records to play when I was three years old. Follow that up with eight years of catholic school where one hears the most beautiful pipe organ pumping out poetry and proverbs, some songs only sung once a year so one waits for that one celebration with bated breath. Music was my one saving grace as I grew up. It’s how I related to my high school chums; it’s how I taught difficult facts to my students. It’s how I deal with idiot drivers on the interstate. “From the depths of sadness, music returns me to life.”
And what’s really the difference between “the most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious” (Einstein) and “you lay me down in green pastures, you lead me beside still waters, you restore my soul” (23rd psalm)? Seeking our soul in all of nature’s glory, its infinite majesty just requires a little push out the door and a deep breath.
Friendship and marriage are delved into in a sensible manner using familiar examples. I accept that I’m practically a coward because I refuse to be vulnerable. I also have issues with grudges and forgiveness-I admit it. I have one in particular I’ve held since 2011. Presidents Day 3:00pm no lie
Funny this also relates to the chapter about using one’s gifts. “Our strongest gifts are usually the ones we’re barely aware of possessing...We spend so much time in life trying to imitate other people or trying to live up to the projections people put on us.” And that about sums up my grudge! So now my voice is silent and I’m trying to find it again.
There is a lovely chapter entitled Bringing Your Soul to Work, which I’d like to read to all of my fellow employees. The author stresses that one’s job can be a toil, or it can be a place of helping and healing. I work in healthcare, so that’s a perfect sentiment. Over the past ten years of my employment I can not estimate the number of elderly and rehabilitated I have serviced. But to me it’s never been just a job. It’s been about the people. The author is absolutely right.
I’m possessed by a Yetzer! Yes, I finally have a name for it. It’s basically the Jewish equivalent of the good angel/bad angel on one’s shoulders myth. I’m seduced by unholy desire and longing for material possessions. And now we finally reach the reason I wanted to read this book-my shopping addiction. Several of the chapters have worthwhile discussions about unhealthy life choices, addictions, and hopelessness. It’s a perfect, uplifting construct without shoving God down one’s throat. The focus is on a healthy soul.
I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about myself, especially features of my personality that need some work. The author had a masterful way of threading the Einstein letter throughout the chapters too. She even scores an interview with Wiesel to discuss Dr. Marcus and his experiences during WWII shortly before he died. But does she ever discover Dr. Marcus’ letter to Einstein? It’s a mystery.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

’When I announced in kindergarten that I wanted to be a rabbi everyone laughed. Some people scolded me:
“Don’t you know girls can’t be rabbis!” But my father was rooting for me. “Nomi,” he said, using my nickname,
“keep dreaming and you’re the one who will be laughing one day. Not from ‘I told you so.’ You’ll be laughing from pure joy on the day you become a rabbi.”’

From her father, she learned how to lead a Friday evening Sabbath service, they sang together, creating beautiful harmonies to God. He fought for her to be able to have the bat mitzvah he knew she deserved, and while there was compromise involved, she loved sharing the pulpit with her father, she chanted the Psalms, he offered the blessing.

And then one day two years later, when she was 15, her father was gone. A night when her parents were out walking, a man demanding money from her parents shot her father. And her world changed.

’I began to meditate and to listen for the voice of my soul. Slowly, the longings of a four-year-old girl came alive with a passion I had never known before. My soul was calling me, it had always been calling me, to be a rabbi.’

‘In My senior year of college the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York voted to admit women into its rabbinical school…I was in the first class of women to enter the seminary.’

One day, she comes across a quote by Albert Einstein:

”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. The striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. Not to nourish the delusion but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of peace of mind.”

Reading this leads her on a journey that would lead her to ’the soul of a stranger’ and that she ’would feel compelled to follow the sacred thread of his story. I stumbled on a quote from Einstein, and it took me on a journey that would deepen my understanding of the soul and eternity.’

She discovers the words that Einstein wrote were to a man who had lost a child. A man who was a rabbi. A rabbi searching for answers from Einstein. A rabbi that was also in the Ninth Tactical Air Unit, who was among those on the beaches of Normandy, as well as in Southern France and in Germany. And in 1945, Rabbi Marcus was a chaplain, one of the first to enter Buchenwald concentration camp, and participated in its liberation. Contacting the OSE, he advised them of 1000 Jewish children being held there, requesting immediate action to have them evacuated. Twelve railway cars filled with these boys, accompanied by Rabbi Marcus, made their way to France. To safety. A boy he rescued whose name was Lulek, would grow up to be Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, the chief Ashkenazi rabbi of Israel.
’ among them was a sixteen-year-old boy named Eliezer who looked more dead than alive. He is not known to most people as Eliezer, though.
The world came to know him as Elie Wiesel.’

Three months later, he would return to Germany and escort another group of children, survivors, to a new life. Among them would be a seventeen-year-old girl named Ruth, a girl who we now know as Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

There’s more, so much more to this story, Rabbi Marcus’ story, Rabbi Levy’s search for answers about Einstein’s letter, her personal story intertwine in this lovely reflection on what it means to be human, to search for connection to others in this world, and beyond, to have doubts as well as faith. Her writing feels especially aimed at the reader, it is so very personal it feels as though it is written for just ‘you,’ but there are also moments filled with humour as well as wisdom, and the joys of life and living.

I doubt I will ever forget reading this. Incredibly moving, occasionally funny, this took me through so many emotions as I read on, a little at a time – savoring this.

Many thanks to my friend Elyse for her wonderful review, which had me grab this one as soon as I could.

Elyse’s review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved Rabbi Naomi Levy's books. She is so naturally spiritual, and has shown how she helps people (and herself) turn from trauma to peace, spirituality, and connectivity. This book is more of the same, and yet it adds depth and dimensionality. Rabbi Levy wants us to know that we are not alone. That there is a divine presence we can tap into. That loved ones, (deceased) never leave us. That we can fulfill our souls purpose, know ourselves, and fly. That there is more out there, but that there is more to us.

I had planned for a long time to read this book preceding Rosh Hashanah - a time where the world re-invents itself. Where we check in with our own aspirations, and reinvent ourselves to more deeply align with our souls. It was a powerful read, made more powerful by the timing I chose.

I felt personally most moved by the experiences of parent child relationships, and how one mediates loss. It was unexpectedly powerful to me, to experience how she mediated the loss and deep connection with both of her parents, as well as her children. Also, others in the book, who have lost parents and children, this is the question that's at the heart of the book. How do we go on in the face of such heart wrenching loss. And of course the answer is, that we are never alone. That there is a force greater than us that lives on and through us. And of course that force is God, but its also love. And of course the message is that we should be tapping into that force, and to our own possibilities. We can soar, and we can realize our full potential. The message, as expected, was deeply moving. Right on point, and right on time.

Rabbi Naomi Levy is known for creating blessings for every occasion. And on this night, after finishing the book today, I used her blessing for the children, and it was beautiful and perfect and expressed my sentiments, best hopes, and dreams. I deeply appreciated the read and the messages and blessings and prayers contained within. Timing is everything, and this one was just perfectly "on the nose." Speaking of, I related to her personal story of what she went through most recently, and how she allowed herself to use her strengths to get through. I found that moving, and also right on the mark,

And while I wasn't expecting it, I definitely cried. In a few very particular places. It connected for me. And was a gift.

[Jennifer Tam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading an amazing and touching book called Einstein and the Rabbi by Rabbi Naomi Levy.

I have been reading it slowly over the last several weeks as I was savoring every word and as I was reading today, I realized I was going to finish it today which felt very right to me - that I would finish it as we enter into the High Holidays.

As I read it, I thought lots about my Judaism background and my Jewish ancestors amd was so touched and inspired by the writing and the story (Ies)and truly believe that everyone should read it at some point if they can

Shana Tova

[Melora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warm, emotional, generous. The thread running through Levy's book is her search for Rabbi Robert Marcus's letter to Albert Einstein, seeking consolation after the death of his young son, to which Einstein responded,

“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”

Levy researches Rabbi Marcus's life, leading her to Buchenwald survivors, including Elie Wiesel. Recounting the stories of suffering, courage, and kindness, Levy moves beyond extraordinary cases and also tells stories of more common instances of hope and joy renewed. The various stories suggest different aspects of the soul as a source of strength, inspiration, and connection to its Creator.

Levy narrates her own book, and her reading is endearing – filled with ardent feeling and tenderness. Though at an earlier time I might have felt this was bit too “touchy-feely,” listening now, as my mother lies dying of cancer, I found it lovely and comforting.

[Ami Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the book to read if you want a biography of Einstein; yes it is biographical in the sense that to provide context for the letter details surrounding Einstein's life are given, but this book isn't about him. In a weird way, this book isn't even about the author, Rabbi Naomi Levi, this is truly a book about the soul, how we connect, and some sense of peace surrounding the after life. Naomi became a Rabbi, one of the first female Rabbi's in her school, after wanting to be one as a child, after creating that bond with her father over prayer and synagogue. After his death she felt lost. I've recently lost my father and those feelings of being set adrift and wandering are all to familiar to me. I lost myself to this book. I lost myself to her journey surrounding this letter. While I myself am not religious it was a calming experience and soothing to my broken heart. I would gladly read this book again, and most likely will. It would also be one I recommend to those who are grieving and looking for "that book" that tells them how to become whole again.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an inspirational read. I've really been into philosophy books lately and this book definitely delivered. I'm really happy that I received this book in a goodreads giveaway. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

[Stephanie Barko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the January 2021 selection of South Austin Spiritual Book Group.

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a series of parables based a letter written by Albert Einstein to a grieving rabbi. The theme of the book is what happens to your soul during your spiritual journey and afterlife from a Jewish perspective. I think it would be a good book for a high school level religious class, but I didn't find it that relevant for a middle aged person.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grieving father wrote to Albert Einstein, wanting to know the meaning of his young son’s death. And what Einstein wrote back was not a letter of condolence, but about the unity that underlies all existence. Decades later, when Rabbi Naomi Levy learns about Einstein‘s letter, she embarks on a three-year journey to learn more about the grieving father, and the spirituality behind Einstein‘s response.

Throughout this book, Rabbi Levy explores the multi faceted nature of the soul: Nafesh, the life force; Ruach the seat of emotion and intimacy; and Nashema, the eternal force, the light that is invisible to the human eye. She goes on to explore how tapping into your soul on all levels can affect every part of your life, if you let it. She used your own experiences and the life stories of others to illustrate these concepts.

My favorite chapter was the one about meditation. How to quiet your mind of all it’s negative thoughts, especially the ones aimed at yourself. She uses the word Husa as a mantra to repeat to yourself. “Husa is the special kind of love that an artist has for his or her own creation, even when it’s in perfect. That’s the key to Husa. It’s a compassion for something that is flawed.Husa involves the absence of judgment…Husa is the way G-d loves us even though we are imperfect, even though we’ve messed up things here and there.”Husa is a reminder to be kind to our imperfect selves and love ourselves, despite and because of our imperfections.

Eventually, Rabbi Levy discovers who the bereaved father was, and this knowledge takes her on a new quest: to find the original letter that the man sent to Albert Einstein. Her journey is revelatory and inspirational, almost as inspirational as the original letter writer’s backstory. it clarifies Einstein‘s response and adds meaning to it.

There is a lot to like in this book. It wasn’t quite what I had expected it to be: it was a bit heavy on Orthodox Judaism tenets which, as a non-practicing Reformed Jew, are a bit foreign to me. But I read it with a pencil in hand, so that I could underline passages that spoke to me, and make notations in it. I try to practice the meditation using Husa to quiet my mind, and it helps.

Probably my favorite thing about this book is that it was gifted to me by a sweet friend when I was going through a difficult time. She sought on my Goodreads “want to read“ list and sent it to me. I am so grateful to have friends like that in my life.

A definite recommend if you like, quiet, contemplative, reads, that may open you up to new ways of thinking, and give you peace.

[Milly Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ella es una dulzura de mujer, escuché el libro en su voz y me gustó, super espiritual y muy linda, un poco hasta cursi.
No es el libro que esperaba pero me deja muchas sorpresas.
En algunos (o muchos) capítulos me pareció información muy básica para mí (como judía) y me dio un poco de pereza escucharlos. Es bonita la parte del alma. De eso va el libro. De nuestra alma. En otros capítulos, incluye historias padres, pero de nuevo, no es lo que tenía ganas de escuchar en este momento.
La parte más rescatable (para mí) es la que va sobre Einstein y el Rabino Markus, sobre todo, lo relacionado con este último. Un gran hombre. Gran hombre.
Muchas coincidencias de la vida. Mucho amor y dolor.
No lo quería pero muy lindo, igual.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book, for free, in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a self-help book layered on top of a well written narrative.
The author has a sagely Ram Dass vibe that makes it enjoyable to read what she says.
I learned a good blessing for ones children and was inspired to start observing the Sabbath (at least in spirit). Each chapter has a nice blessing over the reader at the end.

The book has a somewhat strong Jewish tone (which might be expected).
I think the average person will still find the book enjoyable and learn from it, but I imagine there will be a subset of readers who will dislike this aspect.

All in all a good read and a book to be reread/shared.

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could remember which bookseller recommended this to me -- I need to go back and thank them. This was a profound read -- at the beginning I was worried that it would be a little too "out there" for me, but every single chapter in here spoke to me. Rabbi Levy came across a quote from Einstein about a person as part of the whole of the universe. It was a response that he wrote to a letter from a grieving father. The quote was moving for Levy and she wanted to know more. This led her on a journey to find the letter that Einstein was responding to and learn the story behind it. The story of this search weaves through this book on the soul and faith. I read it in one sitting, and it brought me to tears several times. I think, though, that I would like to experience it again -- one chapter at a time with space and time to reflect on the ideas the chapter contained as well as on the prayer or blessing contained at the end of each chapter. If your soul feels weary or your heart needs hope, this is an excellent choice.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful and uplifting book that spoke to my heart. I loved hearing the book read by the author and found myself laughing, crying and overall just wanting to be a better person. I definitely want to read this book again.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. Thought provoking, touching, funny, very uplifting. I’m not usually into nonfiction, but I would read this again. Highly recommend!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started out a little too self-helpy and a bit mystical for my tastes, repeatedly telling me to pay attention to my soul and its guidance. But I'm glad I stuck with it. There are definitely layers of religion in this book regarding the soul and other things that the non-religious might not relate too, but I was able to take some psychological insights and good advice from the text. By sharing anecdotes and stories from her, her family's, and her friend's lives, the author makes her points in relatable ways. Her advice is good for religious and non-religious alike: Take time to relax, to meditate (whatever that may mean to you), to get in tune with your soul or god or the universe or you friends and family, to appreciate the days and moments, and to look ahead but not too far ahead.

By far my favorite parts of the book, though, were the parts about Rabbi Marcus. He was the man who wrote the letter to Einstein that prompted the oft-quoted response that set the author on her path. He was a remarkable person (one of so many), who for a time looked after a group of boys found in a Nazi concentration camp. In interludes that are both heartbreaking and uplifting, the author shares the history and stories of these boys, some of whom she was able to interview, and one of whom was Elie Wiesel.

(Thank you Flatiron and Goodreads for the advance copy of this book.)

[Ferrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is beautifully written book about the soul. It takes one primary story about an exchange of letters between Einstein and Rabbi Marcus, then adds in stories from the authors own life. It probably would have been better as two separate books -- one not he Einstein-Marcus connection and one on the other life sessions -- but I suspect publishing expectations pushed the life lessons into the overarching story to make it "book length" worthy. Still, a great book about our eternal connections to the Divine and to each other.

[Robert Teeter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt like a bit of a bait and switch. I was expecting to learn something about Einstein's ideas about religion. There was some of that, but the content of this book is much better described by the subtitle ("searching for the soul") and one rabbi's (Rabbi Levy, the author) idea of the soul, which is not the same as Einstein's.

The back story is that in 1949, Rabbi Robert Marcus was grieving the death of his son, Jay, from polio. With nowhere else to turn, he wrote a letter to Albert Einstein, a scientist who knew more about the universe than anyone and, not incidentally I think, the most famous Jew alive. Einstein wrote back a four-sentence letter about the oneness of the universe, which is profound if you look at it that way. Rabbi Levy believes it squares with her views. (Spoiler alert: It really doesn't.)

What we learn about Rabbi Marcus in this book is more interesting than anything we learn about Einstein. He was an American rabbi with a wife and three young children. He volunteered to be a chaplain to the American forces in World War II. He was there for the liberation of the concentration camps and saved a group of boys interned at Buchenwald, including the young Elie Wiesel.

At least 70 percent of the book has nothing to do with Einstein or the rabbi (Rabbi Marcus, that is). It has do with Rabbi Levy and her teachings about the soul and about life, based on the wisdom of Jewish sages through the centuries and anecdotes from her own life. (Rabbi Levy has a much more literal view of God and the soul than Einstein did.) Each chapter ends with a blessing for the reader. That's fine if that's what you're looking for. If I'm going to read a self help book, I'd like it to be one based in Jewish philosophy and from an author as wise as Rabbi Levy. However, that's not what I was expecting from the title and the book description.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, about the soul from the viewpoint of (Reform) Jewish theology. The author (who is a rabbi) reflects on what it means to recognize and care for our souls, drawing from her work and her own life experiences, and it really had an impact on my thinking.

The other theme in the book is a little detective story about the correspondence between Einstein and a rabbi, Robert Marcus, in 1949. Einstein shared what might be considered his own theology: "A human being is a part of the whole called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space..."

Some things I didn't know about Holocaust history also appear in this book. Look up "Rabbi Robert Marcus, Buchenwald" if you want to know more about this hero who served in World War II and then helped to liberate and care for hundreds of orphaned and traumatized Jewish children.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read about this book. I can’t remember where or when but it caught my attention. For some reason I thought it would be like a book I read many many years ago, ‘Einstein’s Dreams’ by Alan Lightman. As I remember it, that was a deeply philosophical book wherein Einstein imagined a series of fictional multiverses.
This book is not like that book. This book is a self help book written by a thoughtful and quite brilliant rabbi who believes if we embrace God in our lives, our lives will be better. The book includes many personal details that illustrate points she wants to discuss. She is a very evocative writer. Each chapter ends with a prayer. Some chapters brought me to tears. I finished the book and because I had such an intense emotional reaction to the book, especially the final chapters, that I think this was the book I needed to read now.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like getting 3 books in one. First, Rabbi Levy has a storyline about finding a letter from Albert Einstein written to a grieving father that caught her attention. The more she dug into the backstory, the more interested she became. Finding out about that story would be enough for a high rating. Secondly, the reader receives insight into Jewish traditions and prayer. I found this part of the book fascinating. Lastly, Rabbi Levi provides reflective questions which allow the reader to dig deeper into his/her own soul work if they choose. The chapters on blessing your children and the value of friendships are the ones that have left the most lasting impact.

[Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

The soulful way Rabbi Levy tells current stories and reflects on past stories, still relevant today, is a rarity. This book brought me to tears many times and was soul-filling. It also improved my understanding of the Jewish faith, heritage and culture.

This is a book for everyone. Every faith, every age and every persuasion. I gave this book to my
15 year old nephew. He read it and told me "the book definitely made me into a better person" and thanked me for sending it to him.

I might add, the book has been out for a several months but the timing and subject matter is particularly important considering the recent loss of so many precious children in Parkland, Florida.

Highly recommend.

[Nancee Pangares · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. Just loved it. We all struggle with our heads and our hearts, our hopes, loss, intellect or science and Faith- how all are connected. How purpose is intertwined, how our souls guide us, how the Divine fits into this existence and the next. As a woman of both science and faith, I was intrigued to read this- having read it, with its wisdom and thought-provoking stories, so much I learned that was new- it was a blessing and a gift. It’s going on my hall of fame favorites bookshelf.❤️

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a marvelous and moving book about the soul in Jewish/Hassidic/Kabbalistic traditions told through stories including the story of a letter Einstein wrote to a Rabbi who helped rescue holocaust survivors. There are gems throughout but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Highly recommended.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely book. Naomi Levy is very humble, genuine, and intelligent. Reading her book is imbibing kindness, positivity, and inspiration. Her book fell into place in my heart and had a resounding effect as a sequel to the Hindu text the Bhagavad Gita. She would fit in well with the ancient and present shamans around the world.

[Johannes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Levy's work could be broken down into the following parts: memoir, spiritual journey, prayer diary, professional journal, epistolary research. But, the whole in which the parts function is a technology manual for the soul. It's the guardian angel beside each blade of grass on earth, saying "Grow! Grow! Grow!" (Thanks LHB for the recommendation.)

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a search for our soul. The letter exchanged between Einstein and Rabbi Marcus, seem almost trivial to the corpus of this non fiction book.

Mesmerizing, sentimental, non preachy, yet driven by a higher source.

[yamiyoghurt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so full of soul, the author is spiritually gifted.

Each chapter has a theme, a lesson for the soul. And each chapter ends with a blessing from the author which I thought was a sweet and poignant touch.

The book starts out with the mystery of a beautiful quote by Einstein, and the author wanting to understand the context of the quote. The author used that story to weave the lessons for the soul together, and it was beautifully done. I loved the book.