Harold Samuel Kushner (born April 3, 1935) is a prominent American

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

and author. He is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly of

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...

and served as the congregational rabbi of Temple Israel of Natick, in

Natick, Massachusetts Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...

, for 24 years. His 14 books include the best-sellers ''

When Bad Things Happen to Good People ''When Bad Things Happen to Good People'' () is a 1981 book by Harold Kushner, a Conservative rabbi. Kushner addresses in the book one of the principal problems of theodicy, the conundrum of why, if the universe was created and is governed by a ...

'' and ''Living a Life That Matters: Resolving the Conflict Between Conscience and Success''.

Education

Born in Brooklyn, Kushner graduated from Columbia University in 1955 and later obtained his rabbinical ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in 1960. The same institution awarded him a doctoral degree in 1972. Kushner has also studied at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

, taught at Clark University and the Rabbinical School of the JTS, and received six honorary doctorates.

Congregational Rabbi

He served as the congregational rabbi of Temple Israel of Natick, in

, for 24 years and belongs to the Rabbinical Assembly.

Author

He is the author of a best selling book on the problem of evil, ''

.'' Written following the death of his son, Aaron, from the premature aging disease progeria, the book deals with questions about human suffering, God, omnipotence and theodicy. Aaron was born in 1963 and died in 1977; the book was published in 1981. Kushner has written a number of other popular theological books, such as ''How Good Do We Have to Be?'' (Dedicated to his grandson, Carl), ''To Life!'' and many others. In collaboration with the late

Chaim Potok Chaim Potok (February 17, 1929 – July 23, 2002) was an American author and rabbi. His first book ''The Chosen'' (1967), was listed on ''The New York Times’'' best seller list for 39 weeks and sold more than 3,400,000 copies. Biography H ...

, Kushner co-edited ''Etz Hayim: A Torah Commentary'', the new official Torah commentary of the

Conservative movement Conservative movement may refer to: *Conservatism in the United States, in politics *Conservatism, a political philosophy *Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious moveme ...

, which was jointly published in 2001 by the Rabbinical Assembly and the

Jewish Publication Society The Jewish Publication Society (JPS), originally known as the Jewish Publication Society of America, is the oldest nonprofit, nondenominational publisher of Jewish works in English. Founded in Philadelphia in 1888, by reform Rabbi Joseph Krauskop ...

. His ''Living a Life That Matters'' became a best seller in the fall of 2001. Kushner's book, ''The Lord Is My Shepherd'', was a meditation on the Twenty-Third Psalm released in 2003. Kushner also wrote a response to Simon Wiesenthal's question of forgiveness in the book '' The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness.''

List of publications

* ''Nine Essential Things I've Learned about Life'', published in 2015 * '' The Book of Job: When Bad Things Happened to a Good Person'' published in October 2012 * '' Conquering Fear: Living Boldly in an Uncertain World'' Published in 2009, is a theological piece that addresses fears of terrorism, natural disasters, rejection, growing old and offer suggestions on how best to cope, ultimately living with purpose and differentiating between God and nature. * '' Faith & Family: Favorite Sermons of Rabbi Harold S. Kushner'' published in October 2007 * '' Practice Random Acts of Kindness: Bring More Peace, Love, And Compassion'' published in 2007 * ''

Overcoming Life's Disappointments ''Overcoming Life's Disappointments'' () is a 2006 book by Harold Kushner, a Conservative rabbi. Kushner addresses in the book the question of how to cope when disappointing things happen to you. He uses Biblical examples, such as how Moses coped ...

'' published in 2006 * '' The Lord Is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the 23rd Psalm'' published in 2003 * ''

Who Needs God Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book ''Horton Hear ...

'' published in 1989 * '' Living a Life That Matters: Resolving the Conflict Between Conscience and Success'' published in 2001 * ''

How Good Do We Have to Be? A New Understanding of Guilt and Forgiveness How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seidma ...

'' published in 1997 * '' When Children Ask About God: A Guide for Parents Who Don't Always Have All the Answers'' published in 1995 * '' To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking'' published in 1994 * '' When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough: The Search for a Life That Matters'' published in 1986 * ''

'' published in 1981

Miscellaneous

* Kushner offered a reading from the Bible at the

State Funeral of Ronald Reagan On June 5, 2004, Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died after having Alzheimer's disease for nearly a decade. Reagan was the first former U.S. president to die in 10 years since Richard Nixon in 1994. At the age of , Reagan ...

in the Washington National Cathedral on June 11, 2004. * In 2007 Rabbi Kushner was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Jewish Book Council.

References

External links

Rabbi Kushner's bio at Temple Israel

Rabbi Harold Kushner talks and gives stories in relation to his latest book Overcoming Life's Disappointments (video)
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kushner, Harold 1935 births Living people American Humanistic Jews Jewish humanists 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis American Conservative rabbis Humanistic rabbis American Jewish theologians Process theologians Jewish American writers Jewish Theological Seminary of America semikhah recipients Columbia College (New York) alumni Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni People from Brooklyn People from Greater Boston Erasmus Hall High School alumni