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The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World
From one of our country’s most prominent rabbis, an inspiring book about the power of community based on one of her most impactful sermons.
In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society?
Sharon Brous—a leading American rabbi—makes the case that the spiritual work of our time, as instinctual as it is counter-cultural, is to find our way to one other in celebration, in sorrow, and in solidarity. To show up for each other in moments of joy and pain, vulnerability and possibility, to invest in relationships of shared purpose and build communities of care.
Brous contends that it is through honoring our most basic human instinct-- the yearning for real connection-- that we reawaken our shared humanity and begin to heal. This kind of sacred presence is captured by the word amen, a powerful ancient idea that we affirm the fullness of one another’s experience by demonstrating, in body and “I see you. You are not alone.”
An acclaimed preacher and story-teller, Brous pairs heart-driven anecdotes from her experience building and pastoring to a leading-edge faith community over the past two decades with ancient Jewish wisdom and contemporary science. The result is a clarion the sense of belonging engendered by our genuine presence is not only a social and biological need, but a moral and spiritual necessity.
With original insights and practical tools, The Amen Effect translates foundational ideas into simple practices that connect us to our better angels, offering a blueprint for a more meaningful life and a more connected and caring world.
In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society?
Sharon Brous—a leading American rabbi—makes the case that the spiritual work of our time, as instinctual as it is counter-cultural, is to find our way to one other in celebration, in sorrow, and in solidarity. To show up for each other in moments of joy and pain, vulnerability and possibility, to invest in relationships of shared purpose and build communities of care.
Brous contends that it is through honoring our most basic human instinct-- the yearning for real connection-- that we reawaken our shared humanity and begin to heal. This kind of sacred presence is captured by the word amen, a powerful ancient idea that we affirm the fullness of one another’s experience by demonstrating, in body and “I see you. You are not alone.”
An acclaimed preacher and story-teller, Brous pairs heart-driven anecdotes from her experience building and pastoring to a leading-edge faith community over the past two decades with ancient Jewish wisdom and contemporary science. The result is a clarion the sense of belonging engendered by our genuine presence is not only a social and biological need, but a moral and spiritual necessity.
With original insights and practical tools, The Amen Effect translates foundational ideas into simple practices that connect us to our better angels, offering a blueprint for a more meaningful life and a more connected and caring world.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published January 9, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 255 reviews
January 13, 2024
Have you ever read a book that was so beautiful, moving and thought provoking that you shed heart- warming tears from the beginning of the introduction to the end of the epilogue? The Amen Effect is the first book that has ever had such a profound impact on me. Our world needs this book right now. Read it. The Amen Effect book will enrich your spirit and renew your faith in the potential of humanity.
March 5, 2024
The Amen Effect is a profound and compelling read that echoes the struggles of facing joy and sorrow in our day-to-day lives.
Rabbi Sharon Brous' wisdom is beneficial to anyone, regardless of their religion. Her humanity and passion make the book engaging and evoke many emotions. It feels like having a deep conversation with a close friend over coffee, discovering that our genuine presence is the greatest gift we can give each other. Simply being there has a profound impact - "the Amen Effect."
This book is well-written and thought-provoking. For the genre, I would give this one four stars. ✨
Rabbi Sharon Brous' wisdom is beneficial to anyone, regardless of their religion. Her humanity and passion make the book engaging and evoke many emotions. It feels like having a deep conversation with a close friend over coffee, discovering that our genuine presence is the greatest gift we can give each other. Simply being there has a profound impact - "the Amen Effect."
This book is well-written and thought-provoking. For the genre, I would give this one four stars. ✨
January 7, 2024
This is a magnificent book. It is a deeply moving work that captures the rigor, humor, and empathy of Rabbi Sharon Brous. It brilliantly makes the case for the criticality of community and human connection. It resonated deeply with me and I know I will read it again and again.
April 9, 2024
In this timely meditation, and pretty short tome given its gravity, Sharon Brous provides a pretty nice take on dealing with life's challenges, principally grief and loss. Primarily she is addressing readers as community members, friends, neighbors, and family members who inevitably go through loss in one or more of these roles.
As a rabbi and a New York transplant to California, Brous pulls from both the ancient Jewish tradition as well as the modern and contemporary experience and sensibility. One value of the book is to cast a spotlight on these challenges. By pulling on both tradition and experience, Brous offers a wisdom rooted in showing up, compassion, acceptance, patience, and sensibility. As she reminds us, big news and events both good and bad are likely to show up at inopportune times. (When after all is a good time to hear that a friend, neighbor, or loved one is dying?) Experience shows us that bad news will inevitably show up on the heels of another big event, be it a big business deal or a child's birthday celebration. The challenge for us is to show up, be present, juggle ambiguity, listen, and help others face these events, albeit in their own way in their own time.
A limitation is the theologically rooted framework. Like Harold Kushner before her, Brous seems at times to struggle with the question of why loss strikes one (innocent) person rather than someone else. The theistic framework continues to ask the wrong question in this regard. So it is no big wonder that, also like Kushner, Brous comes up short in her response. A better framework would seem to be rooted in contingency as opposed to will and reason.
In any case, Brous never really loses her footing. Wisely, most of the book is focused on how to more skillfully deal with life's challenges as opposed to dealing with them less skillfully, rather than spending too long on probing why they (do or don't) arise. She ends with bringing the same framework towards grappling with the social issues of our day that are seemingly fraying the social fabric that holds us together. Smartly, the framework is offered as a partial salve in some circumstances and not others, and is not offered as an alternative to systematic action. In all likelihood this book is geared mainly towards a liberal largely secular Jewish potential readership in the US, although it may interest others from other backgrounds as well.
As a rabbi and a New York transplant to California, Brous pulls from both the ancient Jewish tradition as well as the modern and contemporary experience and sensibility. One value of the book is to cast a spotlight on these challenges. By pulling on both tradition and experience, Brous offers a wisdom rooted in showing up, compassion, acceptance, patience, and sensibility. As she reminds us, big news and events both good and bad are likely to show up at inopportune times. (When after all is a good time to hear that a friend, neighbor, or loved one is dying?) Experience shows us that bad news will inevitably show up on the heels of another big event, be it a big business deal or a child's birthday celebration. The challenge for us is to show up, be present, juggle ambiguity, listen, and help others face these events, albeit in their own way in their own time.
A limitation is the theologically rooted framework. Like Harold Kushner before her, Brous seems at times to struggle with the question of why loss strikes one (innocent) person rather than someone else. The theistic framework continues to ask the wrong question in this regard. So it is no big wonder that, also like Kushner, Brous comes up short in her response. A better framework would seem to be rooted in contingency as opposed to will and reason.
In any case, Brous never really loses her footing. Wisely, most of the book is focused on how to more skillfully deal with life's challenges as opposed to dealing with them less skillfully, rather than spending too long on probing why they (do or don't) arise. She ends with bringing the same framework towards grappling with the social issues of our day that are seemingly fraying the social fabric that holds us together. Smartly, the framework is offered as a partial salve in some circumstances and not others, and is not offered as an alternative to systematic action. In all likelihood this book is geared mainly towards a liberal largely secular Jewish potential readership in the US, although it may interest others from other backgrounds as well.
January 11, 2024
This book was absolutely beautiful. I've been following Rabbi Brous for many years and would recommend this to any friends interested in building a more just and loving society, family, and life. This book is easy to read and engaging and gives readers glimpses of some powerful and compelling ancient wisdom.
November 17, 2024
There are not enough stars on Goodreads to rate this book.
May 23, 2024
I listened to the audiobook; it's read by the author, and it's excellent. Brous is a rabbi, and while the book draws deeply on her Jewish community, beliefs, and traditions, it's absolutely accessible and relevant for non-religious people, and I worry that the title will be a deterrent to some folks. Wise, moving, practical stories and reflections on presence, community, with-ness, and wonder as necessary practices in a world wracked by loneliness, grief, isolation, and extremism. I should probably be giving this five stars.
March 5, 2024
Beautiful book to read from the amazing Rabbi Brous. I know she wrote it before the current crisis in Gaza but it still rings so true - we need to sit together in grief and see each others hearts. But also, we need to find time for joy and celebration together when those times come too, even if you’re still grieving.
September 4, 2024
Pretty good in encouraging the reader to be braver and more intentional in their connections to other people, particularly when others are experiencing difficult times. Stories drawn from her rabbinical practice and the Jewish tradition inspire the urge to follow their examples. Pretty bad however in attempting to address our political divisions and how to engage with people of differing political stances. A failure to imagine how someone's politics could differ from one's own other than motivations of malevolence or ignorance. Whatever my own politics are, I try to remain aware that someone on the other side isn't necessarily a moral cretin.
Thankfully the book is mostly the former, but ending on the latter leaves a bad taste.
Thankfully the book is mostly the former, but ending on the latter leaves a bad taste.
January 27, 2025
I'm not Jewish, nor do I identify with/practice any one particular form of organized religion. And I'm very glad that despite that, I was still drawn to pick up and read this book. It is profound, deeply human, and beautiful, and moved me to tears quite a few times.
July 7, 2024
It was alright. Shallow in some respects and I’m skeptical about a lot of the stories in the book (except for the ones that she provides their full name). However there’s not much to disagree about the book. Nothing new or profound to be had here and sometimes that’s okay.
January 9, 2024
This is this most hopeful and moving book i've read in years. Actually felt as tho Rabbi Sharon Brous was talking to me, not as though I were reading!
Run dont walk! If you want to get out of the tribal thinking that sets us apart and feel your heart again, its right here in 240 beautiful pages!
Run dont walk! If you want to get out of the tribal thinking that sets us apart and feel your heart again, its right here in 240 beautiful pages!
April 5, 2024
There is nothing new under the sun. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book (audio version), but it just didn't hit the mark for me. Most definitely, humans are meant to live in community, and Brous tells stories of encountering moments where relationship was the tipping point. While the message of this book isn't new to me, I did appreciate a different perspective from my Christain lens.
July 13, 2024
i think there were a lot of valuable ideas and takeaways in this book, i especially appreciated the 'practice' chapter at the end, that summed up all of the ways that you can show up for others and for yourself.
that said, as a book, i felt that the flow was choppy and there were so many different stories and people interspersed in one chapter that it was at times weird and difficult to read. i also think a lot of times it got repetitive, but maybe that's my opinion.
i actually got the chance to hear rabbi brous speak to a congregation near my university and that was life-changing. she is an amazing speaker and an amazing person who i can see is filled with a lot of hope and a lot of love. i think the world could get one sixtieth better every day if people would take away one good thing from what she shares.
that said, as a book, i felt that the flow was choppy and there were so many different stories and people interspersed in one chapter that it was at times weird and difficult to read. i also think a lot of times it got repetitive, but maybe that's my opinion.
i actually got the chance to hear rabbi brous speak to a congregation near my university and that was life-changing. she is an amazing speaker and an amazing person who i can see is filled with a lot of hope and a lot of love. i think the world could get one sixtieth better every day if people would take away one good thing from what she shares.
June 25, 2024
Wow. I’m going to be recommending this book a lot. I feel like it partners beautifully with Just Mercy and See No Stranger to help people like me see how to really live their religion and let it change them.
“Life is precarious but you are alive. Show up, body and spirit.”
“Sometimes when we experience something wondrous it doesn’t feel real till we share it with someone else”
“Your couch can’t say amen to your broken heart”
“Life is a sacred fusion of sorrow and celebration”
“Life is precarious but you are alive. Show up, body and spirit.”
“Sometimes when we experience something wondrous it doesn’t feel real till we share it with someone else”
“Your couch can’t say amen to your broken heart”
“Life is a sacred fusion of sorrow and celebration”
January 21, 2024
Beautiful and needed. This book really touched me and gave me pause on things to reflect on. Well worth the time spent hearing Rabbi Brous’s words.
Highly recommend!!!
Highly recommend!!!
August 19, 2024
It can’t hurt to be reminded the importance of showing up for community!
January 11, 2024
Transformative. A good book for anyone to read if they've ever been curious about Judaism.
January 13, 2024
Truly the book I most needed to read right now. A loving reminder that we are communal beings and we need to be in relationship to one another to survive and thrive. Moreover, we are well-served by expanding our compassion especially when it seems nearly impossible. Rabbi Brous has done a service to the world with this book. I hope it is widely read and its principles applied.
October 18, 2024
Best book on applied Jewish ethics I’ve ever read. Thank you for this, Rabbi Brous – this book is a blessing.
February 4, 2025
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) "Religion declined, not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid. What young people need is not religious as tranquilizers, religion as diversion, religion as entertainment - but spiritual audacity, intellectual guts, the power of defiance."
Rumi: "Every moment the voice of love is coming from left and right."
What brought Jonathon back from a dark shame spiral - "a few people in the community who WOULD NOT LET HIM disappear." Even in the darkest hours, let people know they are not alone, they will be held with love.
Chapter 3 "I See No Stranger"
"What would it mean to build a society where every person is treated as an image of the divine? How would this effect our relationships with our neighbors, our coworkers, the strangers? Wouldn't it compel us to recast the cultures of our schools, out organizations, our faith communities? How would it impact healthcare - education - public policy? How would it transform systems ... where judgement is too often rendered on whether a person is black or white, rich or poor?"
Sodom & Gomorrah: (Genesis 18)
What happens when a society fails to honor and uphold the centrality of human dignity? Centuries have weaponized this biblical text into pretext - for suppression, dehumanization, and violence against LGBTQ people - causing immeasurable harm - distracting from the stories urgent and eternal warning about a society whose moral failings map onto our own with notable precision. The great sin of those two ancient cities - cities that were blooming oases in the middle of the desert. Lands so rich in natural abundance, which unfortunately fueled a spirit of scarcity amongst the people - who sought to safeguard their riches. They forcibly sealed off their borders and deported foreigners, they would share with no one. Not only did they criminalize outsiders who sought refuge in their land, they also ruthlessly targeted their own poor. They took pleasure in violating and dehumanizing women. In these two cities the peoples' worst inclinations were propped up by a legal system full of habitual liars and perverters of justice. Law makers passed zero tolerance policies, that meted out torture to ANYONE who showed the slightest compassion for a struggling neighbor. In Sodom it was decreed, "Whoever hands a piece of bread to a pauper or a stranger will be burned at the stake." We have seen this in our histories with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 & 1850. Neighbor against neighbor. A cynical concerted legal effort to quash human goodness. Repeated again a century later to anyone provided food, transport, or safe haven to Jews. Laws like these fuel a culture of distrust, betrayal, and callousness. The real sin of these two cities was cruelty, callousness, and violence against the most vulnerable.
Rumi: "Every moment the voice of love is coming from left and right."
What brought Jonathon back from a dark shame spiral - "a few people in the community who WOULD NOT LET HIM disappear." Even in the darkest hours, let people know they are not alone, they will be held with love.
Chapter 3 "I See No Stranger"
"What would it mean to build a society where every person is treated as an image of the divine? How would this effect our relationships with our neighbors, our coworkers, the strangers? Wouldn't it compel us to recast the cultures of our schools, out organizations, our faith communities? How would it impact healthcare - education - public policy? How would it transform systems ... where judgement is too often rendered on whether a person is black or white, rich or poor?"
Sodom & Gomorrah: (Genesis 18)
What happens when a society fails to honor and uphold the centrality of human dignity? Centuries have weaponized this biblical text into pretext - for suppression, dehumanization, and violence against LGBTQ people - causing immeasurable harm - distracting from the stories urgent and eternal warning about a society whose moral failings map onto our own with notable precision. The great sin of those two ancient cities - cities that were blooming oases in the middle of the desert. Lands so rich in natural abundance, which unfortunately fueled a spirit of scarcity amongst the people - who sought to safeguard their riches. They forcibly sealed off their borders and deported foreigners, they would share with no one. Not only did they criminalize outsiders who sought refuge in their land, they also ruthlessly targeted their own poor. They took pleasure in violating and dehumanizing women. In these two cities the peoples' worst inclinations were propped up by a legal system full of habitual liars and perverters of justice. Law makers passed zero tolerance policies, that meted out torture to ANYONE who showed the slightest compassion for a struggling neighbor. In Sodom it was decreed, "Whoever hands a piece of bread to a pauper or a stranger will be burned at the stake." We have seen this in our histories with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 & 1850. Neighbor against neighbor. A cynical concerted legal effort to quash human goodness. Repeated again a century later to anyone provided food, transport, or safe haven to Jews. Laws like these fuel a culture of distrust, betrayal, and callousness. The real sin of these two cities was cruelty, callousness, and violence against the most vulnerable.
January 26, 2025
I have to specifically highlight the power that chapters 7 and 8 held for me. Below are some quotes from those chapters.
“…do not let the darkness find its way in you”
“Our work, then, is to decipher the blessings, even in the midst of the darkness”
“Curiosity is the birthplace of compassion, but the greater the psychological distance between us and the other, the less curious we are about one another….”
I share those because they are specific words that I felt deeply touched my heart when I read them. I suggest reading the full chapters to understand the context of which they’re speaking within.
“…do not let the darkness find its way in you”
“Our work, then, is to decipher the blessings, even in the midst of the darkness”
“Curiosity is the birthplace of compassion, but the greater the psychological distance between us and the other, the less curious we are about one another….”
I share those because they are specific words that I felt deeply touched my heart when I read them. I suggest reading the full chapters to understand the context of which they’re speaking within.
May 20, 2024
I rarely listen to audio books, but a friend sent this to me in audio form and I had some long car rides with time to listen. I’m so glad I did. Hearing the author, Rabbi Sharon Brous, read this extraordinary book made it even more special. Be prepared to smile, to cry, and to think.about your own place in the world and how you can contribute to your community by just showing up for others. Remarkable and inspiring book that I highly recommend.
June 17, 2024
Fantastic read. Profound philosophical insights in practical, anecdotal form. Based in ancient wisdom of the Jewish faith, it is accessible to all, and its wisdom universally applicable. Your inner cynic will feel like it was mugged and beaten half to death in a dark alley by the end of the book, and that’s a good thing. Hopeful, but not naive. Indeed Rabbi Brous, one of the shining stars of modern American Jewish thought, writes explicitly of and with a keen awareness of the trouble we’re in as a society, and offers something we can do about it, and a reason to hope that better days are in our own hands.
February 16, 2024
After taking the Science of Wellbeing course I couldn't help but feel like this secular science was familiar to me after having a spiritual upbringing and being part of a faith community. this book grounds what is now behavioral science in ancient Jewish rituals that boil down to simple truths for how we can foster closer connections with those going through pain, those who we fundamentally disagree with, and and those who take on the burden of healing others. the main takeaway seems to be "show up" and even if you don't know what to say, be courageous to be a conduit for the unknown and holy to be there with with you. I hadn't heard of this Rabbi before but I'm really interested in learning more about her and her faith community now after reading this book. I would recommend it to anyone even if you don't consider yourself religious!
November 11, 2024
Thank you to a dear friend for recommending this book I surely wouldn’t have picked up on my own. Moving, compelling, and hopeful - a reminder of the bravery it takes to show up and SEE one another, especially now.
(You definitely don’t need to be Jewish to appreciate the wisdom here, but it made me proud to feel connected to these beautiful lessons.)
(You definitely don’t need to be Jewish to appreciate the wisdom here, but it made me proud to feel connected to these beautiful lessons.)
March 26, 2024
I’d love to give this 5 stars, as parts of it were incredibly moving and beautiful. The author does seem to push an agenda, especially through the second half, hence the four stars. It’s definitely worth a read though!
May 11, 2024
I think some of her writing is a bit repetitive, 12 stories about congregants, friends, and family with terminal cancer isn't as effective as one good story. However, anyone who is able to build a thriving congregation in the era of religious and "third place" collapse deserves to be listened to, and there is a lot in here that could be applied to other Jewish communities. I wish this book had gone into greater detail into the "how" of building a community like IKAR, instead of merely outlining the importance of a tight knit Jewish community.
Rabbi Brous, if you're reading this, write another book!
Rabbi Brous, if you're reading this, write another book!
February 29, 2024
A must read in our current loneliness epidemic. Rabi Brous speaks succinctly to the need to hold our mourners close while celebrating our community joys all at the same time.
May 15, 2024
Loved this.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 255 reviews