Judaism Unbound Episode 437: Amen — Sharon Brous
Sharon Brous is the senior and founding rabbi of IKAR. Her book, The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Heal Our Hearts and Mend Our Broken World, is a national bestseller, and her 2016 TED talk, “Reclaiming Religion,” has been viewed by more than 1.5 million people. Brous was named #1 on the Newsweek/The Daily Beast list of most influential Rabbis in America, and has been recognized by The Forward and Jerusalem Post as one of the fifty most influential Jews. She joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about loneliness, the importance of connection, and the power of showing up for one another.
[1] Learn more about Brous’s Book, The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Heal Our Hearts and Mend Our Broken World (2024).
[2] You can watch many of Brous’s previous sermons, talks, and services on the IKAR Youtube page.
[3] Read this 2019 opinion essay in the New York Times by Brous, entitled “Train Yourself to Always Show Up.”
[4] Read some of Brous’s recent published writing on loneliness, “How the Ancient Idea of ‘Amen’ Can Heal Loneliness.”
[5] Brous references an incredible story in the Talmud from Avodah Zara 8a about Adam experiencing the sun going down for the first time.
[6] Brous made a companion guide of source sheets on Sefaria to accompany each chapter of her book. Spend more time with those sources here.
[7] When talking about the efficacy of individual moral behavior, Dan mentions a previous episode with Jennie Rosenn, founder and CEO of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action. Listen to the episode with Jennie here.
