Harold Kushner

Here is a detailed, SEO-optimized article about Harold S. Kushner — note: although you called him a “clergyman,” he was a rabbi, and his influence extended well beyond his congregation.

Harold S. Kushner – Life, Thought, and Inspirational Quotes

Explore the life and legacy of Rabbi Harold S. Kushner (1935–2023), author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, his theological perspectives, life story, and enduring wisdom.

Introduction

Harold Samuel Kushner (April 3, 1935 – April 28, 2023) was an American rabbi, author, and public theologian whose writings reached millions across religious lines.

He became widely known for his empathic treatment of suffering, loss, and faith, particularly through his bestselling work When Bad Things Happen to Good People. His approach to theology was humanistic and pastoral, aiming to reconcile religious belief with the realities of human suffering.

Though his roots were in Conservative Judaism, his appeal extended to Jews and non-Jews alike, as he strove to make profound religious ideas accessible, comforting, and relevant.

Early Life & Education

• Kushner was born on April 3, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish parents Julius and Sarah Kushner.

• His family moved to Crown Heights when he was a child.

• He attended Erasmus Hall High School before matriculating at Columbia University, where he initially intended to major in psychology but later switched to literature.

• At Columbia, he also enrolled in evening courses at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), eventually deciding to become a rabbi by his junior year.

• He was ordained as a rabbi in 1960.

• Kushner later earned a doctorate in Hebrew literature (1972) and also pursued graduate work at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Rabbinic Career & Public Service

• After ordination, Kushner served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army for two years (at Fort Sill, Oklahoma), having gone to court to waive his clergy exemption to serve.

• He then became an assistant rabbi at Temple Israel in Great Neck, New York (1962–1966).

• In 1966, Kushner assumed the role of rabbi of Temple Israel, Natick, Massachusetts — a congregation where he would lead for 24 years.

• Over time his writing and speaking demands grew, and in 1983 he shifted to part-time congregational duties.

• By 1990, he left full-time congregational work to focus on writing and public lectures. The congregation conferred on him the unusual title rabbi laureate (instead of the more common “emeritus”) because he was still relatively young.

• He remained closely connected with his community and continued to teach, speak, and write until late in life.

Major Works, Theological Themes & Influence

Turning Personal Tragedy into Theology

A central moment in Kushner’s life was the diagnosis and eventual death of his son Aaron, who had progeria (a rare premature aging disease). Aaron died two days after his 14th birthday.

This deeply personal experience prompted Kushner to wrestle with questions of suffering, divine power, and faith — and shaped his theological voice. His reflections culminated in his best-known work:

• When Bad Things Happen to Good People (1981) — a compassionate exploration of suffering, divine limitations, and the meaning of faith in the face of loss.

• In this book, he argued for a model of God who is caring and present, but whose power is limited — that not every tragic event is willed by God, but that God supports and heals in suffering.

Other Notable Works & Themes

Kushner authored or co-authored many books that address faith, meaning, guilt, forgiveness, and life purpose. Some of the prominent ones include:

• When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough (1986) — on meaning in life, using Ecclesiastes as a guide.

• Who Needs God? — exploring the relevance of God in a secular, modern world.

• How Good Do We Have to Be? — reflections on guilt, forgiveness, and moral striving.

• To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking — reflecting on Jewish identity, ritual, and meaning.

• Living a Life That Matters — wrestling with conscience, success, and evolving purpose.

Kushner’s theology emphasized:

• Empathy and accompaniment — that religion must respond to human suffering with compassion, not detached dogma.

• God’s limited power — rather than an omnipotent deity controlling everything, he proposed a God who works within the natural order, intervening in moral and relational realms.

• Meaning through response — since much in life is beyond control, what matters is how we respond to adversity.

• Interfaith resonance — his accessible style, use of narrative, and focus on universal human experience allowed him to reach beyond his Jewish audience.

He also was involved in major Jewish communal work:

• He co-edited Etz Hayim: A Torah Commentary (2001), the official Torah commentary for Conservative Judaism, together with Chaim Potok.

• He remained active in Conservative Judaism’s rabbinical institutions and spoke on religious questions within and outside the movement.

Honors & Public Recognition

• In 1999, Rabbi Kushner was named Clergyman of the Year by Religion in American Life.

• In 2007, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jewish Book Council.

• He was honored by The Christophers, a Roman Catholic organization, as someone who made the world a better place.

• In 2004, he delivered a reading from the Book of Isaiah at the state funeral of President Ronald Reagan in Washington.

• Over his life, he received multiple honorary doctorates.

Famous Quotes & Reflections

Here are a few of Harold Kushner’s memorable lines:

• “It becomes much easier to take God seriously as the source of moral values if we don’t hold Him responsible for all the unfair things that happen in the world.”

• “People who pray for courage, for strength to bear the unbearable, for the grace to remember what they have left instead of what they have lost — very often find their prayer answered.”

• “Much of the time, we cannot control what happens to us. But we can always control how we respond to what happens to us.”

• From When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough: “The worst hell is realizing that one could have been a better human being but never made the effort.”

• “I always thought Judaism was at its best when it not only looked at text, but when it looked at people.”

Lessons & Takeaways

1. Faith that wrestles, not blind faith
   Kushner’s life teaches us that doubt, grief, and theological tension are not signs of failure, but invitation to deepen one’s faith.

2. The power of response over causation
   Because we cannot always control life’s events, the focus shifts to how we respond, grow, and find meaning.

3. Accessibility in theological writing
   He bridged scholarly thought and the public’s struggles by writing in clear, narrative, and emotionally honest language.

4. Empathy as a religious imperative
   He modeled a theology centered not on doctrine alone but on comforting people in suffering, giving voice to pain.

5. Legacy through multiple voices
   Kushner’s influence lives not just in his books, but in how he expanded the conversation around God, suffering, and moral life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Conclusion

Harold S. Kushner was more than a rabbi; he was a spiritual guide for those wrestling with pain, uncertainty, and the quest for meaning. His compassionate theology, born of personal loss, helped countless readers reconcile faith and suffering. His books, sermons, and example leave a lasting legacy: that in life’s darkness, our responses, love, and integrity matter.