When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough

I too have stood at the dessert table of a buffet hopelessly unable to eat as many servings as I wanted. This is a perfect metaphor for the book "When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough". The book is about the spiritual yearning you feel inside, that always seems to want something more. Until they arrive at that "something more", people can never truly feel content. As is the case with most of Kushner's writing, he uses a book of the old testament to further his explanation. In this case, he effectively employs the seemingly paradoxical book of Ecclesiastes. This book of the Bible finds its author searching for more in life. In the end, the author finds that it is not so much the end as the journey itself that has importance. Kushner's overall point is best summarized on page 189. Does it make a difference if I am honest, good, or faithful? It does not seem to matter to my bank account or fortune. "... It matters if we are true to ourselves, to our innate human nature that requires things like honesty and kindness and grows flabby and distorted if we neglect them. It matters if we learn how to share our lives with others, making them and their world different, rather than try and hoard life to ourselves. It matters than we learn to recognize the pleasures of every day, food and work and love and friendship, as encounters with the divine, encounters that teach us not only that God is real but that we are real too." It is a simple yet beautiful message. People that live this message will certainly discover the beauty in their life.

I have read and enjoyed all of Rabbi Kushner's books, and everytime I read a new one I'm sorry that voices like Kushner aren't the ones we hear blared through tv and radio. Why do the Jerry Falwells and Laura Schlessingers get a bigger audience than Kushner, who has a gentle and humanistic approach to spiritual matters? Is it because, as he says in this book, a life of value has nothing to do with fame or money, and knowing this, he doesn't have the desire to be a celebrity pundit? I wonder.As with all of his books, "When All You're Ever" is gracefully written and brief, and thus hard to put down (I read it over a Sunday afternoon and evening.) Despite its brevity, it touches on many relevant themes, from ennui to materialism to biblical relevance in modern lives. He frames these discussions around the story of Ecclesiastes, which has always been one of my favorite books of the bible. Until I read Kushner's perspective, I didn't realize why. Unlike so many books of the bible, Ecclesiastes is written by someone who lacks purpose in life, and comes to appreciate the small pleasures. It lacks much of the fire and brimstone of other parts of the OT, and therefore has more to say to the modern reader than the more archaic (and spiritually immature) sections.All of Kushner's books are wonderful. Read them!

And are you really willing to do what it takes to get it?Above material wealth and external power, we need to belong to at least 3 people with whom we share the recesses of our soul. We cannot really feel good about ourselves if we don't know that we are free to be visible to others, growing in their presence and truly making a difference that will live on, long after our earthly existence.If you are looking for wealth, I invite you to read this book, with a very open mind. You must search for internal wealth; that is, being human amongst humans, while you share something of yourself.I also love this book for telling the readers, "If we obey God because we are afraid of Him, because we don't want to offend Him, or because we are so overwhelmed by His might that we do not dare to challenge Him, then He has our obedience but He does not have our love."It's important that we find a purpose for our being on this earth, and live within that purpose -- this is what we attract what we really want.Thank you Rabbi Kushner.

I wish everyone would read this book and the world would be a much better place! This book is so inspiring for the person with a negative outlook on life. I read this book and wanted to invest more time in bettering my relations with people who are important in my life, and it gave me a different outlook on the importance and the impact I can make on other peoples lives. To give more of myself in relations with everyone. It is so well written, I think Harold Kushner has a gift from God that he is sharing all his insight with us. Everything he says, is beneficial to anyones belief. Very, very inspiring I am buying it for all my friends and family to read.

The author takes you on a journey with Ecclesiastes to try to find the meaning of life. I will not spoil the outcome for you, but it is an outcome that many people who are monotheistic, agnostic or atheist eventually discover as did Ecclesiastes. The answer is applicable for any generation.Although written by a Rabbi, the wisdom in this book is applicable to anyone of any belief. Although I don't believe that this is Kushner's most popular book, it just might be his best. He actually ends up answering several questions rather than just THE ONE - this is exceptional work.As well written as the book was, the quality of the printed book was awful. It looked like the printer was short on ink and many pages (not just 2 or 3) were tough to read primarily at the edges. Since I generally rate a book based upon the author's work, I will give it five stars and hope that the poor quality print of the book I had is an isolated incident.