The Wholeness of a Broken Heart
Pathways to Resilience and Renewal
Foreward by Rabbi Naomi Levy
Award-winning author, Rabbi Amy Grossblatt Pessah presents a deeply personal and spiritually grounded exploration of grief, healing, and the courage to live fully after profound loss. In her book, The Wholeness of a Broken Heart, she shares a lived experience of loss, hope, meaning, and spiritual courage in Judaism.
Rooted in honesty and compassion, Pessah’s book emphasizes the need to meet life as it is - without denial - while cultivating meaning, connection, and joy.
All humans will experience trials, tribulations, or traumas, and Pessah tells the story of losing her twenty-year-old son to brain cancer. While some of us will have more intense challenges than others, there is no doubt that being human is hard, always. This book addresses this universal human condition from the perspective of Jewish spirituality.
Through Jewish texts and teachings, Rabbi Amy engages with the big questions—suffering, responsibility, purpose, and God—with depth, accessibility and emotional intelligence. Full of personal anecdotes, as well as lessons learned from the lived experiences of others, The Wholeness of a Broken Heart honors brokenness as part of the human experience and helps the reader to find joy, meaning, purpose, and connection.
Reviews
"If you have ever been bereaved—and who hasn’t?—you need this. Digging deep into her own experience of profound grief, she emerges with a heartfelt exploration of the path forward. Reading this book feels like being in Rabbi Amy’s study, hearing lessons learned from her experience traveling this road toward resilience, meaning, relationship, and renewed joy. This is one to share with your family, friends, book club and congregation, complete with discussion questions."
— Rabbi Dr. Ron Wolfson, Fingerhut Professor of Education, American Jewish University, author of Relational Judaism"‘The Wholeness of a Broken Heart’ is a compassionate and wise guide to navigating the challenges of being human, blending spiritual insight with deeply lived experience. Rabbi Grossblatt Pessah explores suffering, grief, and renewal with clarity and warmth, offering seven pathways to resilience that that honor both pain and possibility. This is a book written by someone who has lived its teachings and lovingly invites readers to do the same."
— Dr. Michelle Pearce, Clinical Psychologist; Program Director, Integrative Health and Wellness; and Professor in the School of Graduate Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore"Amy Grossblatt Pessah’s ‘The Wholeness of a Broken Heart’ is like sitting down with a beloved friend to connect deeply about what it means to be human. Filled with insight, Rabbi Pessah shares her journey through grief and healing with heartfelt stories and compassionate Jewish wisdom."
— Rabbi Dr. Caryn Aviv, Rabbinic and Program director, Judaism Your Way, author of Unlearning Jewish Anxiety
"This book is a deeply personal and honest approach to remaining positive toward life even after a personal tragedy. Rabbi Grossblatt Pessah continues to look for beauty, recognize angels, and experience the miraculous. I felt her gift of sight, her inspiration, and joy."
— Rabbi Daniel Siegel, Rabbinic Director (Emeritus). ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal Canada
About the Author
Amy Grossblatt Pessah is a rabbi, author, spiritual director, and mom. Serving various denominations and demographics throughout the country, Amy has been a Jewish educator for over 30 years, with a focus on Jewish Family Education. She received her BA in Jewish and Near-Eastern Studies from Washington University in St. Louis, a Masters degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College, and rabbinic ordination from Aleph: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. She lives in Florida with her husband Aryeh and together they are the proud parents of three young adults.
