The God-Powered Life: Awakening to Your Divine Purpose »

Rabbi David Aaron, the son of a Holocaust survivor, has struggled since early youth to understand the world's potential for hatred and paradoxical yearning for meaning, love, and creativity. His own spiritual journey led him to Israel, where he studied Torah and Jewish mysticism under the tutelage of the great masters. He received his rabbinical ordination in 1979 from the Israel Torah Research Institute (Yeshivat ITRI). A popular lecturer in North America and a frequent guest on radio and TV, he is the founder and dean of Isralight (www.isralight.org), an international organization with programs throughout North America, South Africa, and Israel. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Chana, and their seven children and three grandchildren. For more information visit www.rabbidavidaaron.com.

You are an individual expression of God; that’s the teaching of the ancient Jewish mystical tradition. Here Rabbi David Aaron shows that when we truly connect to our inner self, that fact becomes wonderfully obvious. Each of us has a divine mission in life, he says, and when we understand this, we are empowered to take control of our life; to use our creative powers more fully; and to give more to others, our community, and the world.

In The God-Powered Life, Rabbi Aaron uses Jewish mystical teachings, including the ten Sephirot, or attributes of God, to help us get in touch with our inner selves and find a deeper sense of our own self-worth. In his characteristic warm, witty, and accessible style, Rabbi Aaron helps us find a connection to the divine within ourselves and then shows us how to manifest that divine presence in our dealings with others and during tumultuous times.

Library Journal

Rabbi Aaron is one of the founders and leaders of Isralight, an educational institute devoted to the dissemination of a renovated Judaism. His new book brings us his insights, drawn not only from the Talmud but also from Kabbalah and rabbinical teachings and anecdotes (the subjects of prior books). "The soul cries for purpose and meaning," Aaron tells us, but he advises readers on the hard work of always finding God—rather than expecting happiness. VERDICT Understanding Jewish life and practice should be important to most mainstream congregations, and Aaron's gentle arguments make an effective appeal to the mystically inclined.

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction 1

1 You are Infinitely More Than You Think 5

2 The Journey from Ego to Soul 15

3 From Alone to All One 28

4 The Creative Sacred Self 40

5 Integrity, Unconditional Self-Worth, and Love 52

6 Big Ego or Great Soul 65

7 Serenity, Here and Now 77

8 Choosing Happiness, Making Life Momentous 89

9 Getting Our Souls in Shape 104

10 Endless Journey, Endless Joy 134

Notes 149

Invitation to the Reader 151

About the Author 152