Rabbi Harold S. Kushner was the author of “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” and other works that helped bring complex thoughts on loss and theology to a wide audience, regardless of their beliefs.
- Died: April 28, 2023 (Who else died on April 28?)
- Details of death: Died in Canton, Massachusetts at the age of 88.
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Harold Kushner’s legacy
Raised in the New York City borough of Brooklyn amid a staunchly religious atmosphere – his father owned a children’s bookstore specializing in Bible stories – Harold Kushner was steeped in both Judaism and books from an early age. At Columbia University, he majored in literature. It was there that he felt his calling to become a rabbi, after enrolling in the Jewish Theological Seminary. He was ordained in 1960, received his Doctorate in 1972, and did graduate work at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Kushner served a few years in the U.S. Army, then began his lifelong career as a rabbi and lecturer. His first book, 1971’s “When Children Ask About God: A Guide for Parents Who Don’t Always Have All the Answers,” paved the way for his breakthrough success, 1981’s “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.” Kushner wrote the book following the death of his son, Aaron. The work grapples with issues of loss, tragedy, and God’s place in suffering. The book was a big hit, though it generated some controversy among conservative scholars, who disagreed with Kushner’s thoughts on the nature of God.
Kushner would publish a number of other books and become an in-demand lecturer. He was recognized with six different honorary doctorates, named clergyman of the year in 1999 by the national organization Religion in American Life, and in 2007, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Jewish Book Council.
Notable quote
“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.”—When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Tributes to Harold Kushner
Full obituary: The Boston Globe
