Ben'oni L'Benyamin: From Sorrow to Strength My Journey With Depression

Ben Oni L’Benyamin: From Sorrow to Strength draws from my history of clinical depression and my work as a rabbi in a series of accessible reflections on Jewish traditions through the lens of mental illness. The book explores the holidays and holy days of the Jewish calendar along with select stories from the Torah. By drawing parallels between these important elements of Judaism and the devastating effects depression has on its sufferers, the reader can gain a deeper understanding of what it is like to live with this condition. From Sorrow to Strength also includes my own journal entries, advice and commentary from other people with depression, and my daughter’s firsthand experience witnessing my struggle to provide the reader with a complete and sympathetic portrait of this illness. By sharing my reflections on my personal experience with clinical depression, I hope to help end the stigma of mental illness. I am an ordained rabbi and board-certified chaplain. My earlier publications include a chapter on illness in Walking with Life, an adult curriculum series published by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. I did a chaplaincy residency at UCLA and worked in the Neuropsychiatric Institute as one of my assignments; years later From Sorrow to Strength connects themes of Judaism with the experience of depression by using the Jewish calendar and Torah passages as a guide. This unique yet utterly raw take on a common experience for many Americans could earn it a spot in the self-help, memoir, and religion sections of any bookstore.

Rabbi Sara Berman graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a degree in Women’s Studies. She is an ordained rabbi and board-certified chaplain. She contributed a chapter on illness to Walking with Life, an adult curriculum series published by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. In addition, Berman completed a chaplaincy residency at UCLA in the Neuropsychiatric Institute, where she later became a patient. Berman’s struggles with depression have inspired her to help end the stigma of mental illness. She presently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two kids, two dogs, and two cats and works as a chaplain.