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The longer you live, the more likely it is that you will have to cope with illness, failure, defeat, rejection, worries, aging, the fear of death, and other miseries. These and many other crises are the dark side of life. You cannot prevent them; you cannot escape them. The Bible warns us not to expect all sunshine and roses in life. Suffering is inseparable from life. As Adam was told, "By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread." (Genesis 3.19)

There is a bright side to life. Illness can be devastating but it is not hopeless. Healing is always possible. As Job acknowledges, "The hand that wounds is the hand that makes us whole again." (Job 5.18). But the dark side casts its shadow in all of life.

All success is temporary. Nobody can be a winner all the time. Before long you must swallow the bitter pill of failure. Sooner or later we suffer loss, defeat, rejection, and humiliation.

Do our woes outweigh happiness? We age and decline and become unnerved by the fear of death. Nothing is more certain than death. As the Bible says, "Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return." (Genesis 3.19) Life is to be born and die. This truth prompts the crises of meaning. Is there higher purpose to life?

About the Author
Rabbi Haberman’s accomplishments include creating the Foundation for Jewish Studies, Washington’s largest network of lifelong Jewish learning programs, preaching at the White House, co-officiating at the televised 9/11 Memorial Service at the National Cathedral, and a long tenure as Senior Rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation. He is a leader in interfaith initiatives and continues to preach at Washington Hebrew Congregation annually on Yom Kippur.

Since retiring from the pulpit, Rabbi Haberman has devoted himself to scholarship, writing, and teaching. He is the author of four previous books, Philosophy of Revelation: The Life and Thought of Solomon Ludwig Steinheim; The God I Believe In: Conversations on Religion with 14 Leading Jewish Intellectuals; Healing Psalms: The Dialogues with God that Help You Cope with Life; and Three Cities in the Making of a Rabbi: Vienna, Washington, and Jerusalem.