This is How We Heal Our Hearts . . . and Our Country | Rabbi Sharon Brous | TEDxPacific Avenue

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society?

Sharon Brous—a leading American rabbi—makes the case that the spiritual work of our time is to show up for one other in celebration, in sorrow, and in solidarity. To invest in relationships of shared purpose and to build communities of care.

Brous contends that through honoring our most basic human instinct– the yearning for real connection– we reawaken our shared humanity and begin to heal. Her wisdom is drawn from experience building and pastoring to IKAR, a trail blazing faith community, over the past two decades. The talk is a clarion call: the sense of belonging engendered by our genuine presence is not only a social and biological need, but a moral and spiritual necessity.

Rather than offering quick fixes, Brous proposes a deeper shift: reclaiming connection, curiosity, and shared responsibility as core human values. At a moment when retreating from one another feels instinctive, Brous offers a blueprint for a more meaningful life and a more connected and caring world. Sharon Brous is the Founding and Senior Rabbi of IKAR, a trail-blazing Jewish community based in Los Angeles, and author of “The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend our Broken Hearts and World”, a national bestseller. A leading voice at the intersection of faith and justice in America, she has been named #1 Most Influential Rabbi in the U.S. by Newsweek/The Daily Beast. She blessed both President Obama and President Biden at their National Inaugural Prayer Services, and her TED Talk “Reclaiming Religion” has been viewed 1.5 million times. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post. She lives with her husband and children in California. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.