Rabbi Charles Sherman pens memoir about living with son’s brokenness

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Eyal Sherman in his painting clothes. He paints by holding a brush between his teeth. Photo courtesy of Charles S. Sherman



Renee K. Gadoua | May 2, 2014

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (RNS) Rabbi Charles S. Sherman has not heard his son’s voice for 28 years. Since suffering a stroke after surgery to remove a brain tumor, Eyal Sherman has not been able to breathe, eat or walk on his own.

Sherman, 69, writes about his journey dealing with a severely disabled son and the faith that sustained him in “The Broken and the Whole: Discovering Joy after Heartbreak.”

Published in March, the book describes the relentless physical work of treating Eyal at home, the family’s determination to give him a normal life and the way the family found joy amid great pain and despair.

The book’s title refers to the story in the Book of Exodus when God instructs Moses to carve a second set of tablets for the Ten Commandments to replace the ones he had destroyed. Both sets of tablets — the broken and the whole — are placed in the Ark of the Covenant.

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/05/02/rabbi-charles-sherman-pens-memoir-living-sons-brokenness/