Leon Charney, prominent New York lawyer, real estate developer and part-time cantor, is a former adviser to President Jimmy Carter who served as counsel on the Camp David Peace Accords. He currently hosts a current affairs show, The Leon Charney Report, available in New York that focuses largely on Middle East issues and features many of the big names in U.S. politics, Israel and the Jewish world in general. He is also the recent author of The Mystery Of The Kaddish which explores his philosophical leanings on Judaism. In it he explains the origins of the Kaddish and how it’s more than just a special prayer recited for the dead. This heartfelt reader review is indicative of its power:

I am 9.5 months into saying Kaddish for my son, Sgt. First Class, Or Oved-Weiss, of Sayeret Duvdevan. He died in an improbably foolish accident in Thailand after finishing his army service.

I started by reading a transliteration of Kaddish, then started saying it alone daily, then several times alone daily. I then tried it in Shul during Shakrit in the presence of a Minyan and felt it work its healing wonders as the other worshipers responded to my prayer.

I never really contemplated the prayer’s origins or the depth of its meanings beyond the personal infusion of strength I received from it. Then I read Leon Charney’s wonderful book, Kaddish. It is a clear and frankly brilliant examination of who we are as Jews and how this prayer has had and has the ability to sustain us and keep us as ‘am kshay oreff’ (a stiff necked people). How we can face any and all tragedies and stare them down with a simple and elegant affirmation of our Faith.

This book tied all of my feelings together. I recommend it as highly as possible as it is important on every level.