While Blech’s book is uplifting and life-affirming, he does not flinch from asking (and answering) the hardest questions of all.

Jewish Journal

At 139 pages, without footnotes but with seven additional pages of suggested contemporary readings. . . this slender but splendid book is conversational, an introduction to the subject for the ignorant (which is almost all of us) . . . the 85-year-old Rabbi Blech writes with the excitement of a bling person suddenly able to see the aurora borealis. On every other page, it seems, he discovers Jewish ideas about death that are ‘fascinating,’ ‘remarkable.’

New York Jewish Week

As his six-months-to-live diagnosis extended to six years and counting, Rabbi Blech, may he live and be well, used his time to construct an honest, comforting, and sometimes unorthodox, description of the Jewish view of death. Like his other books, it is written for the layperson; it is not overtly academic or scholarly. Its accessibility to people of any background, including non-Jews, is one of its strongest attributes. . . a truly instructive message for every person.

Jewish Action

Rabbi Blech has long been a friend and teacher from whom I have benefited greatly. In Hope Not Fear, Blech invites the world into his caring heart, insightful mind, and wealth of wisdom as he gets to the very core of our relationship with the Almighty while helping us understand the true meaning of our existence and destiny. In allowing us to confront our feelings of death, he mandates that we affirm our savoring of life. He draws upon his vast experience, personal encounters, and unparalleled knowledge to bring the world an awakening volume that will inspire us all.

Richard Joel, President Emeritus, Yeshiva University

Really enjoyed it; beautifully written and quite fascinating.

Jonathan Kellerman, bestselling author

Rabbi Blech gets to the very heart of the human condition with superb insight, infinite compassion, and great wisdom. He draws on personal experience, pastoral training, and his profound mastery of the Jewish tradition to produce a universal guide for facing the inevitable with new understanding. His moving and accessible style transmits an indelible message: faith and love are stronger than despair and death.

Elisheva Carlebach, Baron Professor of Jewish History, Columbia University