Dr. Afshine Emrani, a Los Angeles-based cardiologist and internist, went viral during the pandemic for his insights on COVID-19. He has since built up his online following, offering insight into what’s going on in society and spreading Jewish pride.
Now, the popular doctor has released “AWAKEN TO YOUR SOULS With Tanya,” a spiritual self-help book that dives into the mystical teachings of the Jewish text and how they can transform your life.
The book follows four characters, Noah, Maya, David, Rivka and Ezra, as they confront difficulties in their lives and face hard choices. For instance, should they expose fraud at their company, or stay silent and enrich themselves? Should they do the artwork they want, or stick to what the buyers request? Should they go to law school or pursue religious study in Israel instead? After some meetings with a mysterious man – who turns out to be Eliyahu Hanavi – they have to decide what path to take.
As a doctor, Emrani has helped people through illness, anxiety, grief and depression.
“I’ve seen how many of us feel disconnected, from ourselves, from God and from anything deeper than the day-to-day grind,” he said. “I’ve also felt that way myself. This book came out of that pain, and from the search that followed. I wanted to write something that could speak to both the mind and the soul. Something that takes the deep spiritual wisdom of Judaism — especially from the Tanya — and makes it feel real, accessible and personal. Not abstract theory, but something you can actually live by when life gets hard.”
Emrani, an Iranian immigrant, grew up with faith, but then he lost it.
“Between fleeing Iran during the revolution, and later battling depression during medical school, I started to feel very far from God,” he said. “I turned to science, psychology and philosophy, trying to make sense of things. But nothing fully answered the questions I was really asking: Why are we here? Why do we suffer? What’s the point of all this?”
“AWAKEN TO YOUR SOULS With Tanya” begins with the doctor’s personal story. He writes, “In the sterile halls of the hospital, where I was supposed to be learning to heal others, I found myself wounded by questions that no medical textbook could answer: Who am I, really, beneath all these roles and expectations? Why do we suffer? Is there a G-d watching all this pain, and if so, how can we understand His silence? Why does it feel like I’m constantly at war with myself, with different voices pulling me in opposite directions?”
Then, he figured out that the feeling of being broken was not the end. It was, in fact, the beginning.
“Sometimes what feels like breaking is really the first sign of light entering through new spaces,” Emrani writes. “Sometimes what seems like a loss of certainty is really an invitation to discover a deeper kind of knowing.”
Eventually, after going through a deep depression, he found his way back to Judaism – but not the kind he knew as a child. He found something much deeper.
Eventually, after going through a deep depression, he found his way back to Judaism – but not the kind he knew as a child. He found something much deeper.
“That happened through Kabbalah and the Tanya,” he said. “These weren’t just spiritual ideas. They were frameworks for understanding the human experience. They helped me see my pain differently. They gave me a path forward. Judaism didn’t become perfect. But it became real.”
The book’s characters face relatable, everyday challenges that the readers have surely gone through as well. It inspires them to listen to the voice within like Emrani did and figure out their spiritual mission they need to pursue – not only to improve themselves, but also the world around them. For anyone struggling, the book offers an uplifting and encouraging message: Don’t be pressured by the forces around you. Instead, listen to your soul to find your way forward.
“If you’ve ever felt like Judaism was about guilt, pressure or performance, or if you’ve turned to mindfulness or yoga or Eastern wisdom to find inner peace, I want to tell you: there’s something in your own tradition that can meet you where you are and take you even deeper,” he said. “We have this treasure, Tanya, Chassidut and Kabbalah, that most Jews have never been taught. That’s heartbreaking. And it’s also hopeful, because once people discover it, they realize, ‘I’ve been looking outside, but the truth was here all along.’ This book is an invitation to come home – not just to Judaism, but to your own soul.”
“AWAKEN TO YOUR SOULS With Tanya” is available on Amazon
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