Rabbi David W. Nelson
Hear the Voices of Ancient Wisdom in the
Modern Language of Science
Ancient traditions, whose only claim to
authenticity is that they are old, run the risk of becoming
old-fashioned. But if an ancient tradition can claim to be not
only ancient but also timeless and contemporary, it has a far
greater chance of convincing each new, young generation of its
value. Such a claim requires that each generation’s
retelling use the new metaphors of the new generation.
—from Chapter 1
In our era, we often feel that we can
either speak about God or think scientifically about the world,
but never both at the same time. But what if we reconciled the
two? How could the basic scientific truths of how the natural
world came to be shape our understanding of our own spiritual
search for meaning?
In this provocative fusion of religion and
science, Rabbi David Nelson examines the great theories of
modern physics to find new ways for contemporary people to
express their spiritual beliefs and thoughts. Nelson explores
cosmology, quantum mechanics, chaos theory, relativity, and
string theory in clear, non-technical terms and recasts the
traditional views of our ancestors in language that can be
understood in a world in which space flight, atom-smashing, and
black holes are common features of our metaphorical landscape.
Judaism, Physics and God reframes Judaism so that it is in harmony with
the conquests of modern scientific thinking, and introduces
fascinating new ways to understand your relationship with God
in context of some of the most exciting scientific ideas of the
contemporary world.
“Incisive. Thoughtful. Lucid.
Profound. Goes to the heart of why humanity has searched for
meaning in the universe.”
—Dr.
Michio Kaku, professor of
Theoretical Physics, City University of New York; author of Parallel Worlds and Einstein’s Cosmos
“Stunning…. Succeeds, at the
same moment, in expanding the reader’s awe of science
while deepening and strengthening spiritual
connection.”
—Rabbi
Shira Milgrom, rabbi at
Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains, New York
“I welcome this lively and
questioning contribution from the Jewish perspective to the
contemporary dialogue between science and religion.”
—Rev. Dr.
John Polkinghorne, scientist
theologian; author of
Belief in
God in an Age of Science
“An interesting and useful
presentation … one that presents science and religion not
as rivals but as complementary ways of addressing some of
life’s key questions.”
—Rabbi
Arthur Green, author of Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow
Rabbi David W. Nelson, PhD, a popular lecturer and former senior
teaching fellow at CLAL—The National Jewish Center for
Learning and Leadership, is director of the Jewish Life
Connection at Bergen County YJCC in New Jersey, and president
of Chavruta: A Community of Jewish Learning. He can be
contacted at judaismphysicsgod@yahoo.com.
