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
“Compelling … offers a unique
approach to the religion-science dialogue. Shows the connection
between the basic ideas of modern physics and ancient wisdom of
biblical and rabbinic texts.”
—CLAL—The National Jewish Center for Learning
and Leadership
“Written with crystal clarity,
modesty, charm, humor and creative insight, but do not let that
fool you! At its heart, this volume is a deep,
challenging, and inspiring reflection on religious
language which in turn enriches our religious
experience…. Paves the way for all
readers—even the traditional Jews who will be challenged
and jolted by some of his views—to a deeper connection
between humans and God.”
—Rabbi
Irving Greenberg, president of
the Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt Foundation
“A feast…. Lucid and
richly grounded in Judaism’s texts and traditions, with
proposals sufficiently provocative as to capture the attention
of bench scientist and amateur theologian alike. A worthwhile
read and a welcome new voice.”
—The
Reverend Janet Cooper Nelson, chaplain
of Brown University,
Providence, Rhode Island
Rabbi David W. Nelson, PhD, a popular lecturer and former senior
teaching fellow at CLAL—The National Jewish Center for
Learning and Leadership, is associate director of ARZA, the
Association of Reform Zionists of America. He can be reached at
judaismphysicsgod@yahoo.com.
