Everything Is God: The Radical Path of Nondual Judaism

(Paperback)

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We usually think of God as an entity entirely separate from us. Hasidic Jews and Kabbalists (along with practitioners of some other spiritual traditions) have long asserted that God is not separate from us at all. In this nondual view, everyone and everything manifests God. Once considered a radical, mystical idea, the concept and spiritual practice of nondual Judaism is increasingly influencing mainstream Judaism - in sermons, seminars, prayer books, and meditation practices. Judaic scholar Jay Michaelson presents a wide-ranging and compelling explanation of nondual Judaism: what it is, its traditional and contemporary sources, its historical roots and philosophical significance, how it compares to nondualism in other religions, and its impact on the practice of Judaism today. He explains what this mystical nondual view means in our daily ego-centred lives, for our communities, and for the future of Judaism. Michaelson is an erudite guide who is able to take this provocative concept and convey it in a way that will be of interest to contemporary spiritual seekers.

Reviews

One of the most widely read Jewish writers of his generationMichaelson's deeply contemplative, thoughtful book will open the doors of the heart and mind to the possibility that what we have come to take for the self is just a way to label the way things look from a certain angle.Spirituality & Health magazine

[Michaelson] writes with clarity, passion, and a poetic sensibility.Jewish Week


Jay Michaelsons captivating post-secular musings present for the generation of the new Jewish culture a vision of expanded religious possibilities.Forward

Stripping away the barnacles of outdated concepts, Jay Michaelson aligns the best nondual thinking in Judaism with the best nondual thinking in other profound systems. Everything Is God is a timely and necessary contribution.Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, coauthor of Jewish with Feeling

Jay Michaelson has written a poetic, detailed, and radical book expressing a Jewish language of oneness: not the oneness of a bearded man in the sky but the Oneness of a universe not divided against itself. He gives the reader a gift of self-beyond-the-self, a gift that cannot be owned but is well worth having.Rabbi Jill Hammer, author of The Jewish Book of Days

This is an awesome, highly recommended presentation of crucial mystical concepts.Rabbi David A. Cooper, author of God Is a Verb

Fantastica book that offers a compelling theology for thinking Jews! Read this book, and buy a copy for your rabbi as well.Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author of The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness

Michaelson patiently explains, again and again, truths that are beyond words. He shares this treasure generously and passionately.Rabbi Jacob Staub, Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Spirituality, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

If my mind were not already Gods unstretchable Mind, Id say the book is a mind-stretcher. And if the book were not already God, beyond even delight, Id say the book is a delight.Rabbi Arthur Waskow, author of Godwrestling: Round 2

Compelling . . . jolts us from an ego-centered illusion of separateness. The authors language of oneness is certain to resonate with a younger generation of spiritual seekers.Jewish Book World

Author Bio

Jay Michaelson is a scholar and activist who has written extensively on spirituality, Judaism, sexuality, and law. He is the author of God in Your Body and the founding editor of the award-winning publication Zeek A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture. He is a columnist for The Forward, the Huffington Post, and Tikkun. He holds a JD from Yale University and is completing his PhD in Jewish thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.