Let There Be Light : The Book

I am delighted to announce the upcoming publication of my new book on recent discoveries in science and astrophysics and the implications they have for our understanding of God, religion, and our spiritual journeys.  Called  Secrets of Creation: A Rabbi an Astrophysicist, and an Artist Reflect of Modern Cosmology and the Creation, the book is based on a new translation of Rabbi Meir ibn Gabbai’s 16th century kabbalistic classic by Rabbi Art Green, accompanied by his insightful commentary, with illustrations and comments by the noted artist Debra Band, and my scientific perspective.

In this book I being by stepping back to consider what modern science knows about the world, its origins, and its workings … and what it does not know.  There is much of both.  I emphasize (as does Ibn Gabbai !) the ethical implications of cosmology, and in particular highlight the importance of caring for the Earth – our rare and precious planet – and I consider the surprising conclusion that we are probably alone in the universe for all practical purposes (the cosmos is too vast to be able to know some things.)  My extensive new physical and cosmological commentary includes surprises on the birth epoch of the universe as discovered with the James Webb Space Telescope.

Secrets of Creation is being published by Ben Yehuda Press, which has opened a go-fund-me website to help with publication costs:

https://fundrazr.com/SecretsOfCreation?ref=ab_4KM40r6oUQd4KM40r6oUQd

I invite you to go to this page and contribute, and to request a copy upon its publication.

Featured article in Nautilus on the End of Copernican Mediocrity: http://cosmos.nautil.us/short/69/does-science-suggest-humans-have-a-cosmic-role

   REVIEWS of Let There Be Light

“A profound and perceptive discussion of science and religion by a thoughtful and knowledgeable scholar of both, written with depth but in a style understandable to the general public.”
—Charles H. Townes, PhD, Nobel laureate in physics, winner of the Templeton Prize, and professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley.

“Read this book if you want to discover how religion and science can interact harmoniously, how ancient Kabbalah and modern cosmology intersect, and how both of these approaches together can enlighten us
—Daniel C. Matt, author of God and the Big Bang , and The Zohar: Pritzker Edition.

“More than a literate and frequently mind-blowing synthesis of Jewish mysticism and the science of astrophysics, Smith’s book offers us a compelling and instructive glimpse into the mind and the soul of a  man of science who is also deeply religious. There is something amazing or awesome on almost every page.”
—Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, author of Kabbalah: A Love Story, and Jewish Spirituality: A Brief Introduction for Christians.

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