Inexistence of the Universe, The

Contemporary, spiritually seeking Jews are often drawn to Hinduism and Buddhism, attracted by teachings that espouse oneness and transcendence. This class explores the origins and differences between Judaism and Eastern faiths. The results are revelations...

The most puzzling thing about G‑dliness is that it can be hidden from us. The true reality of everything that exists can be hidden from those very creatures that emerge from it.

What of the world and all that is in it? What of the empirical sightings of our fleshly eye? Is it only an illusion?

To believe that the world is something separate, an entity unto itself, would be to accept that G‑d is not really everything. This would assume that He is one thing and that the world is another thing.

Everything just got created right now. And now. And…

What is it that isifies me?

Parallel universes, supernatural phenomena, and a world where good always prevails. Is this Grimm's fairy tales, or a chassidic text?

It is not easy to understand how a world view that leads nowhere and ultimately explains nothing became so rooted in the human psyche

So I don't exist. Or I don't exist and do exist at the same time. So what? I still have to get up in the morning, I still have to deal with my credit card balance, my mother-in-law, and this guy whose elbow is crushing my ribs on this crowded subway car. ...

The metaphor of a ray of light in its source, the sun, elucidates the concept of ‘bittul’—where everything is subsumed in the Divine source.