Let There Be Light: Modern Cosmology and Kabbalah: A New Conversation Between Science and Religion

by Howard Smith

In Let There Be Light, Howard Smith, a research astrophysicist and traditionally observant Jew, explores how modern scientific understandings of the cosmos complement Judaism’s ancient mystical theology, the Kabbalah. He argues that science and religion are not only compatible, but that a healthy, productive dialogue between the two sheds light on ethics, free will, and the nature of life, while at the same time rejecting fundamentalist misinterpretation and the pseudoscience of creationism. Written for a general audience, yet supported by the most current and accurate scientific research, the book discusses topics such as modern quantum mechanics and mystical notions of awareness; how Kabbalah’s ten sefirot mirror the developing phases of an inflationary universe; and the surprising parallels that exist between the Big Bang theory and Kabbalah’s origin theory. Smith delves into complex ideas without resorting to jargon or mathematical equations, creating an intelligent, authoritative work accessible to all readers.

Genres: Science, Judaism, Religion, Jewish

286 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I met the author when he made a presentation. I bought his book which he signed for me.

This book is a blending of popular cosmology and Jewish mysticism. I can certainly understand why an author would want to write such a book. It practically writes itself. There are so many points of intersection to make a comparison. On the other hand, I think the author makes too much of the connection. If you are a scientist who wishes to make some sort of spiritual connection with your work, this book is a reasonable way to do it. But if the reader is attempting to know more about cosmology or know more about Jewish mysticism, then there are better ways to do it.

For cosmology, I recommend:
"Spooky Action at a Distance: The Phenomenon That Reimagines Space and Time—and What It Means for Black Holes, the Big Bang, and Theories of Everything" by George Musser.

For Jewish mysticism, I recommend:
"Practical Kabbalah: A Guide to Jewish Wisdom for Everyday Life" by Laibl Wolf.

Back to this book. I have a few criticisms.

The author went on too long about how he was not going to write about himself and his spiritual journey... and then took the whole Preface and Chapter 1 doing just that. He should have combined the Preface with Chapter 1 and then cut the combined length 75%. This seemed obvious to me and I suspect that either the author bullied the editor into keeping all this extra stuff in the beginning, or the author needed a better editor.

This book should have started at Chapter 2.

There was also a logic problem in the Preface. He wrote: "The most frequent question I am asked about this material is, If science and religion can have a dialogue, can religion answer any of questions raised by science?" The author eventually answers, "No."

Later in the Preface, the author wrote: "Can religion answer any of the questions raised by scientists...?" The author then wrote, "Yes."

Those are virtually the same questions, answered in opposite ways. I think an editor would have demanded some clarification.

Then on page 178 of the paperback edition the author quoted Rabbi Akiva, calling the quote an "epigram." But epigrams are usually short, witty statements. The quote was "Everything is foreseen, yet freewill is given." That is short, but I don't see the witticism.

To sum up... the book was a little too wordy, sounding more like the transcription of a lecture. I think it would go over well as a lecture. As a book, it was too long.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider myself agnostic as opposed to atheist or a full on believer. In the same frame, I feel like spirituality or religion can express symbolically events that happen scientifically on a physical plane. I have some basic interest in astronomy and physics but I don't have a mathematical mind to help me comprehend. Smith uses simple logic to deconstruct kabbalistic, Christian, and scientific arguments and find commonalities within all perspectives that could appease atheists and the religious alike. Thanks to this book, my interest in astronomy has been rekindled.

[Deidre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel much more educated about modern physics now...I've always been solid on classical physics, but this helped a lot with the cosmological and quantum mechanical stuff that I never really learned. As far as the Kabbalah part - I sort of wanted it to be more integrated - it made me curious to learn more, but not as interested as the physics part.