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Coming Back to Earth: The Central Park Guru Becomes an Old City Jew
LAUGH YOUR WAY INTO HEAVEN READING THIS MEANINGFUL AND HILARIOUS SPIRITUAL SAGA! Follow Gil around the globe, as he makes his amazing spiritual journey from corporate America to the depths of South India to the holy city of Jerusalem. Join him as he transforms himself from a successful businessman into a long-haired hippy, a mystical guru, a Christian healer, and finally an Old City Jew: The incredible adventures of this God-intoxicated man will not only enlighten you, they will warm your heart.
362 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 7, 2025
It’s not every day you come across a book that’s so inspiring, so beautifully written (minus the ending), and literally alters the trajectory of your life and dismantles everything you thought you knew. If there’s one book I could convince you to read, let it be this one, though I do have to warn you, it’s not for the weak minded.
Favorite passages:
You have to understand that Judaism is not a religion. Jews are a people. A person can join any religion if he simply believes in it and follows its teachings. A Christian is a Christian because he believes in their bible, but if the next day he stops believing in their teachings and instead embraces the teachings of Buddhism, he is no longer a Christian at all, but now he is a Buddhist. If the next day he decides that instead of Buddhism he now believes in their teachings Koran, he now becomes a Muslim. A Jew is not like that. If a Jew believes in another religion, he still is a Jew. He then calls himself a Jewish Christian or a Jewish Buddhist. pg.213
Time and time again we see that if we don’t come together on our own, we will unite when a common enemy threatens us. (The Jewish People) pg.220
Where did the Arabs get the idea to throw stones at Jews? From the Jews. The secular and religious Jews were throwing stones at each other, so the Arabs learned to do the same. Whenever trouble comes to us, if only we look and understand what the troubles makes us do, we could figure out what to do and then we could do it before the trouble starts. In this case, every time the enemy of the Jewish people attacks us, we come together. We don’t ask are you religious or not. We don’t ask, which part of the world do you come from. We just come together. This is why God sends us our troubles, to bring us together. If only we could come together before our enemies attack, they would never even get the chance to attack us. Together we are strong. Fighting with each other has always been our downfall. pg.231
“…like the evil man at the Kotel who puts tefillin on people who are wearing short pants and who have dirty thoughts.” Well, I could see whether they were wearing short pants or not, but I couldn’t see their dirty thoughts. Keeping tefillin away from Jews who wear short pants or who might not have purest thoughts all of the time, is like keeping medicine away from the sick. pg.231
Were your parents originally from a kibbutz?… “No, why do you think such a thing? They’re religious Jews.”… Ah, that’s the problem. They tried to stuff the Torah down your throat and you resented it.”… This is one of the main problems facing the religious community today. We are seeing a large percentage of children from religious homes dropping out, becoming totally resistant to Torah observance. The prime reason this is happening is that the parents are unable to show the children the joy of following the Torah. Since the parents themselves do it merely out of obligation, at best, they have a difficult time convincing their children to take on the same burden. pg.292
Favorite passages:
You have to understand that Judaism is not a religion. Jews are a people. A person can join any religion if he simply believes in it and follows its teachings. A Christian is a Christian because he believes in their bible, but if the next day he stops believing in their teachings and instead embraces the teachings of Buddhism, he is no longer a Christian at all, but now he is a Buddhist. If the next day he decides that instead of Buddhism he now believes in their teachings Koran, he now becomes a Muslim. A Jew is not like that. If a Jew believes in another religion, he still is a Jew. He then calls himself a Jewish Christian or a Jewish Buddhist. pg.213
Time and time again we see that if we don’t come together on our own, we will unite when a common enemy threatens us. (The Jewish People) pg.220
Where did the Arabs get the idea to throw stones at Jews? From the Jews. The secular and religious Jews were throwing stones at each other, so the Arabs learned to do the same. Whenever trouble comes to us, if only we look and understand what the troubles makes us do, we could figure out what to do and then we could do it before the trouble starts. In this case, every time the enemy of the Jewish people attacks us, we come together. We don’t ask are you religious or not. We don’t ask, which part of the world do you come from. We just come together. This is why God sends us our troubles, to bring us together. If only we could come together before our enemies attack, they would never even get the chance to attack us. Together we are strong. Fighting with each other has always been our downfall. pg.231
“…like the evil man at the Kotel who puts tefillin on people who are wearing short pants and who have dirty thoughts.” Well, I could see whether they were wearing short pants or not, but I couldn’t see their dirty thoughts. Keeping tefillin away from Jews who wear short pants or who might not have purest thoughts all of the time, is like keeping medicine away from the sick. pg.231
Were your parents originally from a kibbutz?… “No, why do you think such a thing? They’re religious Jews.”… Ah, that’s the problem. They tried to stuff the Torah down your throat and you resented it.”… This is one of the main problems facing the religious community today. We are seeing a large percentage of children from religious homes dropping out, becoming totally resistant to Torah observance. The prime reason this is happening is that the parents are unable to show the children the joy of following the Torah. Since the parents themselves do it merely out of obligation, at best, they have a difficult time convincing their children to take on the same burden. pg.292
October 17, 2012
Well, this was interesting. The book reads like to separate pieces. Approximately the first half of the book is told in chronological order, relating Gil's spiritual search. The second half is short anecdotes, in no particular order, about his life (and sometimes adventures) as a religious Jew.
This book doesn't really fit into a particular genre. Locks tells of his spiritual search in an almost emotionless and detached manner. He relates his stories as a set of facts, and while it is certainly an interesting story, one isn't carried along emotionally with him on his journey. The reader is more of an outside spectator, taking note of all that goes on.
As Locks speaks of his Jewish life, however, he shows a bit more passion. I don't know that he portrays this passion to the Nth degree, but he certainly makes clear his enthusiasm for the life that he has chosen.
Locks is an interesting character, and it shows in his writing. He is unapologetic for his beliefs and his lifestyle throughout, although he does express regret about certain aspects of his past. He is a fellow who seems drawn to extremes, and who likes to be intensely involved in people and situations. This creates an atmosphere in his life that surely provides for the occurrence of the many (true) tales in this book, and leaves the reader with what are probably strong, yet possibly conflicting, opinions about its author.
There were several passages that stood out at me for various reasons and I'd like to share them here. (These passages were all culled from the second half of the book, as they related more to my day-to-day thoughts and experiences. But that doesn't imply a lack of interest in the first half of the book. On the contrary, the first half was a real trip!)
Without further ado...
"I've seen so many lives turn around from the spiritual experience that can come from putting on Tefillin (phylacteries) at the Kotel (Western Wall)...Certainly, if we would try the spiritual things with at least the same intensity and anticipation that we try the physical things, our lives would change quickly." (p. 230) This was really food for thought. Even someone who is committed to pursuing a spiritual life can easily be distracted by the physical details and lose sight of the goal. Spiritual pleasures are worth so much more, and we have to work for anything worthwhile in life. The pursuit of spirituality is not ingrained on our surface the way our search for physical pleasure is. (See Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs)
Inconsiderateness is a definite sign of spiritual ignorance. When you see someone...tying his shoelace...by putting his shoe on a chair, you can bet he is a very self-centered, narrow thinker. Certainly, someone is going to come sit on that chair...and sit right in the filth that was on the bottom of the other guy's shoe." (p. 272) A person's character should not judged by one mistake, which, out of context, this quote seems to falsely imply. Locks does make an important point here, however - a spiritually aware and elevated person looks out for other people and their needs. [This, I think, is in direct contrast to his previous experiences of 'enlightenment' in which the spiritual person is withdrawn from the world and not concerned with the happenings and people around him.]
Torah practice eliminates intermarriage. The ultra-Orthodox have but a tiny percentage of children who intermarry. The Modern Orthodox, who keep all of the laws but not all of the customs, have a much greater percentage of children who drop out and intermarry." (p. 337) Although this is not his point, he seems to imply here that ultra-Orthodox DO keep all of the customs of the Torah, and that this is the defining difference between ultra- and Modern Orthodox. I wouldn't say I agree that this is the case in practice, but perhaps in theory it holds some truth. An interesting theory. I just finished reading Sliding to the Right: The Contest for the Future of American Jewish Orthodoxy which speaks a great deal about these two communities and the blurred line and distinction between them, as well as the relationship these 2 communities have. I'm not sure Heilman, author of Sliding to the Right, would agree with Locks' assessment, but it is something interesting to ponder.
Anyway, this was a quick and entertaining read with enough solid content (in my opinion) to justify the time spent reading. It has both entertainment and real messages of value, so although perhaps not the best book under the sun, I would say anyone Jewish would benefit from reading this book. (And perhaps non-Jews would enjoy it as well.)
Oh, and one more thing. I really liked his idea of the "Bum-packs." But you'll have to read the book to learn about those.
This book doesn't really fit into a particular genre. Locks tells of his spiritual search in an almost emotionless and detached manner. He relates his stories as a set of facts, and while it is certainly an interesting story, one isn't carried along emotionally with him on his journey. The reader is more of an outside spectator, taking note of all that goes on.
As Locks speaks of his Jewish life, however, he shows a bit more passion. I don't know that he portrays this passion to the Nth degree, but he certainly makes clear his enthusiasm for the life that he has chosen.
Locks is an interesting character, and it shows in his writing. He is unapologetic for his beliefs and his lifestyle throughout, although he does express regret about certain aspects of his past. He is a fellow who seems drawn to extremes, and who likes to be intensely involved in people and situations. This creates an atmosphere in his life that surely provides for the occurrence of the many (true) tales in this book, and leaves the reader with what are probably strong, yet possibly conflicting, opinions about its author.
There were several passages that stood out at me for various reasons and I'd like to share them here. (These passages were all culled from the second half of the book, as they related more to my day-to-day thoughts and experiences. But that doesn't imply a lack of interest in the first half of the book. On the contrary, the first half was a real trip!)
Without further ado...
"I've seen so many lives turn around from the spiritual experience that can come from putting on Tefillin (phylacteries) at the Kotel (Western Wall)...Certainly, if we would try the spiritual things with at least the same intensity and anticipation that we try the physical things, our lives would change quickly." (p. 230) This was really food for thought. Even someone who is committed to pursuing a spiritual life can easily be distracted by the physical details and lose sight of the goal. Spiritual pleasures are worth so much more, and we have to work for anything worthwhile in life. The pursuit of spirituality is not ingrained on our surface the way our search for physical pleasure is. (See Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs)
Inconsiderateness is a definite sign of spiritual ignorance. When you see someone...tying his shoelace...by putting his shoe on a chair, you can bet he is a very self-centered, narrow thinker. Certainly, someone is going to come sit on that chair...and sit right in the filth that was on the bottom of the other guy's shoe." (p. 272) A person's character should not judged by one mistake, which, out of context, this quote seems to falsely imply. Locks does make an important point here, however - a spiritually aware and elevated person looks out for other people and their needs. [This, I think, is in direct contrast to his previous experiences of 'enlightenment' in which the spiritual person is withdrawn from the world and not concerned with the happenings and people around him.]
Torah practice eliminates intermarriage. The ultra-Orthodox have but a tiny percentage of children who intermarry. The Modern Orthodox, who keep all of the laws but not all of the customs, have a much greater percentage of children who drop out and intermarry." (p. 337) Although this is not his point, he seems to imply here that ultra-Orthodox DO keep all of the customs of the Torah, and that this is the defining difference between ultra- and Modern Orthodox. I wouldn't say I agree that this is the case in practice, but perhaps in theory it holds some truth. An interesting theory. I just finished reading Sliding to the Right: The Contest for the Future of American Jewish Orthodoxy which speaks a great deal about these two communities and the blurred line and distinction between them, as well as the relationship these 2 communities have. I'm not sure Heilman, author of Sliding to the Right, would agree with Locks' assessment, but it is something interesting to ponder.
Anyway, this was a quick and entertaining read with enough solid content (in my opinion) to justify the time spent reading. It has both entertainment and real messages of value, so although perhaps not the best book under the sun, I would say anyone Jewish would benefit from reading this book. (And perhaps non-Jews would enjoy it as well.)
Oh, and one more thing. I really liked his idea of the "Bum-packs." But you'll have to read the book to learn about those.
August 11, 2016
“Guru Gil” was rather a famous figure in baal teshuva circles when I was in sem some 20 years ago. So many of us had dabbled in Eastern spirituality, it was reassuring to know that someone who’d reached the peak of that world made it successfully back to Torah Judaism. But though Gil was known for his outreach and his Shabbos table, he did not like the nickname “Guru Gil,” and it took him many years to publish his memoir. As he says at the end of it, BTs aren’t supposed to publicize our past sins unless other people can learn from our mistakes.
The book is divided into two sections: his hippie/guru years and his frum years. The guru years are an inside look at the 60’s and 70’s. He was everywhere: India, California, Central America, and Central Park. Some of it is pretty funny. Perhaps because it is more familiar to me, I saw more problems in the frum section of the book. To be specific, I did not believe that his assertions that “G-d is everywhere,” were unwelcome in yeshiva. Even little kids are taught to sing, “Hashem is here. Hashem is there. Hashem is truly everywhere.” It seemed like he was either trying to invent a conflict for the sake of the narrative or that he wanted to maintain himself as a maverick, even in his post-guru days. But some of his stories about putting tefillin on Jews at the Kosel were the most beautiful of the whole book.
If you like teshuva memoirs, this has got to be one of the most unusual ones around. I personally prefer Sara Yocheved Rigler’s books, but if you want to read about someone who was really “out there,” you might appreciate this book.
The book is divided into two sections: his hippie/guru years and his frum years. The guru years are an inside look at the 60’s and 70’s. He was everywhere: India, California, Central America, and Central Park. Some of it is pretty funny. Perhaps because it is more familiar to me, I saw more problems in the frum section of the book. To be specific, I did not believe that his assertions that “G-d is everywhere,” were unwelcome in yeshiva. Even little kids are taught to sing, “Hashem is here. Hashem is there. Hashem is truly everywhere.” It seemed like he was either trying to invent a conflict for the sake of the narrative or that he wanted to maintain himself as a maverick, even in his post-guru days. But some of his stories about putting tefillin on Jews at the Kosel were the most beautiful of the whole book.
If you like teshuva memoirs, this has got to be one of the most unusual ones around. I personally prefer Sara Yocheved Rigler’s books, but if you want to read about someone who was really “out there,” you might appreciate this book.
April 19, 2021
Interesting tale, although I have a hard time knowing if this is true or not as the story is hard to believe. It's not impossible, but challenging. Also, no one I know (Orthodox or otherwise) had heard of him. It is interesting though if true.
February 11, 2015
This is an amazing book by an amazing person, Gil Locks (whom I know personally). This is his autobiography.
Gil was a very successful businessman back in the seventies. One day he realized it was an empty lie with no true purpose, no goal except making more money and owning better things. But once you achieve your million-dollar home, the next goal is to earn a two-million-dollar home. So what's the point? So he dropped it, and went in search of meaning. Eventually he became one of the most powerful and capable gurus in India and in the USA. He was once known as the Guru of Central Park. Eventually he saw the falsehood of it, and he went searching again. He tried Christianity, he tried various things, but the only religion he found true, deep meaning in was Orthodox Judaism. He ended up sticking with it
Today, he is an Orthodox Jew, living in the Old City of Jerusalem, helping other Jews rediscover their faith and heritage, teaching the men to put on tefilin at the Kotel (Western Wall, the holiest site in Jewish Heritage).
Gil is an amazing person. I have met him and chatted with him several times, plus I am in contact with him via e-mail almost daily.
If began to read this book as I was travelling on my way to visit Israel in 2013. The book is so fascinating, that when I finished it i decided I simply had to meet the author. I did, and I have been impressed with him ever since. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met, very knowledgeable, very sincere and honest, and a decent human being all around. He has written about five books. I especially recommend his two-volume book on the Chumash (Five Books of Moses). Google him, and you will find his site, where you can check out his other books.
Gil was a very successful businessman back in the seventies. One day he realized it was an empty lie with no true purpose, no goal except making more money and owning better things. But once you achieve your million-dollar home, the next goal is to earn a two-million-dollar home. So what's the point? So he dropped it, and went in search of meaning. Eventually he became one of the most powerful and capable gurus in India and in the USA. He was once known as the Guru of Central Park. Eventually he saw the falsehood of it, and he went searching again. He tried Christianity, he tried various things, but the only religion he found true, deep meaning in was Orthodox Judaism. He ended up sticking with it
Today, he is an Orthodox Jew, living in the Old City of Jerusalem, helping other Jews rediscover their faith and heritage, teaching the men to put on tefilin at the Kotel (Western Wall, the holiest site in Jewish Heritage).
Gil is an amazing person. I have met him and chatted with him several times, plus I am in contact with him via e-mail almost daily.
If began to read this book as I was travelling on my way to visit Israel in 2013. The book is so fascinating, that when I finished it i decided I simply had to meet the author. I did, and I have been impressed with him ever since. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met, very knowledgeable, very sincere and honest, and a decent human being all around. He has written about five books. I especially recommend his two-volume book on the Chumash (Five Books of Moses). Google him, and you will find his site, where you can check out his other books.
June 18, 2012
This is an extraordinary spiritual autobiography told with great honesty, humour and wisdom by the author. He captured the nuttiness of the late 1960's and the various grueling practices in his search with all the Hindu and Buddhist leaders of the time in the 1970's. His actions seem quite mad at times, but he comes through it all to live a fulfilling, wonderful life as an observant Jew in Jerusalem. It is a very fascinating, inspiring, and worthwhile read.
April 26, 2012
Quote from page 252: "No matter how small the kindness, you never know how important it can be."
Quote: "If yout take a rock and heat it up in a fire and then put it on the street, people can warm themselves from it."
Quote: "If yout take a rock and heat it up in a fire and then put it on the street, people can warm themselves from it."
November 13, 2016
There are a lot of books written by people that left the observant lifestyle. This is a great story of someone who came back. It captures a time and place in America that no longer exists; people looking for spirituality in and of itself.
September 5, 2009
I read this for a book club I was asked to join. It was very interesting story of a man's journey through mysticism to Judiasm.
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