Searching for God

About the Book

The authors of Searching for God: Study Partners Explore Contemporary Jewish Texts introduce “self-directed hevruta,” a novel twist on the traditional Jewish path of in-depth learning with a study partner. Together, they choose the most challenging topic of all, searching for God, and explore five contemporary Jewish texts that present several approaches: mysticism, rationalism, nontraditional Judaism, metaphors from science, and character development.

These spiritual seekers are lay-people. Joan Burstyn is an historian and poet; Gershon Vincow is a scientist and community leader. They study, discuss, teach each other, and draw conclusions. The result of this study partnership is a transformative learning experience about Judaism and the search for God.

“This touching and inspiring account of the commitment of two friends to study texts and share their insights with each other on behalf of their own, and each other’s connection to holiness could well be titled Thinking as a Spiritual Path. Celebrating intellect as an instrument of prayer, this book will serve as a template for seekers across religious traditions who long for a spiritual practice that satisfies their minds as it gladdens their hearts.”

—Sylvia Boorstein, author of Happiness Is an Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life.

“This book successfully probes the most basic questions anyone should ask: What do I mean when I use the word ‘God’? And how does the answer affect the way I live?”

—Edward D. Zinbarg, board member, Jewish Theological Seminary Rabbinical School; author of Faith, Morals and Money: What the World’s Religions Tell Us about Ethics in the Marketplace.

About the Author

Joan Burstyn, professor emerita of education and history at Syracuse University, has written three books of poems and is author/editor of five academic books. She has also published articles on Jewish education and Jewish women in higher education. Gershon Vincow, emeritus professor of chemistry at Syracuse University, has served as vice chancellor for academic affairs at the university and as president of the local Jewish community federation. He now teaches courses at his Conservative synagogue, where he serves on the board.