Shalom to all!
My Goal:
My grandfather, a”h, and me on his boat
I am raising money to get the first book in my Core Emunah series professionally edited and produced. Let me tell you why.
A Little Bit About Me:
I was not born into a religious family.
Following my parent’s example, I decided to try and see what the Torah was about. Why did my parents – they should live and be well! – who grew up in the “Great Melting Pot” of America, who were college educated (my mother has a Masters in Social Work and my father is an MD), who were successful, and living the American Dream, why did they give it all up to live a life of Jewishness? Why move to the land of Israel? What makes the Torah and the Jews different?
Thus began my journey into the wonderful world of
Me at the beginning of my Yeshiva experience. Pre-army.
Torah, and my journey in searching for the truth. And I searched hard. (For more on this you can read my first blog post here: https://rabbibz.com/2016/07/27/first-blog-post/)
What’s In the Book?
For over 20 years, I have been searching and researching, reading, examining, comparing, contrasting, and compiling the information available to be able to get to the core of all the relevant issues that pertain to the reality of life and the fundamental understanding of the world, as we know it. I then proceeded to teach these, and get feedback from people to whom the information pertains. Doctors, scientists, Rabbis, and philosophers. This book, and – with HaShem’s help – those to follow, are the product of my own personal search.
In this book, I take the reader by the “hand” and lead them through the claims of the Torah and of science as they vie over our most precious possession: our very life and soul. Emunah, after all, isn’t about living life based on a strong “maybe”. It’s about living a life with the knowledge that HaShem, creator of the universe, is there with you all the time.
If you are wondering what it’s all about, or if there is something that is bothering you about life or G-d, if your observance of mitzvos is bland or flat, if there is something that is preventing you from living a real life of emunah – then this book is for you.
For that very reason, this book is for everyone.
The Need for this Book is as Great Today as Ever. Maybe Even Moreso.
And we all need it now. We simply cannot afford to wait with this, as Jewish souls are slipping away left and right.
Intermarriage, uninspired Torah practice and mitzvah performance by rote is slowly, but surely eating away at our brothers and sisters at an astounding rate. There are even those who study Torah all day long, yet they haven’t ever explored Whose Torah it is, or have taken the time to deepen the relationship in a proper way. As the prophet, Jeremiah tells us (2:8) that “…those who hold the Torah don’t know me“.
Emunah is the basis for everything that we do every minute of every day of our lives. It is as essential to living an inspired Jewish life as breathing is essential to all creatures.
It is for this reason that I need YOUR HELP.
I didn’t produce this book for myself or my personal aggrandizement. (I won’t complain though) I did it so that anyone who wants to live an inspired life and wants to navigate the issues without being bogged down by the massive overload of information has the tools to do so. I also put my heart and soul into this project and this series (I am presently in the middle of writing volume 3) so that anyone, Jewish or non-Jewish, who is looking to understand the truth about life will be able to find it in a concise, logical, and organized fashion. If there is something that is bothering you – it’s probably in the book. The book has been reviewed by both scientists and Rabbis to check the integrity and the correctness of the information in it, however, it does not, and by necessity cannot get into every detail in every field of endeavor. Its job is to deal with the fundamental issues of each topic and not to sweat the details.
What I Plan on Doing With the Money
I have no problem writing. I do a lot of that. However, I am not proficient at editing or publicizing. As much as it hurts me to admit it, there are areas that I am not that great at, nor do I have the time, energy, or funding to pay for others to do it.
For this important book to make it into the hands of the people who need it – I need your help to help me do that. The manuscript is very good, but for the needs of the readers, it needs to be excellent. Once the editing and page setting is done, it then will be publicized by Feldheim publishers, who have accepted this book (and the second) for publication.
As this book is larger than most, (484 pages at present, as opposed to about 300-350), there are more editing and more printing expenses, which is why this project needs more than an average book would. If I could, I would translate it into every language and send it around the world. Or finish the work for book three. … Or four.
If you resonate with the message that I have been saying here then I invite you to please join me in empowering the Jewish people in their connection to HaShem (G-d) and His Torah.
Thank you and tizkeh le mitzvos
What Are People Saying about Core Emunah 1 “Hello? G-d?”:
“I just put down Rabbi S. Ben Zeev’s book, Core Emunah, and I must say my Emunah has been strengthened! … I don’t see how anyone with even a shred of honesty, can go through this work and not come to the conclusion that we live in an exquisitely complex world, … If one ever thought that science and religion are at odds, he owes it to himself to read this book. I highly recommend this sefer…”. Rabbi Ben Tzion Shafier – TheShmuz.com
“The significant contribution of this book is that these wonders are being discussed by a person with strong rabbinic credentials”. Dr. Gerald Suchroeder Ph.D., Author of the books “Genesis and the Big Bang“, “The Science of G-d” and others.
“My friend and teacher, Rabbi Shlomo Ben-Ze’ev, is singularly positioned to compose this much-needed book. He is able to deal plainly with secular and scientific approaches (or dodges) to great existential questions. Using unassailable logic to point out their weaknesses and tautologies. … he then inserts into these sometimes glaring inadequacies the Torah’s wisdom. … In a conversational, entertaining style he makes approachable, and hence vulnerable, a number of scientific orthodoxies…. It is my hope that this book will serve as a gateway through which Torah Jews and others may become more conversant in basic scientific theories and concepts, and … integrate them, with intellectual honesty, into a traditional Torah hashkafa (worldview)”. Dr. Yosef (Carl) Aschkenasi, M.D.
Couldn’t describe the exquisiteness of this book!
This book explained all the missing questions of my life and answers all those people who think that science and religion are at odds and gives real understanding to those who need it.
Ezra Fayziyev – June 11, 2017
I read this book cover to cover over the course of a few months and not only did it discuss in detail various flawed theories of science but it discussed them in a funny and engaging way.
Manny Weinreb – February 14, 2017
A really challenging and worthwhile read. We loved this book. It has so many interesting and varied approaches to belief and Jewish Religion.
Dan Hyman February 14, 2017
Reviews from non-Jewish readers (source: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/hello-g-d)
Reviewed By Jamie Michele for Readers’ Favorite
Hello? G-d?: An Exploration of Life’s Most Fundamental Question by Shlomo Ben Zeev is the first book in the author’s Core Emunah series. In this installment, Ben Zeev addresses the singular question of whether or not there is a higher power, lending his extensive knowledge of the Torah and the practical application of both science and general philosophy to answering it. Ben Zeev has compiled supporting passages and texts into the body of this enlightening piece of work and presented a highly convincing study of (and explanations in favor of) one of the most compelling questions asked by mankind.
Hello? G-d? is a genuinely enlightening read for even those with just a casual interest in “Life’s Most Fundamental Question”. For those such as myself who share in Shlomo Ben Zeev’s desire to dig deeper, this book is wonderfully engrossing. I think what I appreciated most is that throughout the narrative Ben Zeev presents answers without the fluff that often accompanies theology books. He offers clarity and concise arguments and examples with a simple straightforwardness that serves to enhance his points while still remaining faithful to the sources (ie: ” You cannot make life from something that is not alive.”). To say I’m intrigued is something of an understatement. There’s no question I will be looking forward to the next two books in the Core Emunah series, and would absolutely recommend this first segment to all who have an interest in scratching beneath the surface in search of answers to a complex question.
