Mystery of Black Fire, White Fire

Science, Kabbalah, and the Question of Beginnings

Faith forms the foundation of both science and religion. In Mystery of Black Fire, White Fire, author Bruce Friedman uses this thought as a springboard for a discussion of the commonalities existing between these two realms, particularly with regard to cosmology and the origins of the universe. Mystery of Black Fire, White Fire provides a contemplation of the Creation and begins by offering an understanding of the basic principles of both Judaism and science. The mysticism of kabbalah with its inclusion of creation from nothing among its other features is found to grapple with issues that science could only start to properly address in the twentieth century. Combining the tools and knowledge of science with those of Judaism, Friedman shows that new avenues of thought and revelation can be found. But he also communicates that with all of the resources of science and religion available to humanity, the resolution of the basic mystery of creation, with which kabbalah concerns itself, remains elusive.

Praise for Mystery of Black Fire, White Fire

What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? a writer of antiquity famously asked. Or as we might put it today, what has modern science to do with the Torah? This fascinating and erudite book, combining great scientific and theological sophistication, gives us the answer.

Stephen M. Barr, physics professor at the University of Delaware and author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith