Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman

Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman is the founding director of Sinai and Synapses, an organization that bridges the scientific and religious worlds. He was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.


Articles by Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman

Don’t Get Furious, Get Curious

I do a lot of commuting, and one thing that makes that time fly by are courses by The Teaching Company. With ...

How Can We Do the Most Good?

There’s a new TV show out called “Adam Ruins Everything,” where comedian Adam Conover shares everything that’s factually incorrect — and even harmful — ...

The Purpose of Beginnings and the Beginnings of Purpose

A few years ago, there was a terrific newspaper cartoon from the strip “Non Sequitur” entitled “The Philosophical Showdown.” It showed ...

Would Oliver Sacks Call Himself “Religious”?

Oliver Sacks is one of the most respected scientists today. The author of many best-selling books on the brain, he ...

Are We There Yet? Pluto and the Value of Patience

Here’s my favorite fact about the New Horizons flight to Pluto: New Horizons launched at 2 pm on January 19, 2006, ...

Why Are Joy’s Eyes Blue?

My wife makes fun of me when we watch Pixar movies, because whenever I see Up or the Toy Story trilogy or ...

Everything is Awe-Some

The next time you are in New York, make sure you go to the Hayden Planetarium. Along with fantastic exhibitions and ...

The Science Behind Children’s Spirituality

My 19-month-old daughter loves watching for school buses. She camps out on our couch, eyes eagerly scanning for any sign of yellow, and ...

Moving “From Shame to Praise” – Trevor Noah, Monica Lewinsky and Us

Like most New York Jews, I love “The Daily Show,” and so I was very sad to hear that Jon ...

Purim: The Upside-Down Way to Find Happiness

Do you want to be happy?Then here’s my advice: don’t try to be happy.That idea comes from Oliver Burkeman’s excellent book  ...