Forthcoming July, 2022, from Oxford University Press: The Heresy of Jacob Frank is the first monograph on the religious philosophy of Jacob Frank (1726-1791), who, in the wake of false messiah Sabbetai Zevi, led the largest mass apostasy in Jewish history. Although he is now little-known, Frank was, in his day, perhaps the most […]

Today, Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson is a rabbi, a well-known meditation teacher, and a weekly columnist read by a quarter million readers per month. But not long ago, Jay was a young spiritual seeker, pursuing mysticism (and even enlightenment) with an open heart and restless intellectual curiosity.  Drawn from essays written over a ten-year period […]

“is” a unique book of heretical spiritual poetry by the award-winning journalist Jay Michaelson, writing here under his Hebrew name, Yaakov Moshe.  It aspires to sit on the spiritual bookshelf alongside (or maybe just beneath) Mary Oliver, Gary Snyder, Rumi, and Rilke.  It is mystical and profane, personal and universal. “Finally, some Torah that speaks […]

  The Gate of Tears is a beautifully written, transformative book. Jay Michaelson guides us, instead of denying, avoiding, explaining away or resisting sadness, to go right into the heart of it. There we find open space, true love of life, and, perhaps most redeeming, one another. ~ Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness The Gate […]

  “Redefining Religious Liberty: The Covert Campaign Against Civil Rights” is a report published in March 2013 by Political Research Associates, where Jay Michaelson served as a Religious Liberty Fellow. This report, authored by Michaelson, serves as a primer for all interested in the many intricacies surrounding the religious liberty debates. With fairness and precision, […]

  Evolving Dharma is a “next generation” book on meditation, Buddhism, and the path of awakening, published by North Atlantic Books in 2013.  Evolving Dharma tells the story of how meditation has evolved beyond Buddhism, beyond religion, beyond spirituality — and how one’s own meditation practice can evolve throughout one’s life. It is, in the words […]

  The myth that the Bible forbids homosexuality — the myth of “God versus Gay” — is behind some of the most divisive and painful conflicts of our day.   In this courageous and erudite book, Jay Michaelson shows that not only does the Bible not prohibit same-sex intimacy, the vast majority of its teachings support […]

Everything is God: The Radical Path of Nondual Judaism Shambhala/Trumpeter, October 2009 224pp., $17.95 For book tour information, click here. Jay Michaelson is among the most widely-read Jewish writers of his generation. A columnist for the Huffington Post, the Forward, and Tikkun, Zeek, and Reality Sandwich magazines, Michaelson was recently named to the “Forward 50” […]

Another Word for Sky, published in 2007, is the first collection of poetry by Jay Michaelson. “Jay Michaelson is a poet of multitudes. His gift is not just his enviable ability attain the poetic voice very much his own, but also the skill to use this voice in poems that are quite different form each […]

By Jay Michaelson Jewish Lights Publishing, Nov. 2006 247 pp, $18.99 Finalist, ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award   God in Your Body is about embodied spiritual practice: how to experience the deep truths of reality in, and through, your body. Based in the Jewish tradition, God in Your Body is the first comprehensive treatment […]

Az Yashir Moshe is a “bencher,” a book of songs and blessings. Initially edited by Jay Michaelson and published in 2001, a second edition was published in 2009 by Ktav Publications, featuring newer, easier-to-read type face and customization available for weddings and other occasions. Dedicated to the memory of Matt Eisenfeld (SY ’93) and infused […]

Jay Michaelson has appear been featured in many Anthologies including: Climate Change Engineering, Exploring the Edge Realms of Consciousness, Queer Religion, Collective Brightness: LGBTIQ Poets on Faith, Religion & Spirituality, Best Gay Stories 2010, Making Prayer Real: Leading Jewish Spiritual Voices on Why Prayer Is Difficult and What to Do About It, and Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible.