There Is No Messiah ... and You're It
Rabbi Robert N. Levine
A challenge to each of us to take personal
responsibility for repairing the world.
"We are taught that every one of us is
created in the divine image. All of us can be holy through
imitating God…. So, you don’t have to look around
or look away. You don’t have to wait for someone to come
and do what you were put on this earth to do in the first
place. Judaism empowers you, as one of God’s anointed
ones, to do more than you ever dreamed possible."
—from Chapter 1
The coming of the messiah is anticipated
by millions of people of many faiths as the ultimate salve for
our spiritual lives and as a way to finally make the world a
better place.
There Is No Messiah…and You’re
It examines the history of
messianic hope and anticipation, its evolution in Judaism and
Jewish history, and other interpretations of
“messiah” that shed new light on what it means to
usher in the “kingdom of God.” This fascinating
book is our call to see ourselves as the fulfillment of, not
the anticipators of, messianic change.
Drawing from the Bible, the Talmud,
rabbinic sources, and modern-day scholars, Rabbi Robert Levine
provides us with an accessible, fascinating understanding of
messianic vision, as well as false messiahs throughout Jewish
history. He challenges the powerful idea of messiah that has
survived in the heart, soul, and ethos of the Jewish people,
and reveals the immediacy of the messianic presence in our
day—in our own lives.
Compelling and controversial, There Is No Messiah…and You’re It inspires us to embody the noblest values of
Jewish tradition—prayer, study, mitzvot, and tzedakah—and
embrace our own messianic potential to heal the world.
“A learned and accessible account of
the nature and power of the messianic ideal throughout the many
chapters of Jewish history. Rabbi Levine’s style is
engaged and engaging, and should cause us to reflect as well as
act. This book constitutes a genuine contribution to tikkun olam—the
betterment of the world.”
—Dr.
David Ellenson, president, Hebrew
Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion
“Me the messiah? You the messiah?
Seems improbable. Yet, Rabbi Levine guides us on a sacred
mission: Find and nuture your internal vision of perfection,
and help move the world toward healing and transformation. Me
the messiah? You the Messiah? Why not?”
—Rabbi
Wayne Dosick, author of Soul Judaism: Dancing with God into a New Era
Rabbi Robert N. Levine is widely recognized as one of the most inspiring
spiritual teachers of his generation. He is senior rabbi of the
largest synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Temple
Rodeph Sholom. A sought-after speaker and media guest, and an
active participant in interfaith dialogue and teaching, he is
also the author of Where Are You
When I Need You?
