Book Talk: Seeing into the Life of Things with Rodger Kamenetz
Book Talk: Seeing into the Life of Things with Rodger Kamenetz
Thursday, November 19, 2026
7:00 p.m.
In Person at JTS
3080 Broadway (at 122nd Street)
New York City
Join JTS for an in-person event with Rodger Kamenetz to discuss his new book, Seeing into the Life of Things, in conversation with Dr. Eitan Fishbane.
About Seeing into the Life of Things
Seeing into the Life of Things is both a spiritual memoir and a practical guide to restoring the imaginative heart. Through stories, dreams, poems, and daily practices, Rodger Kamenetz teaches readers how to “see into,” “listen at,” and “feel into” the world around them. He shows how memory can become a source of healing images, how dreams can lead to sacred encounter, and how ordinary moments can become occasions of wonder.
Drawing on teachers as diverse as the Dalai Lama, Hasidic masters, Zen practitioners, Albert Einstein, biologist E.O. Wilson, and poets including William Wordsworth, William Blake, Basho, and Elizabeth Bishop, Kamenetz offers a rich alternative to a deadening culture of distraction. Rather than asking us to withdraw from life, he invites us to experience it more fully and sensually.
About Rodger Kamenetz
Rodger Kamenetz is an award-winning poet, author and teacher. Of his 13 books, his best known is The Jew in the Lotus, the story of rabbis making a holy pilgrimage through India to meet with the Dalai Lama. His account of their historic dialogue became an international bestseller, prompting a reevaluation of Judaism in the light of Buddhist thought. Now in its 37th printing overall, The Jew in the Lotus is a staple of college religion courses. The New York Times called it a “revered text.” A PBS documentary followed, and a sequel, Stalking Elijah, was awarded the National Jewish Book Award for Jewish Thought.
At Louisiana State University, Rodger Kamenetz held a dual appointment as a Professor of English and Professor of Religious Studies and founded the MFA program in creative writing and the Jewish Studies minor. He retired as LSU Distinguished Professor and Sternberg Honors Chair Professor. He lives in New Orleans where he devotes himself now to his work with clients who seek spiritual direction through dreams.
About Dr. Eitan Fishbane
Dr. Eitan P. Fishbane is professor of Jewish Thought at JTS, where he teaches courses in the literature and history of Jewish mysticism, from medieval Kabbalah to modern Hasidism. The author or editor of six books, the latest of which was published in 2018 by Oxford University Press, Dr. Fishbane has devoted his research and writing primarily to the development of Kabbalah in medieval Spain. At present his scholarship is devoted to three main topics: The Zohar as mystical poetry; The Sabbath and sacred time in hasidic mysticism; and ideas of the self and identity in the Kabbalah.
Dr. Fishbane has been a member of JTS faculty since 2006, participating in governance through his service on the Faculty Executive Committee, the Rabbinical School Council, the faculty committees of the Gershon Kekst Graduate School and the Department of Community Engagement, and as advisor for BA and MA concentrators in Jewish Thought. He is actively involved in the mentoring of PhD, DHL, rabbinical, and undergraduate students.
