But his presence on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where Chopra appeared on a double bill with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, was the Hindu healer's first time speaking in a synagogue. He discussed a mystical tradition that he said is shared by Hindus and Jews. At Oxford, Boteach founded the L'Chaim Society, which co-sponsored last week's event with the New York Jewish Week. That's true spirituality. He even noted an etymological parallel between Brahma, the creator of the cosmos in Hinduism, and the Jewish patriarch Abraham.
Mysticism sees a unifying source behind all being.
He then launched into an examination of gender differences. Boteach paused noticeably in his speech only once, to wait for the last rings of what had been a symphony of cellular phones. Both speakers were received enthusiastically by the audience of hip, leather-clad young adults and polished Upper East Side matrons, couples and singles. They were not disappointed. He talks as fast as he thinks.