Guest Posting By Space Cadet - My Extraterrestrial Landtsleit

(Picture courtesy of ufoevidence.org)

"K'shemo, kein hu" (I Shmuel 25:25) -- the Torah suggests that one's name reflects one's inner being. True to his name, Space Cadet has taken an interest in UFO phenomena, and has submitted an interesting essay from the late Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan that presents us with a Jewish view on this unusual subject.

Writes Space Cadet:

Before reading Rabbi Kaplan's essay, we should consider why this great scholar who stood at the interface of Orthodox Judaism and the modern world bothered to write on this subject. Most people consider UFOs and ETs to be a favorite pastime of neurotics lost in fantasies of being abducted by Martians and country bumpkins who can't tell a streetlight from the NASA space shuttle. Therefore, to clear the blackboard, it might be useful to watch the proceedings of the National Press Club of 2007 below, in which a number of aeronautics and military personnel testify that they have witnessed UFOs and are willing to present their experiences before the US Congress under oath:

National Press Club video

For those who would like more graphic evidence -- not incontrovertable proof, but persuasive evidence -- actor Peter Coyote narrated a powerful documentary called "Out of the Blue." It can be viewed here:

Out of the Blue

Having done this homework, we must ask: what does Judaism say about UFOs and ETs?

Rabbi Kaplan offers some interesting answers.

Extraterrestrial life