Jews read the books of Moses not just as history but as divine command. The question to which they are an answer is not, 'What happened?' but rather, 'How then shall I live?' And it's only with the exodus that the life of the commands really begins.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes living by moral and ethical principles derived from divine teachings rather than merely viewing religious texts as historical accounts.
Jonathan Sacks highlights that the Jewish engagement with the Torah transcends mere historical understanding; it is about deriving personal and communal meaning that guides daily living. The focus is not solely on past events but rather on how those events inform our ethical and moral choices today. The mention of the Exodus signifies the beginning of a life that is shaped by commands, suggesting that true understanding of faith comes from active application in one's life.
In practice
During a sermon, a speaker can refer to this quote to emphasize ethical living.
Stabilizing the euro is one thing, healing the culture that surrounds it is another. A world in which material values are everything and spiritual values nothing is neither a stable state nor a good society. The time has come for us to recover the Judeo-Christian ethic of human dignity in the image of God.
Governments cannot make marriages or turn feckless individuals into responsible citizens. That needs another kind of change agent.
Why did God create mankind? Because God likes stories.
Find people not to envy but to admire. Do not the profitable but the admirable deed. Live by ideals.
Some years ago there was a study to discover the most stressful occupation. It turned out not to be the head of a large business, football manager or prime minister, but rather: bus driver.
The Holocaust survivors are among the most inspiring people I have had the privilege to meet.
I wonder what the retirement age is in the novel business. The day you die.
And whoever walks a furlong without sympathy walks to his own funeral drest in his shroud.
The question is how much of your privacy and your convenience and your commerce do you want your nation's security apparatus to squeeze in order to keep you safe? And it is a choice that we have to make.
Being a thoughtful vegan makes our time on this Earth more peaceful and joyous, because you get to have a hand in promoting and increasing the happiness, good health and well-being of others -- both animal and human -- rather than being an instrument of their suffering and death.
We are taught by great actions that the universe is the property of every individual in it.
If truth is the main casualty in war, ambiguity is another.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.