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.
How sickness enlarges the dimensions of a man's self to himself! Supreme selfishness is inculcated upon him as his only duty.
What could be the basis of our having more inherent value than animals? Their lack of reason, or autonomy, or intellect? Only if we are willing to make the same judgment in the case of humans who are similarly deficient.
I cannot remember much, I cannot feel much. Maybe erasure is necessary. Maybe the human spirit defends itself as the body does, attacking infection, enveloping and destroying those malignancies that would otherwise consume us.
There is no difference between someone who eats too little and sees Heaven and someone who drinks too much and sees snakes.
I think a lot of us are not on a path; we're in a rut. We have confused comfort with peace, belief with faith, safety with wisdom, wealth with blessing, and existence with life.
What restrains us from killing is partly fear of punishment, partly moral scruple, and partly what may be described as a sense of humor
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