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.
God bears with the wicked, but not forever.
Each generation should be made to bear the burden of its own wars, instead of carrying them on, at the expense of other generations.
What can this world offer comparable with that insight into spiritual things, that keen faith, that heavenly peace, that high sanctity, that everlasting righteousness, that hope of glory, which they have, who in sincerity love and follow our Lord Jesus Christ?
The aim of development must be neither producerism not consumerism, but the satisfaction of fundamental human needs, which are not only needs of humanity...
The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.
I care little in the existence of a heaven or hell; self respect does not allow me to guide my acts with an eye toward heavenly salvation or hellish punishment. I pursue the good in life because it is beautiful and attracts me; and shun the bad because it is ugly and repulsive. All our acts should originate from the spring of unselfish love, whether there be a continuation after death or not.
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