“This work is not addressed only to scholars of Judaism or theologians, but also, and primarily, to all Jews and non-Jews who would like to share the thoughts and struggles of a person who loves Torah and Halakhah, who is committed to helping make room for and celebrate the religious and cultural diversity present in the modern world, and who believes that a commitment to Israel and to Jewish particularity must be organically connected to the rabbinic teaching, ‘Beloved are all human beings created in the image of God.’”
—from the Introduction

With clarity, passion, and outstanding scholarship, David Hartman addresses the spiritual and theological questions that face all Jews and all people today. From the perspective of traditional Judaism, he helps us understand the varieties of twentieth-century Jewish practice and shows that commitment to both Jewish tradition and to pluralism can create bridges of understanding between people of different religious convictions.

Acknowledgments Preface Introduction Part I Family and Mitzvah within an Interpretive Tradition 1. Judaism as an Interpretive Tradition 2. The Joy of Torah 3. Memory and Values: A Traditional Response to the Crisis of the Modern Family 4. Torah and Secularism: Reflections on the Active and Passive Dimensions (Din and Rahamim) of Jewish Spirituality Part II Educating Toward Inclusiveness 5. Creating a Shared Spiritual Language for Israeli and Diaspora Education 6. In Search of a Guiding Vision for Jewish Education Part III Celebrating Religious Diversity 7. Celebrating Religious Diversity 8. Revelation and Creation: The Particular and the Universal in Judaism 9. Abraham Joshua Heschel: A Heroic Witness to Religious Pluralism 10. An Open Letter to a Reform Rabbi 11. Israel's Responsibility for World Jewry: Reflections on Debate about the Conversion Law Part IV Religious Perspectives on the Future of Israel 12. Zionism and the Continuity of Judaism 13. Widening the Scope of Covenantal Consciousness 14. Aliyah: The Transformation and Renewal of an Ideal 15. Auschwitz or Sinai? In the Aftermath of the Israeli-Lebanese War 16. Yeshayahu Leibowitz’s Vision of Israel, Zionism, And Judaism Index

“This work is not addressed only to scholars of Judaism or theologians, but also, and primarily, to all Jews and non-Jews who would like to share the thoughts and struggles of a person who loves Torah and Halakhah, who is committed to helping make room for and celebrate the religious and cultural diversity present in the modern world, and who believes that a commitment to Israel and to Jewish particularity must be organically connected to the rabbinic teaching, ‘Beloved are all human beings created in the image of God.’”
—from the Introduction

With clarity, passion, and outstanding scholarship, David Hartman addresses the spiritual and theological questions that face all Jews and all people today. From the perspective of traditional Judaism, he helps us understand the varieties of twentieth-century Jewish practice and shows that commitment to both Jewish tradition and to pluralism can create bridges of understanding between people of different religious convictions.