The Bible insists that the human role in redemption in no way reduces the divine intentionality and responsibility for the outcome of events. This is implicit in the meaning of covenant. In the case of the State of Israel, however, the human role in redemption is dominant and self-assertive.

But through the mechanism of the covenant, infinity and eternity are converted into finite, temporal, usable forms—without losing their ground in the absolute. The covenant makes possible Judaism’s functioning in history.

To take on responsibility is to take the guilt of redemption. The

(It is interesting, in light of the role that food plays in Jewish culture, that intense grief and guilt are expressed by giving up food!)

The human is a future-oriented creature to whom hope is life-giving.

The ability to move on, as represented by the sukkah, derives from rootedness in the one God who loves a particular place and people but who is everywhere and loves all of humanity at the same time.

Jewish powerlessness had to be ended at once, or it would end the Jewish people.

God is understanding, merciful, and loving. Sin, error, and failure are inescapable parts of human behavior. Judaism is not a religion of excessive guilt or of judgment standards that can never be met, but neither is it a religion of permissiveness.

a major characteristic of the Jewish religion, the shift from nature to history. This represents the movement from human passivity and acceptance of nature-as-destiny to a drive for liberation, which can be achieved only in history.