Sublime

One of the most stunning gestures of Judaism was to overturn the whole idea of a hierarchy of knowledge,18 for if there are inequalities of learning, they will be replicated through all other social structures, giving some people unwarranted power over others. This is the great insight of the Jewish vision, from which all else followed: A free soci

even for the leaders of this form of Judaism, life is not linear, and serious progress is often the result of messy journeys.

Rashi, and those he cites as he weaves his interpretation, transforms greed into spiritual ambition, a desire to know and to grow, which should never be sated. Abundance is only truly meaningful in the realm of ideas.

finally, a community that believes—but I mean really, really believes—that Torah has a contribution to make to the redemption of the world, and that ultimately the world will not be redeemed without Torah.

In the first instance, the dispersion of Moses in every generation (itpashṭuta de-moshe be-khol dara we-dara) signifies the capability of every Jew to expand his or her consciousness (da‘at) to the point of being assimilated within the divine and to draw down the infinite light into the world.42 However, the righteous sages, the “eyes of the congre

Paul creates a transcendental hierarchy. Akiva and rabbinic Judaism create an egalitarian spirituality.

Torah study is a regular exercise in humility, a reminder that we are not able to grasp the overwhelming complexity of God’s world.

a hyperliteral reading of the rabbinic dictum that the wicked are called “dead” even in their lives, whereas the righteous are called “living” even in their deaths.