Sublime

in the Hebrew Bible, God reveals himself primarily in the form of laws, for Judaism is concerned not just with salvation (the soul in its relationship with God) but also with redemption (society as a vehicle for the divine presence).

Tzedek is built on the idea that there is a distinction between possession and ownership.

For two thousand years, Jews represented difference.

Said’s book became canonical in many Middle East Studies departments, pressuring students and professors to prove they were not Orientalists. Israel’s history was subjected to withering revisionism.

Tzedakah lies close to the core of what it is to be a Jew. So much so that the rabbis said, ‘If someone is cruel and lacks compassion, there are sufficient grounds to suspect his lineage.’ Not to give is prima facie evidence that one is not a Jew.

Anti-Semitism was irrational and inescapable. Jews were derided as communists and capitalists. They were criticized for remaining aloof and for being overeager to join.