As the ancient Jews go into exile following the destruction of their kingdom, the prophet Jeremiah urges them to “build houses and settle down” and, what’s more, to “seek the peace and prosperity” of their new homes. Jonathan Sacks finds in these words the “revolutionary” notion that Judaism’s values can endure despite political collapse and geographical relocation. Revisiting a lecture he gave in 2013, Sacks discusses how the Jews’ success not only in preserving their religion, but in rebuilding after repeated cataclysms, can provide a lesson and a model for contemporary Western society. Moreover, he urges Jews not to choose isolation but to play an active role in today’s needed process of renewal. (Interview by Eric Cohen. Audio, 35 minutes. Options for download and streaming are available at the link below.)
Read more on Tikvah: https://tikvahfund.org/library/podcast-jonathan-sacks-creative-minorities/