God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism

by Abraham Joshua Heschel

Abraham Joshua Heschel was one of the most revered religious leaders of the 20th century, and God in Search of Man and its companion volume, Man Is Not Alone, two of his most important books, are classics of modern Jewish theology. God in Search of Man combines scholarship with lucidity, reverence, and compassion as Dr. Heschel discusses not man's search for God but God's for man--the notion of a Chosen People, an idea which, he writes, "signifies not a quality inherent in the people but a relationship between the people and God." It is an extraordinary description of the nature of Biblical thought, and how that thought becomes faith.

Genres: Judaism, Religion, Philosophy, Jewish, Theology, Nonfiction, Judaica

465 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Heschel was a descendant of preeminent rabbinic families of Europe, both on his father's (Moshe Mordechai Heschel, who died of influenza in 1916) and mother's (Reizel Perlow Heschel) side, and a descendant of Rebbe Avrohom Yehoshua Heshl of Apt and other dynasties. He was the youngest of six children including his siblings: Sarah, Dvora Miriam, Esther Sima, Gittel, and Jacob. In his teens he received a traditional yeshiva education, and obtained traditional semicha, rabbinical ordination. He then studied at the University of Berlin, where he obtained his doctorate, and at the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums, where he earned a second liberal rabbinic ordination.

Reviews

[Antimidas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beginning with the first page of this book, I was hooked on Heschel. In one paragraph, he summed up my thoughts on the religious experience and the problems with religion in modern society.

“It is customary to blame secular science and anti-religious philosophy for the eclipse of religion in modern society. It would be more honest to blame religion for its own defeats. Religion declined not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid. When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when the crisis of today is ignored because of the splendor of the past; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion--its message becomes meaningless.”

[India M. Clamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though theology is a deviation from surgical texts/guides/memoirs by gifted physicians “God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism” is a fetching requisite for life. Readings from the book of Amos delineate an ardency for scripture, wisdom and tradition---which is the intrinsic philosophy of Abraham Joshua Heschel.

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, the two tablets in his hands, the whole people of Israel saw that his face sent forth beams; and they were afraid to come nigh unto him. Only Moses did not know that his face sent forth beams...”

---Abraham Joshua Heschel

Solace, reflection and meditation to alleviate the inner suffering of the human condition is the gentle guiding theology to one’s soul. Consider “Forever Yours” by Yohanan Cinnamon and how passionately he strikes the black/white piano keys is unto the same divine altitude gleaned from reading “God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism.”

Elohim, we discover needs no capitalization on the first letter (for knowing demands no audience or superficial attributes). This book was “lovingly caressed in my hands” absorbed via eyes, very slowly. Heschel inspires us to review, compare and make amends for our own lives. Definite buy (et al.) for all souls.

[Jana Light · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a couple days to write a review of this book, because I have had a hard time sorting out what I think about it. It's beautiful, intricate, winding, cohesive, dense... so many things. Heschel provides a rich Jewish mystical theology that explores God, God's revelation to man, and man's response to God. Every page contains something stirring and profound. A proper reading should take a while -- there is a lot to absorb and this book deserves full attention.

I have only two caveats to my effusive praise. First, I'm not thrilled with calling this is a Philosophy of Judaism. It is very much a theology, not a philosophy, which is no denigration of the work itself. Heschel has written a wonderful theology. Calling it a philosophy simply doesn't do justice to what Heschel accomplishes here.

Secondly, I was pretty underwhelmed by the middle section on Revelation (even while highlighting many inspiring passages). Several claims were left unfounded and the section seemed particularly subjective/mystical/whathaveyou. This is not to say that I don't find value in a mystical theology, only that I appreciate it being acknowledged as such with appropriate recognition of the unknowableness of mystical experiences.

But there are too many other riches to make those criticisms mar my experience with the book. As a Christian reading a Jewish theology, I savored Heschel's explanation of the Judaic focus on deeds and action rather than salvation (though all within the unified tapestry of faith), finding it uniquely constructive, moving, and challenging.

I could go on about the many moments that sparked my spiritual interest, but I'll let you experience those moments anew for yourself. This is a book worth reading if you enjoy theology and Jewish or Christian mysticism.

[Ian Beardsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see now why Heschel is a very well respected and popular author in the area of Judaism and religious philosophy. I had to focus carefully while reading, because his words seem to softly blow by you like a soft spring breeze, and you could easily miss important, yet subtle, points if you are not paying close attention. Perhaps because I am not really a religious person or scholar, I feel like I was often on the cusp of understanding something quite fundamental and profound, but couldn't quite grasp all of it. . The following passage from the author's actual text perhaps gives a bit of an explanation:

Standing face to face with the world, we often sense a spirit which surpasses our ability to comprehend. The world is too much for us. It is crammed with marvel. The glory is not an exception but an aura that lies about all being, a spiritual setting of reality....
We fail to wonder, we fail to respond to the presence.

It helps that the chapters in this book are fairly short. If I had had more time and discipline (especially the latter), it would have been good to read a chapter, make notes, and mull over and meditate upon what I'd read. But no! The world insists I have a schedule--for work, for play, and the reading must continue in accordance with the artificially self-imposed timetable :-)

I was drawn to this book partially because I found out a few years ago that the Jewish ancestry in my family was much closer than I'd originally been told. My great-grandmother, great uncle and his family died in the Holocaust. Although I've always identified (rather weakly) as a Christian, I have been exploring more of Judaism, and reading this book was quite helpful. It taught me the importance of the events around Exodus and God's covenant with the Jewish people, centered on Moses acceptance of the tablets at Sinai and his writing of the Torah. And this Maimonides from the middle ages, he sounds like a pretty interesting guy with his Guide for the Perplexed.

Judaism is indeed a bit different from Christianity, but you can definitely see the similarities and how the new religion followed from the original. In fact, this book helps you understand the commonality between all the great religions, and these dark days, there is a spark of great hope I feel in that.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book though at times I had to plough through some sections; here is the opening paragraph;
"Religion declined not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, and insipid. When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when the crisis of today is ignored because of the splendor of the past; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion--its message becomes meaningless."

There is much to commend in this book, it is not always easy but I believe it is always profitable. There are many thought provoking thoughts & statements throughout this work, just take your time in reading it and you will glean much from its pages. In one place he says, “Hypocrisy rather than heresy is the cause of spiritual decay” he then cites Psalm 51:8.

He sets philosophy on its ear, I believe, he says, “The role of religion is to be a challenge to philosophy, not merely an object for examination. There is much that philosophy could learn from the Bible. To the philosopher the idea of the good is the most exalted idea. But to the Bible the idea of the good is penultimate: it cannot exist without the holy. The holy is the essence, the good is its expression.”

However our author is not telling us to send our brains on vacation for he says, “The employment of reason is indispensable to the understanding & worship of God, & religion withers without it. The insights of faith are general,…Without reason faith becomes blind…” Reading that got me hooked.
The average layperson would not find much here of interest, but those interested in the Bible, theology, philosophy etc. and those who pastor churches I believe will find great value in this work.

[Josh Nisley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was at this one for a while, not because it was especially difficult, but because it asks to be read slowly, even meditatively. Heschel has that rabbinic capacity for packing a world of meaning into a carefully crafted sentence. Dense but eminently lucid. Discovering Heschel has been one of the more significant events in my spiritual life and thought recently. I'd highly recommend it for anyone slouching toward mid-life disenchantment.

[Laura Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gobsmacked, best find of grad school year one fersher, fave thinker other than Kierkegaard maybe? I’m hooked

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd been warned that this book was hard sledding and that I'd almost surely never make it all the way through.

I fought that warning. I denied it. But, finally, I've come to terms with the fact that it's true: I'm almost surely never going to pick this back up and I should stop pretending that I'm going to do so. It's just not going to happen.

Rabbi Heschel was a giant. His thoughts are intriguing. His influence enormous. But this book wasn't exactly written by him -- it's a reconstruction by his students of his speeches, from his note cards, which they didn't necessarily have in order and which weren't designed to be placed end-to-end into a single work, even if they did.

That's a shame. Because they are fascinating, but, given how they were cobbled into a book, they're also more repetitive than cumulative.

I'd give a lot to be able to go back and sit through the lectures they were trying to recapture. It may say more about me then it does about the book that I find the book to be insufficiently close to that experience for me to finish the slog.

[Andy Oram · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, I think, has helped me find my way as a person, as well as a Jew. Although Heschel focuses on Judaism and expects his readers to be observant Jews, I sense that his approach to spirit, action, and the purpose of life has a lot to say to sensitive non-Jews as well (although it’s hard for me to step outside of myself enough to be sure). The book is certainly a big commitment to the reader: long, repetitious, sometimes abstract. Although you can gain a lot by parsing and considering each paragraph, I suggest that you regularly step back and try to consider what lies in between the words (as one does in interpreting sacred texts)--what is the deeper and more hidden message.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read for me. I read it during two overnight shifts. That is my biggest regret with this book. It deserves a slow, close reading and I did not do it justice. Herschel poetically extracts an inherent philosophy from within Judaism. Not only is it philosophically poignant, but it is a truly enjoyable read. I recommend this book for anyone interested in a Hebraic worldview.

[Jim Killion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree with the review from TIME: "subtitled 'A Philosophy of Judaism,' but it speaks to all those for whom the Bible is a holy book."
And with The Boston Globe: "One of the most compelling books about being human that has been written in this century."

[Marty Solomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the staple works from one of the greatest Jewish minds of our modern age. A classic work that anyone deeply engaged with Jewish thought should read. This book is typical of Heschel’s dense thought and is not an “easy” read, but it is very rewarding. The book is presented in three parts: God, Revelation, and Response.

The first part was the most abstract and philosophical. For those who have read Heschel’s The Sabbath and also The Prophets, this book sits in between the two. The conversation has the girth of the Prophets, but the reflection of the Sabbath. I often found myself swimming (but not drowning) in this first section as the collision of philosophy, religion, and Judaism came together in his discussion about God.

The second part was far more accessible, and my favorite of the three. When Heschel discussed the place of Torah, the Text, the role of the prophets, and the place of commandments, I was tracking and gleaning great wisdom and food for thought. I have dog-eared so many pages.

The last part was the perfect closing of application, even though the conversation started to drift a little back toward the philosophical and ethical. This part was where the rubber meets the road for everything he had been discussing. The closing three chapters are, in my opinion, the best I’ve ever read from Heschel.

[Brian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had pretty high hopes coming in to G-d in Search of Man, since I had heard a lot about it before I read it. However, my reaction to the majority of the book can pretty much be summed up in the following image:



I should have known that I wasn't going to like the rest of the book when Heschel started talking about the arrogance of science in thinking it can know everything, and then when he continued in talking about how science cannot be used to understand the ineffable and is therefore inappropriate to the full understanding of religion, it just got worse from there. That's pretty much just a pre-emptive Courtier's Reply as to scientific claims about religion, and should thus be discarded out of hand. I'd say the majority of the book was like that for me--all just the same tired old religious arguments we've heard time and time again, and that's when Heschel isn't just ignoring the argument entirely because it's inconvenient.

So, here's a quote about the purpose of religion:

The grand premise of religion is that man is able to surpass himself. Such ability is the essence of freedom.

And that sounds pretty nice, right? But when you get down to it, it's really just a nicer way of saying that religion is the essence of morality, and without religion why not just treat all humans as the animals we are, and so on. Considering the sheer amount of immorality that's been done in the name of religion all throughout history, I find that argument to be incredibly insulting in its total ignorance even as a religious person. Not to mention that transhumanism has exactly the same basis and is secular, though Heschel gets a pass on that since this was written in the 50s.

The Problem of Evil is pretty much the fundamental problem that omnipotent-G-d-style monotheisms have to answer, and indeed, there is a section about it here. Heschel mentions how many people in the Bible wonder whether G-d has given over the world into the hands of the wicked, and that the world being a place of sorrow is a common sentiment and how Job was written in part as an answer to the Problem of Evil...but he never actually deals with it himself. He just skips straight past the whole "why is there evil?" to how following the mitzvot can help mitigate the evil in the world and in our hearts. Which, sure, okay...but why is that necessary at all? It's not like Job is any help--the answer there is G-d telling Job that it is not the place of a puny mortal to question him. "Because I say so" is not a good reason, especially if you're trying to explain the Problem of Evil in a post-Shoah world.

Heschel has a kind of pseudo-Pascal's Wager approach to why the Bible is transcendent. It's evidence of the ineffable because of its importance to so many people and its survival to the present day. That's it. That's the explanation, and yes, this is begging the question and essentially just ad populum. Almost half of Americans believe G-d created the world in six literal days, which is an ancient belief and of great importance to many people and yet is totally wrong. That the Bible survived because people thought it was important is a statement about what people think about the Bible, not the Bible itself.

There's a whole section about Judaism being a religion of holy times and not holy places, which completely ignores the existence of holy days in other religions, not to mention the Temple, which was our holiest place for centuries at a time and, coupled with "Next year in Jerusalem!" makes any attempt to make the time-not-place argument ludicrous to me.

He claims about prophetic revelation that:

Proof and examination are inapplicable to it.

which could have fooled me, because I would have thought at the very least that you could ask "did it happen?" if it's discussing events. Though if you're talking about something like Ezekiel's vision, I admit that is pretty inapplicable to scientific scrutiny.

I could go on. I could go on at length, but you probably get the idea.

I didn't think it was total schlock. There's a rather thought-provoking section about how conscience can't be the sole guide for determining right and wrong because it mostly judges past actions instead of future ones. Also, the good part about his Problem of Evil section was his note that evil isn't so terrible because of the powerful and horrible evil deeds in the world, but because evil so often masquerades as good. But they were small diamonds in a great pile of dross.

It's possible that my lack of a mystical mindset was what led to so much disappointment. I was pretty much looking for another version of TheTorah.com, which combines traditional halakhic scholarship with modern Biblical criticism, but that's not what this book is at all. If you have a similar mindset to mine, check out that website instead of this, because if you read G-d in Search of Man you'll probably just come away disappointed.

[Lea]

İ'm not giving a star rating bc İ don't have the necessary background against which to judge it yet but it was a very enlightening read, the first set of stones to form the background mosaic against which İ can judge further reading. İ really liked Heschel's writing style, made me feel like a little kittycat by the fireplace listening to grandfather philosophising in his armchair.

[Curtis Hefner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me a while to read, not because it is obtuse, but because it is so rich. I had to take a while to digest each part and "chew the cud".

I am not a Jew, but a Gentile believer in Hashem (Christian), so my perspective in reading is not one of self-definition but of relation. As we Gentile believers have been 'grafted into God's olive tree (Israel)'[Rom 11:24], we should be able to celebrate our root and profess our commonalities.

All too often, we Christians have instead stumbled over our pride and alienated the very people who first brought light to the Gentiles. Reading Jewish sources is a small step I am taking in the hope of total future reconciliation.

That said, everyone who can stomach the rich descriptions of philosophical thinking would benefit from reading this book. The jaded skeptic may sense the sublime and grow softer; the religious believer may be reminded of God's wonder; everyone must acknowledge the beauty of the One who asks man, "Where are you?"

I can't do this work justice with my own words. Instead, here are some of Heschel's words which struck me:

"When reduced to terms and definitions, to codes and catechisms, religion is, indeed, little more than a desiccated remnant of a once living reality."

"The life of religion is given not in the mental preservation of ideas [as is philosophy] but in events and insights, in something that happens in time."

"All worship and ritual are essentially attempts to remove our callousness to the mystery of our own existence and pursuits."

"There seem to be two courses of human thinking: one begins with man and his needs and ends in assuming that the universe is a meaningless display or a waste of energy; the other begins in amazement, in awe and humility and ends in the assumption that the universe is full of a glory that surpasses man and his mind, but is of eternal meaning to Him who made being possible."

"To the speculative mind, the world is an enigma; to the religious mind, the world is a challenge. The speculative problem is impersonal; the religious problem is addressed to the person. The first is concerned with finding an answer to the question: what is the cause of being? The second, with giving an answer to the question: what is asked of us?"

-----
Needless to say, I will read this work again.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Faith in God is, we repeat, not easily attained. Had it been possible to prove His existence beyond dispute, atheism would have been refuted as an error long ago."

Faith is not easy, and neither is this book, but that's a virtue. This isn't simple theology; it's a bit of a slog, though it's divided into short chunks. I don't think I can do justice to it without writing a college term paper, but even when I found myself disagreeing with it, I was forced to challenge my own conception of God and faith.

[Yitzchok · Rating 5 out of 5]

This holy and sacred sefer (book) poetically and logically portrays the essence and raison d'etre for believing in G-d and the sacredness of being a practicing Jew. No other book that I have ever read elucidated for me the depth and sublime nature of our relationship with G-d, as this one has.


Join us at http://philoofreligion.blogspot.com/ for extensive reviews and essays of Rav Heschel’s magnificent work – G-d in Search of Man.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The depth of Dr. Heschel is overwhelming. He understands the spiritual journey and the Biblical story as no other.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful book on Jewish doctrine. Goodreads recommended this book to me; as I wanted to better live Stendahl's approach to interacting with other religions (1. when learning about other religions, ask them, not their enemies, 2. Don't compare your best with their worst, 3. Leave room for "holy envy."), and I am nearly illiterate when it comes to Judaism, I thought this would be a good introduction.

As an LDS reader, I was surprised but not surprised at some of our common understandings and vocabulary. Covenants, salvation, sanctification, exaltation, a nation of priests, holiness, prophets, revelation. Many of these have been inherited by Christianity as a whole, but I felt the Jewish conception was closer to our understanding as Latter Day Saints.

But in addition, there was a whole new vocabulary that was beautiful and inspiring. I learned the difference between wonder, awe, and reverence; the importance of mystery; havanah (the deeds) and kavanah (the sincerity behind the deeds); mitsvah, which are commandments but actually encompasses more than commandments; and events versus processes.

The title is actually what the author considers the essence of Judaism: rather than man's search for God, it is God's search for man: "It is as if God were unwilling to be alone, and He had chosen man to serve Him... God is in search of man. Faith in God is a response to God's question."

I felt a measure of holy envy for Judaism, and I will apply much to my own life. I particularly liked his confrontation of a Jewish stereotype: that Jews are sticklers of the law, regardless of the sincerity of their actions. He shows the importance of both, that deeds themselves are vital and the sincerity behind the deeds is also important. But if he were to choose one over the other, he'd pick deeds without sincerity, because in the end, doing the good deeds brings about the change of heart, and God's grace can help us gain the sincerity (fake it til you make it).



I have a whole bunch of quotes, so I'll just unload them all here:

It is customary to blame secular science and anti-religious philosophy for the eclipse of religion in modern society. It would be more honest to blame religion for its own defeats. Religion declined not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid. When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when the crisis of today is ignored because of the splendor of the past; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion-- its message becomes meaningless. (1)

Theology starts with dogmas, philosophy begins with problems. Philosophy sees the problem first, theology has the answer in advance... Philosophy is, in a sense, a kind of thinking that has a beginning but no end. In it, the awareness of the problem outlives all solutions. Its answers are questions in disguise; every new answer giving rise to new questions. In religion, on the other hand, the mystery of the answer hovers over all questions. (4)

Conceptual thinking is adequate when we are engaged in an effort to enhance our knowledge of the world. Situational thinking is necessary when we are engaged in an effort to understand issues on which we stake our very existence (5)

Religion is more than a creed or an ideology and cannot be understood when detached from acts and events. It comes to light in moments when one's soul is shaken with unmitigated concern about the meaning of all meaning, about one's ultimate commitment which is integrated with one's very existence; in moments when all foregone conclusions, all life-stifling trivialities are suspended. (7)

The chief danger to philosophy, apart from laziness and woolliness, is scholasticism, the essence of which is treating what is vague as if it were precise and trying to fit it into an exact logical category. (8)

If a religion claims to be true, it is under obligation to offer a criterion for its validity either in terms of ideas or in terms of events. (10)

Hypocrisy rather than heresy is the cause of spiritual decay (11).

Philosophy of religion as criticism of religion will not fulfill its function if it acts as an antagonist or as an imitator or rival. (11)

Since religion tends to become self-inflated and to disregard those aspects of reality which are not immediately relevant to dogma and ritual, it is the task of philosophy of religion to place religious understanding in relation to the entire range of human knowledge (12).

IT is the desire to reconcile philosophy and science with religion, attempts have often been made not only to prove that there are no conflicts between the doctrines imparted by revelation and the ideas acquired by our own reason, but also that they are intrinsically identical. Yet such reconciliation is not a solution but a dissolution in which religion is bound to fade away. (13)

If science and religion are intrinsically identical, one of them must be superfluous. In such reconciliation, religion is little more than bad science and naive morality. Its depth is gone, its majesty forgotten, its values become questionable. Its only justification is pedagogical, as a shortcut to philosophy, as a philosophy for the masses. (13)

The worship of reason is arrogance and betrays a lack of intelligence. The rejection fo reason is cowardice and betrays a lack of faith. (20)

The grand premise of religion is that man is able to surpass himself... that man who is conditioned by a multiplicity of factors is capable of living with demands that are unconditioned. (33)

The Greeks learned in order to comprehend. The Hebrews learned in order to revere. The modern man learns in order to use. (34)

Dazzled by the brilliant achievements of the intellect in science and technique, we have not only become convinced that we are the masters of the earth; we have become convinced that our needs and interests are the ultimate standard of what is right and wrong. (35)

There is no room is Biblical Hebrew for doubt; there are many expressions of wonder. Just as in dealing with judgments our starting point is doubt, wonder is the Biblical starting point in facing reality. The Biblical man's sense of the mind-surpassing grandeur of reality prevented the power of doubt from setting up its own independent dynasty. Doubt is an act in which the mind confronts the universe. Radical skepticism is the outgrowth of subtle conceit and self-reliance. Yet there was no conceit in the prophets and no self-reliance in the Psalmist. (98)

For the essence and greatness of man do not lie in his ability to please his ego, to satisfy his needs, but rather in his ability to stand above his ego, to ignore his own needs; to sacrifice his own interests for the sake of the holy. (117)

No other deficiency makes the soul more barren than the lack of a sense for the unique... True insight is a moment of perceiving a situation before it freezes into similarity with something else. (202)

There is more discernment in sensing the ineffable uniqueness of an event than in trying to explain it away by our stereotyped doubts. (202)

Two stones, two things in space may be alike; two hours in a person's life or two ages in human history are never alike. What happened once will never happen again in the same sense... It is ignorance of time, unawareness of the depth of events that leads to the claim that history repeats itself. (203)

A process has no future. It becomes obsolete and is always replaced by its own effects. We do not ponder about last year's snow... Great events, just as great works of art, are significant in themselves. Our interest in them endures long after they are gone. (211)

Does one generation have the right to commit all other generations to a covenant? Why must we feel committed, and to what? (213)

Socrates taught us that a life without thinking is not worth living. Now, thinking is a noble effort, but the finest thinking may end in futility... The Bible taught us that life without commitment is not worth living; that thinking without roots will bear flowers but no fruits. (216)

To say the obvious is not yet to speak truth. When the obvious and the Word stand in conflict, truth is the refusal to rest content with the facts as they seem. Truth is the courage to fathom the facts in order to see how they relate to the Word. (271)

We must beware of the obscurantism of a mechanical deference to the Bible. The prophetic words were given to us to be understood, not merely to be mechanically repeated. The Bible is to be understood by the spirit that grows with it, wrestles with it, and prays with it. (273)

The Bible is not an intellectual sinecure, and its acceptance should not be like setting up a talismanic lock that seals both tje mind and the conscience against the intrusion of new thoughts. Revelation is not vicarious thinking. ITs purpose is not to substitute for but to extend our understanding (273)

It is in deeds that man becomes aware of what his life really is, of his power to harm and ti hurt, to wreck and to ruin; of his ability to derive joy and to bestow it upon others; to relieve and to increase his own and other people's tensions. It is in the employment of his will, not in reflection, that me meets his own self as it is; not as he should like it to be. In his deeds man exposes his immanent as well as his suppressed desires, spelling even that which he cannot apprehend. What he may not dare to think, he often utters in deeds. The heart is revealed in the deeds. (284)

No one is mature unless he has learned to be engaged in pursiots which require discipline and self-control, and human perfectibility is contingent upon the capacity for self-control. (300)

The law, stiff with formality, is a cry for creativity; a call for nobility concealed in the form of commandments. It is not designed to be a yoke, a curb, a strait jacket for human action. (307)

**The book gives words to something I had a hard time finding in Mormonism, perhaps the closest equivalent being the letter and the spirit of the law. Halacha (something like law or commandments) and agada (inspiration and meaning):

Halacha represents the strength to shape one's life according to a fixed patter; it is a form-giving force. Agada is the expression of man's ceaseless striving which often defies all limitations. Halacha is the rationalization and schematization of living; it defines, specifies, sets measure and limit, placing life into an exact system. Agada deals with man's ineffable relations to God, to other men, and to the world. Halacha deals with details, with each commandment separately; agada deals with the whole of life, with the totality of religious life. Halacha deals with subjects that can be expressed literally; agada introduces us to a realm which lies beyond the range of expression. Halacha teaches us to perform common acts; agada tells us how to participate in the eternal drama. Halacha gives us knowledge; agada gives us inspiration. (336)

Trying to remain loyal to both aspects of Jewish living, we discover that the pole of regularity is stronger than the pole of spontaneity, and, as a result, there is a perpetual danger of our observance and worship becoming mere habit, a mechanical performance... It is a problem that concerns the very heart of religious living, and is as easy to solve as other central problems of existence (343)

Should we then despair because of our being unable to retain perfect purity? We should, if perfection were our goal. However, we are not obliged to be perfect once and for all, but only to rise again and again beyond the level of the self. Perfection is divine, and to make it a goal of man is to call on man to be divine. All we can do is to try to wring our hearts clean in contrition. Contrition begins with a feeling of shame at our being incapable of disentanglement from the self. To be contrite at our failures is holier than to be complacent in perfection. (403)

[Marcas]

So far, this is a most enjoyable meditation on the right relationship between philosophy and theology. At times in his oeuvre, at least for me, Heschel is most insightful and at times most infuriating. Thankfully, he is the former here and this book is filled with firecrackers. God in Search of Man is 'philosophy of religion' done right, like Dr Richard Creel's work, and a worthwhile read for the Christian as well as Jews and other scholars in the field. Actually, it would be good if the wider public read a book like this and it is a page-turner.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muitas reflexões sobre a relação homem/Deus, o Deus bíblico e o homem, a fé judaica, o serviço ao outro, o inefável, a liberdade, a prática da boa ação. Muitas referências aos costumes, termos e conceitos judaicos. O diferencial em relação a outros livros que tratam de espiritualidade é a abordagem mais analítica, mais abrangente, lançando questões que desafiam o senso comum e trazendo possíveis respostas. Não apresenta um caráter de solucionar as principais questões, mas de gerar um senso de responsabilidade diante do outro e de Deus (mesmo reconhecendo a limitação humana) no terreno das situações cotidianas. Após a leitura, fiquei com um sentimento de como um ser humano pode ser coerente em sua espiritualidade, exercendo-a de forma concreta e simultaneamente com um sentimento de estar sempre impotente diante do mistério que é inerente às questões maiores. Uma humildade responsável. Ou uma responsabilidade humilde.

[Ciara Alley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume, written by a Jewish rabbi and philosopher about the Jewish religion for Jewish people brought me the deepest and most beautiful understanding of who God is of anything I've ever read. It reads like a philosophy text, in that each chapter is a proof building upon the last to validate the thesis of a given section. But the ideas put forth are so replete with reverence, joy, and wonder that it feels like a love letter to Almighty God. This book is worth reading for anyone, religious or not, who desires a better understanding of the God of Israel.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any studious Christian.

[Brian Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading this in the 1990s, having not heard before of Heschel, I found each sentence quotable. The book is like an opus of quotations you could ruminate on, one-by-one, the rest of your life.

[Jordan Parmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a fantastic read. It is hard to summarize Heschel. His works are part poetry, part prose, part philosophy, part devotional, and part muse. His books are a flowing thought-stream filled with wisdom. This is the follow-up companion book to "Man Is Not Alone" although it is bigger and goes much deeper. Sometimes repetitive, sometimes work, but no doubt impactful.

"God in Search of Man" is a philosophy on Judaism...but it's also more. As I've said in other reviews of his works, I'm a Christian and not Jewish. But so much of what he writes is relevant to both the Jew and the Christian. At the heart of it all, we are presented with the reality of the nature between God and man. Heschel explores the nature of God's presence, mystery and awe, the meaning of God, the meaning of man, faith, revelation, and response.

"The quest for immortality is common to all men. To most of them the vexing question points to the future. Jews think not only of the end but also of the beginning. As parts of Israel we are endowed with a very rare, a very precious consciousness, the consciousness that we do not live in a void. We never suffer from harrowing anxiety and fear of roaming about in the emptiness of time. We own the past and are, hence, not afraid of what is to be. We remember where we came from. We were summoned and cannot forget it, as we wind the clock of eternal history. We remember the beginning and believe in an end. We live between two historic poles: Sinai and the Kingdom of God." (pg. 426)

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fascinating look at what it is to be a Jew. Would be a great book for Christians to see where some Christian philosophy originated from, and where it needs to go back to, in some cases. I thought it was very interesting that, where the Christian always goes back to the cross as the pivotal moment in history, the Jew goes back to Sinai. Not just because of the Torah being given, but because God himself came down and met the newly freed Israelites there. If you think Judaism is merely a legalistic doctrine that insists on following 10 commandments and 600+ specific rules laid out at Sinai, this book would challenge that assumption.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

After years of pretending I was reading this book - a chapter a year on Yom Kippur, if that, and gathering dust on my bedside table the rest of the time - lockdown finally prompted me to sit down and read a chapter a day. I’m glad I did. This is an inspiring, moving, magisterial exploration of what Judaism means and why it matters, dense but clearly and beautifully written, working through metaphor and simile and quotation and the author’s own clear, penetrating insights. It’s even occasionally laugh out loud funny.

[Skye Silverman · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book has taken me almost a year to finish. and it was worth every minute of it. Abraham Joshua Heschel continues to show what an incredible writer and purveyor of ideas he was.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been totally impressed with Heschel’s other book Man Is Not Alone , I made it a point to eventually read him again and was not disappointed with this equally profound work.

Personal Awareness Transcends Theology

Heschel is quick to point out that a major problem with theology is that it purports to have all the answers in advance, which deemphasizes the necessity for personal effort in scrutinizing the authenticity of one’s spiritual position. Much religious dogma has been expressed in an ancient language and then translated and re-translated many times; the surest way of misunderstanding it is to take it literally. Indeed, the world’s religious texts have been so literally abused that they are in need of being saved from their admirers.

We must beware of mechanical deference to religious texts; else they function like a talismanic lock that seals our minds against the introduction of new thoughts. Religion is not something to be preserved statically and forever in its current form; rather, it must evolve in time amidst the constant change and flux that enfolds us.

Words stand for different meanings in different situations. Perhaps there is no better proof of this than the exceedingly tragic fact that all three major religions of the world (Judaism, Christianity& Islam) embrace the Hebrew Bible; but somehow find themselves diametrically opposed to one another, in some cases to the extent of unprecedented violence. Christian persecution of the Jews didn’t end with the Inquisition; but extended through the holocaust, led by the Catholic Hitler, who was never abated by the Pope. Islam spread via conquering armies and exports terrorism to this day. Scripture itself attests to genocide conducted by the Jewish people and even today they displace other people-groups in the Mideast.

These practices reflect deep systemic errors of misinterpretation in the religious institutions that dominate the world; and which, quite frankly, need to be replaced with more righteous, modern theology. Religion should consecrate all men, not just some men. A more proper modern theology will applaud the diversity of the creation, instead of trying to convert the creation into a generic representation of one particular culture.

It is idolatry to blindly accept and rely upon merely inherited doctrines. Nothing should exempt us from the task of carefully examining the indoctrinations extended to us from our family and society. It is proper and natural to exhibit just suspicion for the inapplicability of obsolescent spiritual material.

Human knowledge is continually advancing and religious issues require progressive new relevance. Historically, traditional religions have been liable for distortions and corruptions that bleed into them from superstition, pride, self-righteousness, bias, prejudices and self-deception.

Clearly, man’s understanding of what is reasonable is subject to change. It didn’t seem unreasonable at the time for plantation owners to import slaves from Africa, for the Pope to accept monetary payments for indulgences, for Christians to persecute Jews, or for Catholic crusaders to wreak havoc upon the holy land. A reviewer of history might ask: will humankind ever honestly apply the Biblical teachings? All we have to do is look at our history to recognize our incapacity for applying them so far.

Those with a poor understanding of history too quickly surrender themselves to belief in immutable doctrines that perpetuate a quagmire of naïve narrowmindedness. But if historical reflection doesn’t open our eyes, then the glaring inability to conform ourselves to the demands of piety should.

Awareness Amplified

Personal awareness of God must involve appreciating God as sublime, wonderful and mysterious. And yet, we all naturally crave to satisfy every unknown and to unveil all that is hidden from us. With insatiable curiosity, humankind strives day after day to uncover answers to the unknown, unveiling new discoveries, and revealing amazing technologies. Nevertheless, the horror of our own power makes us afraid. We experience existential angst in the realization that our decision-making bears profound consequences in the world. If we open our eyes to closely examine what humans have so far done with the world, we are rightly horrified.

We eventually come to see that our efforts of discovery are miniscule in comparison to all that we do not know. One of man’s most glaring faults is an exaggerated consciousness of himself. We are all too busy applauding the feats of civilization instead of trembling at the immense horror of our history.

Relaxing the ego lets us see that divinity is obviously infinitely beyond ourselves. Divinity is of an essence which our words, our forms, our categories, our research, and our technologies cannot reach. And yet, we can sense divinity in sublime astonishment: perhaps when observing the bud of a tender herb springing forth, the beautiful beach serving as a bar to the sea, the infinite stars scattered about the clear night sky, or in countless other manifestations all around us.

When our callousness is removed, we better recognize the greatness of things that we previously took for granted. Heightened mindfulness makes us utter glorious praise for whoever or whatever has blessed us with awareness, which is a most profound gift. Ultimately, we come to see that the glory of awareness is less about uncovering the unknown and more about realizing that we ourselves are objects of divine thought.

Getting Beyond the Challenges

Being aware of the miracle of existence conquers the dullness of routine and brings greater sensitivity to our senses of taste, feeling, aroma, music and vision. Routine works to resist or dull our awareness; but we can conquer routine by invoking more than just five senses. Hybrid senses are available to us that can quickly diminish routine; these hybrid senses manifest within love, adventure, wisdom, learning, compassion, and sharing.

In addition to routine, all too many of us are beholden to mammon. The golden calf is but dead metal; suspended energy that is void of awareness; but which distracts us from the living miracles occurring all around us. The mesmerizing lure of mammon keeps most of us from bearing an active life, manifesting freewill, and synthesizing energy into goodness.

The golden calf provides no oxygen, food, water, or sustenance of any sort; and yet we routinely sacrifice the marvelous wonders of nature to facilitate its production. Day after day we sell ourselves into slavery for vanities and trinkets. We sacrifice valuable time for conducting acts of goodness in order to labor incessantly for the dead artifacts of the golden calf; even though the former provides infinite ripples of benefit, while the latter is nothing but mere illusion.

Awareness brings to consciousness a higher order that involves wholesome relationships with the other constituents of nature. Awareness doesn’t condemn diversity; it stands before diversity in awe, because diversity reflects ultimate creativity in divine thought. Awareness, and acceptance of the vast diversity, brings recognition of the immense preciousness of just being alive.

And ultimately, awareness leads us to realize that something is asked of us; a question that we can either answer or refuse to answer. Accepting repressive dogma is refusing to answer because it is accepting another’s response instead of mustering our own. To have faith is not to capitulate; but rather to rise to a higher plane of thinking. Our answer must be our own personal response to spirituality. Jesus demonstrated the disparity between faith and creed by relegating all of his writing into the dirt.

Theology teaches its adherents to obey what God wills but the more potent message is to ‘be what God is’, promoting goodwill with every step, joy with every interaction, using every attribute of the self to reflect God in this material existence.

The Mystery of Existence

There is so much more than we can see; but we enhance our sight with microscopes, telescopes, cameras, night-vision goggles, etc. We hear through wave technology and listen to the rumblings of the universe. We touch and manipulate viruses and the inner workings of cellular structures. We are naturally challenged to “seek” greater insight into the ultimate meaning and purpose of things. We indeed do "seek and find." and, as a result, we are inherently involved in the mystery of existence. It is humankind’s great privilege to bear the capacity to explore the worlds of time and space.

We are justified in inferring that other realities lay beyond us. Until we discovered the ability to see microbes, we were unaware of the countless, invisible, lifeforms actually living within us. The human microbiome is kept functioning via our health and wellbeing; therefore, our actions and decisions affect these unseen, living worlds. And we cannot dismiss the likelihood that countless, larger, unseen worlds may exist above us as well.

Moral responsibility therefore extends infinitely beyond our mere selves. We cannot, for example, smoke under the contention that it hurts no one else; because compromising our health affects the worlds within us and the worlds we are within. When we recognize these responsibilities, we gain a life that transcends the instincts of mere animality.

Once we gain a sense of responsibility to other life forms, we understand that it is senseless to spend our limited time alive in any manner other than sustaining our health, effectuating goodness, and conducting serious inquiry into understanding our environment and the nature of our being. Our lives occur within horizons that extend way beyond our mere existence, or even the existence of an entire generation, nation or era.

Comprehending God is much more than any one generation can bear. We grow, as a species, in our awareness of God, over time. Let us recognize our role in the present space/time; and understand that stale, static doctrines deform and paralyze the forward advance of humanity.

God as Creative Goodness

My beliefs separate markedly from Heschel in Chapter 12; where Heschel essentially segregates God from Goodness. This is contrary to the preponderance of scripture that largely utilizes the term “righteousness” as a synonym for God. Heschel’s position is that: if God is defined as that which concerns us the most, then God is but a symbol of man’s ultimate concern or a value, personified. But why, I ask, shouldn’t God be that which concerns us the most?

Heschel’s concept of God ends in assumptions. In contrast, I say God should be recognized in the way God chooses to be manifest to us. That manifestation is undoubtedly in compassion, love, goodness, serenity, sharing, justice, mercy, honesty and all the other reflections that make us greater and more noble spiritual beings. It is, by following these manifestations, that we find and come closer to God.

Like the ancient Greeks, Heschel insists on applying human attributes to God, insisting on referring to God as a ‘He’, in the human masculine tense. Heschel’s personification of God is clear throughout the book in his uttering such phrases as “hiding His face from us”, “trying to understand Him” or “His willingness to be approached”. Heschel takes this stance, even though the manifestations of God in scripture are inhuman, such as appearing in a burning bush, a fiery cloud, or a bellowing voice.

It is Heschel’s way of defining God that has resulted in much human division, in the form of wars, persecutions, inquisitions, genocide, holocausts and the like; because everyone wishes to personify congruent with their particular race or species. Heschel vacillates between an ineffable God and a personified God without ever reconciling the two, which can only be accomplished by acknowledging God’s ability to manifest in infinite forms.

It is an error to fail in recognizing that humankind exists in different cultures, languages, climates, ages and other broad diversities. The ways God reaches out to humankind are diverse. How can we assume all men experience the same reality at all times and at all places? How can we even know that what I see as the color blue you are not seeing as green or some other color, which we have been erroneously defining as congruent since birth? Contrary to the ethos of the dominant religious faiths of today, no race or theology holds a monopoly on God.

Humanity as Creative Thought

A better approach in modernity is to recognize humanity as God’s artwork. The ascending essence of man is of a higher expression, an artwork in process, a swirling mix of diverse brush strokes amidst the other aspects of creation. God is that which cares about what we are becoming. We should ask ourselves: are we a sluggish sort of paint that resists by clotting or are we overly diluted and running wildly about the canvas of creation? Or, are we smooth and non-resistant to the creative existence that brings defining brush strokes into our lives?

We participate in “becoming” by fostering our own malleability. Such malleability requires reducing the glare of our pride and self-contentment. But, will our ego even allow us to think of ourselves as merely a medium or thought of God?

Heschel points out that: “the voice that goes forth from above is uttered not in sounds but in thoughts”. Thought is an act of communication that takes place within the consciousness of humans. We have to admit that we really don’t know where the force of thought comes from and that we simply assume it to be our own. As catalysts for action, thoughts convey a power capable of directing matter and energy via instruction. But one must care what God has to say! Every day we should be receptive to directional assistance, wisdom, and instructions in how to make the creative will prevail in the world.

We may be little more than a thought of God, but even that makes us a part of God. My questions are: are we merely a passing thought or an enduring one? Do we ultimately become but a memory, dissolving, perhaps to someday be resurrected again for further refinement? Or, are we thoughts materializing into something built for a purpose so profoundly interrelated to preceding and succeeding thoughts that it vastly transcends our comprehension?

CONTINUED IN COMMENTS SECTION BELOW

[Eduardo Lima · Rating 5 out of 5]

o livro que mais grifei na vida, sem dúvida alguma. o rabino Heschel mergulha profundamente na filosofia da religião para escrever esse calhamaço sobre porque e como viver. a vida bíblica, ele ensina, é tanto de intenção quanto de ação, de interioridade e comunidade, no espaço e no tempo, no passado, no presente e sempre apontando para o futuro de liberdade e santidade. é sensacional.