More from Books

 From “Here All Along” by Sarah Hurwitz:

“We consult the news sources and engage with the social media that confirm our own points of view, and algorithms just keep showing us more of what we like.  As a result, we’re becoming narrower-minded and more convinced of our own unimpeachable rightness.”

“This belief that every single one of us is created in the image of God has been cited as the defining Jewish idea, the beating heart of the entire Jewish enterprise.  And you don’t have to believe in any kind of deity or higher power to appreciate its implications.  Drawing on an ancient Jewish teaching, Rabbi Yitz Greenberg argues that this idea is shorthand for the three fundamental truths, which he deems the ‘three inalienable dignities:

1.    We are each of infinite worth – no one is expendable, and we cannot quantify the value of any human life.

2.    We are all fundamentally equal – no human being is any more important than any other human being.

3.    We are each totally unique – there is no one else like us, and no one is interchangeable with anybody else.”

“Other than monotheism, there is no universally accepted Jewish creed or article of faith defining the Divine.”

“When we stray from our tradition of questioning and wrestling, we can easily slide into extremism, believing that we alone possess the truth and distorting the Divine image to fit our own small purposes.  This is a most unfortunate form of idolatry.”