Les bâtisseurs du temps

by Abraham Joshua Heschel

La langue hbraque ne possde point de mot pour dire chose, et les Juifs disent bon pour beau. Manquent-ils de sens esthtique, ne savent-ils point compter Ou, plus simplement, leur domaine est-il autre La civilisation, rpond Abraham Heschel, n'est pas simplement une technique ddie la puissance de l'homme; elle ne se mesure pas l'entassement des objets, ni l'accumulation des connaissances. C'est un certain art de matriser le temps, d'introduire le sacr dans nos travaux et dans nos jours. Tel est l'art de vivre qu'ont difi les Juifs et que le Sabbat continue nous enseigner.

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Abraham Joshua Heschel was a Polish-born Jewish-American rabbi, theologian, philosopher, poet, and one of the most influential Jewish thinkers of the twentieth century. Raised in a distinguished Hasidic family in Warsaw, he received a traditional yeshiva education before pursuing advanced studies in philosophy and Jewish scholarship in Berlin, where he earned a doctorate and rabbinic ordination. Alongside his academic work, he wrote Yiddish poetry and developed an intellectual approach that combined classical Jewish tradition with modern philosophical inquiry. Following his arrest and deportation from Germany during the Nazi persecution of Jews, Heschel briefly returned to Poland before escaping to London and eventually immigrating to the United States in 1940. Many members of his family perished during the Holocaust, an experience that profoundly shaped his moral outlook and religious thought. After teaching at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, he joined the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York, where he served for the rest of his career as professor of Jewish ethics and mysticism. Heschel gained international recognition through influential books including Man Is Not Alone, God in Search of Man, The Sabbath, The Prophets, and Who Is Man?, works that explored faith, revelation, prayer, prophecy, and the relationship between humanity and God. Drawing on the Hebrew prophets, Hasidic spirituality, Kabbalah, and medieval Jewish philosophy, he emphasized wonder, reverence, and the belief that religious life must unite intellectual reflection with ethical action. His writings argued that God seeks a relationship with humanity and that genuine spirituality demands compassion, justice, and responsibility rather than mere ritual observance. Heschel rejected purely legalistic interpretations of Judaism, insisting that inner devotion and moral sensitivity were inseparable from religious practice. Beyond scholarship, he became a prominent public voice for human rights and social justice. Inspired by the prophetic tradition, he actively supported the American Civil Rights Movement, marching beside Martin Luther King Jr. in the historic Selma to Montgomery march, an experience he famously described by saying that he felt as though his "feet were praying." He also spoke forcefully against racial segregation, poverty, and the Vietnam War, believing that religious conviction required engagement with the moral crises of society. Heschel further played an important role in improving relations between Jews and Christians by advising representatives of the Catholic Church during the Second Vatican Council, helping encourage changes in teachings concerning Judaism. His commitment to interfaith dialogue reflected his conviction that no single religious community possesses a monopoly on spiritual truth and that authentic faith fosters mutual respect. Through his scholarship, teaching, public activism, and enduring literary legacy, Heschel transformed modern Jewish thought while influencing theologians, philosophers, religious leaders, civil rights advocates, and readers around the world. His works continue to inspire discussions of spirituality, ethics, human dignity, and the enduring responsibility to unite contemplation with courageous action in the pursuit of justice.