Christopher Arnold

“To be a Jew is to affirm the world without being enslaved to it; to be a part of civilization and to go beyond it; to conquer space and to sanctify time. Judaism is the art of surpassing civilization, sanctification of time, sanctification of history. Civilization is on trial. Its future will depend upon how much of the Sabbath will penetrate its spirit.”
― Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism

“What is the Sabbath?2 A reminder of every man’s royalty; an abolition of the distinction of master and slave, rich and poor, success and failure. To celebrate the Sabbath is to experience one’s ultimate independence of civilization and society, of achievement and anxiety. The Sabbath is an embodiment of the belief that all men are equal and that equality of men means the nobility of men. The greatest sin of man is to forget that he is a prince. The Sabbath is an assurance that the spirit is greater than the universe, that beyond the good is the holy.”
― Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism

“We must constantly remember: we spoil and God restores. How ugly is the way in which we spoil, and how good and how beautiful is the way in which He restores.”
― Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism

“The Bible is to be understood by the spirit that grows with it, wrestles with it, and prays with it.”
― Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism