We know that eternity preceded us and infinity will come after us, yet we know also that this day, this moment, this place, this circumstance is full of the light of infinite radiance, whose proof is the mere fact that we are here to experience it.

Jonathan Sacks

Light of Infinite Radiance

Topic: Truth, Law, & Principle

God is the personal dimension of existence, the “Thou’ beneath the ‘It’, the ‘ought’ beyond the ‘is’, the Self that speaks to self in moments of total disclosure when, opening ourselves to the universe, we find God reaching out to us. At that moment we make the life-changing discovery that, although we are utterly insignificant, we are also utterly significant, a fragment of God’s presence in the world. We know that eternity preceded us and infinity will come after us, yet we know also that this day, this moment, this place, this circumstance is full of the light of infinite radiance, whose proof is the mere fact that we are here to experience it. At its height, faith is none other than the transfiguring knowledge that, ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for You are with me.’

Knowing, we are known. Feeling, we are felt. Acting, we are acted upon. Living, we are lived. If we make ourselves transparent to existence, then our lives too radiate that Divine presence which, celebrating life, gives life to those whose lives we touch.”

Jonathan Sacks

Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks, was born on March 8, 1948, in Lambeth, London. He became a notable British Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, author, and politician. From 1991 to 2013, he served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, playing a pivotal role in guiding and representing Jewish communities across the region.

Beyond his leadership in the Jewish community, Sacks was deeply passionate about character education, morality, and the importance of family. He frequently emphasized the role of ethical teachings in forming well-rounded individuals and believed in the necessity of strong family bonds for a stable society. An accomplished author, his books often explored the intersections of faith, morality, and contemporary challenges, aiming to make religious insights relevant to a wide audience. These works not only resonated within religious circles but also found acclaim in academic and political spheres due to their timely and profound insights.

Sacks passed away on November 7, 2020, in London. His legacy, marked by interfaith dialogue, advocacy for character education, and a steadfast commitment to the Jewish community, continues to inspire many. He is survived by his wife, Elaine Taylor Sacks, whom he married in 1970.

(1948-2020) Judaism

Sacks, Jonathan. "Celebrating Life: Finding Happiness in Unexpected Places." Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000.

Jonathan Sacks

Theme: The Light of Truth

About This Jonathan Sacks Quotation [Commentary]

Jonathan Sacks begins by setting human life between immensities: “eternity preceded us and infinity will come after us.” Yet these words do not lessen the present moment. They help us see it more clearly. “This day, this moment, this place, this circumstance” is “full of the light of infinite radiance,” and the proof is simple and immediate: “the mere fact that we are here to experience it.” In the light of Truth, our lives may be brief, but they are not without meaning.

The surrounding passage keeps the same sequence of thought and brings it closer. Jonathan Sacks speaks of God as the “Thou beneath the ‘It’,” the “ought” beyond the “is,” the “Self that speaks to self in moments of total disclosure.” When we open ourselves to the universe, we “find God reaching out to us.” Then comes the central discovery: “although we are utterly insignificant, we are also utterly significant.” Jonathan Sacks holds both together. We are small within creation, yet also “a fragment of God’s presence in the world.” This is why the radiance of the moment is not a passing feeling. It is bound to the truth that finite lives can bear divine presence.

Jonathan Sacks then gives faith a deeply relational form: “Knowing, we are known. Feeling, we are felt. Acting, we are acted upon. Living, we are lived.” Faith is not separation, but nearness. Even in “the valley of the shadow of death,” the sustaining truth is: “You are with me.” Here The Light of Truth becomes clear in lived experience. If we become “transparent to existence,” our lives too may “radiate that Divine presence which, celebrating life, gives life to those whose lives we touch.” Jonathan Sacks leads back to this day, this place, and this circumstance, now seen in the light of God’s nearness.

More from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks [Excerpt from “Where we let Him in”]

“Rabbi Menahem Mendel of Kotzk (1787-1859) was one of the most remarkable figures of the populist Jewish mystical movement known as Hassidism. Angular, unconventional, passionate in his search for truth, he was compared by the late A. J. Heschel to his Christian near-contemporary, Søren Kierkegaard. Both were complex and tormented figures who spent their lives, like the biblical Jacob, ‘wrestling with God and with men’.

It is said that on one occasion, at the third Sabbath meal, when the atmosphere of the holy day is at its most intense, the rabbi turned to his disciples and asked, ‘Where does God live?’

They were stunned by the strangeness of the question. ‘What does the rabbi mean, “Where does God live?” Where does God not live? Surely we are taught that there is no place devoid of His presence. He fills the heavens and the earth.’

‘No,’ said the rabbi. ‘You have not understood. God lives where we let Him in.’

That story has always seemed to me more profound than many learned volumes of theology. God is there, but only when we search. He teaches, but only when we are ready to learn. He has always spoken, but we have not always listened. The question is never, ‘Where is God?’ It is always, ‘Where are we?” The problem of faith is not God but mankind. The central task of religion is to create an opening in the soul.”

―Sacks, Jonathan. “Celebrating Life: Finding Happiness in Unexpected Places.” Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000. p. 83.

Light of Infinite Radiance

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