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An Upcoming Discussion-as-Sermon Series: “The Way of Humanity” by Jewish philosopher Martin Buber

01/16/2024 12:36:45 PM

Jan16

Join us for these discussion-sermons during Shabbat worship on January 19, February 9, March 22, April 12, May 17, and June 14.

“God wishes to come to the world but wishes to do so through humans. The mystery of our existence is that humankind does have this superhuman potential.” So offers Martin Buber, one of the most influential Jewish philosophers of the 20th century, in “The Way of Humanity According to Chasidic Teaching.”

Buber presented a six-part lecture series, first to a radio audience in Palestine in 1945, then again to a Dutch socialist workers organization in 1947. He shared six Chasidic tales that compelled people—in the shadow of the Holocaust and on the brink of the creation of the state of Israel—to examine how to bring the best of human spirit to any given moment of need, and how those acts would bring God into personal relationships.

On the Friday evenings listed above, during in-person and online worship, I will offer learning about this thinker, the Chasidic tales he studied, and the lessons that we can learn today from his midrashim, almost 60 years after Buber’s death and almost 80 years after his original observations. He presents each tale as an opportunity to learn from tradition and to apply those lessons to our lives. It is a message worth examining today. 

Buber is neither a messianist nor a guru. Rather, he encourages us to search for a way where humanity can connect with one another, the result being deeper relationship with others and a possible connection with God. Buber’s God is found in relationship: a god who accompanies us through our lives, and a god who pushes us to be involved and engaged with the world.

April 29, 2024 21 Nisan 5784