SPEakinG UP foR GoD


The GreaT ParTnershiP – GoD, sCienCe anD The searCh for MeaninG Jonathan SackS hodder & Stoughton, 2011, 384pp, hb, £17.99


JuDaisM – aWay of BeinG DaviD GElERntER Yale University Press, 2011, 248pp, pb, £12.99


Reviewed by DavidWeitzman


partnership. Sacks urges us not to take the Bible too literally, but when the creation sequence in Genesis is in such conflict with science, howmuch flexibility is allowed before the premise that these are God’s true words becomes unsustainable? Sacks describes his personal journey to


God and presents an elegant and eloquent appeal on behalf of God and religion. Although the focus is on Judaism, the message links to all threeAbrahamic religions, and Sacks sees beauty and wisdomin all faiths. There is some lovelywriting here,


for example on the relationship between Adamand Eve, and his interpretation of the binding of Isaac. Sacks confesses, “I fear religion . . .when it becomes involved in partisan politics”, perhaps speaking from experience. “We needmoderates . . . people capable of under standing cognitive pluralism . . .who can listen to views not their own.”


“Bravo”,we cry, but can Sacks leadAnglo- Jewry into this utopian harmony? Sacks is obviouslymore at home with


“There’s probably no God” was the 2009 British HumanistAssociation slogan posted on UK buses. That, and a spate of anti-God books, prompted Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks’s latest book. Donning his philosopher’s cloak, armed with an impressive breadth of knowledge and scholarship,marshalling the forces of both reason and emotion, and with God firmly in tow, he sets forth to do battle with atheism. Yet this is nomilitant theism, but a


well-reasoned case for faith. Sacks argues throughout that only religion provides a structure for individuals and societies to lead moral, just andmeaningful lives. The title suggests a partnership between


God (and religion) and science in searching formeaning, a partnership that is insufficiently developed in the book. Sacks views science and religion as distinct but complementary. “Science takes things apart to see howtheywork.Religion puts things together to seewhat theymean.” Sacks fails to explore any synergy between the two, and it’s hard to envisage a partnershipwhen “religion refuses to compromise”. It’s also an unequal partnership.Religion dominates the pages, science being relegated to aminor role. Sacks appears comfortable with the key


issue of evolution, accepting thatman evolved froma primal cell, finally arriving on the scene to discover a guiding God waiting for him. But all is not easy for the


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religion and philosophy than science. He is too harsh in denying science a role in probingmeaning and purpose.After all, evenmolecules have a purpose within life’s overall biochemistry. He discounts the role of chance in scientific discovery, yet for two of his heroes, Crick andWatson, chance was a key factor in getting themto the structure of DNAand their Nobel prizes. Sacks wrongly attributes the discovery of DNAto Crick andWatson (actually Friedrich Miescher – Crick andWatson discovered DNA’s three-dimensional structure). Forgivable, perhaps, but regrettable. Sacks provides an abundance of notes


and guides to further reading but, sadly, no index. It’s a book for going back to, and an index would facilitate locating passages of particular interest. StrictlyOrthodox Jewsmay be unsettled


by Sacks’s criticismof fundamentalism, his acceptance of evolution and the ancient origin of the earth, and by his appeal for pluralism. But the passion and sincerity of Sacks’s commitment to the link between religion and amoral andmeaningful life are palpable. How persuasive they are will depend on the reader. Itmay strengthen your belief, it will certainly encourage you to think about faith and, for committed non- believers, it will perhaps give you a sympathetic feel for what followers gain fromtheir faith.Whatever your view, the “search formeaning” continues.


In contrast to Sacks’s more academic, philosophical and rational approach, David Gelernter, a professor of computer science, adopts an unashamedly emotional and romantic, image-led interpretation of Judaism. He opens with “This is a book . . . unlike any other book on Judaism”, which resonates with the Passover Haggadah’s “Why is this night different from all other nights?” Like the Haggadah, Gelernter follows with four questions which he then develops within four themes. In ‘Separation’, he touches on the


significance of separation – “pulling against nature’s current” – across the wide sweep of Jewish practice, bringing a sense of overall meaning to Judaism’s intricate rituals. In ‘Veil’, he sees God and man separated by an impervious veil that allows “transcendence and intimacy to co-exist.” In ‘Perfect asymmetry’, he explores the complementary relationships between man and woman, constructing a strong case for the completeness of a married couple. But this leaves the single and widowed vulnerably incomplete, and I would have preferred to see them offered a way out of their asymmetry. In ‘Inward pilgrimage’, Gelernter


promises to deal with the question of evil, but becomes endlessly distracted by the experiences and struggles ofAbraham, Moses, Jacob and ordinary people searching for God. The question of a just and merciful God allowing evil is barely touched on, and most unsatisfactorily, with cop-outs such as “Jews do not believe in a ‘God of history’” and “the problem is not why God allows evil but why man allows it.” This ignores all the evil that is beyond the power of mankind to control – plagues, diseases and natural disasters. Gelernter guides the reader to the


construction of visual, mental images to represent the four themes. He argues persuasively that Judaism relies heavily on imagery, and employs it generously throughout the book. Likening the wholeness of Judaism to a mosaic, he stresses the importance of not damaging any individual piece for fear of diminishing the whole picture. Like Sacks, Gelernter writes with a


passion for God and Judaism. Some may not swallow entirely his creative imagination. Others will find it stimulating and satisfying, perhaps even enriching their own faith and practice.


JEWiSh REnaiSSancE octobER 2011


b o o k S


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