The Moral Universe

“Creating a mindless universe, implies the Torah, is easy. In Genesis, it takes a mere thirty-four verses. Creating a social order in which free human beings act justly and compassionately is difficult. This is why the story of Sinai takes fifty-nine chapters. At the beginning of time God spoke the laws that frame the natural universe. At Sinai He spoke the laws that shape the moral universe, inviting the Israelites to construct a society that would serve as a pilot project for humanity as a whole.”

Ceremony & Celebration, pp. 285-286