“Abraham heard the vast realm of the divine calling to existence: ‘Be illumined; calling to every particular being: Fill yourself with happiness, greatness, loftiness, peace, good, strength, love and delight.’…
The Jewish people took this aspiration as the basis of its national existence, as conditioned by its historic destiny. Thus, out of the free moral impulses-the universal moral system- were drawn the bases for the establishment of the faith of Israel…Morality is not centered merely in good deeds on a societal level. Morality is primarily a refined, inner disposition within the soul to seek the good, the absolute good, to be good in oneself, to cleave to the good…
Our strong commitment to assure the continuity of Judaism, with its ideas and pattern of behavior, together with its corporate self on its land, stems from the widespread recognition by our people that we still have a long distance to travel to complete what we began. We began to say something of immense importance among ourselves and to the world, but we have not yet completed it. We are in the midst of our discourse, and we do not wish- and we are unable- to stop…. Only a people that has finished what it started can descend from the stage of history, when its vision has been fully disclosed to the world. To begin and not to finish–this is not in accordance with the rhythm in existence…
Out of its inner depths the Jewish people will yet sound the same call that was issued by the rock from which it was hewn [Abraham]. Out of its awareness of light and happiness, out of its profound compassion for every afflicted soul, for every confused creature, for the forms of national, social and moral life that proceed on paths full of entangling thorns, because of the absence of a source of light to reveal to them that yearning for which the soul of all existence cries out in its pain, it will sound the call: ‘Seek me, search after me, and live.’…
A people has arisen, has begun to be a nation, that will release a flow of divine life to all worlds, a mighty people that has made a way in the stormy sea, that has paved an eternal pathway for the vitality of life that is distilled by attachment to God. “The God of Israel gives strength and firmness to people, praised be God.” (Psalms 68:36)
