The responsibilities of individuals in the society are clearly highlighted in the book, to heal a fractured world. Religious thoughts have been used as a tool to guide on the social responsibilities of individuals to other society members and humanity to attain moral and ethical living. The fourth chapter deals with the theory of love, which is viewed as a behavior rather than as an emotion.
He purports that to accomplish God’s work efficiently; love should be expressed in deeds. On the other hand, the sixth chapter entails the emphasis to have faith, which is regarded as a protest. Sacks’ argues that as much as God has granted an individual the power and will to decide freely on what suites the individual, sharing of virtues among individuals is essential in order to ensure good living. Sacks explain that responsibility ethics was among the most daring and distinctive proposals the Judaists had after being granted the gift of freedom to act.
This forms the basis of this book as he states that God empowers and entrusts individuals enabling them to choose between what is wrong and right (Sacks, p.78). However, the freedom should not influence the individual into superhuman actions as a way o imitating God’s power. Furthermore, the belief that an individual is responsible for his own deeds should be highly upheld as such actions affect the people around him. An individual’s action is responsible for the determination of understanding and faith of the human condition.
The theory of love, in chapter four, distinguishes the inequalities of the world, which include: - sickness, poverty, hunger and starvation, homelessness and unemployment. For the sake of love, Sacks proposes that economic and social inequalities are not divinely willed. The creations of human beings can be reverted to improve the life styles of other individuals as Sacks disputes that Torah laws places the responsibility and obligation on humans to enhance good living amongst them (Sacks, p.62). By putting love into action, the needy and poor are helped to live better lives.
Consequently, the individuals who express their love through actions are remembered by the society even after their death. Sacks utilizes life experiences to bring out the realities of his arguments. In the case of love as a deed, he states, “The aspiration to help is stronger than the ambition to have”. In addition, he argues that joy iis when an individual contributes to help another. When it comes to the issue of faith, he states, “Ethics has inclined to twirl inwards, becoming an issue of individual choice rather than communal responsibility” He also employs the use of stories such as the Chasidic story that advocates rapprochement among the Jewish as a manifestation of chesed since it is a prerequisite for Messiah’s coming (Sacks, p.
82).The development of arguments in both chapters is systematic as it follows the events encountered. Division of the chapters into sub topics enhances clarity of thoughts and knowledge. The utilization of questions to probe deep thinking and judgment of issues stimulates the diversification of the arguments in terms of solutions and criticism.
Nonetheless, chapter six emphasizes on aggressive approach to human matters while the fourth chapter proposes the expression of deeds of love, which is used to build the argument. The enlisting of such techniques is effective as a reader is presented with a challenge to participate in providing solutions to the asked questions. Moreover, the utilization of bible quotes boosts the reader’s knowledge concerning human developments over the ages.
