Sunday, April 28, 10 am, Temple Emanuel
The Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Tidewater Community Book Club will continue with its second book, The Great Partnership: Science, Religion and the Search for Meaning, which was a National Jewish Book Awards Finalist. Rabbi Sacks was the former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, a prolific writer, and one of the most globally influential rabbis in recent times.
The aim of the book club, a collaboration between the Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and area synagogues, is to reach across synagogues to create a community of learners interested in modern approaches to Judaism’s most significant questions while maintaining a connection to traditional sources.
The first book explored the role of Israel in Jewish thought and contemporary practice. The focus of The Great Partnership is to delve into the relationship between science and religion. Rabbi Sacks argues that both religion and science are essential for a complete understanding of the universe.
“Science teaches us where we come from, religion explains to us why we are here. Science is the search for explanation, religion is the search for meaning,” Sacks writes. While acknowledging that religion has sometimes caused harm, Sacks counters that the cure for bad religion is good religion and not no religion. Similarly, the cure for bad science is good science and not the abandonment of science.
Reconciling the scientific world with religion can challenge the belief structure of even the most committed.
The community is invited to participate in what promises to be an engaging journey with the Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Tidewater Community Book Club. Understanding science and religion can help live life with a sense of meaning and purpose. The discussion will be enhanced by reading the book before, but it is not required for meaningful participation.
To register, go to jewishva.org/sacksbookclub. Temple Emanuel is located at 424 25th St. in Virginia Beach.