Religion and the Individual - 9780521411387

Religion and the IndividualA Jewish Perspective\nAuthor(s): Louis Jacobs\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9780521411387, 978-0521411387\nSynopsis\nThe aim of this study is to demonstrate that, for all the admitted emphasis on peoplehood in the Jewish religious tradition, there are equally strong individualistic tendencies within Judaism which should not be confined to the sidelines. Dr Jacobs maintains that - in any balanced view of Judaism - it needs to be shown that what the individual does with his life has eternal significance for that same individual, not only for the Jewish people as a whole. Through a careful analysis of the primary texts, Jacobs conducts a thorough survey of some of the most important instances where the individual is discussed in the Jewish religious tradition. In so doing, his aim is not to elevate individualism at the expense of the Jewish community, but rather to show t.