Customer Reviews

Man Is Not Alone : A Philosophy of Religion

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A profound work that reflects on how man can apprehend God and have an encounter with the ineffable, and the radical amazement that man experiences when experiencing the presence of the Divine. Heshcel's major themes include the problems of doubts and faith; What Judaism means by teaching that God is One; The essence of man and the problem of man's needs. He discusses the definition of religion in genral, and of Judaism in specific, man's yearning for spirituality; Judaism as a pattern for life, and a study of what piety really is. One of the few books to reecive accolades from Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews, as well as many Christians.

Heschel's book is a description of faith rather than an argument for faith: not an attempt to persuade the faithless, but an explanation of how the religious person thinks. I especially liked his discussion of prayer and ritual; Heschel explains, for example, that set written prayers exist to help us think about our faith as we read them. MUCH easier to read than his more famous book "God In Search Of Man"; I wish I had read this book first.

A thinking person who doesn't believe in God, someone who is searching for God, or a believer who wants to know God more deeply -- all will be touched by this profound portrayal of "the One who IS." It is a beautifully written treasure of wisdom.

I first encountered Heschel as a college senior in 1971, when my teacher, Rabbi Morton Fierman of Santa Ana, CA, taught a course in Heschel. We students were Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians, agnostics, and a few Jews, and Heschel transformed our lives. I have celebrated the Ineffable ever since, and viewed Yahweh with Radical Amazement. To climax the course, we met Heschel at Whittier College. I recommend his books to anyone interested in spirituality. We need him in the 21st Century.

This is a profound work. It is written by a Hasidic philosopher- poet. It is a work of reflections and these reflections require commentary. I would not say that I understand the work, but I do say that in the presence of this kind of writing one feels a certain holiness. I think the best way to demonstrate this is by citing one passage. It is from the section ' In the Presence of God'" The pious man is possessed by his awareness of the presence and nearness of God.Everywhere and at all times he lives in His sight, whether he remains always heedful of His proximity or not. He feels embraced by God's mercy as by a vast encircling space. Awareness of God is as close to him as the beating of his own heart, often deep and calm but at times, overwhelming, intoxicating, setting the soul afire"
Clearly Heschel the grandson of the Atper Rav (The Lover of Israel) was such a soul on fire with the presence of God. " May that fire warm and light the way to those of us not as close, not as sure but still striving to come closer to G-d.

I am writing this review forty years after I read the book. A short portion of the book has stayed in my mind so forcefully that it directs what religious faith I have. I am a Protestant Christian Episcopalian but this book steers me. I have thought that a true God would not have required his subjects to read man-written tomes such as the Bible or Koran to guide his faith but the God would communicate directly with the subject. This book makes that point so well that it has stayed with me ever since I read it. When I read the book there was a considerable portion that did not interest me and still does not, but Heschel's points that Man has a sense of "the ineffable" and that in the sentence structure equivalent of Man and God, God can be the only subject of the sentence while man can only be the object. Read the book to have this explained -- and the explanation is brief. This book has influenced my thinking for my entire life (of 74 years so far.)

Although I am not Jewish, infact I am an Evangelical Christian, I found this a remarkable book. Heschel was a very gifted man. His insights to the Hebrew scriptures, and indeed towards God, are powerful in their simplicity and their complexity. Read Heschel, don't be afraid, he will expand you mind, and your heart. YET Your convinctions will remain firm. Buy this book, approach it with an open mind, you ll be heartily rewarded!

No only is this book for the person already knowledgeable about Jewish practise and belief, but it is also for one who has lost spiritual moorings and is looking for meaning and hope.

I first read bits of Man Is Not Alone in the 70s, but only today read through a just purchased copy of this lyrical reflection on religion and doubt, belief and faith, man and God, the Ineffable and Jewish tradition. Why I didn't take in more of Heschel's obvious wisdom on my first encounter with him long ago is unclear, but its clear to me now that this book, written in 1951, will continue to be appreciated as a spiritual classic for generations to come.

Man is not Alone is an extremely valuable read for "the searcher" who knows only the modern world of the the 21st century. For those who are receptive, Heschel hits certain core aspects of the self that can change one's perspective of the world in which they live permanently. I am not going to provide specific examples from his chapters because when reading Heschel one is convinced of the inability of language to express all of our human longings. Read the book with an open mind and an open heart. Hopefully, Heschel's words will affect you in the profound way they have affected me.