'The Triumph of Life': Reimagining the relationship between God and humanity - review

Greenberg’s essay “Cloud of Smoke, Pillar of Fire” (1974) – in which he describes the only authentic experience of faith after the Holocaust as “dialectical,” oscillating between faith confirming redemption, which is embodied by the modern State of Israel, and the doubt-inducing, haunting image of the burning children in Auschwitz – resonated deeply with me, reflecting the faith of my grandfather, a Buchenwald survivor.

A decade later, I began my doctoral studies, which focused on the relationship between Greenberg’s post-Holocaust and postmodern theology. While my initial impression of his work was that it was radical, I came to realize that rather than diminishing halachic obligation, as some progressive views do, Greenberg’s emphasis on human agency broadens the scope of halachic engagement while maintaining a deep commitment to its core principles.

I highly recommend it to the lay reading public for whom it was written. It’s no overstatement to say that this book has the potential to transform how we think about Torah, Judaism, Halacha, and our role in the world.

At a time when Judaism in general, and Orthodoxy in particular, are grappling with myriad challenges, Greenberg’s book offers an important and edifying contribution that invites the reader to reimagine the relationship between God and humanity.

The book integrates his core ideas – covenant, the image of God, the value of life, and tikkun olam (repairing the world) – developed over decades of stand-alone essays and lectures, into a comprehensive treatise that seamlessly weaves together Jewish history, theology, and halachic reasoning within an overarching framework.

The book is divided into three sections.

In Part One, Greenberg lays out how the vision of tikkun olam – a perfected world where humans, created in the image of God, are equal, dignified, and endowed with freedom. This vision mirrors the divine rhythms of creation: from chaos to order, non-life to life, and from lesser to greater quality of life.

Humanity is tasked with the sacred mission of “rolling back the realm of death” through incremental change and an unwavering commitment to the value of life. The advancement of life through human activities is the central interpretive principle of Judaism, the goal toward which every commandment, tradition, ritual, and ethical value ultimately strives.

At a time when ideals of death and martyrdom are valorized as a religious ideal, and when the threats of AI and post-truth culture loom large in modern society, Greenberg’s Jewish vision acts as a panacea and a provocation:

“Judaism’s covenantal tradition insists that martyrdom is a last resort; it is the religious nuclear option… Living for God, not dying for God, is the highest calling of religious life. This is why every law in the Torah, every tradition, is intended to guide people to act on the side of life,” he writes

IN PART TWO, Greenberg examines how we can work toward repairing the world: bridging the gap between the imperfect present and the ideal future, without succumbing to the extremes of radical revolution or passive religiosity.

He argues that the key lies in the biblical concept of covenant, which offers a framework based on core principles: freedom over coercion, partnership, and gradual, incremental change. He further suggests that the covenant has evolved through three distinct stages, which he illustrates using the paradigm of a parent-child relationship.

In the first phase, God reaches out to Israel as a parent to a child: “God performed many tasks for God’s human partners… God was very much the controlling partner in the brit,” he writes.

This era, marked by direct divine intervention, sees humanity in a largely passive role, expressing faith through sacrifices and priestly rituals, much like a child who is dependent on parental guidance.

The rabbinic era represents a shift. As in the natural progression of a maturing child, the “parent” steps back, creating space for growth and autonomy. By God’s will, religious authority moves from prophets to rabbis and scholars.

“Recognizing that they were now capable of living at a higher, more responsible level of religious life, God became less transcendent and more hidden – yet immanent – in Jewish life,” he writes.

IN THE THIRD part of the book, Greenberg develops what our current era, the third stage of covenant, looks like: The partnership with the divine, much like the mature stage of a parent-child relationship, has reached its pinnacle. God is fully hidden, yet human consciousness of the divine has expanded as we intuit His presence in distinctive ways.

Miracles are more present than ever, but God operates completely through human endeavor and natural laws, in medicine, science, and intellectual achievements. Obedience to the covenant is no longer driven by expectations of reward but by a mature appreciation of the relationship itself.

However, with the rise of human power, there is more risk of power being abused, with the Holocaust standing as a devastating example. It was not only an assault on the Jewish people but also a profound attack on the very principle of the sanctity of life itself.

He also grapples with the ongoing challenges of covenantal life in the modern era, such as feminism, pluralism, antisemitism, and the ethical boundaries of power. He challenges us to rethink some of our accepted understandings and invites us to embrace a more nuanced and expansive religious vision.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel famously said, “We do not need textbooks but text-people.” Throughout his 91 years, Greenberg has exemplified what it means to be a text-person, living out the ethical and moral principles of Judaism through his lifelong social activism and in his every encounter with others.