I became one of [Moses Mendelssohn] defenders. But then I heard the words "Biblical criticism" again. And, of course, afterward, I studied it more closely.

When I say it doesn't make much difference, I mean in terms of the importance of the piece of literature.

I do not recall a Jewish home without a book on the table.

Mankind must remember that peace is not God's gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other.

It was like a page torn from a history book, from some historical novel about the captivity of babylon or Spanish Inquisition.

The Bible is interpreted by the Talmud. Except, in Rabbinic tradition, a Talmudic law has the weight of the Biblical law. Sometimes we say in a prayer, "Blessed are Thou, O God, who has ordered us and commended us," to do something. But you don't find that "something" in the Bible; you find it in the Talmud. So Talmudic law becomes as important as Biblical law.

I am not so naïve as to believe that this slim volume will change the course of history or shake the conscience of the world. Books no longer have the power they once did. Those who kept silent yesterday will remain silent tomorrow.