The article discusses the need for passionate engagement in Judaism and Jewish life, noting the challenges of assimilation and disinterest among young Jews.

In 1840, amid a theological dispute within Protestantism regarding the relationship between the Old and New Testaments and Judaism and Christianity, Chief Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch challenged the notion of a rational, ethical God in the New Testament contrasted with a tribal, magic-using God in the Old.

The text discusses the experiences of Moravian Jews in the Habsburg Empire during the 19th century, focusing on figures like Samson Raphael Hirsch and the challenges faced by the Jewish communities in Moravia.

Leora Batnitzky's book "How Judaism Became a Religion" offers a fresh perspective on the evolution of modern Jewish thought, focusing on the shift towards defining Judaism as a religion as a response to the challenges of European modernity.

Judith Shulevitz discusses the concept of a modern version of the Sabbath in her book "The Sabbath World," exploring the idea of ritualized behavior to pause the chaos of daily life, even if not tied to religious beliefs.