The title may appear glib or snarky to some, but that is not how it is intended.? It simply reflects the desire to see us all open our hearts and minds not only to an ever wider understanding of wisdom, but also to seeing the deep inter-relatedness of various wisdom systems and teachers.
According to tradition, both Jesus and Isaac Newton were born on December 25th, something I find quite interesting and even inspiring.? For me, each are world-transforming teachers who shaped the world for the better, no matter what faith we follow.
While Christmas will, appropriately, be filled with teachings from Jesus, I would not want to miss the opportunity to share some teachings from Newton as well.? In fact, Newton, who is buried in London’s Westminster Abbey, was a deeply religious man, and his grave site is marked by statues celebrating that both faith and science are sacred revelations and discoveries.
There is something quite profound in the coincidence of these two birthdays, especially in a world in which the proponents of deep faith and deep commitment to science are so often and often so needlessly at each other’s throats. I can’t speak for Jesus, but I am quite comfortable saying that the man who said the following words would want us to do better.
“We build too many walls and not enough bridges.”
“No great discovery was ever made without a bold guess.”
“If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants.”
“Don’t doubt the Creator, because it is inconceivable that accidents alone could be the controller of this universe.”
Wherever you find yourself this December 25th, and however you celebrate the day, if at all, these are words of wisdom worth taking not only into our minds, but into our hearts as well.
Listed for many years in Newsweek as one of America’s “50 Most Influential Rabbis” and recognized as one of our nation’s leading “Preachers and Teachers,” by Beliefnet.com, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield serves as the President of Clal–The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a training institute, think tank, and resource center nurturing religious and intellectual pluralism within the Jewish community, and the wider world, preparing people to meet the biggest challenges we face in our increasingly polarized world.
An ordained Orthodox rabbi who studied for his PhD and taught at The Jewish Theological Seminary, he has also taught the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs an ongoing seminar, and American Jewish University. Rabbi Brad regularly teaches and consults for the US Army and United States Department of Defense, religious organizations — Jewish and Christian — including United Seminary (Methodist), Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (Modern Orthodox) Luther Seminary (Lutheran), and The Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative) — civic organizations including No Labels, Odyssey Impact, and The Aspen Institute, numerous Jewish Federations, and a variety of communal and family foundations.
Hirschfield is the author and editor of numerous books, including You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism, writes a column for Religion News Service, and appears regularly on TV and radio in outlets ranging from The Washington Post to Fox News Channel. He is also the founder of the Stand and See Fellowship, which brings hundreds of Christian religious leaders to Israel, preparing them to address the increasing polarization around Middle East issues — and really all currently polarizing issues at home and abroad — with six words, “It’s more complicated than we know.”