The collection of essays in this first volume of a two-volume set devoted to the examination of sacred time and space in Judaism represents the exquisite work of renowned Judaic scholars. The excellent scholarship represented in this and the volume to follow are expressive of the commitment to intellectual inquiry and the transmission of knowledge. These essays ask and examine such essential questions as: What constitutes holiness, sacredness, sanctity? What do our foundational texts say about holiness? How has the Jewish people understood the notion of the sacred throughout history? What constitutes a holy people? Is that quality an intrinsic or created, or even an earned status? The contributors to these volumes grapple with these and many other challenging questions as they seek to contribute to the continued flourishing of Jewish life and the quest of the Jewish people individually and collectively to seek a sacred existence in space and time.
