抄録
Buber believed that the sickness of western society, which gave rise to the horrors of two world wars, had its roots in the separation of the holy from everyday life. He saw the possibility of healing in the Hasidic idea of hallowing every act and relationship by dedicating all of life to God. Although he used various modes of expression to transmit this message, his consistent emphasis on true mutual relationship reflected his belief that we meet God, or ‘being’, or ‘The Eternal You,’ only through our interactions with our fellow creatures in the concreteness of daily life.
Buber’s thought can be seen as the meeting point of two historical processes. One was the separation of the holy from the secular, a process which began thousands of years ago and increased in momentum during the last few centuries. This phenomenon was closely related to the exclusion of women from religious, economic and political roles. The other process was the history of the Jewish people, whose religion emphasized the hallowing of daily life. This tradition was manifested in the life and thought of the Hasidic communities of eastern Europe.
