Rabbi Levinsky Sermon: January 30
Is Religion Universal?
Is religion universal? Across cultures and centuries, human beings keep returning to the same images—trees, paths, light, ascent, and return. Carl Jung called these archetypes “patterns of meaning” that arise wherever people wrestle with fear, hope, and mortality. Islam speaks of a Tree that warns against grasping eternity. Buddhism finds awakening beneath a tree of stillness. Judaism calls Torah a Tree of Life, lived through daily responsibility. The symbols differ, but the longing is shared. On Shabbat, we pause to remember: meaning grows when we root ourselves deeply—in limits, community, and ethical action—and let that rootedness lift us toward heaven.
