Spirituality Studies 9-2 Fall 2023 55 Abraham Skorka Rabbi Abraham Skorka, Ph.D. is a religious scholar, professor of Jewish studies, and longtime friend of Pope Francis. He is an avid promoter of interfaith dialogue and the author of numerous articles and books on religious and interfaith topics. Abraham Skorka served as rector of the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano and rabbi of Congregation Benei Tikva in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is currently Senior Research Fellow for Jewish Studies and Jewish-Catholic Relations at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. His email contact is aviskorka50@gmail.com. Without doubt, one of the greatest problems facing humanity today is the level of violence in our societies and the danger of all-out war among nations and peoples. Indeed, war is currently killing thousands of people each day. The question that immediately arises is: what must we do to control our violent tendencies? How do we channel our energies into constructive action and to the building of mutual respect and affection? The question become more complex if we ask: given all of the advances in the scientific-technological sphere – which reveal the structures of subatomic particles, the sequence and quaternary structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, and the possibilities of artificial intelligence – how is it that humanity fails to find ways to live together in dignity? One approach realizes that scientific progress is essentially the product of people who can generate leaps in their thinking. Although we speak of the scientific community that develops according to what Thomas Khun has called a “scientific paradigm” (Khun 1996), it seems that brilliant minds emerge that achieve flashes of insight that lead to new paradigms. Such “paradigm shifts” answer questions that the previous models could not, thereby enabling advancement. The deepening of scientific and technological knowledge is the work of a relatively small percentage of individuals, while the great majority of people simply use the products that science and technology develop. Spiritual advancement is also a process in which particular individuals experience flashes of insight. Unlike the sciences and technology, however, such insights cannot simply be taken up by everyone else. Communal spiritual uplift, and the peace that accompanies it, becomes possible only when masses of people embrace profound spiritual values and interact together in redirecting their passions toward respect for others. There are no “software programs” or apps for people simply to download and follow. Ultimately, each and every person must decide in the privacy of his or her being to be creative and constructive instead of being pernicious and destructive.
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