LEV648 (Continued from [[DEUT829]] Deut. 16:11 rejoice LEHRMAN 28-29). ... Judaism seeks to store the mind with a knowledge of the great in fundamental truths of Nature and of the laws of her operations. It seeks to create a being who, no stunted ascetic, is full of life and fire; whose passions are trained to come to heel by a vigorous will, the servant of a tender conscience (cf. Abot iv. I.) The perfect Jew is one who has learnt to love all beauty and to hate all vileness; who respects the feelings and the possessions of others as if they were his own; who loves his neighbor not only like himself but because he is part of himself [this verse; Cf. Jer. Tal. Nedarim ix, where is this command is illustrated by the fact that the whole body quivers with pain even when only the finger is cut]-- the real meaning of Leviticus xix.18. This never-ceasing emphasis on moral perfection is the core of Judaism. The practical sense of our faith looks askance at metaphysical discussions of God and the Universe. Its counsel of perfection is "to know Him in all thy ways" (Prov. iii 6), to obey His commandments and become God-like in the process. Life is given to man by God, and it is his task to shape it after the divine pattern revealed on Sinai. To choose life and to shape it -- this is the demand of Judaism.