Q0600
“Israel among the nations is like the heart among the organs: it…” — Judah Halevi (The Kuzari II (standard English))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Kuzari II (standard English). Theme: choice.
English
Israel among the nations is like the heart among the organs: it is the most sensitive and the most receptive of the divine influence.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Kuzari II (standard English) and files it under Jewish Rationalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Judah Halevi
Judah Halevi (c. 1075–1141) was a Hebrew poet and author of The Kuzari, a dialogue in which a rabbi persuades the Khazar king that historical revelation outweighs abstract First-Cause metaphysics.
How to read this passage
Free will, decision theory, and existential choice all ask how choosing is possible and what makes a choice one’s own. This passage enters that discussion through choice, god, time.
Concepts in this quote
- Choice
- Choice is the hinge of agency: selecting among options under reasons, constraints, and uncertainty.
- God
- God appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat god as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Time
- Philosophy of time asks what tense and duration are—and how memory, death, and history shape a human life.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Judah Halevi. (n.d.). Israel among the nations is like the heart among the organs: it is the most sensitive and the most receptive of the divine influence. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0600
MLA: Judah Halevi. “Israel among the nations is like the heart….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0600.
Chicago: Judah Halevi. “Israel among the nations is like the heart….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0600.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Israel among the nations is like the heart…”?
The passage is attributed to Judah Halevi, The Kuzari II (standard English). The archive attributes this English wording to The Kuzari II (standard English) and files it under Jewish Rationalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Judah Halevi mean by choice?
Free will, decision theory, and existential choice all ask how choosing is possible and what makes a choice one’s own. This passage enters that discussion through choice, god, time.