In this book the Chief Rabbi addresses some of the major themes of our time: the fragmentation of our common culture, the breakdown of family and community life, the lack of moral direction, and the waning of religious belief. How, he asks, can we construct a humane social order which honours human dignity and difference, one in which we can be both true to ourselves and a blessing to others? In the confusing state of post-industrial societies in the post-Cold War situation, can we give those who come after us a coherent map of hope?

In treating such questions, the book is structured in four parts. In the first, ‘The Moral Covenant’, Dr Sacks touches on the broadest of issues: morality, the family and the importance of communities in the life of society. In the second, ‘Living Together’, he asks how we can co-exist while remaining faithful to our distinctive identities and traditions. In the third, ‘Holy Days’, he describes how one faith, Judaism, lives out its beliefs; and in the last, ‘Jewish Ethics and Spirituality’, he sketches some of Judaism’s leading themes. ‘There is such a thing’, he says, ‘as an ecology of hope, and it lies in restoring to our culture a sense of family, community and religious faith.’

All those concerned about the state of contemporary society, whether of any faith community of none, will find Faith in the Future profound, challenging and deeply moving.