Editor of the Book of the "Vision and the Covenant "

Compiling an anthology out of so large a selection of utopian essays written over the course of thousands of years, within the borders of Western culture, is a virtually impossible task. The choice is necessarily a personal one and the selection subjective. Many excellent writers and works are not represented here and did not make their way into this first, experimental edition. In general, this wide and abundant selection also dictated the use of brief and concise representations of the complete works, and the omission of any extraneous material. As stated, this concise selection is only one of many possibilities, and this is how the reader is invited to perceive it. My principal aspiration was to point out the many facets and the diversity of styles and forms that the longing for utopianism was given throughout most of the development of Western culture.

In terms of structure the anthology comprises five sections: five "gateways" to five consecutive periods, approximately 3,000 years of creative activity and approximately 300 different works. Special emphasis was, of course, placed on the development of the utopian concept in Judaism, from its earliest beginnings to its incarnation in the modern revival movement and the vision of national liberty in the historical homeland of the Jewish People. Utopian works from all the major cultures that influenced or were influenced by Judaism are also well represented: Hellenism, Christianity, Islam and Western culture in general. The opening works deal with the utopian experience in early Jewish culture as it appears in the Holy Scriptures and the major constitutive myths, while the closing works deal with Zionist utopianism and with universal modern dystopias.

This anthology was born in order to present its readers with a wide and rich variety of works dealing with vision and covenant, adopting a broad and overall interpretation of these interrelated concepts. The visionary and the covenant both predict the future, imbuing it with all that is desirable and worthy. The aspiration of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) is oftentimes also the aspiration of creating a social covenant and pact, since the realization of the vision itself generally involves upholding some sort of agreement, commitment, contract or covenant.

Moreover, this anthology does not presume to represent or summarize the entire history of utopian works, but rather to serve as a sort of gateway and as one single passageway to a wide and expansive hall of poetry, literature, contemplation, prayer and other writings in this field. For this reason, and due to other practical considerations, many worthy works that do not exist in Hebrew or in English were either not included at this stage or represented only very briefly. Works that are difficult to comprehend and interpret outside their full context were also omitted. The premise was that the ordinary reader likely to peruse this anthology is not necessarily an expert on Western culture in general and Jewish culture in particular.

In closing, I would like to thank all the many researchers and academics from Israel and around the world who assisted me with their excellent advice, and especially Prof. Moshe Zuckerman, Prof. Moshe Idel, Prof. Yosef Agassi, Prof. Margalit Finkelberg, Dr. Michael Mach and many others whom I plagued with questions. I owe all of them a debt of gratitude for their excellent advice. Nevertheless, I alone am responsible for any omissions or controversies in this anthology, as well as for the limitations and constraints of space and time. I would also like to thank the entire staff at the Jewish Agency - executives, employees and members of the Steering Committee - who assisted me throughout the creation of this anthology, and also supported and encouraged my ambition of creating as comprehensive and pluralistic an anthology as possible. Ramat Hasharon - 2004