"You did not give it, Hashem our Elokim, to the nations of the lands, nor did You make it the inheritance, our King, of the worshipers of graven idols. And in its rest the uncircumcised shall not abide" (Shemoneh Esrei, Shacharis of Shabbos).

"What is it that distinguishes the thousands of years of history from what we think of as modern times?" What is "the revolutionary idea that defines the boundary between modern times and the past"? A hint: It is something that "goes way beyond the progress of science, technology, capitalism, and democracy." (All quotations from the introduction to, Against the Gods, the Remarkable Story of Risk, by Peter Bernstein, unless otherwise noted.)