Jewish philosophy Books

Book SynopsisIn St. Louis, it is the summer of 1920 and the day is the Sabbath, but there is little rest for the Jews from Krimsk and less reverence for the wondrous Krimsker Rebbe, who led them to the New World 17 years before. The rebbe''s former hasidim have embraced America to discover that the vision of gold in the streets evokes larceny in the heart. Matti Sternweiss, the ungainly, studious child wonder in Krimsk, now the cerebral catcher for the St. Louis Browns, is scheming to fix Saturday''s game against the pennant-contending Detroit Tigers.It is an American Sabbath: Prohibition, bookies, the criminal syndicate, the Hiberian fellowship of the police brass, hometown blondes, a bootlegging rabbi, and big league baseball. It is also Krimsk in America: Boruch Levi, the successful junkman, confiscates his zany, crippled brother-in-law Barasch''s sizable bets; Barasch''s lusty wife, Malka, has her own connubial reasons for wanting to stop the gambling; the chief of police fatefully inspires Trade Review"First-rate fiction: reminiscent . . . of such precursors as Sholem Aleichem, but possessed of distinctive individual strengths and firmly rooted in its characters strange new land and even stranger adventures." -- Kirkus Reviews; "Hoffman fashions a haunting, bittersweet story of exile, dislocation and redemption in the Promised Land...Robust humor, insight into human nature and an absence of sentimentality augment Hoffmans storytelling skills." -- Publishers Weekly starred review

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Book SynopsisIn Saint Louis, it is the summer of 1920 and the day is the Sabbath, but there is little rest for the Jews from Krimsk and less reverence for the wondrous Krimsker Rebbe, who led them to the New World seventeen years before. The rebbe''s former hasidim have embraced America to discover that the vision of gold in the streets evokes larceny in the heart. Matti Sternweiss, the ungainly, studious child wonder in Krimsk, now the cerebral catcher for the St. Louis Browns, is scheming to fix Saturday''s game against the pennant-contending Detroit Tigers.It is an American Sabbath: Prohibition, bookies, the criminal syndicate, the Hiberian fellowship of the police brass, hometown blondes, a bootlegging rabbi, and big league baseball. It is also Krimsk in America: Boruch Levi, the successful junkman, confiscates his zany, crippled brother-in-law Barasch''s sizable bets; Barasch''s lusty wife, Malka, has her own connubial reasons for wanting to stop the gambling; the chief of police fatTable of ContentsContents Recollections Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six The Letter About the Author

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Book SynopsisThis book provides both an intellectual biography of Salomon Maimon and an English language translation of his essays on moral psychology. "Salomon Maimon (1753–1800) is one of the most acute, original, and complicated philosophers, and one of the most fascinating personalities, of the eighteenth century" (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

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Book SynopsisReuven Leigh provides the first in-depth introduction to the pioneering philosophy of Rabbi Shalom Ber Schneersohn. Bringing him into dialogue with key continental philosophers Emmanuel Levinas, Jacques Derrida and Julia Kristeva, this book reveals how Schneersohn's views anticipated many prominent themes in 20th-century thought. Shalom Ber Schneersohn (1860-1920) was the fifth Rebbe of the Habad-Lubavitch dynasty. He was a traditional, kabbalistic thinker and yet, beyond mysticism, he wrote extensively on speech, gender and the body. So why is he not better known? Leigh begins by uncovering and contesting numerous scholarly assumptions that have operated to exclude traditional rabbinic thinkers from contemporary philosophical debates. Seeking to correct this, this book offers a close reading of Schneersohn's 1898 discourses. With the disruption of traditional binary structures being the dominant theme pervading Schneersohn's work, Leigh engages with Levinas' provocative ideas Trade ReviewReuven Leigh convincingly demonstrates striking parallels between 19th-century Hasidic and kabbalistic thought and key themes in Levinas, Derrida, and Kristeva, challenging dominant assumptions about the relation between rabbinic thought and modern European philosophy. Leigh thus shows that traditional Jewish texts can function as fruitful resources for philosophical reflections on gender, language, and embodiment. * Daniel H. Weiss, Polonsky-Coexist Senior Lecturer in Jewish Studies, University of Cambridge, UK *In this excellent book, Reuven Leigh presents Rabbi Shalom Ber Schneersohn, the great leader of the Habad community, as the brilliant thinker not only capable of conversing philosophically with the best minds of modern times, but also anticipating their findings avant la lettre. Kristeva, Levinas, and Derrida emerge here naturally as Schneersohn’s interlocutors in the ideal realm of philosophy, which knows no cultural borders and divides. * Agata Bielik-Robson, Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Nottingham, UK *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Background and Context 2. Language 3. Gender 4. Mysticism Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisNature and Norm: Judaism, Christianity and the Theopolitical Problem is a book about the encounter between Jewish and Christian thought and the fact-value divide that invites the unsettling recognition of the dramatic acosmism that shadows and undermines a considerable number of modern and contemporary Jewish and Christian thought systems. By exposing the forced option presented to Jewish and Christian thinkers by the continued appropriation of the fact-value divide, Nature and Norm motivates Jewish and Christian thinkers to perform an immanent critique of the failure of their thought systems to advance rational theopolitical claims and exercise the authority and freedom to assert their claims as reasonable hypotheses that hold the potential for enacting effective change in our current historical moment.Table of Contents Introduction Chapter One: Theology and Subjectivism in Rosenzweig and Kant I. Kant, Rosenzweig, and the Challenge of Skepticism A. Kant and the Limits of Practical Reason B. Rosenzweig and the Subjective Turn II. Diagnosing the Problem: Kant, Rosenzweig, and the Fact-Value Divide III. Symptoms of the Fact-Value Divide Chapter Two: Acceptance and the Theopolitical Problem I. Acceptance II. Case Study: Spinoza and Hobbes Chapter Three: From Redescription to External Critique I. Redescription or the Turn to the "More" II. Case Study: Martin Buber and Carl Schmitt Chapter Four: From External Critique to the Crisis of Skepticism I. External Critique II. Case Study: Karl Barth and Leo Strauss Chapter Five: Beyond the Fact-Value Divide I. The Philosophical Demands of the Theopolitical Problem II. Characteristics of a Post-Fact-Value Jewish and Christian Thinking A. Intelligibility, Justification, and the Who, How, and When of Knowledge B. Habituation, Disuse, and Rehabituation: The Social Determination of Warranted Assertability III. Case Study: Peter Ochs and Nicholas Adams Chapter Six: Science Apprehending Science I. The Fact-Value Model: From Sense-Certainty to Self-Alienated Culture A. Pre-Idealism: Epistemology, Self-Consciousness, and the Fact-Value Value Paradigm B. Transcendental Idealism and Scientific Theory C. Transcendental Idealism and Practical Freedom II. External Critique: Pure Insight and the Enlightenment III. Immanent Critique: From the Moral Law to Communal Justification A. Immanent Critique: From Moral Consciousness to the Reconciliatory B. Religious Representation and Philosophical Authority IV. Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisMoses Maimonides—a proud heir to the Andalusian tradition of Aristotelian philosophy—crafted a bold and original philosophical interpretation of Torah and Judaism. His son Abraham Maimonides is a fascinating maverick whose Torah commentary mediates between the philosophical interpretations of his father, the contextual approach of Biblical exegetes such as Saadya, and the Sufi-flavored illuminative mysticism of his Egyptian Pietist circle. This pioneering study explores the intersecting approaches of Moses and Abraham Maimonides to the spark of divine illumination and revelation of the divine name Ehyeh asher Ehyeh, "I am that I am / I will be who I will be.Trade Review“…Moses and Abraham Maimonides: Encountering the Divine, offers us a far more nuanced comparison of Abraham and Moses Maimonides than we have previously seen. Lobel presents a valuable portrait of the interplay between Maimonides’s philosophy and his inner religious life and spiritual practices. …Lobel’s book provides an excellent comparison between the thought of Moses and Abraham Maimonides. Her contributions to the scholarship, though subtle and nuanced, are certainly important. It is definitely a worthwhile read for anyone interested in Moses or Abraham Maimonides. …She identifies nuanced differences and puts to rest facile oversimplifications. It is the start of the study, though, not the end. There remain important questions that, as Pines wrote, ‘“need further investigation.’””— David Fried, The Lehrhaus“Reading Lobel’s book, one gets a vivid impression of scholarship as a joint venture and a communal affair. The reader will not find in her study breakthroughs and new directions that are going against the current of the main scholarly stream. Rather, the book presents thoughtful and stimulating discussions that elaborate, reinforce, and complement investigations made by other scholars in the field.”— Ehud Krinis, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval StudiesTable of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Part One. Maimonides and Abraham Maimonides on Created Light, Created Word, and the Evant at Mount Sinai 1. Abraham Maimonides on Created Light in the Cleft of the Rock: Exodus 33:22 2. Maimonides on Created Light: An Esoteric Interpretation 3. Abraham and Moses Maimonides on Cloud and Glory: Exodus 16:9–10/Guide III:9 4. Abraham Maimonides on Created Light in the Preparation for the Sinai Event 5. Maimonides on the Theophany at Mount Sinai 6. Abraham Maimonides on the Created Word at Mount Sinai: Between Maimonides and R. Abraham he-Ḥasid 7. Abraham and Moses Maimonides on Created Light in the Vision of the Nobles Part Two. Ehyeh asher Ehyeh and the Tetragrammaton: Between Eternity and Necessary Existence 8. Introduction: Ehyeh asher Ehyeh and the Tetragrammaton 9. Rabbinic Interpretations of Ehyeh asher Ehyeh 10. The Interpretation of Saadya Gaon 11. Saadya's Long Commentary to Exodus 3:13–15 12. Abraham Maimonides on Saadya Gaon 13. The Interpretation of Maimonides 14. Abraham on Eternity and Relationship Conclusion

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Book SynopsisMaimonides' Guide of the Perplexed addressed Jews of his day who felt challenged by apparent contradictions between Torah and science. We Are Not Alone: A Maimonidean Theology of the Other uses Maimonides' writings to address Jews of today who are perplexed by apparent contradictions between the morality of the Torah and their conviction that all human beings are created in the image of God and are the object of divine concern, that other religions have value, that genocide is never justified, and that slavery is evil. Individuals who choose to emphasize the moral and universalist elements of Jewish tradition can often find support in positions explicitly held by Maimonides or implied by his teachings. We Are Not Alone offers an ethical and universalist vision of traditionalist Judaism.Table of Contents Acknowledgements Preface 1. Jewish Voices Rejected; A Jewish Voice Affirmed 2. We Are Not Alone 3. Election/Chosen People 4. The Convert as the Most Jewish of Jews 5. Aher—then, Now, and in the Future: Othering the Other in Judaism 6. Tolerance 7. Christianity Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisMaimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed addressed Jews of his day who felt challenged by apparent contradictions between Torah and science. We Are Not Alone: A Maimonidean Theology of the Other uses Maimonides’ writings to address Jews of today who are perplexed by apparent contradictions between the morality of the Torah and their conviction that all human beings are created in the image of God and are the object of divine concern, that other religions have value, that genocide is never justified, and that slavery is evil. Individuals who choose to emphasize the moral and universalist elements of Jewish tradition can often find support in positions explicitly held by Maimonides or implied by his teachings. We Are Not Alone offers an ethical and universalist vision of traditionalist Judaism.Table of ContentsTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsPreface1. Jewish Voices Rejected; A Jewish Voice Affirmed2. We Are Not Alone3. Election/Chosen People4. The Convert as the Most Jewish of Jews5. Aher—then, Now, and in the Future: Othering the Other in Judaism6. Tolerance7. ChristianityConclusionBibliography

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Book SynopsisIsaac’s Fear is a wide-ranging study of a Hebrew encyclopedia of Judaism by Isaac Lampronti, a rabbi and physician from eighteenth-century Ferrara, in Italy; this is the first encyclopedia of Judaism, with entries on thought and praxis. The book’s eight chapters are previously published studies. Isaac’s Fear represents the attempt to synthesize modern science and religious tradition, a fundamental issue then and in our own day. Encyclopedia entries illuminate the society and culture of early modern Italy, its Jewish community and the intellectual life of the author and his contemporaries.Trade Review“Isaac’s Fear (Pachad Yitzhak) was the first multi-volume encyclopedia of Jewish law, edited by Isaac Lampronti (1679-1756), a rabbi and physician from Ferrara. David Malkiel… explores the religious, cultural, and intellectual life of eighteenth-century Italian Jews through a detailed scholarly study of the encyclopedia. … This title is highly recommended for an academic library.”— Harvey Sukenic, Hebrew College Library, AJL News and Reviews“In this work of meticulous scholarship, David Malkiel has produced a detailed portrait of the paradoxical relationship between science and religion in early modern Italy. The main focus of this learned study is Isaac’s Fear, an encyclopedia of Jewish law written by IsaacLampronti, a rabbi and university-trained physician who aimed to lead readers though the bewildering maze of ritual traditions in an enlightened age. Malkiel demonstrates painstakingly how Lampronti’s searching mind, thirst for knowledge, and empiricist leanings were in tension with his profound reverence for received tradition, which he upheld as a repository of truths that eluded scientific investigation. The strength of this fine book is its sensitive portrayal of Lampronti’s struggle to meet the demands of competing intellectual traditions—a struggle he shared with his Christian counterparts.”—Jay R. Berkovitz, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Professor, Rothberg International School, The Hebrew University of JerusalemTable of ContentsTable of Contents AcknowledgementsIntroductionPart One1. EmpiricismSource: “Empiricism in Isaac Lampronti’s Pahad Yizhak,” Materia Giudaica 10 (2005), pp. 341-51.2. Palazzo TèSource: “Palazzo Tè between Science and Imagination,” Journal of Early Modern History 20 (2016), pp. 429-61.3. The PastSource: “The Burden of the Past in the Eighteenth Century: Authority and Custom in the Pahad Yizhaq,” Jewish Law Annual 16 (2006), pp. 93-132.4. Traditional SocietySource: “Ebraismo, tradizione e società: Isaaco Lampronti e l’identità ebraica nella Ferrara del XVIII secolo,” Zakhor 7 (2005), pp. 9-42.Part Two5. The SambationSource: “The Sambation River and the Ten Lost Tribes in Isaac Lampronti’s Pahad Yizhak,” [Hebrew] Pe‘amim 94-95 (2003), pp. 159-80.6. Intercessory PrayerSource: “Between Worldliness and Traditionalism: Eighteenth-Century Italian Jews Debate Intercessory Prayer,” Jewish Studies Internet Journal 2 (2003), pp. 169-98.7. PollutionSource: “Law and Architecture: The Pollution Crisis in the Italian Ghetto,” European Journal of Jewish Studies 4.2 (2011), pp. 255-84.8. Christian HebraismSource: “Christian Hebraism in a Contemporary Key: The Search for Hebrew Epitaph Poetry in Seventeenth-Century Italy,” Jewish Quarterly Review 96 (2006), pp. 123-46.Index

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Book SynopsisReclaiming the Wicked Son takes the ideas of six well-known secular Jewish philosophers from Karl Marx and Ludwig Wittgenstein to Noam Chomsky and Judith Butler and views them through a wide range of Jewish lenses from the Talmudic tradition and prophetic Judaism to Kabbalist approaches, thereby understanding the twentieth-century secular thinkers as on-going elements of a living Jewish intellectual tradition.Trade Review"Steven Gimbel and Stephen Stern have taken on one of the major challenges in Jewish Studies: how does one read the outliers, those thinkers who contentious approaches both challenged and restructured Jewish Studies as a transdisciplinary field? From Karl Marx to Ayn Rand, from Peter Singer to Judith Butler, the authors frame the debates and innovations of a range of major Western thinkers both in terms of their affiliation with and alienation from their own sense of Jewishness. An important and readable coming-to-terms with the uncomfortable edges of modern Jewish thought" — Sander L. Gilman, Author of I Know Who Caused COVID-19: Xenophobia and Pandemics."Gimbel and Stern have set themselves the admirable and illuminating scholarly task of discovering Jewish affinities implicit in the work of six disparate contemporary thinkers who for their part eschew such associations. Far from the reductions of identity politics, their suggestive re-contextualizations illuminate and augment our understanding of their thought". —Richard A. Cohen, Professor of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, University at Buffalo (SUNY), USA; author of Out of Control: Confrontations between Spinoza and Levinas (2016)."In this scholarly and erudite, yet playful, book, Professors Stern and Gimbel explore the hidden connections between a fascinating range of secular Jewish thinkers and their Judaic tradition as well as the broader non-Jewish world in which their works can be located".— Professor Nathan Abrams, Bangor University, UK; Author of Stanley Kubrick: New York Jewish Intellectual"As clever as it is insightful, Reclaiming the Wicked Son places Jewish thought where it belongs, integrated into the Western philosophical tradition.”— Dr. Cheyney Ryan, Director, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, UK.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Reclaiming the Wicked Son; 1. Karl Marx and Materialistic Messianism; 2. Ludwig Wittgenstein and Neo-Talmudic Thought, 3. Ayn Rand and the Hassidic Courts; 4. Peter Singer: The Amos of Animals; 5. Judith Butler and Orthopraxy; 6. Noam Chomsky, Kabbalist; Conclusion: Re-Membering the Tribe; Bibliography; Index

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Book SynopsisThe Andalusian Muslim philosopher Averroes (1126–1198) is known for his authoritative commentaries on Aristotle and for his challenging ideas about the relationship between philosophy and religion, and the place of religion in society. Among Jewish authors, he found many admirers and just as many harsh critics. This volume brings together, for the first time, essays investigating Averroes’s complex reception, in different philosophical topics and among several Jewish authors, with special attention to its relation to the reception of Maimonides.Table of ContentsContents Foreword  Racheli Haliva, Daniel Davies and Yoav Meyrav Notes on Contributors Part 1: What Is Jewish Averroism? 1 Was al-Ġazālī an Avicennist? Some Provocative Reflections on Jewish Averroism  Steven Harvey 2 How a Rehabilitated Notion of Latin Averroism Could Help in Understanding Jewish Averroism  Giovanni Licata Part 2: The Maimonides/Averroes Complex 3 Is Maimonides’s Biblical Exegesis Averroistic?  Mercedes Rubio 4 Averroes and Ğābir ibn Aflaḥ among the Jews: New Interpretations for Joseph ben Judah ibn Simon’s Allegorical Correspondence with Maimonides  Reimund Leicht 5 The Garden of Eden and the Scope of Human Knowledge: Maimonides, Falaquera and Nissim of Marseille  David Lemler 6 The Role of Averroes’s Tahāfut in Narboni’s Commentary on the Guide  Yonatan Shemesh Part 3: Averroes in Jewish Religious Discourse 7 Averroism, the Jewish-Christian Debate, and Mass Conversions in Iberia  Daniel J. Lasker 8 Double Truth in the Writings of Medieval Jewish Averroists: An Esoteric Way of Appealing to Both Sceptics and Non-sceptics  Shalom Sadik 9 Averroes’s Influence upon Theological Responses to Scepticism in Late Medieval Jewish Philosophy  Shira Weiss Part 4: Jewish Authors Doing Philosophy with (and about) Averroes 10 Love and Hate May Lead Astray: Moses Halevi’s Rejection of Averroes  Yoav Meyrav 11 Averroism in Judah ha-Cohen’s Midraš ha-ḥokhmah?  Resianne Fontaine 12 Falaquera the Averroist  Yair Shiffman 13 The Necessary Existent, Simplicity, and Incorporeality: An Anti-Avicennian-Averroist Approach  Bakinaz Abdalla 14 Gersonides and Kaspi on the Uncertainty of the Future and the Practical Intellect  Alexander Green 15 Rabbi Moses ben Judah (Rambi) as an Averroist  Esti Eisenmann 16 Crescas’s Attitude toward Averroes  Warren Zev Harvey 17 Matter and Elements: Al-Ġazālī and Averroes as a Source of Isaac Abravanel’s “The Forms of the Elements”  Elisa Coda Part 5: Averroes in Hebrew and from Hebrew 18 Choking on Water, the Stratification of Society, and the Death of Socrates in the Hebrew Averroes  Yehuda Halper 19 Ṭodros Ṭodrosi’s accessus ad auctorem: A Hebrew “Aristotelian Prologue” to Averroes’s Middle Commentaries on Rhetoric and Poetics  Francesca Gorgoni 20 Jacob Mantino and the Alleged Second Latin Translation of Averroes’s Long Commentary on On the Soul 3.5 and 3.36  Michael Engel Index

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Book SynopsisIdolatry, or its Hebrew equivalent Avodah Zarah¸ is a fundamental feature of a Jewish view of other religions. All religions must pass the test of whether they are compliant with a Jewish view of religions as being free from the worship of another God. With the advance in interfaith relations, positions have been affirmed that clear most major contemporary religions from the charge of idolatry. What remains of “idolatry” once it no longer serves as a tool for evaluating other faiths? Does the category continue to have theological appeal? What are its internal uses? A cadre of Jewish scholars and thought leaders explore in this volume what the continuing relevance of “idolatry” is and how it might continue to inform our religious horizons, allowing us to distinguish between good and bad religion, both within Judaism and beyond.Trade Review“Idolatry is a profound, probing yet engaging exploration of human misdirection whose roots are as ancient as human yearning. This book springs from history and scholarship but it speaks to our society and to the individual heart.”— Rabbi David Wolpe, Max Webb Senior Rabbi, Sinai Temple, Los Angeles“This remarkably rich anthology—beyond disabusing anyone who might still be operating under the notion that the biblical injunction against idolatry can be limited to worship of ‘sticks and stones’—suggests many thought-provoking extensions of the traditional injunction against false gods both within Judaism and without. The efforts of an impressive array of contributors to pin-point in contemporary terms just what is problematic about this deviant form of worship not only revive the theological relevance of this ancient prohibition: the wide variety of perspectives that they introduce also bear important implications for current attempts at interfaith dialogue, subtly shifting the nature of the discourse from rarefied debates regarding the precise doctrinal imperatives of monotheism to broader moral interests and concerns, questions of pluralism and tolerance, social theory, education, and politics. In spelling out the multitude of theoretical and practical dimensions of this discussion, Idolatry: A Contemporary Jewish Conversation powerfully challenges Jews and non-Jews alike to revisit the notion of idolatry, and rediscover its importance as a critical category of thought.”— Tamar Ross, Professor Emerita, Department of Jewish Philosophy, Bar Ilan University"Alon Goshen-Gottstein has put together a sterling volume of outstanding contributors for new directions for the concept of ‘idolatry’ in Jewish thought. For Goshen-Gottstein the traditional interest in idolatry for rejecting other religions has largely been surpassed. So, this volume aims to retrieve ‘idolatry’ as a live concept for our age. This book is both an intellectual and spiritual diamond.” — Jerome Yehuda Gellman, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Ben-Gurion University“The discussion of idolatry is surely of tremendous importance. Nearly all religions and philosophies consider it awful. But what is idolatry and why is it ‘awful’? That debate is the core of this fascinating book. Is it wrong when we do not put God at the center of the universe and our lives? But what is really the problem? Does God really mind? Or is idolatry forbidden because it is the source for great evil and immorality? If so, what about idol worship or atheism that does not lead to evil and in fact encourages the good? Or is this a contradiction in terms? Rabbi Dr. Alon Goshen Gottstein has managed to pull together some of the greatest religious thinkers of our time to try to respond to these questions. Intriguing: I could not put this book down once I started.”— Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo, Dean of the David Cardozo Academy JerusalemTable of ContentsPreface and AcknowledgementsAlon Goshen-GottsteinIntroduction: Idolatry—Revisiting a Fundamental Concept: Project DescriptionAlon Goshen-GottsteinUnderstanding Idolatry: An Invitation to a Contemporary ConversationAlon Goshen-GottsteinThe Theology and Politics of IdolatryReuven KimelmanMonotheism and Idolatry: Theological Challenges and Considerations Michael FishbaneIdolatry on the Other Side of ModernityShaul MagidJewish Feminist Liberation Theology and the Modern Criticism of IdolsMelissa RaphaelIdolatry as DehumanizationRivon KrygierContemporary Idolatry and a Path to FreedomEilon ShamirThe Idolatry of HumankindJonathan Wittenberg“We Live as Did the Ancients:” Reflections on the Ambiguous Role of Idolatry in Contemporary Jewish ThoughtArnold EisenIdolatryHaviva PedayaOn PetrificationMichael MarmurThe Idolatry of the Written WordPaul Mendes-FlohrThe Concept of Idolatry in Current TimesHanoch Ben-PaziThe Line between True Religion and IdolatryWarren Zev HarveyThinking Idolatry with/against Maimonides: The Case of ChristianityMenachem KellnerReturn of the Gods: A Jeux d’Esprit on Idolatry in JudaismNorman SolomonThe Value of IdolatryMenachem FischConcluding Observations: The Discourse on IdolatryAlon Goshen-GottsteinIndex

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Book SynopsisIdolatry, or its Hebrew equivalent Avodah Zarah¸ is a fundamental feature of a Jewish view of other religions. All religions must pass the test of whether they are compliant with a Jewish view of religions as being free from the worship of another God. With the advance in interfaith relations, positions have been affirmed that clear most major contemporary religions from the charge of idolatry. What remains of “idolatry” once it no longer serves as a tool for evaluating other faiths? Does the category continue to have theological appeal? What are its internal uses? A cadre of Jewish scholars and thought leaders explore in this volume what the continuing relevance of “idolatry” is and how it might continue to inform our religious horizons, allowing us to distinguish between good and bad religion, both within Judaism and beyond.Trade Review“Idolatry is a profound, probing yet engaging exploration of human misdirection whose roots are as ancient as human yearning. This book springs from history and scholarship but it speaks to our society and to the individual heart.”— Rabbi David Wolpe, Max Webb Senior Rabbi, Sinai Temple, Los Angeles“This remarkably rich anthology—beyond disabusing anyone who might still be operating under the notion that the biblical injunction against idolatry can be limited to worship of ‘sticks and stones’—suggests many thought-provoking extensions of the traditional injunction against false gods both within Judaism and without. The efforts of an impressive array of contributors to pin-point in contemporary terms just what is problematic about this deviant form of worship not only revive the theological relevance of this ancient prohibition: the wide variety of perspectives that they introduce also bear important implications for current attempts at interfaith dialogue, subtly shifting the nature of the discourse from rarefied debates regarding the precise doctrinal imperatives of monotheism to broader moral interests and concerns, questions of pluralism and tolerance, social theory, education, and politics. In spelling out the multitude of theoretical and practical dimensions of this discussion, Idolatry: A Contemporary Jewish Conversation powerfully challenges Jews and non-Jews alike to revisit the notion of idolatry, and rediscover its importance as a critical category of thought.”— Tamar Ross, Professor Emerita, Department of Jewish Philosophy, Bar Ilan University"Alon Goshen-Gottstein has put together a sterling volume of outstanding contributors for new directions for the concept of ‘idolatry’ in Jewish thought. For Goshen-Gottstein the traditional interest in idolatry for rejecting other religions has largely been surpassed. So, this volume aims to retrieve ‘idolatry’ as a live concept for our age. This book is both an intellectual and spiritual diamond.” — Jerome Yehuda Gellman, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Ben-Gurion University“The discussion of idolatry is surely of tremendous importance. Nearly all religions and philosophies consider it awful. But what is idolatry and why is it ‘awful’? That debate is the core of this fascinating book. Is it wrong when we do not put God at the center of the universe and our lives? But what is really the problem? Does God really mind? Or is idolatry forbidden because it is the source for great evil and immorality? If so, what about idol worship or atheism that does not lead to evil and in fact encourages the good? Or is this a contradiction in terms? Rabbi Dr. Alon Goshen Gottstein has managed to pull together some of the greatest religious thinkers of our time to try to respond to these questions. Intriguing: I could not put this book down once I started.”— Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo, Dean of the David Cardozo Academy JerusalemTable of ContentsPreface and AcknowledgementsAlon Goshen-GottsteinIntroduction: Idolatry—Revisiting a Fundamental Concept: Project Description Alon Goshen-GottsteinUnderstanding Idolatry: An Invitation to a Contemporary Conversation Alon Goshen-GottsteinThe Theology and Politics of Idolatry Reuven KimelmanMonotheism and Idolatry: Theological Challenges and Considerations Michael FishbaneIdolatry on the Other Side of Modernity Shaul MagidJewish Feminist Liberation Theology and the Modern Criticism of Idols Melissa RaphaelIdolatry as Dehumanization Rivon KrygierContemporary Idolatry and a Path to Freedom Eilon ShamirThe Idolatry of Humankind Jonathan Wittenberg“We Live as Did the Ancients:” Reflections on the Ambiguous Role of Idolatry in Contemporary Jewish Thought Arnold EisenIdolatry Haviva PedayaOn Petrification Michael MarmurThe Idolatry of the Written Word Paul Mendes-FlohrThe Concept of Idolatry in Current Times Hanoch Ben-PaziThe Line between True Religion and Idolatry Warren Zev HarveyThinking Idolatry with/against Maimonides: The Case of Christianity Menachem KellnerReturn of the Gods: A Jeux d’Esprit on Idolatry in Judaism Norman SolomonThe Value of Idolatry Menachem FischConcluding Observations: The Discourse on Idolatry Alon Goshen-GottsteinIndex

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Book SynopsisContinuing the author’s commitment to neo-traditional constructive Jewish theology, this book is a sequel to Gellman’s trilogy of constructive Jewish theology with Academic Studies Press. The book treats three topics which revise and clarify the author’s views in light of critics and further thought. The book includes a new concept of the Jews as God’s Chosen People for our times; a reply to an argument for the reliability of Torah history; and an approach, not a solution, to the problem of evil for troubled believers and want to be believers. Trade ReviewIn this book we have a masterful Jewish theology for the twenty-first century written by one of the foremost Jewish theologians in the world. Gellman’s knowledge of Judaism is vast from Bible to Talmud, Medieval philosophy to Hasidism. This is combined with an excellent philosophical mind, trained in the best of the analytic philosophical tradition, and a rich spiritual and moral sensibility. The book reworks the traditional theological triad of the people Israel, Torah, and God in accordance with the latest scholarship and attention to the most compelling contemporary issues. The book is a theological feast and a necessary read for all traditionally minded Jews who desire a philosophically rigorous, ethical, and spiritually rewarding Judaism.”— Steven Kepnes, Professor of Religion and Jewish Studies, Colgate University“The People, The Torah, The God is a welcome and important extension of Yehuda Gellman’s recent trilogy in constructive Jewish theology, each volume of which is a monumental contribution to the field. Seeking to refine his own positions and in response to critics, Gellman clarifies and strengthens his arguments on Israel’s election, the challenges of historical and moral criticism of the Torah, and the problem of evil. While The People, The Torah, The God can serve as an overview of Gellman’s theology, it is also more than that. The book is a much-needed reminder that Jewish theology is best understood as a communal enterprise that seeks to disclose God’s will and presence. Gellman argues that divine providence is bringing us to a better understanding of God and Torah. He invites his reader to participate in that process as he responds to his interlocutors with humility and insight with the goal of preserving the holiness of Torah and our relationship to God.”— Cass Fisher, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of South Florida“Prof. Yehuda Gellman's brilliant and thought-provoking book builds on themes from his previous works, fearlessly grappling with pressing issues in Jewish thought. With mature philosophical skill, he delves into key concepts such as Jews as God's chosen people, the divine origin of the Torah, and God's perfect goodness. Gellman presents and addresses familiar arguments that challenge these ideas, offering a comprehensive overview of the attacks against them. He takes a bird's eye view, summarizing these challenges and providing a sharp philosophical analysis on how a person of faith can engage with these complex ideas while being sensitive to research, cultural, and political criticism. This essay is a fascinating example of how a believing, reflective, critical, and profound individual approaches the Jewish tradition in the contemporary era.Gellman's book is a mature, in-depth, and tremendously significant contribution to the challenges faced by Jewish education today. His insights are timely and relevant, offering valuable perspectives for scholars, theologians, and those interested in the intersection of faith, philosophy, and tradition. It is a must-read for anyone seeking intellectual rigor and a nuanced understanding of the complexities of Jewish thought in our time.”— Avinoam Rosenak, senior lecturer at the Department of Jewish Thought, Hebrew University of JerusalemTable of ContentsIntroductionPart 1: The People1. A Designated People I: A Figurational View2. A Designated People II: Figuration and Racism3. A Designated People III: Michael WyschogrodPart 2: The Torah4. A Critique of Torah History5. On a Failed Argument for Torah History6. Moderate Divine ProvidencePart 3: The God 7. The Autobiographical Problem Of Evil8. A Perfectly Good God9. A Conceivable, Partial, Soul-Making Theodicy for the Autobiographical Problem of EvilBibliography

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Book SynopsisIsrael and the Nations: The Bible, The Rabbis, and Jewish-Gentile Relations explores the Jewish theology and law (Halakhah) relating to non-Jews. It analyzes biblical, talmudic, medieval, and contemporary Jewish writings about gentiles and their religions. The Bible challenges the Jewish people to be “a blessing for all the families of the earth.” Yet throughout history, Jewish experience with gentiles was complex. In the biblical and talmudic eras most gentiles were assumed to be idolators. In the Middle Ages most rabbis considered their Christian neighbors idolators, and Christian enmity sharpened the otherness Jews felt toward their Christian hosts. Muslims were monotheists, but Jewish-Muslim relations were sometimes positive and at other times difficult. With the advent secular tolerance in modernity, Jews found themselves in a new relationship with their gentile neighbors. How should Jews relate to gentiles today, and what are the bounds of Jewish tolerance and religious pluralism? The book will interest both Jewish laypersons familiar with Jewish tradition as well as scholars of theology and interfaith relationsTrade Review"This is an informative volume that traces the evolution of Jewish-Gentile relations and posits a path forward. It would be a valuable resource for those interested in interfaith dialogue."— C. and Anne-Marie Belinfante, AJL News & Reviews“Today, Korn insists, Jews must lock arms with Christians to fight common enemies—relativism and secularism on the left, and radical Islamist violence on the right. Against the recent devaluation of human nature, Jews and Christians must teach the sanctity of human life... At a time when antisemitism is on the rebound and Jews like Rabbi Korn are fighting to defend Christians, it is high time we listened to voices like his. His new book is a great place to start.”— Gerald McDermott, Juicy Ecumenism: The Institute on Religion & Democracy's BlogTable of ContentsIntroduction: Reassessing Jewish-Gentile Relations TodayPart One: Judaism, Jews, and Gentiles The Covenant and Its Theology Israel as Blessing: Theological Horizons Extra Synagogam Nulla Salus? Judaism and the Religious Other Revelation, Gentiles, and the World to Come Idolatry Today Part Two: Judaism, Jews, and Christianity Rethinking Christianity: Rabbinic Positions and Possibilities Esau Hates Jacob The Man of Faith and Religious Dialogue The People Israel, Christianity, and the Covenantal Responsibility to History BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisR. Saadia Gaon (882-942) was unquestionably one of the most important if not the most important medieval Jewish thinker. He dealt with biblical exegesis, philosophy, grammar, poetry, prayer, and Halakha, and in many of these fields he is considered an innovator and a trailblazer, paving new paths for his followers. Many of the sages who lived after him cited from his writings. He served as head of the Academy of Sūra, Babylon, but the impact of his works was felt in all generations who lived and followed. This study seeks to describe and analyze R. Saadia Gaon's life, his public enterprise, his works, and his influence on the generations after him.Trade Review“This book describes and analyzes Rabbi Saadia Gaon’s quest for the religious leadership of the Jewish world in the first half of the tenth century, which he pursued. Through his comprehensive literary work in the fields of interpretation, philosophy, language, poetry, and Halacha. This book discusses elegantly key areas in the work of Saadia Gaon, such as his interpretation of the books of the Bible and his dealings with the Arabic language and Muslim culture, beginning with borrowing of literary models, principles, and terms, and ending with a poignant religious polemic. In addition, Schlossberg deals with the practical ways in which Saadia sought to lead the Jewish people, using educational methods. Saadia emphasizes, according to Schlossberg, the challenges arising from life in exile while cultivating the constant expectation of imminent redemption. This is an extremely important book—a must for anybody interested in Jewish life in the Islamic world, including the Judeo-Arabic-rich culture.” — Professor Benjamin Hary, New York University“Eliezer Schlossberg's R. Saadia Gaon: A Leader of Generations is the first English monograph on this eminent and influential medieval thinker, since Henry Malter's Saadia Gaon: His Life and Works (Philadelphia, 1921). In this learned and graceful work, Schlossberg offers a significant call of attention to the intellectual breakthroughs and ingenious erudition of this founding medieval figure (born el-Fayyum, Egypt, 882, died Baghdad 942). Schlossberg achieves a fresh outlook on Saadia's enduring cultural imprint and sophistication, through six insightful thematic chapters relating to communal leadership, inter-religious polemic, education, scriptural translation, rhetoric, and history. Interwoven with a discerning overview of a century of modern scholarship, Schlossberg's captivating illustration of Saadia's innovations in an array of fields, written and published (to this very day!) in Hebrew, Arabic, and Judeo-Arabic, opens a window to a creative and revolutionary period of intellectual change and interchange, at the unique crossroad of medieval Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.”— Meira Polliack, Professor of Bible, Joseph and Ceil Mazer Chair in Jewish Culture in Muslim Lands and Cairo Geniza Studies, Tel Aviv University“Saadia Gaon is acknowledged as one of the leading Jewish thinkers in the premodern world. While his contributions to biblical exegesis and translation, legal hermeneutics and linguistic thought are largely known, Eliezer Schlossberg lays the main emphasis on Saadia’s public leadership as a ‘leader of generations.’ He begins with a biography of the Gaon and addresses in the following chapters key aspects of his thought. The monograph, which is a welcome addition to recent scholarship, succeeds convincingly to explain why Saadiah and his works continue to hold such fascination until today.”— Ronny Vollandt, Ludwig-Maximilians-UniversitätTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter One: The Leadership of R. Saadia Gaon Chapter Two: Polemic in the Writings of R. Saadia Gaon Chapter Three: Education in the Writings of R. Saadia Gaon Chapter Four: R. Saadia’s Translation of the PentateuchChapter Five: Arabic, Islam, and Rhetoric in R. Saadia’s WorkChapter Six: History, Consolation, and Messianic Future Bibliography General Index

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Book SynopsisThis book contains a collection of eight annotated translations of responsa, alongside the original Hebrew texts, focusing on the post-expulsion Spanish-Portuguese communities of the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries. This collection will acquaint the reader with Jews who, following their expulsion, settled in the Ottoman Empire, in Palestine under the Mamluks, in Amsterdam and in Brazil. The period of the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula was a tragic time in Jewish history, but the revitalization of the post-expulsion Spanish-Portuguese Jewish communities in new locales is testimony to the human spirit and determination. The volume includes eight chapters, each built around one responsum from one of the great halakhic authorities of the time. Topics include excommunication in Amsterdam, ʻagunot, inheritance rights of a converso son, obligatory contracts and breach of agreement, heresy and humanist scholarship, informing on someone to the Venetian Inquisition, and more.Read a sample: bit.ly/koren-samplerTrade Review"In Responsa in a Historical Context, Debby Koren makes these fascinating yet extraordinarily difficult documents come alive. She succeeds admirably in overcoming the challenge that faces all who would write about responsa for an audience of non-specialists, namely to offer a sufficient explanation of the historical and halakhic (Jewish legal) context behind each submitted question without allowing that explanation to overwhelm the text and to drown out the unique voice of the rabbinical author. The book is an indispensable source of information, both on the history of the period it covers and on the ways that rabbis thought, how they utilized textual analysis, logic, and rhetoric to craft answers to the questions that Jews asked.” — Mark E. Washofsky, Professor Emeritus of Jewish Law and Practice, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, CincinnatiTable of ContentsIntroduction Overview The Halakhic Discourse in Responsa Translation and Presentation The Eight Responsa Notes on Translation, Transliteration, and Citations Glossary Abbreviations Further ReadingAcknowledgmentsOn ExcommunicationResponsa1. Divorce out of Love: A Sixteenth-Century Woman’s Story—Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra Responsum 1,3982. The Tax Cut Lobby—Rabbi Joseph ibn Lev Responsum 4:143. Are You Calling Me a Heretic?!—Zᵉqan Aharon 254. Families Torn Apart—Rabbi Moses ben Joseph di Trani Responsum 1,1425. What’s in a Name?—Rabbi Samuel de Medina Yo-re Deʻa 1996. Is Your Blood Any Redder? The Case of an Informer in the Venetian Inquisition—Rabbi Solomon ben Abraham Ha-Kohen Responsum 4,317. Excommunication in Amsterdam—Baḥ (Ha-Yᵉshanot) 58. South of the Equator, in the New World—Torat Ḥayyim 3,3Index

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Book SynopsisJoseph Shatzmiller’s Collected Studies (Volume 3): Maimonidean Argument in France is a comprehensive compilation of his research on the intellectual and mental history of the Jews in Provence. The central focus of the book is the ongoing conflict between adherents of Maimonidean philosophy and its opponents, which persisted throughout the thirteenth century due to the movement of translations from Arabic to Hebrew. Additionally, the book delves into other important aspects of Provence Jewry, including their attitudes towards the Albigensian heresy and the intellectual contributions of figures such as Kalonymus ben Kalonymus, Jacob ben Eliyahu, and the renowned biblical commentator, astronomer, and philosopher Gersonides. Shatzmiller’s research illuminates the significance of Provence Jewry within the larger framework of Jewish communities in the Mediterranean and western Europe during the Middle Ages.“The collection of studies that these four volumes offer is the result of more than sixty years of commitment to scholarship. Like many colleagues, I relied in the beginning on printed material in books that dealt with law, religion, and secular literature. Then, as a disciple of George Duby, I discovered the world of archives and hand-written Latin manuscripts. The present collection relies, to a great extent, on previously unknown information discovered during years of search in the archives of Southern France, mostly on those of the county of Provence. They are situated in the cities of Marseille and Aix-en-Provence as well as the town of Digne. The legal registers of the High Middle Ages (1250-1350) as well as those produced by the counties’ administration introduce us to the ordinary people of the region, to their daily life and to their preoccupations; their names are spelled out, the dates are recorded and the localities in which they were active are designated. At times these documents encourage us to endorse information found in contemporary literary sources and to overcome our hesitation and excessive caution concerning their value as historical evidence.”— Joseph ShatzmillerTrade Review“Joseph Shatzmiller, the foremost expert on Provençal Judaism, has throughout the course of his career provided a rich and powerful mosaic of Jewish society in Provence. Known for his insightful analysis of historical documents and primary sources, Shatzmiller’s research consistently illuminates the significance of Provence Jewry within the larger framework of Jewish communities in the Mediterranean and western Europe during the Middle Ages. Drawing on a wealth of archival sources and intellectual history, his work is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Jewish communities in medieval Europe.”— Ram Ben-Shalom, Professor of the History of the Jewish People, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; author of The Jews of Provence and LanguedocTable of ContentsVol. Three: Maimonidean Argument in FranceI Intellectualism in Provence 1 Kalonymos ben Kalonymos: ‘A Scroll of Petty Apologetics’ (Hebrew) 2 Rationalisme et orthodoxie religieuse chez les juifs provençaux au commencement du XIVe Siècle* 3 Albigensian Heresy as Reflected in the Eyes of Contemporary Jewry II The Great Maimonidean Controversies1 Towards a Picture of the First Maimonidean Controversy 2 The letter from Rabbi Asher ben Gershom to the Rabbis of France at the Time of the Controversy about the Works of Maimonides3 Les Tossafistes et la première controverse maïmonidienne. Le témoignage du Rabbin Asher Ben GershomIII The Ban of Barcelona1 In Search of the “Book of Figures”: Medicine and Astrology in Montpellier at the Turn of the Fourteenth Century2 The Lion Figure for the Cure of Kidney and the Controversy over the Study of Philosophy at the Beginning of the Fourteenth Century 3 Between Abba Mari and Rashba: The Negotiations that Preceded the Ban of Barcelona (1303–1305)IV Gersonides1 Gersonides and the Jewish Community of Orange in His Time2 More about Gersonides and the Community of Orange in His Time3 Gersonide et la société juive de son temps4 Un autographe de Gersonide : Examen graphologique5 Compte-RenduV Outstanding Intellectuals1 Jacob Ben Elie, traducteur multilingue à Venise à la fin du XIIIe siècle2 Au service de la Cour de Naples : Kalonymos d’Arles et Judah Romano Appendix: Early Academic Experiments 1 Une expérience universitaire méconnue : le Studium de Manosque, 1247–12492 Une expérience universitaire renouvelée : le Studium de Manosque (1299–1300)

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