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Book SynopsisAnalyses the writings of Rabbi Yechiel Mechel Halevi Epstein (1829–1908), author of the Arukh Hashulkhan, a bold and unusual approach to Jewish law. Based primarily on the original text of Rabbi Epstein's legal codes and homilies, this work covers topics such as women, modernity, customs, and secular studies. It analyses the rabbi's approach to Jewish law and Jewish life, designed to promote the spiritual welfare of Jews under the pressures of growing secularisation and Russification. Although based upon the principles of the traditional judicial process, the rabbi’s rulings demonstrate a profound understanding of the contemporary social and historical reality facing the Jews of Russia at the turn of the century.Trade Review"Professor Fishbane’s collection of studies focusing upon AHS as well as other writings of Epstein is for that reason a welcome addition to the library of research into recent halakhic literature...Those interested in the history of contemporary halakhic literature and culture owe him a debt of thanks, and all subsequent studies of Epstein and AHS will of necessity engage with this book." -- Mark Washofsky * H-NET Review *Table of ContentsPreface. Introduction by Ira Robinson. 1. Rabbi Yechiel Mechel Halevi Epstien: His Life and Works. 2. "Long Live the Tsar": Rabbi Yechiel Mechel Epstein and the Russian Political System. 3. "Today Not Yesteryear": Rabbi Y.M. Epstein's Adjudicative Process as Expressed in the Arukh Hashulhan. 4. "In Any Case There are no Sinful Thoughts": The Role and Status of Women in Jewish Law as Expressed in the Arukh Hashulhan. 5. The Courage of a Religious Adjudicator: Rabbi Yechiel Mechel Epstein and Modernity. 6. "Mercy is Vouchsafed from Heaven": Halakhah's Response to Violence as Expressed in the Arukh Hashulhan Orakh Hayyim. 7. "Secular Studies are the Supplement of Torah Studies" : Kol Ben Levi- The Homilies of Rabbi Yechiel Mechel Halevi Epstein - The First Sermon. 8. Recurrent Themes in the Homilies of Rabbi Yechiel Mechel Halevi Epstein. 9. Social Reality or the Written Word: Minhag as Expressed in the Arukh Hashulhan. Appendix. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisClassical Judaism imagined the situation of the people of Israel to be unique among the nations of the earth in three aspects. The nations lived in unclean lands, contaminated by corpses and redolent of death. They themselves were destined to die without hope of renewed life after the grave. They were prisoners of secular time, subject to the movement and laws of history in its inexorable logic. Heaven did not pay attention to what they did and did not care about their conduct, so long as they observed the basic decencies mandated by the commandments that applied to the heirs of Noah, seven fundamental rules in all. That is not how Israel the holy people was conceived. The Israel contemplated by Rabbinic Judaism lived in sacred space and in enchanted time, all the while subject to the constant surveillance of an eye that sees all, an ear that hears all, and a sentient being that recalls all. Why the divine obsession with Israel? God yearned for Israel’s love and constantly contemplated its conduct. The world imagined by the Rabbis situated Israel in an enchanted kingdom, a never-never land, and conceived of God as omniscient and ubiquitous.Here Neusner shows that in its generative theology, Rabbinic Judaism in its formative age invoked the perpetual presence of God overseeing all that Israelites said and did. It conceived of Israel as transcending the movement of history and living in a perpetual present tense. Israel located itself in a Land like no other, and it organized its social order in a hierarchical structure ascending to the one God situated at the climax and head of all being.Trade Review"This is a learned and very detailed study…" -- Shmuel Ben-Gad, George Washington University, Washington, DC * AJL Newsletter (May/June 2009) *Table of ContentsPreface ... viiTHREE THEOLOGICAL PREMISES OF JUDAISM1. SPEECH: An eye that sees an ear that hears ... 3i. Know before whom you are going to give a full account of yourself ... 3ii. Oaths ... 5iii. Vows and the Nazirite Vow in Particular ... 142. TIME: "Considerations of Temporal Priority or Posteriority Do Not Enterinto the Torah" ... 35i. Temporal Sequence Does Not Apply to the Torah... 35ii. The Present-Tense Past: Scripture Re-Presented in the Immediacy ofthe Moment... 37iii. How are events treated, if not as unique indicators of the movementof history? Patterning Events. Mishnah-tractate Ta'anit 4:6-7 ... 44iv. History in the Torah and in the Mishnah ... 47v. How the Mishnah Configures Israel in the Context of History Defined byGod. How the Destruction of the Temple Figures in Mishnah-tractateRosh Hashanah 4:1-3 ... 49vi. Patterning the History of the Sacrificial Cult: Mishnah-TractateZebahim 14:4-10 ... 51vii. A Messiah in the Mishnah: Mishnah-tractate Sotah Chapter Nine ... 553. SPACE: The land of Israel is holier than all lands ... 59i. The Locative Dimension ... 59ii. Taking life to Sustain Israel's life: Hullin ... 68iii. The Domestic Table Compared with the Temple Altar ... 70iv. The Particular Laws of Mishnah-Tractate Hullin ... 72v. Gradations of Sanctification ... 80vi. Why Hullin in Particular? ... 82vii. Location, Occasion, the Character of the Encounter, in God's Context,of God and the Israelite ... 84viTHE PHILOSOPHICAL PREMISE OF JUDAISM4. ANALYSIS: Hierarchical classification and the Law's PhilosophicalDemonstration of Monotheism ... 89i. Hierarchical classification ... 89ii. Aristotle and the Mishnah's Deductive Reasoning ... 97iii. Message: The Taxonomic Power of Human Intentionality ... 100iv. The Judaism behind ... 1165. MIXTURES ... 117i. The Three Types of Mixtures ... 117ii. Zebahim... 123iii. Hullin ... 125iv. Temurah... 125v. Miqvaot ... 125vi. Makhshirin ... 127vii. Mixtures in the First Division of the Halakhah: Bikkurim ... 128viii. Conclusion ... 1496. ANALYSIS: Intentionality ... 150i. Defining Intentionality, Attitude ... 150ii. Intentionality and Freedom of Will ... 160iii. The Manipulation and Application of power... 166iv. The point of differentiation within the political structures, supernaturaland natural alike, lies in the attitude and intention of a human being 171v. The Sources of Power: The Will of God and the Will of Man ... 175INTEGRAL JUDAISM7. Integrating the System ... 179i. At the Center of the System ... 179ii. Defining Zekhut... 184iii. Specific Meanings of Zekhut in Particular Contexts ... 186iv. Zekhut in Genesis Rabbah ... 193v. Deeds that Generate Zekhut ... 199vi. Relationships ... 2038. Living in the kingdom of God ... 206i. The Rationality of the Israelite Social Order ... 206ii. Approved Emotions ... 211iii. Competition for the Status of "Being Israel" ... 215iv. From Philosophy to Religion: The Kingdom of Heaven andthe City of God ... 218v. The Question of History Once Again ... 227Index 234

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Book SynopsisClassical Judaism imagined the people Israel's situation in three aspects to be unique among the nations of the earth. The nations lived in unclean lands contaminated by corpses and redolent of death. They themselves are destined to die without hope of renewed life after the grave. They were prisoners of secular time, subject to the movement and laws of history in its inexorable logic. Heaven did not pay attention to what they did and did not care about their conduct, so long as they observed the basic decencies mandated by the commandments that applied to the heirs of Noah, seven fundamental rules in all. That is not how Israel the holy people was conceived. The Israel contemplated by Rabbinic Judaism lives in sacred space and in enchanted time, all the while subject to the constant surveillance of an eye that sees all and an ear that hears all and a sentient being that recalls all. Why the divine obsession with Israel? God yearned for Israel's love and constantly contemplated its conduct. The world imagined by the Rabbis situated Israel in an enchanted kingdom, a never-never-land and conceived of God as omniscient and ubiquitous. Here Neusner shows that in its generative theology Rabbinic Judaism in its formative age invoked the perpetual presence of God overseeing all that Israelites said and did. It conceived of Israel to transcend the movement of history and to live in a perpetual present tense. Israel located itself in a Land like no other. And it organised its social order in a hierarchical structure ascending to the one God situated at the climax and head of all being.Trade Review"This is a learned and very detailed study…" -- Shmuel Ben-Gad, George Washington University, Washington, DC * AJL Newsletter (May/June 2009) *Table of ContentsPreface. THREE THEOLOGICAL PREMISES OF JUDAISM. 1. SPEECH: An eye that sees an ear that hears. i. Know before whom you are going to give a full account of yourself. ii. Oaths. iii. Vows and the Nazirite Vow in Particular. 2. TIME: “Considerations of Temporal Priority or Posteriority Do Not Enter into the Torah” . i. Temporal Sequence Does Not Apply to the Torah. ii. The Present-Tense Past: Scripture Re-Presented in the Immediacy of the Moment. iii. How are events treated, if not as unique indicators of the movement of history? Patterning Events. Mishnah-tractate Ta’anit 4:6–7. iv. History in the Torah and in the Mishnah. v. How the Mishnah Configures Israel in the Context of History Defined by God. How the Destruction of the Temple Figures in Mishnah-tractate Rosh Hashanah 4:1–3. vi. Patterning the History of the Sacrificial Cult: Mishnah-Tractate Zebahim 14:4–10. vii. A Messiah in the Mishnah: Mishnah-tractate Sotah Chapter Nine. 3. SPACE: The land of Israel is holier than all lands. i. The Locative Dimension. ii. Taking life to Sustain Israel’s life: Hullin. iii. The Domestic Table Compared with the Temple Altar. iv. The Particular Laws of Mishnah-Tractate Hullin. v. Gradations of Sanctification. vi. Why Hullin in Particular?. vii. Location, Occasion, the Character of the Encounter, in God’s Context, of God and the Israelite. 4. ANALYSIS: Hierarchical classification and the Law’s Philosophical Demonstration of Monotheism. i. Hierarchical classification. ii. Aristotle and the Mishnah’s Deductive Reasoning. iii. Message: The Taxonomic Power of Human Intention. vii. Mixtures in the First Division of the Halakhah: Bikkurim. viii. Conclusion. 6. ANALYSIS: Intentionality. i. Defining Intentionality, Attitude. ii. Intentionality and Freedom of Will. iii. The Manipulation and Application of power. iv. The point of differentiation within the political structures, supernatural and natural alike, lies in the attitude and intention of a human being. v. The Sources of Power: The Will of God and the Will of Man. INTEGRAL JUDAISM. 7. Integrating the System. i. At the Center of the System. ii. Defining Zekhut. iii. Specific Meanings of Zekhut in Particular Contexts. iv. Zekhut in Genesis Rabbah. v. Deeds that Generate Zekhut. vi. Relationships. 8. Living in the kingdom of God. i. The Rationality of the Israelite Social Order. ii. Approved Emotions. iii. Competition for the Status of “Being Israel”. iv. From Philosophy to Religion: The Kingdom of Heaven and the City of God. v. The Question of History Once Again. Index of Ancient Sources. Index of Subjects.

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Book SynopsisDo Not Provoke Providence: Orthodoxy in the Grip of Nationalism deals with the whole complex of relations between the Land of Israel, the Jewish Torah, and the People of Israel from the Pre-Zionist Period until the establishment of the State of Israel. The book examines the dynamics of those relations through the modernization of Jewish society, and the problem of Jewish Identity vis-a-vis modernity. The discussion follows historical events in both philosophy and everyday life. It explores the anti-Zionist sphere and also discusses the attitudes toward the conflict of religion and nationalism in the world of Religious Zionism. The dispute between advocates of a religious concept of the community and proponents of a secular nation revolved primarily around perceptions of the ideal relationship between the religious and national entities. One group sought to make religion a tool of the nation; the other sought to make the nation a tool of religion.Trade ReviewThe religious movement within the Zionist project has been the subject of widespread research, particularly in the field of religious philosophy. This book lays a foundation for research that is primarily historical. Lately, Jewish nationalism as a historical phenomenon has faced criticism, on both the ideological and academic levels. Not only is this now a topic of academic research, it is also a subject of public debate in Israel and throughout the Jewish world. For this reason, this book should occupy a central place on the bookshelf of all who are involved with issues related to Jewish nationalism and the relationship between religion and nationalism." —Yitzhak Conforti, Bar-Ilan University, on the original Hebrew edition, in AJS Review 32 (2), 2008|“Coming out shortly after the famous Pew report on American Jewry, this book is particularly relevant in its analysis of some of the ways Orthodox Judaism dealt with modernism. It is an effective antidote to any simple analysis that is based on stereotypical views of orthodox—or of its variegated opponents. Building on a deep familiarity with the subgroups in all of the camps and the many ways in which Jewish tradition could be interpreted, he introduces the English-speaking reader to a world that was built on premises far removed from those of contemporary Western society. Salmon elucidates and explains these assumptions. It is important to be familiar with them because we live with their consequences and they influence the future. This is a book that is eye-opening about the past of the Jews—but is no less significant for an understanding of the present.” —Shaul Stampfer, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

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Book SynopsisA Well-Worn Tallis for a New Ceremony: Trends in Israeli Haredi Culture is a study of contemporary ultra-Orthodox religiosity in Israel. This book analyses the on-going reconstruction of Haredi culture in Israel, a process which has been spurred on by the challenges of modernity, the worldwide resurgence of religion, and the strong sway of Israeliness. Despite its founders’ and the present leadership’s long-standing efforts to establish and buttress an community enclave, various modern trends and state institutions, such as secularisation, consumerism, feminism, and the military, are having a profound impact on the yeshiva world. In other words, modernity is making inroads into the Jewish state’s Haredi ‘ghetto’ and transforming many aspects of everyday life. Over the course of her extended research on this community, Stadler has discerned changes in several key areas: religious life; the family structure; and the community’s interface with government authorities and the rest of the populace. Her book sheds light on all these developments. Trade Review"Stadler begins her book with a thorough review of the literature on religion and modernity. She then discusses her research findings on haredim. Stadler's fascinating work illustrates the interaction between fundamentalist beliefs and way of life within the context of modernity." -- Roberta Rosenberg Farber“Nurit Stadler’s A Well-Worn Tallis for a New Ceremony: Trends in Israeli Haredi Culture makes an important contribution, bringing to an English-speaking audience more of this growing Israeli academic conversation….Stadler offers a rich understanding of Haredi experience based on close observation, interviews, written sources, and multimedia materials. Stadler is part of a growing group of Israeli students of Haredi culture…who offer rich analysis of contemporary Haredi culture from an anthropological perspective, in addition to a growing number of scholars working on economics, geography, quantitative sociology, history, Jewish thought, and Jewish law.” -- Yoel Finkelman * H-Net Reviews *

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Book SynopsisWhat did Jesus intend when he spoke the words, “This is my body”? The Lost Supper argues that Jesus’ words and actions at the Last Supper presupposed an already-existing Passover ritual in which the messiah was represented by a piece of bread: Jesus was not instituting new symbolism, but using an existing symbol to speak about himself. Drawing on both second temple and early Rabbinic sources, Matthew Colvin places Jesus’ words in the Upper Room within the context of historically attested Jewish thought about Passover. The result is a new perspective on the Eucharist: a credible first-century Jewish way of thinking about the Last Supper and Lord’s Supper – and a sacramentology that is also at work in the letters of the apostle Paul. Such a perspective gives us the historical standpoint to correct Christian assumptions, past and present, about how the Eucharist works and how we ought to celebrate it.Trade ReviewMatthew Colvin has written an outstanding study of the Lord's Supper. Deploying a vast knowledge of ancient Rabbinic and biblical sources, and of modern scholarly literature, he argues that at the Last Passover Supper Jesus redefines an existing bread rite to identify himself as Israel's long-awaited Messiah. Not content with tracing origins, he explains the theological consequences of seeing the Last Supper through ancient Jewish eyes, rather than through the lenses of Aristotelian metaphysics or ancient semiotics. There is some dynamite hidden in these carefully argued pages, and I hope Colvin's book receives the wide readership and lively discussion it deserves. -- Peter Leithart, Theopolis InstituteTable of ContentsChapter 1 The Historical Project Chapter 2 The Passover Background Chapter 3 Evidence from Jews and Greeks Chapter 4 Layers of Meaning Chapter 5 Mechanics and Misinterpretations Chapter 6 Rereading John 6 Chapter 7 The Festal Meal in Corinth Chapter 8 Experiencing the Lord’s Supper Today

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Book SynopsisWhat did Jesus intend when he spoke the words, “This is my body”? The Lost Supper argues that Jesus’ words and actions at the Last Supper presupposed an already existing Passover ritual in which the messiah was represented by a piece of bread: Jesus was not instituting new symbolism but using an existing symbol to speak about himself. Drawing on both second temple and early Rabbinic sources, Matthew Colvin places Jesus’ words in the Upper Room within the context of historically attested Jewish thought about Passover. The result is a new perspective on the Eucharist: a credible first-century Jewish way of thinking about the Last Supper and Lord’s Supper— and a sacramentology that is also at work in the letters of the apostle Paul. Such a perspective gives us the historical standpoint to correct Christian assumptions, past and present, about how the Eucharist works and how we ought to celebrate it.Trade ReviewMatthew Colvin has written an outstanding study of the Lord's Supper. Deploying a vast knowledge of ancient Rabbinic and biblical sources, and of modern scholarly literature, he argues that at the Last Passover Supper Jesus redefines an existing bread rite to identify himself as Israel's long-awaited Messiah. Not content with tracing origins, he explains the theological consequences of seeing the Last Supper through ancient Jewish eyes, rather than through the lenses of Aristotelian metaphysics or ancient semiotics. There is some dynamite hidden in these carefully argued pages, and I hope Colvin's book receives the wide readership and lively discussion it deserves. -- Peter Leithart, Theopolis InstituteIt has become fashionable to find the roots of the Last Supper in the many other meals of Jesus together with the Roman Symposium. Drawing on more recent studies on the Jewish Passover in the Second Temple period, and the arguments of Maurice Casey on the Aramaic that may well underlie much of St. Mark's Gospel, Matthew Colvin revisits the earlier studies of Eisler, Daube and Jeremias, corrects them in the light of new evidence, and cogently argues for the Passover as the backdrop to the origin and understanding of the Last Supper narratives and the Lord's Supper of the Church. Those concerned with Eucharistic origins will need to engage with Colvin's book. -- Bryan D. Spinks, Yale Divinity SchoolTable of ContentsChapter 1 The Historical ProjectChapter 2 The Passover BackgroundChapter 3 Evidence from Jews and Greeks Chapter 4 Layers of MeaningChapter 5 Mechanics and MisinterpretationsChapter 6 Rereading John 6Chapter 7 The Festal Meal in CorinthChapter 8 Experiencing the Lord’s Supper Today

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Book SynopsisRodney A. Werline shifts the scholarly approach to New Testament prayer from source and genre analyses to seeing prayer as a cultural practice, bringing new dimensions of the prayers to light. Assisted by ritual theorists such as Catherine Bell, Pierre Bourdieu, Talal Assad, and Roy Rappaport, Werline illuminates the genius of the New Testament authors and the members of their communities who, through years of embodied practice, acquired an aptitude which humans uniquely possess—the ability through ritual practice to navigate and maintain their relationships with one another and, together, with their God. Werline especially focuses on how their actions brought cultural memory to life, assisted in receiving revelations, protected them from demonic powers, and established and fulfilled their obligations to one another and to that God. The full import of these observations, however, is not possible without placing the prayers within their Second Temple Jewish context. Jewish prayers outside the New Testament should not function as mere “background,” but as evidence of a grand cultural enterprise taking place, in which members of the early church actively participated.Table of Contents1. Changing Perspectives2. Prayer and Memory3. Prayer and Revelations4. Prayer and Demonic Powers5. Prayer and Obligation

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the influence of the Day of Atonement on the Gospels. In the first chapter, Hans M. Moscicke studies the effect of Yom Kippur traditions on Matthew’s Final Judgment episode (Matt 25:31–46), arguing that the evangelist portrays the expulsion of the unrighteous as a purgative event resembling the yearly expulsion of iniquity from the temple by means of the scapegoat. In Chapter Two, he contends that Matthew constructs a goat-for-Yahweh typology in his baptism scene (Matt 3:16–17) and a goat-for-Azazel typology in his temptation narrative (Matt 4:1–11). He argues in the third chapter that Luke’s narrative regarding Jesus’s visit to Nazareth (Luke 4:16–30) has been shaped by Jubilee and Yom Kippur traditions. In Chapter Four he explores the impact of ancient elimination rituals and scapegoat traditions on the Gerasene exorcism pericopae (Mark 5:1–20 parr.). Finally, in the final chapter he investigates the influence of the Day of Atonement on John’s resurrection narrative (John 20:11–23), especially his allusion to the cherubim and atonement slate in John 20:20.Table of Contents1.The Final Judgment as Ritual Purgation of Cosmos: The Impact of Yom Kippur on “the Sheep and the Goats” (Matt. 25:31-46)2.Jesus as Goat for Yahweh and Goat for Azazel in Matthew’s Baptism-Temptation Narrative (Matt. 3:16‒4:11)3.Jubilary Release of Sins and the Scapegoating of Jesus in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30)4.The Gerasene/Gadarene Exorcism as Apocalyptic Mimesis of the Scapegoat Ritual: A Synoptic Analysis5.Jesus’s Atonement and Heavenly Ascent in John’s Resurrection Narrative (John 20:11-23)

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the influence of the Day of Atonement on the Gospels. In the first chapter, Hans M. Moscicke studies the effect of Yom Kippur traditions on Matthew’s Final Judgment episode (Matt 25:31–46), arguing that the evangelist portrays the expulsion of the unrighteous as a purgative event resembling the yearly expulsion of iniquity from the temple by means of the scapegoat. In Chapter Two, he contends that Matthew constructs a goat-for-Yahweh typology in his baptism scene (Matt 3:16–17) and a goat-for-Azazel typology in his temptation narrative (Matt 4:1–11). He argues in the third chapter that Luke’s narrative regarding Jesus’s visit to Nazareth (Luke 4:16–30) has been shaped by Jubilee and Yom Kippur traditions. In Chapter Four he explores the impact of ancient elimination rituals and scapegoat traditions on the Gerasene exorcism pericopae (Mark 5:1–20 parr.). Finally, in the final chapter he investigates the influence of the Day of Atonement on John’s resurrection narrative (John 20:11–23), especially his allusion to the cherubim and atonement slate in John 20:20.Trade ReviewMoscicke's work provides fascinating and unprecedented insight into how the New Testament Gospels drew upon Leviticus 16 and the Day of Atonement ritual in their portrayal of the life and teachings of Jesus. Engaging an impressive array of primary source material, Moscicke places the Gospels in their proper Second Temple context, revealing how the evangelists utilized imagery from Leviticus 16 and various Yom Kippur traditions to advance their respective theological messages. Goat for Yahweh, Goat for Azazel is clearly written, precise in details, and extremely interesting. For years to come it will benefit both scholars and lay people seeking to recapture the sacrerdotal dimensions of the earliest stories about Jesus. -- Andrei A. Orlov, Marquette UniversityIn his second monograph on the reception of Yom Kippur traditions in the canonical Gospels, Hans Moscicke demonstrates once more the deep roots of early Christianity within the matrix of early Judaism. Engaging with the latest scholarship on the topic, this exciting study offers fresh and original insights into many facets of central New Testament passages. Highly recommended to everyone interested in a serious exploration of the intellectual world of the early followers of Jesus. -- Christian A. Eberhart, University of HoustonHans Moscicke’s study of the Day of Atonement theme on the canonical Gospels marks a significant and welcome contribution to a largely neglected topic. In noting that Yom Kippur was arguably the most important holy day in the ancient Jewish calendar, Moscicke correctly questions whether modern scholarship has taken seriously enough the influence of this theme on the evangelists and/or their sources. His argument that certain Gospel passages have been influenced by the concepts and rituals of Leviticus 16, either directly or through the prism of later Jewish Yom Kippur traditions, is engaging, stimulating, and provocative. -- David C. Sim, Australian Catholic UniversityTable of Contents1.The Final Judgment as Ritual Purgation of Cosmos: The Impact of Yom Kippur on “the Sheep and the Goats” (Matt. 25:31-46)2.Jesus as Goat for Yahweh and Goat for Azazel in Matthew’s Baptism-Temptation Narrative (Matt. 3:16‒4:11)3.Jubilary Release of Sins and the Scapegoating of Jesus in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30)4.The Gerasene/Gadarene Exorcism as Apocalyptic Mimesis of the Scapegoat Ritual: A Synoptic Analysis5.Jesus’s Atonement and Heavenly Ascent in John’s Resurrection Narrative (John 20:11-23)

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a selection of articles written by Israeli scholars who are part of a research group on early Christianity and its interaction with Judaism. The book discusses key issues in the field today: typological figures for Jesus (John the Baptist, Jeremiah and Moses), the identity of early Jewish-Christians, the interaction between Christianity and the Rabbis, and early Christian communities.The book does not speak in a monolithic voice. Rather, it expresses different standpoints and various methods that reflect the diversity of Israeli research. It is well known that any historian is not detached from the place where he lives, the time and his religious and national identity. The fact that this book was written by Israeli scholars poses the question if there is something unique which characterizes Israeli research in comparison to non-Israeli research?The Israeli voice, we are certain, has something to contribute to the debate on issues that currently occupy early Christianity research. Whether it is indeed distinguished by uniqueness, let the educated reader be the judge.

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Book SynopsisBeginning with the establishment of the first ghetto in Venice in 1516, then followed by that of Rome and other cities, the Jews had to measure themselves against this circumscribed and ambivalent place, which included them in the urban perimeter and at the same time isolated them. For almost three centuries this was the space in which the Jews cultivated their identity, on the one hand preserving the characteristics of a millenary culture, while on the other drawing from the world that opened up beyond that border: the constant relationship between the “inside” and the “outside” of the ghetto walls marks the life of the Jews on the long road to emancipation. The volume is dedicated to this complex and articulated reality, availing itself of a very rich critical apparatus in dealing from every angle - historical, artistic, sociological - with a highly current problem: the concepts of resilience, integration, comparison between cultures, aspiration to being the same while remaining different.

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Book SynopsisThis source-reader invites you to encounter the world of one thousand years of Jewish self-government in eastern Europe. It tells about the beginnings in the Middle Ages, delves into the unfolding of communal hierarchies and supra-communal representation in the early modern period, and reflects on the impact of the partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and of growing state interference, as well as on the communist and post-communist periods. Translated into English from Hebrew, Latin, Yiddish, Polish, Russian, German, and other languages, in most cases for the first time, the sources illustrate communal life, the interdependence of civil and religious leadership, the impact of state legislation, Jewish-non-Jewish encounters, reform projects and political movements, but also Jewish resilience during the Holocaust. "The reviewed volume is a valuable publication reflecting the considerable work of the editors, authors and translators. It allows English-speaking readers to reach out to materials previously inaccessible linguistically. Most importantly, it allows to include and/or introduce the history of Polish Jews into the didactics of universitites worldwide." Anna Michałowska-Mycielska, Studia Judaica (quote was translated from Polish)Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface 1 The Medieval Period  Hanna Zaremska 2 Early Modern Poland-Lithuania, 1507–1795  Adam Teller 3 The Partitions of Poland-Lithuania, 1772–1815  Cornelia Aust 4 The Prussian Partition, 1815–1914  Michał Szulc 5 Jewish Self-Government in Galicia, 1815–1914  Wacław Wierzbieniec 6 The Kingdom of Poland, 1815–1915  Artur Markowski 7 Imperial Russia’s North-Western and South-Western Provinces, 1815–1914  Andrei Zamoiski 8 World War One and Independent Poland, 1914–1939  Piotr Kendziorek 9 Poland after the Second World War, 1944–2020  August Grabski with Piotr Grudka 10 Epilogue: Refractions of Jewish Self-Government under German Occupation in the Second World War  Marcin Urynowicz Glossary Index

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Book SynopsisFrom Europe and America to the Middle East, North Africa and other non-European Jewish settlement areas, the Encyclopedia of Jewish History and Culture covers the recent history of the Jewish people from 1750 through the 1950s. Originally published in German as the Enzyklopädie jüdischer Geschichte und Kultur by J.B. Metzler Verlag (Stuttgart/Weimar) in 2011 the work includes approximately 800 entries that present the state of international research and reveal a complex portrait of Jewish life - illuminated by many maps and illustrations. Central themes convey information on topics such as autonomy, exile, emancipation, literature, liturgy, music, and science of Judaism. The encyclopedia provides knowledge in an overall context and offers academics and other interested readers new insights into Jewish history and culture. The work is an outstanding contribution to the understanding of Judaism and modernity. The first volume of the English edition appeared in 2017 with subsequent volumes following in due course. The volumes may be purchased individually as they appear or as a set once all 7 are available. Both the German and the English editions will also be available online.

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Book SynopsisIn Law’s Dominion, Jay Berkovitz offers a novel approach to the history of early modern Jewry. Set in the city of Metz, on the Moselle river, this study of a vibrant prerevolutionary community draws on a wide spectrum of legal sources that tell a story about community, religion, and family that has not been told before. Focusing on the community’s leadership, public institutions, and judiciary, this study challenges the assumption that Jewish life was in a steady state of decline before the French Revolution. To the contrary, the evidence reveals a robust community that integrated religious values and civic consciousness, interacted with French society, and showed remarkable signs of collaboration between Jewish law and the French judicial system. In Law’s Dominion, Jay Berkovitz has gathered and meticulously mined a dazzling array of rich and complex rabbinic texts and records from Western Europe during the early modern period, including the pinkas of the rabbinic court of Metz that he previously rescued from oblivion. What emerges is a remarkably fresh depiction and incisive comparative treatment of central aspects of Jewish law, religion and family, which will have far-reaching ramifications for all future studies in these disciplines. -Ephraim Kanarfogel, E. Billi Ivry University Professor of Jewish History, Literature, and Law at Yeshiva UniversityTable of ContentsContents Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations Maps Introduction Part 1: Foundations 1 Writing Jewish History through a Legal Lens  Rabbinic Responsa Literature  Communal Registers (Pinkasim)  Lay and Rabbinic Court Records  Law as a Cultural System  The Production of the Metz Pinkas Beit Din 2 The Foundations of the Metz Kehillah  Return of the Jews to France and the Establishment of the Metz Community  Ritual and Identity  Material Culture  Economic Integration Part 2: Community, Governance, Authority 3 Communal Autonomy and Governance  Electoral and Administrative Procedures  Consumption and Social Status  Poverty and Social Welfare  Juridical Autonomy and Recourse to Non-Jewish Courts  Policing Religious and Cultural Boundaries 4 Lay and Rabbinic Judicial Authority  Lay and Rabbinic Tribunals  Sources of Law  Judicial Procedure  Functions of the Beit Din 5 Navigating the Challenges of Multiple Jurisdictions  Language  Production of Bi-lingual Documents  Patterns of Litigation in the Beit Din  Judicial Behavior of the Metz Beit Din  The Acquaintance of the Beit Din with French Law and Judicial Procedure  Navigating the Two Systems  The Impact of French Law on Rabbinic Jurisprudence Part 3: Family Affairs 6 Guardianship and Inheritance  Guardianship  Inheritance  Testamentary Charity 7 Women, Marriage, and Property  Betrothal and Marriage  Marital Property  Women in Credit and Commerce 8 Conclusion and Epilogue Glossary Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis book analyzes Jewish society in Roman Palestine in the time of the Mishnah (70–250 CE) in a systematic way, carefully delineating the various economic groups living therein, from the destitute, to the poor, to the middling, to the rich, and to the superrich. It gleans the various socioeconomic strata from the terminology employed by contemporary literary sources via contextual, philological, and historical-critical analysis. It also takes a multidisciplinary approach to analyze and interpret relevant archeological and inscriptional evidence as well as numerous legal sources. The research presented herein shows that various expressions in the sources have latent meanings that indicate socioeconomic status. “Rich,” for example, does not necessarily refer to the elite, and “poor” does not necessarily refer to the destitute. Jewish society consisted of groups on a continuum from extremely poor to extremely rich, and the various middling groups played a more important role in the economy than has hitherto been thought.Table of ContentsContents Abbreviations 1 Introduction  1 Methodology  2 Sources of the Study: Literature and Archeology  3 Historical Background and Chronology  4 The Roman Economy  5 Structure and Stratification in Roman Society  6 Outline and Structure  7 Sources and Translations 2 Dissecting the Poor Strata of Jewish Society in Roman Palestine, 70–250 CE  1 The Poor and Poverty in the Old Testament  2 The Poor in Non-Biblical Second Temple Literature  3 The Poor in the New Testament  4 Summary  5 The Poor and Poverty in Rabbinic Sources  6 Borderline Poor  7 “Poor” Can Be a Relative Term  8 Historical Background for the Spread of Poverty in Jewish Society  9 Summary  10 Substratification of the Poor in the Roman World  11 Rabbinic Attitudes toward the Poor after the Destruction of the Temple 3 The Laborer (Po’el): On Both Sides of the Poverty Line  1 The Use of the Word Po’el from the Bible to Second Temple Literature  2 The Laborer in Josephus and the New Testament  3 The Laborer in Rabbinic Sources  4 The Laborer’s Economic Situation  5 Summary  6 Laborers in the Roman World 4 Craftsmen and Artisans: the Low Middle Class  1 Crafts in the Roman Empire  2 The Craftsman in Archeological Finds in Roman Palestine  3 The Literary Sources  4 The Craftsman in the Old Testament  5 The Craftsmen in Non-Biblical Second Temple Literature  6 The Craftsmen in the New Testament  7 The Craftsmen in Rabbinic Literature  8 Further Development of Terminology of Craftsmen  9 Historical Background  10 Rabbinic Endorsement of Craftsmanship  11 Summary 5 The Independent Farmer (Ba’al Habayit)  1 The Term “Ba’al Habayit” (“Homeowner”) from Biblical Times until the First Century CE  2 New Testament: Home and Landowner  3 Development of Dominus in Roman Legal Vocabulary  4 Ba’al Habayit in Tannaitic Sources  5 Landowners Representing Members of a Social Group  6 The Economic Status of the Ba’al Habayit  7 Was the Landowner, Ba’al Habayit, Rich?  8 The “House” of the “Householder” (Ba’al Habayit) in Archeological Findings  9 Historical Background  10 The Small Landowner in the Roman Empire  11 Conclusion 6 The “Rich”  1 The “Rich” in the Old Testament and Second Temple Literature  2 The “Rich” in the New Testament  3 The Attitude toward the Rich in the New Testament  4 Summary  5 The Term “Wealthy” in Early Rabbinic Literature  6 Terminology for Wealth  7 Rabbinic Attitudes toward the Rich and Powerful  8 Summary  9 Subdivision of the Wealthy Stratum  10 The Wealthy in Rabbinic Narrative  11 Rich Individuals in Roman Palestine  12 Archeology of Wealth  13 Dwellings in the Vicinity of Roman Palestine: Southern Syria  14 Conclusion Epilogue Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis quantitative study of Piotrków Trybunalski traces the evolution of the population in the typical early modern semi-agrarian town in which the majority of activity was concentrated in the Jewish suburbs into a provincial capital in Congress Poland. Through the use of longitudinal aggregations and family reconstruction it explores fertility, mortality, and marriage patterns from the early nineteenth century, when civil records were introduced, until the Holocaust, revealing key differences as well as striking similarities between local Jews and non-Jews. The example of Piotrków set in a broader European context highlights variations in the pre-transitional demography of Ashkenazi Jewry and lack of universal model describing the “traditional” or “eastern European” Jewish family.Table of ContentsNote on Place Names and Their Transliteration Acknowledgements List of Figures and Tables Abbreviations Introduction 1 Quality of Vital Registration  1 Legal and Ideological Context  2 Sex Ratio at Birth as a Quality Measure  3 Regional Perspective  4 Local Perspective  5 Additional Indicators of Registration Quality  6 Causes of Under-Registration  7 Vital Registration in Piotrków Trybunalski  8 Conclusions 2 The Jewish Town of Piotrków  1 What Is a Shtetl?  2 The Twin-Town  3 Economic Conditions  4 Social Inequalities  5 Naming Patterns and Social Attitudes  6 Population Dynamics  7 Conclusions 3 Marriage and Household Formation  1 Quality of Marriage Registration  2 Age at Marriage  3 Permanent Celibacy  4 Marriage and Socio-Economy  5 Remarriage  6 Divorce  7 Household Formation  8 Endogamy and Social Networks  9 Conclusions 4 Births and Fertility  1 Marital Fertility  2 Premarital Conceptions and First Birth Interval  3 Birth Intervals and Spacing  4 Nonmarital Births  5 Conclusions 5 Deaths and Mortality  1 Infant and Child Mortality  2 Distribution of Age at Death  3 Breastfeeding, Mortality and Natural Increase  4 Maternal Mortality  5 Causes of Death  6 Local Health Care  7 Conclusions Conclusions Bibliography  Archival Primary Sources  Printed Primary Sources  Data Sources for Figures 3–7  Secondary Sources

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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