Judaism Books
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Radical Then Radical Now
Book SynopsisThroughout history, the Jewish people have faced catastrophe after catastrophe. They have been expelled, ghettoised, murdered and forcibly converted. The question that Jonathan Sacks asks in this original and compelling book is not how Judaism survived four thousand years of persecution, but how it found ways to flourish and thrive.Originally written as a wedding gift for his son over twenty years ago, now featuring a new foreword by Natan Sharansky, this revised edition is a reminder of the enduring beauty and wisdom of one of the world's oldest religions. A fascinating cultural and religious journey through Judaism's long history and the revolutionary ideas that shaped the moral civilisation of the West, Jonathan Sacks urges readers not to embrace secularisation or lose the script of the Jewish story but to add their own chapters instead. A deeply personal celebration of faith and community filled with hope for the future of the Jewish people, this book is a must-read for anyo
£11.69
£17.09
Hay House Inc Sefirot The Spheres of Heaven Tarot
Book SynopsisVenture beyond the well-traveled paths of the Rider-Waite-Smith conventions to the world of Sefirot Tarot where history, esoteric tales, Judaic Kabbalah, and the Marseille Tarot tradition combine to create a powerful tool for intuition, reflection, and growth.Since ancient times, the mysterious island of Dioscoria has been a harbor for mystics and misfits, rebels, and outcasts. But back even before the founding of this magical country, the Sefirot Tarotrumored to have originated in the temples of Thoth and Hekate at the dawn of timewas already a popular game used for reflection and meditation and as tool for divination.Drawing from the history of tarotfrom Rider-Waite-Smith and Marseille, to Judaic Kabbalah and esoteric lorethis deck explores the deep roots of the archetypes and symbolism as well as the many uses of tarot as a game, a powerful divination tool, and a meditation aid.The mystical, fantastical world of Dioscoria and th
£18.68
Atria Books Essential Judaism Updated Edition
Book SynopsisYou’ll find everything you need to know about being Jewish in this indispensable, revised and updated guide to the religious traditions, everyday practices, philosophical beliefs, and historical foundations of Judaism.What happens at a synagogue service? What are the rules for keeping kosher? How do I light the Hanukah candles? What is in the Hebrew Bible? What do the Jewish holidays signify? What should I be teaching my children about being Jewish? With the first edition of Essential Judaism, George Robinson offered the world the accessible compendium that he sought when he rediscovered his Jewish identity as an adult. In his “ambitious and all-inclusive” (New York Times Book Review) guide, Robinson illuminates the Jewish life cycle at every stage and lays out many fascinating aspects of the religion—the Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism, the evolution of Hasidism, and much more—while keeping a firm focus on the different Trade Review“Ambitious and all-inclusive.” * The New York Times Book Review *"An invaluable one-volume compendium." * The Philadelphia Inquirer *"Extraordinary....Robinson deserves our gratitude for his major contribution." * The Jerusalem Post *
£17.09
Red Wheel/Weiser Sefer Yetzirah
Book SynopsisNow in its 7th printing since republication in 1997, the Sefer Yetzirah has established itself as a primary source for all serious students of Kabbalah. Rabbi Kaplan''s translation of this oldest and most mysterious of all Kabbalistic texts provides a unique perspective on the meditative and magical aspects of Kabbalah. He expounds on the dynamics of the spiritual domain, the worlds of Sefirot, souls and angels. This translation is based on Gra version of the Sefer Yetzirah and includes the author''s extraordinary commentary on all its mystical aspects including kabbalistic astrology, Ezekiel''s vision and the 231 gates. Also included are three alternative versions to make this volume the most complete work on the Sefer Yetzirah available in English.
£30.60
Picador Judaism Is about Love
Book SynopsisA profound, startling new understanding of Jewish life, illuminating the forgotten heart of Jewish theology and practice: love.A dramatic misinterpretation of the Jewish tradition has shaped the history of the West: Christianity is the religion of love, and Judaism the religion of law. In the face of centuries of this widespread misrepresentation, Rabbi Shai Heldone of the most important Jewish thinkers in America todayrecovers the heart of the Jewish tradition, offering the radical and moving argument that love belongs as much to Judaism as it does to Christianity. Blending intellectual rigor, a respect for tradition and the practices of a living Judaism, and a commitment to the full equality of all people, Held seeks to reclaim Judaism as it authentically is. He shows that love is foundational and constitutive of true Jewish faith, animating the singular Jewish perspective on injustice and protest, grace, family life, responsibilities to our neighbors and even our enemies, and chosenness.Ambitious and revelatory, Judaism Is About Love illuminates the true essence of Judaisman act of restoration from within.
£16.19
Diversion Books Standing By Israel
Book SynopsisA powerful, next-generation manifesto declaring that the future prosperity of Western civilization is dependent upon the ongoing security and success of the Jewish State of Israel, and that the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland demands a realist foreign policy emphasizing the U.S.-Israel alliance that will require military strength and a focus on Israeli self-defense for the country as well as its individual citizens. Israel is the West’s man on the spot—the tip of the spear in the battle against Islamist terrorism and secularist nihilism alike. But the old-guard voices advocating for the full support of Israel as a nation-state and as an idea are being drowned out from all sides—theistic, secularist, right, left, and everything in between. To combat the uproars of multiculturalism, postmodern relativism, “tolerance,” and Jew-hating social media, the time is now for voices from a new generation. We must address modern antisemitism and sound a call not just to accept, but to enthusiastically embrace the centrality of Judaism to the very character of Western civilization. In Israel and Civilization, acclaimed journalist, legal expert, and pundit Josh Hammer makes a righteous case that the key to the prosperity of the West is the flourishing of the Jewish people and the Jewish State of Israel. Hammer’s uplifting offense is our best defense against the enemies of the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. And as Hammer makes clear, manifesting the promise of Israel requires action by the United States and its allies. There can be no overstating the impact of the trauma of October 7, 2023, on the Jewish people. Yet the anti-Israel reactions the world over have been equally devastating. Rallies of hundreds of thousands explicitly or implicitly promoting Hamas violence; demonstrations of Ivy League professors celebrating the pogrom as “awesome” and “exhilarating;” so-called human rights organizations that refuse to unequivocally condemn the use of rape as a weapon of war; and a hydra of multiculturalism, postmodern relativism, and “tolerance”—it all threatens the physical and metaphysical survival of the West and our essential Jewish heritage. Preserving the best of what’s been thought and said throughout history and ensuring that there will be centuries more requires a West that is proud of its Jewish heritage. In other words, the continued existence of the Jewish people is inextricably tied to the endurance of Western civilization. Israel is the center of the battle, and Israel and Civilization explains why and how the Jewish state must win.
£22.50
Hodder & Stoughton The Power Of Kabbalah
Book SynopsisThe new big thing in terms of spiritual enlightenment, the powerful principles of the Kabbalah have attracted a swathe of celebrity followers ranging from Madonna, Jerry Hall, Elizabeth Taylor, Mick Jagger and Guy Ritchie - as well as over 3.5 million other dedicated students worldwide. Previously shrouded in secrecy, its teachings were passed down orally from generation to generation to only an elite few. Now, in THE POWER OF KABBALAH, Rabbi Yehuda Berg has created a user''s manual for today''s world, in which its wisdom is conveyed in a highly accessible, practical form for all to follow.For the first time, these secret teachings are brought to bear on the real world issues faced by us everyday - in our careers, with family and friends, and in our innermost personal thoughts. Rabbi Yehuda Berg sets out a practical collection of principles and instructions for improving our lives - helping us to get to where we really want to be emotionally, spiritually, financialTrade ReviewThis book should come with a warning: Danger of enlightenment. * Guy Ritchie *The Power of Kabbalah shows you how to reveal the beauty of your spirit and embark on a journey of self-discovery and transformation. * Deepak Chopra *In a world jam-packed with confusion, chaos and the superficial, The Power of Kabbalah helps you throw on the brakes before you hit the wall. Love it and live it. * Sandra Bernhard *This book provides a simple yet powerful and profound message for both novices and seasoned seekers alike. * John Gray, author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are *
£10.44
Princeton University Press The Beginning of Politics
Book SynopsisTrade Review"World’s 2017 Book of the Year in “History”"
£16.19
Koren Publishers The Koren Illustrated Tehillim, the Magerman
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£14.24
John Murray Press The Great Partnership
Book SynopsisWriting with his usual grace and fluency, Jonathan Sacks moves beyond the tired arguments of militant atheists such as Dawkins'' The God Delusion and Hitchens'' God is Not Great, to explore how religion has always played a valuable part in human culture and far from being dismissed as redundant, must be allowed to temper and develop scientific understanding in order for us to be fully human.Ranging around the world to draw comparisons from different cultures, and delving deep into the history of language and of western civilisation, Jonathan Sacks shows how the predominance of science-oriented thinking is embedded deeply even in our religious understanding, and calls on us to recognise the centrality of relationship to true religion, and thus to see how this core value of relationship is essential if we are to avoid the natural tendency for science to rule our lives rather than fulfilling its promise to set us free.Trade ReviewThe most persuasive argument for religious belief I have read. * Andrew Marr, BBC Radio 4 Start the Week *An intelligent, optimistic credo that allows for the happy coexistence of science and religion * The Times *One of the most engaging thinkers of our time * The Times *Britain's most authentically prophetic voice * The Daily Telegraph *Jonathan Sacks's voice carries unique moral authority far beyond the Jewish community * The Tablet *
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers Jews Dont Count
Book SynopsisHow identity politics failed one particular identity.A must read and if you think YOU don't need to read it, that's just the clue to know you do' SARAH SILVERMANA masterpiece'' STEPHEN FRYJews Don't Count is a book for people on the right side of history. People fighting the good fight against homophobia, disablism, transphobia and, particularly, racism. People, possibly, like you.It is the comedian and writer David Baddiel's contention that one type of racism has been left out of this fight. In his unique combination of reasoning, polemic, personal experience and jokes, Baddiel argues that those who think of themselves as on the right side of history have often ignored the history of anti-Semitism. He outlines why and how, in a time of intensely heightened awareness of minorities, Jews don't count as a real minority.Trade Review‘Jews Don’t Count is a supreme piece of reasoning and passionate, yet controlled, argument. From his first sentence, the energy, force and conviction of Baddiel’s writing and thinking will transfix you…as readable as an airport thriller…a masterpiece.’STEPHEN FRY ‘I don’t think I have ever been so grateful to anyone for writing a book. Baddiel’s Jews Don’t Count is incisive, urgent, surprisingly funny and short. It’s also a beautiful piece of publishing. It needs to be read’JAY RAYNER ‘Brilliant, furious, uncomfortable, funny. Essential reading.’SIMON MAYO ‘I'm about a quarter of the way into this thus far and it's very well argued and written. It's a book you know the author HAD to write, and those are the best books’JON RONSON ‘I only big up work I really believe is good and this is extra-ordinarily good. And important’JONATHAN ROSS ‘This is brilliant – funny and furious, mostly at the same time’MARINA HYDE ‘A convincing and devastating charge sheet’ Dominic Lawson, Sunday Times ‘It is so gripping – I read it in a single sitting’ Stephen Bush, The Times ‘A fascinating book, I urge you to read it’ Piers Morgan ‘I really think it’s a great book … the real triumph is its tone, its straightforwardness, and its spectacular tact and wit’ Adam Phillips, author of Monogamy ‘this short and powerful book shows, with remarkable humanity and humour, that no contemporary conversation about racism is complete without confronting antisemitism. An essential read – and a compulsory one too, if I had my way.’ Sathnam Sanghera ‘Funny, complex and intellectually satisfying – a really good piece of work’ Frankie Boyle ‘Just so brilliantly argued and written, I was completely swept along’ Hadley Freeman ‘David Baddiel is a brilliant thinker and writer. Even when I disagree with him – especially when I disagree with him – I feel profound gratitude for his intellectual and moral clarity. This is a brave and necessary book.’ Jonathan Safran Foer
£7.59
Inner Traditions Bear and Company Soul Journey through the Tarot: Key to a Complete
Book SynopsisIntegrating numerology, astrology, Kabbalah, and the contemplative life. As John Sandbach illuminates in depth, the Tarot is a portal to realms of wisdom. It not only can provide deep insight through traditional readings but also offers a hands-on way to learn multiple spiritual practices and metaphysical systems, each interrelated through numbers and the ways the systems are worked with to reveal cosmic truths. In this guide, Sandbach explores the deep interconnected meanings of each of the 78 cards of the Tarot and explains how to work with the cards for spiritual healing and growth as well as to synergistically learn other methods of spiritual insight, in particular numerology and astrology. Connecting the traditional, symbolic, psychological, alchemical, astrological, and numerological meanings of each card to its deepest meaning, the one closest to its spiritual core, he shows how exploring the interconnected meanings of the cards allows you to understand the Tarot as an integrated whole and enables you to provide insightful and deeply intuitive readings. He explains how every card is connected to the Tree of Life, an ancient Kabbalistic diagram of the universe, and details how to use the Tarot to calculate the numerological value of names, words, and dates, including birthdays, to reveal their metaphysical significance. He explores the connections between alternative rulerships for the cards and how they allow you to understand astrology at a deeper level. He also demonstrates several types of card layouts that can be used to perform readings for yourself or others, and he provides instructions for Tarot Contemplations to access deeper meanings of the cards. By journeying through the nexus of wisdom connections within each card, you not only are simultaneously learning the ancient wisdom of numerology and astrology, but also opening access to your own inner wisdom.
£22.50
Oneworld Publications OffWhite
Book SynopsisWhy can''t we talk about antisemitism? ''I cannot wait for Off-White to be read, debated and put into practice.'' Naomi Klein, author of Doppelganger As claims of antisemitism continue to distort our politics at home and abroad, it has become almost impossible to talk about constructively, even in private. Instead, we find ourselves in a storm of misinformation, political mudslinging and bad-faith accusations. There is, however, a way to deliberate more honestly. Looking beyond our polarising headlines and interrogating the reasons racism takes hold, Off-White offers urgent analysis of one of the most divisive issues of our time. Taking in the contingency of whiteness, Judeo-Christian mythmaking, pro-Israel antisemitism, and the Palestinian struggle against colonialism, Rachel Shabi lights a hopeful way forward. *** ''Timely and valuable... [Shabi''s] key message is a vital one - that the fight against antisemitism is an essential part of the fight against all injustice and dehumanisation.'' Observer, Book of the Week ''A masterpiece defined by moral clarity, humanity and insight.'' Owen Jones ''An invaluable guide for anyone who seeks to understand issues over which we stumble far too often.'' George Monbiot ''With a generous spirit and a humane compass, Rachel Shabi guides us through a minefield.'' Gary Younge
£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion
Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of Israel's founder by one of Israel's most celebrated historians. As the founder of Israel, David Ben-Gurion long ago secured his reputation as a leading figure of the twentieth century. Determined from an early age to create a Jewish state, he took control of the Zionist movement, declared Israel's independence, and navigated his country through wars, controversies and remarkable achievements. In this definitive biography, Tom Segev uses previously unreleased archival material to give an original, nuanced account that transcends the myths and legends that have built up around the man. He reveals Ben-Gurion's secret negotiations with the British on the eve of Israel's independence, his willingness to countenance the forced transfer of Arab neighbors, his relative indifference to Jerusalem, and his occasional eccentric moments – from UFO sightings to plans for Israel to acquire territory in South America. The result is a full and startling portrait of a man who sought a state 'at any cost' – at times through risk-taking, violence, and unpredictability, and at other times through compromise, moderation and reason. Segev's Ben-Gurion is neither a saint nor a villain but a twentieth-century leader whose iron will and complex temperament left a contentious legacy, and one of the world's most intractable national conflicts. Praise for A State at Any Cost: 'A must for anybody interested in both the glorious and the dark pages of the history of Zionism and Israel, as reflected throughout the life and times of the Jewish State's most important founding father' SAUL FRIEDLÄNDER 'The story of a hard-headed, pragmatic and ruthless politician, told without sentimentality or nostalgia. It also serves as a key to understanding today's Israel, which is still very much Ben-Gurion's creation' THE TIMES 'Fascinating... A masterly portrait of a titanic yet unfulfilled man... This is a gripping study of power, and the loneliness of power' THE ECONOMISTTrade ReviewTom Segev's meticulously researched and most elegantly written new biography of David Ben-Gurion is a must for anybody interested in both the glorious and the dark pages of the history of Zionism and Israel, as reflected throughout the life and times of the Jewish State's most important founding father -- Saul Friedländer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Nazi Germany and the Jews and Where Memory LeadsIn the course of six years of research, Segev [...] discovered a leader fraught with dramatic contrasts... The author has come up with significant historical revelations' * Ofer Aderet, Haaretz *Fascinating... A masterly portrait of a titanic yet unfulfilled man... This is a gripping study of power, and the loneliness of power' * Economist *[A] carefully researched and nonjudgemental biography... Tom Segev's A State at Any Cost aptly summarizes the lodestar of Ben-Gurion's life' -- Avraham Avi-hai, Jerusalem PostDeserves to be the definitive biography of Ben-Gurion. It is the story of a hard-headed, pragmatic and ruthless politician, told without sentimentality or nostalgia. It also serves as a key to understanding today's Israel, which is still very much Ben-Gurion's creation * The Times *Tom Segev has completed a monumental task. The work includes the research of a true detective -- Avner Cohen, author of Israel and the Bomb[A] body of work that has no equal either for the brilliance of his storytelling or the ironies of his analysis * London Review of Books *Without doubt one of the best biographies to have been written about David Ben-Gurion... Segev manages to hold the reader's attention' * Literary Review *The book offers an appreciation of the life of an extraordinary man and an understanding of the values, political attitudes and the very concept of the Zionist State... For readers with an interest in the subject, the book is worthwhile, informative and rewarding' * Pennant Magazine. *Authoritative... [Segev] gives us a many-sided character, showing Ben-Gurion's strengths and weaknesses, great moments and cruelties, successes and failures. If you want a balanced account of what has long been a controversial state, this is a good place to start, and Segev is already well known for the excellence of his writing on Israel' * Sorted. *
£13.49
Koren Publishers Koren Shalem Siddur with Tabs, Compact, Emanuel
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£18.99
Maggid The Queen You Thought You Knew
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£18.04
Toby Press Ltd The Exodus You Almost Passed Over
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£18.04
Simon & Schuster Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My
Book SynopsisNow a Netflix original series! Unorthodox is the bestselling memoir of a young Jewish woman’s escape from a religious sect, in the tradition of Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Infidel and Carolyn Jessop’s Escape, featuring a new epilogue by the author.As a member of the strictly religious Satmar sect of Hasidic Judaism, Deborah Feldman grew up under a code of relentlessly enforced customs governing everything from what she could wear and to whom she could speak to what she was allowed to read. Yet in spite of her repressive upbringing, Deborah grew into an independent-minded young woman whose stolen moments reading about the empowered literary characters of Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott helped her to imagine an alternative way of life among the skyscrapers of Manhattan. Trapped as a teenager in a sexually and emotionally dysfunctional marriage to a man she barely knew, the tension between Deborah’s desires and her responsibilities as a good Satmar girl grew more explosive until she gave birth at nineteen and realized that, regardless of the obstacles, she would have to forge a path—for herself and her son—to happiness and freedom. Remarkable and fascinating, this “sensitive and memorable coming-of-age story” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) is one you won’t be able to put down.Trade Review“A brave, riveting account... Unorthodox is harrowing, yet triumphant.” — Jeannette Walls, New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle“A sensitive and memorable coming-of-age story... Imagine Frank McCourt as a Jewish virgin, and you've got Unorthodox in a nutshell.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette“Compulsively readable, Unorthodox relates a unique coming-of-age story that manages to speak personally to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider in her own life.” — School Library Journal“It's one of those books you can't put down.” — Joan Rivers, in The New York Post“An unprecedented view into a Hasidic community that few outsiders ever experience.” — Minneapolis Star-Tribune“[Feldman’s] matter-of-fact style masks some penetrating insights.” — The New York Times “Eloquent, appealing, and just emotional enough... No doubt girls all over Brooklyn are buying this book, hiding it under their mattresses, reading it after lights out—and contemplating, perhaps for the first time, their own escape.” — The Huffington Post“Riveting... extraordinary.” — Marie Claire
£10.44
Toby Press Ltd My Quarrel with Hersh Rasseyner
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£14.24
Schocken Books Choosing a Jewish Life Revised and Updated
Book SynopsisThe definitive guide to the conversion process—for a new generation of Jews-by-choice.However you choose to fashion your personal journey to Judaism, Anita Diamant is the perfect guide. In this comprehensive, wide-ranging book you will learn how to choose a rabbi, a synagogue, a denomination, and a Hebrew name; how to discuss your decision with your birth family; what happens at the mikveh (ritual bath) and at the hatafat dam brit (circumcision ritual for those already circumcised); how to find your footing in a new spiritual family and create a new Jewish identity; and how you and your children can maintain bonds to your family of origin. Also included are suggestions for readings, prayers, and poems that can personalize conversion rituals; a glossary of terms; and a short history of conversion in Judaism. This revised edition contains a completely updated chapter on how the mikveh is used in the conversion process and an updated list of onlin
£12.35
Koren Publishers Koren Shalem Siddur, Sepharad, Compact
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£18.04
Pan Macmillan When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Book SynopsisThe #1 bestselling inspirational classic from the internationally known spiritual leader; a source of solace and hope for over 4 million readers.Since its original publication in 1981, When Bad Things Happen to Good People has brought solace and hope to millions. In the preface to this edition, Rabbi Kushner relates the heartwarming responses he has received over the years from people who have found inspiration and comfort within these pages.When Harold Kushner’s three-year-old son was diagnosed with a degenerative disease that meant the boy would only live until his early teens, he was faced with one of life’s most difficult questions: Why, God? Years later, Rabbi Kushner wrote this straightforward, elegant contemplation of the doubts and fears that arise when tragedy strikes. In these pages, Kushner shares his wisdom as a rabbi, a parent, a reader, and a human being. Often imitated but never superseded, When Bad Things Happen to Good People is a classic that offers clear thinking and consolation in times of sorrow.Trade ReviewWhen Bad Things Happen to Good People offers a moving and humane approach to understanding life’s windstorms. * Elisabeth Kübler-Ross *Whether religious or not, this book will speak because it touches–profoundly, but simply–on questions no parent and no person can avoid. * Harvey Cox, Harvard Divinity School *A touching, heartwarming book for those of us who must contend with suffering, and that, of course, is all of us. * Andrew M. Greeley *This is a book all humanity needs. It will help you understand the painful vicissitudes of this life and enable you to stand up to them creatively. * Norman Vincent Peale *
£9.49
Jewish Publication Society The Heart of Torah Volume 1
Book SynopsisIn The Heart of Torah, Rabbi Shai Held's Torah essays – two for each weekly portion –open new horizons in Jewish biblical commentary. Held mines Talmud and midrashim, great writers of world literature, and astute commentators of other religious backgrounds to ponder fundamental questions about God, human nature, and what it means to be a religious person in the modern world.Trade Review"Rabbi Shai Held offers thought pieces on the parashat ha-shavua whose scope, depth, ethics, and insight will delight readers from all Jewish backgrounds, as well as anyone interested in mining the Bible for its timeless wisdom."—Jewish Book Council"Shai Held's new book on the weekly Torah portions is the kind of book that people should keep in their tallit bag and peruse during the Torah reading, because he understands the three kinds of questions that we need to confront whenever we study the Torah."—Jack Riemer, Jewish Advocate"If you want a book that is both accessible and deep, one which will open you to the humanity of all kinds of people, with love and compassion, this is the book for you."—Kol Ra'ash Gadol, Jew School"A breathtaking commentary."—Parshat Lekh Lekha, madlik"In Held's deft hand, these divrei Torah teach of human ethical responsibility in the face of pain that is interwoven into God's world. . . . The essays are beautifully written, richly woven, and speak honestly to the challenges facing religious people in the 21st century."—Yoel Finkelman, Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews"A spirited call to moral action and social justice. . . . Held is not content with learning Torah. He insists that we must not only study the word of God; rather, we must both "hear and do."—Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal"The Torah reading cycle provides the structure not just for the Jewish year but also for countless volumes of commentary on the biblical text, including Rabbi Shai Held's brilliant new two-volume collection The Heart of Torah, Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion."—Ilana Kurshan, Jewish Review of Books“The Heart of Torah is a stunning achievement: textually learned, theologically profound, ethically challenging, spiritually uplifting, and psychologically astute. If you want to know what it can mean to read the Torah today with your whole heart and your whole mind, read this book.”—Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder and senior rabbi at Ikar, Los Angeles“Shai Held deftly brings the wisdom of Torah to bear upon the contemporary human condition. Christians who read this book can discover fresh dimensions within the biblical text, see more clearly where there is common ground between Jews and Christians, and better grasp what it means to understand and live in this world as God’s world.”—Walter Moberly, professor of theology and biblical interpretation at Durham University“Shai Held is one of the most important teachers of Torah in his generation.”—Rabbi David Wolpe, author of David: The Divided HeartTable of ContentsForeword Acknowledgments A Note on Translations Introduction Genesis Bere’shit No. 1. What Can Human Beings Do, and What Can’t They? Or, Does the Torah Believe in Progress? Bere’shit No. 2. Created in God’s Image: Ruling for God Noaḥ No. 1. Before and After the Flood: Or, It All Depends on How You Look Noaḥ No. 2. People Have Names: The Torah’s Takedown of Totalitarianism Lekh Lekha No. 1. Are Jews Always the Victims? Lekh Lekha No. 2. Between Abram and Lot: Wealth and Family Strife Va-yera’ No. 1. The Face of Guests as the Face of God: Abraham’s Radical and Traditional Theology Va-yera’ No. 2. In Praise of Protest: Or, Who’s Teaching Whom? Ḥayyei Sarah No. 1. Isaac’s Search: On the Akedah and Its Aftermath Ḥayyei Sarah No. 2. People Are Complicated: Or, Sensitivity Is a Dangerous Thing Toledot No. 1. In Praise of Isaac: The Bible’s Paragon of Marital Empathy Toledot No. 2. Between God and Torah: Judaism’s Gamble Va-yetse’ No. 1. Can We Be Grateful and Disappointed at the Same Time? Or, What Leah Learned Va-yetse’ No. 2. No Excuses: Jacob’s Sin and Its Consequences Va-yishlaḥ No. 1. The Fear of Killing: Jacob’s Ethical Legacy Va-yishlaḥ No. 2. The Power of Compassion: Or, Why Rachel’s Cries Pierce the Heavens Va-yeshev No. 1. Against Halfheartedness Va-yeshev No. 2. Election and Service: What Joseph Learned Mikkets No. 1. His Brother’s Brother: Judah’s Journey Mikkets No. 2. Reuben’s Recklessness: What Disqualifies a Leader? Va-yiggash No. 1. Humiliation: Judaism’s Fourth Cardinal Sin? Va-yiggash No. 2. Saving and Enslaving: The Complexity of Joseph Va-yeḥi No. 1. The Majesty of Restraint: Or, Joseph’s Shining Moment Va-yeḥi No. 2. Underreacting and Overreacting: Dinah’s Family in Crisis Exodus Shemot No. 1. Why Moses? Or, What Makes a Leader? Shemot No. 2. Gratitude and Liberation Va-’era’ No. 1. The Journey and the (Elusive) Destination Va-’era’ No. 2. Cultivating Freedom: When Is Character (Not) Destiny? Bo’ No. 1. Pharaoh: Consumed by the Chaos He Sows Bo’ No. 2. Receiving Gifts (and Learning to Love?): The “Stripping” of the Egyptians Be-shallaḥ No. 1. Leaving Slavery Behind: On Taking the First Step Be-shallaḥ No. 2. Bread from the Sky: Learning to Trust Yitro No. 1. Does Everyone Hate the Jews? And, Is There Wisdom Outside of Torah? Yitro No. 2. Honoring Parents: (Sometimes) the Hardest Mitzvah of All Mishpatim No. 1. Turning Memory into Empathy: The Torah’s Ethical Charge Mishpatim No. 2. Hearing the Cries of the Defenseless: Or, We Are All Responsible Terumah No. 1. Being Present While Making Space: Or, Two Meanings of Tzimtzum Terumah No. 2. Returning to Eden? An Island of Wholeness in a Fractured World Tetsavveh No. 1. God in the Mishkan: Present but Not Domesticated Tetsavveh No. 2. Between Ecstasy and Constancy: The Dynamics of Covenantal Commitment Ki Tissa’ No. 1. The Importance of Character: Or, Why Stubbornness Is Worse Than Idolatry Ki Tissa’ No. 2. God’s Expansive Mercy: Moses’s Praise and Jonah’s Fury Va-yak’hel No. 1. Whom Do We Serve? The Exodus toward Dignified Work Va-yak’hel No. 2, Pekudei No. 1. (A) Building with Heart Pekudei No. 2. Building a Home for God Notes on Genesis Notes on Exodus A Note on Bible Commentaries Bibliography Subject Index Classical Sources Index
£17.99
Princeton University Press The Rebbe
Book SynopsisFrom the 1950s until his death in 1994, Menachem Mendel Schneerson - revered by his followers worldwide simply as the Rebbe - built the Lubavitcher movement from a relatively small sect within Hasidic Judaism into the powerful force in Jewish life that it is today. This title paints a portrait of Schneerson.Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2011 Winner of the 2010 National Jewish Book Award in American Jewish Studies, Jewish Book Council "How do you write a biography of the Messiah? That is the question that Samuel Heilman and Menachem Friedman, two leading Jewish social scientists, have had to tackle in their groundbreaking study of Menachem Mendel Schneerson."--Times Literary Supplement "[A]n outstanding biography of Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Lubavitcher rebbe... This well-written presentation, based on exhaustive scholarship, will stand as the definitive statement about the life and times of a highly influential religious leader."--Publishers Weekly "[A]n important biography... This is as full and reliable an account of the life of this towering spiritual leader as we are likely to get."--Saul Rosenberg, New York Sun "Lively and provocative... [An] eye-opening account of the Rebbe's 'life and afterlife.' ... [T]he best analytical study of the two major themes that it addresses: A critical and often boldly psychological biography of Schneerson is prefaced and supplemented by two chapters devoted to a sociological analysis of the beliefs and behaviors of his Hasidim, especially after the death of the man they were--and most still are--convinced was the Messiah."--Allan Nadler, Forward "This fascinating book by two outstanding scholars of contemporary Jewry is a must-read for those interested in the Lubavitch movement, whether insiders or outsiders... Overall, it examines a mystery that compels the reader's interest."--Jewish Book World "The Rebbe: The Life and Afterlife of Menachem Mendel Schneerson by Samuel Heilman and Menachem Friedman fills a considerable void in the biography of one of the towering religious figures of the 20th century... I am grateful to the authors for a profoundly human biography that will hopefully spur a whole new literature on the rebbe as man rather than angel and as person rather than saint."--Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, New York Jewish Week "[T]his book will serve as the most outstanding work in print on the Rebbe's life, his influence and his afterlife."--Aaron Howard, Jewish Herald-Voice "Sixteen years after the death of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, a flurry of new publications indicates not only how enduring the interest is in his life and legacy, but how potent the minefield is surrounding his mythology... The Heilman-Friedman book is generating the most controversy. Written for a lay audience, it frames Schneerson's mission, and that of the Chabad movement he led, as motivated by Messianism, here defined as the attempt to hasten the Messianic era through human actions."--Sue Fishkoff, Jewish Telegraphic Agency "In this exemplary work, we are treated to a well-written, well-documented history of the rise, life, death, and 'afterlife' of Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-94), the seventh-and last larger-than-life-leader (or 'rebbe') of ChaBaD Lubavitcher Hasidism... An outstanding book, strongly recommended for all interested in studying Schneerson and his beliefs."--Anthony J. Elia, Library Journal "When Samuel Heilman and Menachem Friedman, the two most distinguished sociologists of contemporary Orthodox Judaism set out to write this book, I was green with envy. They would combine their considerable talents and learning to bear on arguably the most fascinating, perhaps even the most successful, late 20th century Jewish religious leader... They have done an admirable job."--Michael Berenbaum, Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles "[T]he extraordinary biography of the Lubavitcher Rebbe executed by Samuel Heilman and Menachem Friedman, two sociologists who have cooperated in an exacting study of one of the most important religious figures of the 20th century... They deploy this approach in a narrative that is extraordinarily smooth in its literary style and transforms what could have been a dry and jargon-ridden sociological foray into a highly readable and occasionally even gripping exploration of the inner workings and theological complications that have animated the Lubavitcher 'empire' in the recent past."--Arnold Ages, Indianapolis Post & Opinion "[A] superb new biography... Mr. Heilman and Mr. Friedman are the perfect guides to tell this story. Their book is a model of meticulous research and balanced, wise assessments... The authors tell a riveting tale. No better account of this amazing saga of faith, hope, triumph and delusional madness can be imagined. To enjoy this book and learn its profound lessons, you don't have to be Jewish."--Martin Sieff, Washington Times "Where Heilman and Friedman excel is in separating fact from fiction in the rebbe's life... I am grateful to the authors for a profoundly human biography that will hopefully spur a whole new literature on the rebbe as man rather than angel and as person rather than saint."--Shmuley Boteach, Jerusalem Post "Illuminating... [A] clearly written and engaging biography... For anyone interested in a sophisticated sociological analysis of how Schneerson was able to become 'The Rebbe' this is a must read."--Nathaniel Deutsch, Haaretz "Prominent sociologists Heilman and Friedman have written an important book on the Lubavitcher movement, perhaps the most notable sect within Orthodox Judaism. The Rebbe, however, is also a provocative biography of Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, one of the 20th century's most influential religious leaders... For those unfamiliar with Schneerson's powerful religious message and messianic mission, this is essential reading."--Choice "This is a very good, accessible, non-hagiographic biography of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe... Highly recommended for collections of twentieth century Jewish history."--Shmuel Ben-Gad, AJL Newsletter "There is a great deal that is new in this very readable study and much that should interest students not only of Hasidism but also of charismatic religious groups in general."--Shaul Stampfer, Religious Studies Review "This book is helpful as an account of the transformation of Chabad from inner-directed to outer-facing, from a lineage that prized lengthy contemplative prayer to one that celebrates bold feats of outreach."--Nehemia Polen, Modern JudaismTable of ContentsList of Illustrations xi The Rebbes of ChaBaD? xiii Preface xv Chapter 1: Farbrengen: The Gathering of the Emissaries 1 Chapter 2: Death and Resurrection 29 Chapter 3: Coming of Age in a Time of Transition 65 Chapter 4: E ntering the Court of Lubavitch 90 Chapter 5: From Survival to Uforatzto 130 Chapter 6: On a Mission from the Rebbe in Life 163 Chapter 7: From Resurrection to Death: We Want Moshiach Now 197 Chapter 8: On a Mission from the Rebbe in His Afterlife 248 Glossary of Hasidic and Lubavitcher Terms 279 Notes 283 Index 331
£18.00
Pluto Press Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel
Book SynopsisNew edition of bestseller that critiques Jewish fundamentalism and shows its negative impact on Israeli policy.Table of ContentsPreface New Introduction 1. Jewish Fundamentalism Within Jewish Society 2. The Rise of the Haredim in Israel 3. The Two Main Haredi Groups 4. The National Religious Party and the Religious Settlers 5. The Nature of Gush Emunim Settlements 6. The Real Significance of Baruch Goldstein 7. The Religious Background of Rabin’s Assassination Glossary Notes Bibliography Index
£22.49
Koren Publishers Koren Shalem Siddur, Compact, Flex
Book Synopsis
£14.24
Inner Traditions Bear and Company The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis: Commentary on
Book SynopsisHidden within the first three chapters of Genesis rests one of the greatest jewels of Western mystical literature. For millennia religious literalism has dominated our understanding of the Bible, imprisoning its subtle inner wisdom within the most coarse and superficial aspects of the narrative. Generations have been led to believe that Genesis 1-3 is only a primitive proto-cosmic history, a mythological explanation of the human moral disposition, a religious fairy tale. But by accepting the text as pure kabbalistic metaphor, the mystical content of Genesis springs forth, revealing the Divine nature of creativity as well as a new understanding of the human mind. Deconstructing each line of Genesis 1-3 with esoteric methods derived from the oral teachings of the Kabbalah, David Chaim Smith reveals how the ten sefirot, collectively known as the Tree of Life, are not simply a linear hierarchy. They are a unified interdependent whole with ten interactive functions, forming the template through which creative diversity manifests. Through acts of creation and creativity, the mind expresses its Divine nature. Through our Divine creative power, we are able to touch upon Ain Sof (the infinite), the lifeblood of all creative expression. Smith's line-by-line examination of Genesis 1-3 reveals a complete model not only of Divine creativity but also of the predicament of the human mind, of the Divine nature of consciousness as well as our inability to recognize the mind's Divinity. With this new interpretation, which removes the concept of a Creator God, we are able to transcend the contrasting notions of "being" and "non-being" at the heart of conventional habits of perception and awaken a new mystical understanding of Unity and the fathomless depth of Divinity.Trade Review“An amazing book--boy does it have chutzpah!” * Hymenaeus Beta, Frater Superior, Ordo Templi Orientis *“A gifted artist who has a deep contemporary understanding of Jewish mystical wisdom, David Chaim Smith takes us into the domain where zero is one, where the all is nothing, and where the creative moment is constantly renewing itself. The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis is not a book simply to read but to contemplate and live with.” * Rodger Kamenetz, author of Burnt Books and The Jew in the Lotus *“A unique mystical voice out of a Blakean tradition, The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis is a mind-expanding spiritual text that will both clarify and transform you. Smith has rethought biblical basics from the ground up (‘with-beginningness’) providing insights into the profound depths of mind, perception, reality, life, creativity, luminosity, and transcendence. . . . This is kabbalistic commentary from a living practitioner that will help us immeasurably to help heal the world.” * John Zorn, musician *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I Window of Manifestation 1 The Essential Nature of Creativity The First Word of Genesis 2 Blueprint of the Creative Process Commentary on the First Chapter of Genesis Part II PriMordial Gnosis and Its Obscuration 3 The EdeNic State Commentary on the Second Chapter of Genesis 4 The CoNsequence of Habit Commentary on the Third Chapter of Genesis Appendix I Kabbalistic SyNopsis of the Three Chapters Appendix II Kabbalistic Array of names Index About the Author
£14.99
Kar-Ben Copies Ltd Sammy Spiders Passover Shapes
Book Synopsis
£5.99
Toby Press Ltd Studies in Spirituality
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£18.04
Ediciones Obelisco S.L. El Zohar Coleccion Cabala y Judaismo
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£13.34
Toby Press Ltd Return: Daily Inspiration for the Days of Awe
Book Synopsis
£17.09
Collective Ink Kabbalah and Healing: A Mystical Guide to
Book SynopsisWhat Maggy Whitehouse has discovered, over more than a quarter of a century of studying, teaching and writing books on Kabbalah, is that, used as a tool for inspiration, Kabbalah is a magical loom on which we can weave our healing, and from that healing, we become an agent of healing for the World. Kabbalah tells us exactly where, when, how and why we may be out of alignment with health, finances and relationships and, just as importantly, how to realign ourselves. For Maggy, it began with chronic lack of self-esteem which, in turn, led to many a humiliation, widowhood, shark attack, failed emigration, debt, divorce, shame, misery, hatred and what the doctors called an incurable illness which now no longer exists. It can be summed up, in a way, by how the first eight aspects led to the final one and how Kabbalah taught Maggy how to heal them, from finish to start. After all, 'incurable' surely means 'curable from within'.
£11.99
Post Hill Press Antisemitism
Book Synopsis
£19.80
Koren Publishers Koren Sacks Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur Mahzor
Book Synopsis
£48.59
Oxford University Press The Origin and Character of God
Book SynopsisFew topics are as broad or as daunting as the God of Israel, that deity of the world''s three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, who has been worshiped over millennia. In the Hebrew Bible, God is characterized variously as militant, beneficent, inscrutable, loving, and judicious. Who is this divinity that has been represented as masculine and feminine, mythic and real, transcendent and intimate? The Origin and Character of God is Theodore J. Lewis''s monumental study of the vast subject that is the God of Israel. In it, he explores questions of historical origin, how God was characterized in literature, and how he was represented in archaeology and iconography. He also brings us into the lived reality of religious experience. Using the window of divinity to peer into the varieties of religious experience in ancient Israel, Lewis explores the royal use of religion for power, prestige, and control; the intimacy of family and household religion; priestly prerogativeTrade ReviewThis is an important book, full of insightful comments, and is both wide-ranging and well-researched. * Eryl W. Davies, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament *Theodore J. Lewis's magnum opus reflects his scholarly commitment to the study of the religion of ancient Israel through the centrality of the definition, agency, history, and meaning of God. A masterful presentation of interdisciplinary scholarship incorporating archaeology, art, culture, literature, politics, and the lived experiences and realities of religious faith with scripture, this encyclopedic survey will become a classic reference work as well as a classic must-read for scholars of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as well as an audience beyond the academy. * 221 AAR Book Awards *Recommended. Ambitious upper-division undergraduates through faculty and researchers. * J. S. Kaminsky, Smith College, CHOICE *The Origin and Character of God is a magnum opus on the religion of ancient Israel. Taking a history of religion approach, Professor Lewis properly places the emergence of Israelite religion in the broader context of near eastern religion and history. It will be an essential reference work for generations to come." William M. Schniedewind, UCLAIn this landmark reference work, Theodore J. Lewis surveys the gods El and Yahweh, along with the goddess Astarte, as well as their rituals, personnel and polemics. Lewis masterfully describes the vast evidence found in iconography and texts, both biblical and extrabiblical. A readable volume marked by rich documentation, sober assessment, balanced judgment. * Mark S. Smith, Author of The Genesis of Good and Evil: The Fall(out) and Original Sin in the Bible *The Origin and Character of God is driven by critically evaluated data. In it, Theodore J. Lewis illustrates how hypotheses developed with conscientious methodological rigor should be applied to explain such data. In this remarkable magnum opus, Lewis, whose many contributions to the study of Israelite religion and, more generally, of divinity in the ancient Near East are well known and highly regarded, provides scholars a useful model for the type and quality of research that will carry these fields forward in coming decades. * Ziony Zevit, American Jewish University *Theodore Lewis's new book is a true magnum opus. It takes on the challenge of understanding ancient Israelite religion by focusing on how the Israelites conceptualized deity, more specifically, the god Yahweh and Yahweh's older relative, the Canaanite El. Lewis spares no effort to be comprehensive, taking in all the primary evidence from written texts and non-written archaeology and all the modern scholarship.... His coverage is lucid and systematic, and not simply descriptive, but a probing inquiry on many levels... paying close attention to both visual and written sources and their interplay, and demonstrating an acute awareness of the limits of our primary evidence. * Peter Machinist, Harvard University *Table of ContentsChapter One: Introductory Matters Chapter Two: The History of Scholarship on Ancient Israelite Religion - A Brief Sketch Chapter Three: Methodology Chapter Four: El Worship Chapter Five: The Iconography of Divinity - El Section I: Methodology and Iconography Section II: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and Divine Images Section III: The Iconography of Ugaritic 'Ilu Section IV: The Iconography of Israelite El Chapter Six: The Origin of Yahweh Section I: The Meaning and Revelation of the Name Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible Section II: The Name Yahweh in Extra-Biblical and Epigraphic Sources Section III: The Geographic Origins of Yahwistic Traditions and the Debate Concerning Chapter Seven: The Iconography of Divinity - Yahweh Section I: The Iconography of Yahweh: Anthropomorphic and Theriomorphic Traditions Section II: The Iconography of Yahweh: Aniconic and Abstract Traditions Chapter Eight: The Characterization of the Deity Yahweh Part One: Yahweh as Warrior and Family God Section I: Yahweh as Divine Warrior Section II: Yahweh the Compassionate and Family Religion Chapter Nine: The Characterization of the Deity Yahweh Part Two: Yahweh as King and Yahweh as Judge Section I: Yahweh as King Section II: Yahweh as Judge Chapter Ten: The Characterization of the Deity Yahweh Part Three: Yahweh as Holy Conclusion Notes Works Cited Index
£35.49
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Living a Jewish Life Revised and Updated
Book SynopsisThe classic guide to the cultural and spiritual treasures of Judaism is now updated for the first time in 15 years to reflect changes in the modern Jewish community.Living a Jewish Life describes Judaism as not just a contemplative or abstract system of thought but as a blueprint for living fully and honorably.Trade Review"An excellent first reader for the young family taking its first steps into living their Jewishness." — Rabbi Harold Kushner
£13.49
Yale University Press Moses
Book SynopsisAn unprecedented portrait of Moses's inner world and perplexing character, by a distinguished biblical scholarTrade Review"A celebrated biblical scholar, keen on weaving together traditional Jewish exegesis, psychoanalysis and postmodern criticism, Zornberg always displays minute attention to the psychological subtext of the Scriptures. . . . Bringing together copious, diverse and sometimes dissonant references (spanning Hasidic masters, George Eliot, Zizek and Beckett, among others), Zornberg gives a new tour of the life of Moses."—Clemence Boulouque, New York Times Book Review"In this exceptionally well-written book, which has the elegance of literature, Zornberg sidesteps the historical question. She treats Moses as a fictional character, not because she rejects his possible historicity but rather because she focuses on him as a personality. . . . The result is a thoughtful and highly literate read."—Robert A. Segal, Times Higher Education Supplement"For those wishing to engage the legacy of Moses more deeply, this is a must-read."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Brings together a rich literary reading of the biblical text, Midrashic insights, and contemporary psychology and sociology…This book will prove invaluable to teachers and students who want a deeper sense of the originating and ongoing significance of this ‘man of God’.”—Matthew J. Lynch, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament"Only Avivah Zornberg could tell the story of Moses in such a way as to situate him on the very cusp of the sacred and the human while showing how completely he participates in both. Only Zornberg has the prodigious scholarship to draw out from her sources the uniquely anguished and creative energy of Moses’ life. In doing so she makes a plea for a Jewish ethics grounded in the outsider, the one who stutters and falls, while at the same time returning Moses as a fully modern prophet to the modern world."—Jacqueline Rose, author of The Last Resistance and Women in Dark Times"The author has perfected a distinctive approach to the biblical text that is both traditional and post-modern, playful and profound, imaginative but also truthful."—Steven Weitzman, author of Solomon: The Lure of Wisdom
£10.99
Princeton University Press Two Gods in Heaven
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This book is a must-have for all scholars of religions in antiquity. . . . Schäfer has collected decisive proof in the form of a wide range of Jewish texts from the Bible to the Bavli that are not only discussed, but provided in the form of extensive quotations that makes the book a handy reference work."---Lieve M. Teugels,, Journal for the Study of Judaism
£28.50
Koren Publishers Koren Shalem Siddur with Tabs, Compact, Green
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£16.14
Koren Publishers The Koren Tehillim (Hebrew/English), Compact
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£11.39
Yale University Press Rav Kook
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Yehudah Mirsky’s remarkable new intellectual biography . . . is a must-read as an elixir to the monochromatic times in Israel we are living through now."—Aubrey L. Glazer, The Times of Israel"Yehudah Mirsky’s superb new biography of the great 20th century Jewish philosopher and mystic is a huge achievement. He gives a gripping, panoramic narrative of the arc of Rav Kook’s life, from childhood in a small White Russian village to becoming the first Chief Rabbi of Mandate Palestine, against a vividly rendered backdrop of the tumultuous history of Kook’s times."—Julian Sinclair, Jewish Chronicle"Superb . . . gripping, panoramic . . . vividly rendered . . . Combines scholarly balance with wonder . . . All this in clear, elegant and at times beautiful English."—The Jewish ChronicleWon the Choice Award as runner-up for the 2016 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, given to the best work of Jewish nonfiction published within the past two years. The Rohr and Choice prizes are coordinated and administered under the auspices of the Jewish Book Council. The Choice Award is given biennially. The author receives $25,000.Finalist for the 2016 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature“Moving, invaluable, and indispensable . . . As a biography, Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution is literature in its own right; and as a historical document, it startles with revelation after revelation.”—Cynthia Ozick "I am overwhelmed. There is a complete-ness to this book, as if Yehudah Mirsky has been able to pour all his knowledge of Judaism into it. If anything can be called spiritual, it is the writing style of this book. It reads like a life work - not just of the subject but of the author. It reveals a beautiful soul."—Robert D. Kaplan, author of In Europe’s Shadow: Two Cold Wars and a Thirty-Year Journey Through Romania and Beyond "Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, was one of the most important Jewish religious thinkers of modern times - and indisputably the most influential in Israel - yet biographic studies of him in any language, and English studies in general, have been sorely lacking. Yehudah Mirsky’s volume instantly becomes the go-to life and thought of this revolutionary, conservative, radical, traditional, messianic, reality affirming, richly dialectical thinker. The book is written with authority and clarity and is a pleasure to read. Mirsky writes with literary grace and sensitivity, nuance and complexity without losing clarity and focus. Mirsky’s mastery of traditional texts enriches his deep reading of Kook's writings even as his rigorous academic method enables his scholarly lucidity, on Kook’s extraordinary life and oeuvre and the complex afterlife of his teachings. All this and more are captured by Mirsky with restraint, understatement, irony and wisdom."—Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg, theologian, past professor of Jewish Studies at City College of the City University of New York; President Emeritus of CLAL: The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership"Yehudah Mirsky’s lively and clarifying book presents this great-souled rabbi in all his startling richness, and responsibly introduces its readers to one of the most influential and misread figures in modern Jewish thought. This is a significant contribution to the history of Jewish ideas – and also to contemporary debates about the Jewish religion and the Jewish state, because the best and the worst of Israeli Judaism may be traced back to the dissonant strains, by turns tolerant and jingoist, in Kook’s profoundly original writings."—Leon Wieseltier"This volume is the most extensive personal and intellectual biography of Rav Kook in English—and, to use Rav Kook’s beloved imagery, it sheds a great deal of light. Rich in insights and studded with previously neglected or unknown historical details, the book moves through Rav Kook’s life and writings in a way that both makes his ideas accessible and provides a sorely needed context for the various stages of his thought. Mirsky does not shy away from critique. Both scholars and the general public will profit immensely from this book."—David Shatz, Professor of Philosophy, Yeshiva University, editor Torah u-Madda Journal
£15.19
Toby Press Ltd Judaism's Life-Changing Ideas: A Weekly Reading
Book Synopsis
£18.04
Jewish Publication Society The Zionist Ideas
Book SynopsisSheds light on the surprisingly diverse and shared visions for realizing Israel as a democratic Jewish state. Building on Arthur Hertzberg's classic, The Zionist Idea, Gil Troy explores the backstories, dreams, and legacies of more than 170 passionate Jewish visionaries from the 1800s to today.Trade Review"The Zionist Ideas: Visions for the Jewish Homeland–Then, Now, Tomorrow . . . takes a comprehensive approach to unpacking the challenges modern Zionism faces, while simultaneously expanding on the virtues of Jewish self-determination."—Daniel J. Roth, Jerusalem Post"Troy has done an extraordinary job in explaining the Zionist ideas that co-exist within Jewish life. As the subtitle puts it, this book explains the Zionism of the past, the debates going on in the present, and the visions of the future that occupy the minds and hearts of Zionists. Like Hertzberg's original book, it explains and it inspires."—Jack Riemer, Jewish Advocate"Troy has delivered an anthology that will give us plenty to argue about for years to come."—Elliot Jager, Jerusalem Report"Even within our relatively small community, we too often speak to only those who agree with us. No one is better positioned to change this reality than Natan Sharansky, the universally beloved hero of the Jewish people, and Gil Troy, an academic respected equally in Israel and North America, and whose book The Zionist Ideas should be standard fare at every synagogue, JCC, and day school, and given as a gift to every b'nai mitzvah."—Eric Fingerhut, Times of Israel Blog"An excellent cross-section of Zionist thought, ideology and popular culture as well, and a worthy update of Hertzberg's masterpiece. . . . Troy's volume will help us make sense of an increasingly chaotic Zionist world."—Jerome A. Chanes, New York Jewish Week"Reading this is like being on a tour of Zionist thought that Troy is leading us through as he analyzes Zionism's evolution from its early ideology as a national movement to its development of its own."—Reviews by Amos Lassen"The Zionist Ideas is an important update and essential addition to every Jewish studies library. The wealth of ideas found between its pages gives the reader an extraordinary opportunity to explore how his or her own thinking can fit into the spectrum of Zionist thought. Troy's update has revitalized Hertzberg's groundbreaking work and opened a new opportunity for conversation about Zionism and the central place of Israel in Jewish life."—Jonathan Fass, Jewish Book Council"Building on Arthur Hertzberg's classic, The Zionist Idea, Troy explores the backstories, dreams, and legacies of more than 170 passionate Jewish visionaries from the 1800s to today."—Algemeiner"At its core, Troy's anthology is an invitation to readers to consider what it means to be a Zionist, especially in the 21st century."—Jay P. Lefkowitz, Commentary"Instead of replacing Hertzberg, Troy's book will sit neatly on the shelf next to the original. Together, they are the essential primary sources for understanding the complex foundations of Israel and its meaning in the 21st century. Students will be reaching for both of them for a long time to come."—nealgold.netTable of ContentsContents Foreword by Natan Sharansky Acknowledgments Introduction: How Zionism’s Six Traditional Schools of Thought Shape Today’s Conversation Part One. Pioneers: Founding the Jewish State 1. Pioneers: Political Zionism Peretz Smolenskin It Is Time to Plant (1875–77) Let Us Search Our Ways (1881) The Haskalah of Berlin (1883) Leon Pinsker Auto-Emancipation: An Appeal to His People by a Russian Jew (1882) Theodor Herzl The Jewish State (1896) From the Diaries of Theodor Herzl (1895) Third Letter to Baron Hirsch (1895) Max Nordau Zionism (1902) Muskeljudentum, Jewry of Muscle (1903) Jacob Klatzkin Boundaries: Judaism Is Nationalism (1914–21) Chaim Weizmann On the Report of the Palestine Commission (1937) Natan Alterman Shir Moledet (Song of the homeland) (1935) Magash HaKesef (The silver platter) (1947) Albert Einstein Palestine, Setting of Sacred History of the Jewish Race (with Erich Kahler) (1944) 2. Pioneers: Labor Zionism Moses Hess Rome and Jerusalem (1862) bilu bilu Manifesto (1882) Joseph Hayyim Brenner Self-Criticism (1914) Nahman Syrkin The Jewish Problem and the Socialist Jewish State (1898) Ber Borochov Our Platform (1906) Aaron David Gordon People and Labor (1911) Our Tasks Ahead (1920) Rachel Bluwstein My Country (1926) Berl Katzenelson Revolution and Tradition (1934) Rahel Yanait Ben-Zvi The Plough Woman (1931) 3. Pioneers: Revisionist Zionism The Union of Zionists-Revisionists Declaration of the Central Committee of the Union of Zionists-Revisionists (1925) Vladimir Jabotinsky The Fundamentals of the Betarian World Outlook (1934) Evidence Submitted to the Palestine Royal Commission (1937) The Iron Wall ([1923] 1937) Saul Tchernichovsky I Believe (1892) They Say There’s a Land (1923) The Irgun Proclamation of the Irgun Zvai Leumi (1939) Avraham (Yair) Stern Eighteen Principles of Rebirth (1940) Haim Hazaz The Sermon (1942) 4. Pioneers: Religious Zionism Yehudah Alkalai The Third Redemption (1843) Samuel Mohilever Message to the First Zionist Congress (1897) Isaac Jacob Reines A New Light on Zion (1902) Abraham Isaac Kook The Land of Israel (1910–30) The Rebirth of Israel (1910–30) Lights for Rebirth (1910–30) Moshe “Kalphon” HaCohen Mateh Moshe (Moses’s headquarters) (1920) Meir Bar-Ilan (Berlin) What Kind of Life Should We Create in Eretz Israel? (1922) 5. Pioneers: Cultural Zionism Eliezer Ben-Yehudah A Letter of Ben-Yehudah (1880) Introduction to The Complete Dictionary of Ancient and Modern Hebrew (1908) Ahad Ha’am (Asher Zvi Ginsberg) On Nationalism and Religion (1910) The Jewish State and the Jewish Problem (1897) Hayyim Nahman Bialik The City of Slaughter (1903) At the Inauguration of the Hebrew University (1925) Micah Joseph Berdichevski Wrecking and Building (1900–1903) In Two Directions (1900–1903) On Sanctity (1899) Martin Buber Hebrew Humanism (1942) An Open Letter to Mahatma Gandhi (1939) 6. Pioneers: Diaspora Zionism Solomon Schechter Zionism: A Statement (1906) Louis Dembitz Brandeis The Jewish Problem and How to Solve It (1915) Henrietta Szold Letter to Augusta Rosenwald (1915) Horace Mayer Kallen Zionism and Liberalism (1919) Stephen S. Wise Challenging Years (1949) Milton Steinberg The Creed of an American Zionist (1945) Part Two. Builders: Actualizing and Modernizing the Zionist Blueprints 7. Builders: Political Zionism Israel’s Declaration of Independence (1948) David Ben-Gurion The Imperatives of the Jewish Revolution (1944) Speech to Mapai Central Committee (1948) Am Segula: Memoirs (1970) The Law of Return (1950) Isaiah Berlin Jewish Slavery and Emancipation (1953) The Achievement of Zionism (1975) Abba Eban Statement to the Security Council (1967) Teddy Kollek Jerusalem (1977) Chaim Herzog Address to the United Nations General Assembly (1975) Albert Memmi The Liberation of the Jew (1966, 2013) Jews and Arabs (1975) Yonatan (Yoni) Netanyahu Letters from Yoni Netanyahu (1968, 1975) Elie Wiesel One Generation After (1970) A Jew Today (1975, 1978) Natan Sharanksy Fear No Evil (1988) Emmanuel Levinas Politics After (1979) Assimilation and New Culture (1980) Martin Peretz The God That Did Not Fail (1997) 8. Builders: Labor Zionism Golda Meir A Land of Our Own (1973) Address to the United Nations General Assembly (1958) Muki Tsur The Soldiers’ Chat (1967) Amos Oz The Meaning of Homeland (1967) Roy Belzer Garin HaGolan Anthology (1972) The Members of Kibbutz Ketura The Kibbutz Ketura Vision (1994) Yaakov Rotblit Shir LaShalom, A Song for Peace (1969) Leonard Fein Days of Awe (1982) Yitzhak Rabin Our Tremendous Energies from a State of Siege (1994) Shimon Peres Nobel Lecture (1994) Shulamit Aloni I Cannot Do It Any Other Way (1997) 9. Builders: Revisionist Zionism Uri Zvi Greenberg Those Living-Thanks to Them Say (1948) Israel without the Mount (1948–49) Geulah Cohen Memoirs of a Young Terrorist (1943–48) The Tehiya Party Platform (1988) Moshe Shamir For a Greater Israel (1967) The Green Space: Without Zionism, It’ll Never Happen (1991) Menachem Begin The Revolt (1951) Broadcast to the Nation (1948) Statement to the Knesset upon the Presentation of His Government (1977) Yitzhak Shalev We Shall Not Give Up Our Promised Borders (1963) Eliezer Schweid Israel as a Zionist State (1970) The Promise of the Promised Land (1988) Benjamin Netanyahu A Place among the Nations (1993) 10. Builders: Religious Zionism Ben-Zion Meir Chai Uziel Prayer for the State of Israel (1948) On Nationalism (ca. 1940–50) David Edan A Call for Aliyah (ca. 1950) Joseph Ber Soloveitchik Listen! My Beloved Knocks! (1956) Yeshayahu Leibowitz A Call for the Separation of Religion and State (1959) Zvi Yehuda Hakohen Kook On the 19th Anniversary of Israel’s Independence (1967) Abraham Joshua Heschel Israel: An Echo of Eternity (1969) Esther Jungreis Zionism: A Challenge to Man’s Faith (1977) Talma Alyagon-Roz Eretz Tzvi, The Land of Beauty (1976, 2014) Eliezer Berkovits On Jewish Sovereignty (1973) Gush Emunim Friends of Gush Emunim Newsletter (1978) David Hartman Auschwitz or Sinai (1982) The Third Jewish Commonwealth (1985) Commission on the Philosophy of Conservative Judaism Emet V’Emunah: Statement of Principles of Conservative Judaism (1988) Richard Hirsch Toward a Theology of Reform Zionism (2) Ovadia Yosef Oral Torah 14 (1979) 11. Builders: Cultural Zionism Haim Hefer There Were Times (1948) A. M. Klein The Second Scroll (1951) Leon Uris The Exodus Song / This Land Is Mine (1960) Shmuel Yosef Agnon Nobel Prize Speech (1966) Naomi Shemer Jerusalem of Gold (1967) Yehudah Amichai All the Generations before Me (1968) Tourists (1980) Gershon Shaked No Other Place (1980, 1987) Letty Cottin Pogrebin Deborah, Golda, and Me (1991) Anne Roiphe Generation without Memory (1981) 12. Builders: Diaspora Zionism Arthur Hertzberg Impasse: A Movement in Search of a Program (1949) Some Reflections on Zionism Today (1977) Mordecai M. Kaplan A New Zionism (1954, 1959) Rose Halprin Speech to the Zionist General Council (1950) Jacob Blaustein Statements by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and Mr. Jacob Blaustein on the Relationship between Israel and American Jews (1950, 1956) Simon Rawidowicz Babylon and Jerusalem (1957) Two That Are One (1949) Irving “Yitz” Greenberg Twenty Years Later: The Impact of Israel on American Jewry (1968) Yom Yerushalayim: Jerusalem Day (1988) Eugene Borowitz Twenty Years Later: The Impact of Israel on American Jewry (1968) Herman Wouk This Is My God (1969, 1974) Arnold Jacob Wolf Will Israel Become Zion? (1973) Breira National Platform (1977) Hillel Halkin Letters to an American Jewish Friend: The Case for Life in Israel (1977, 2013) Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin Nine Questions People Ask about Judaism (1975) Alex Singer Alex: Building a Life (1983, 1986, 1996) Blu Greenberg What Do American Jews Believe? A Symposium (1996) Part Three. Torchbearers: Reassessing, Redirecting, Reinvigorating 13. Torchbearers: Political Zionism Michael Oren Jews and the Challenge of Sovereignty (2006) Tal Becker Beyond Survival: Aspirational Zionism (2011) Michael Walzer The State of Righteousness: Liberal Zionists Speak Out (2012) Aharon Barak Address to the 34th World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem (2002) Yael “Yuli” Tamir A Jewish and Democratic State (2) Ze’ev Maghen John Lennon and the Jews: A Philosophical Rampage (2010) Daniel Gordis The Promise of Israel (2012) Leon Wieseltier Brothers and Keepers: Black Jews and the Meaning of Zionism (1985) Irwin Cotler Speech to the United Jewish Communities General Assembly (2006) Gadi Taub In Defense of Zionism (2014) Bernard-Henri Lévy The Genius of Judaism (2017) Asa Kasher idf Code of Ethics (1994) 14. Torchbearers: Labor Zionism Anita Shapira The Abandoned Middle Road (2012) Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir My Contributions to Science and Society (2005) Ruth Gavison Statement of Principles, Gavison-Medan Covenant (2003) Einat Wilf Zionism: The Only Way Forward (2012) Chaim Gans The Zionism We Really Want (2013) David Grossman Speech at Rabin Square (2006) Nitzan Horowitz On the Steps of Boorishness (2013) Alon Tal Pollution in a Promised Land (2002, 2017) Peter Beinart The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment (2010) Ari Shavit Back to Liberal Zionism (2014) A Missed Funeral and the True Meaning of Zionism (2013) Stav Shaffir Knesset Speech (2015) 15. Torchbearers: Revisionist Zionism Yoram Hazony The End of Zionism? (1995) Israel’s Jewish State Law and the Future of the Middle East (2014) Shmuel Trigano There Is No “State of All Its Citizens” (2015, 2017) Israel Harel We Are Here to Stay (2001) Caroline Glick The Israeli Solution: A One-State Plan for Peace in the Middle East (2014) Ruth Wisse Jews and Power (2007) David Mamet Bigotry Pins Blame on Jews (2006, 2011) The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture (2011) Ze’ev B. “Benny” Begin The Essence of the State of Israel (2015, 2017) Reuven Rivlin Remarks of President Rivlin: Vision of the Four Tribes (2015) Ayelet Shaked Pathways to Governance (2016) 16. Torchbearers: Religious Zionism Daniel Polisar Is Iran the Only Model for a Jewish State? (1999) Benjamin Ish-Shalom Jewish Sovereignty: The Challenges of Meaning, Identity, and Responsibility (2014) Eliezer Sadan Religious Zionism: Taking Responsibility in the Worldly Life of the Nation (2008) Yaacov Medan Statement of Principles, Gavison-Medan Covenant (2003) Yehuda Amital Reishit Tzemichat Ge’ulatenu: What Kind of Redemption Does Israel Represent? (2005) Benjamin “Benny” Lau The Challenge of Halakhic Innovation (2010) Yedidia Z. Stern Ani Ma’amin, I Believe (2005) Leah Shakdiel The Reason You Are Here Is Because You Are a Jew! (2004) Arnold Eisen What Does It Mean to Be a Zionist in 2015? Speech to the 37th Zionist Congress: (2015) Conservative Judaism Today and Tomorrow (2015) David Ellenson Reform Zionism Today: A Consideration of First Principles (2014) 17. Torchbearers: Cultural Zionism Gil Troy Why I Am a Zionist (2008) Yair Lapid I Am a Zionist (2009) Micah Goodman From the Secular and the Holy (2018) Ronen Shoval Herzl’s Vision 2.0 (2013) A. B. Yehoshua The Basics of Zionism, Homeland, and Being a Total Jew (2017) Erez Biton Address at the President’s House on the Subject of Jerusalem (2016) Bernard Avishai The Hebrew Republic (2008) Saul Singer They Tried to Kill Us, We Won, Now We’re Changing the World (2011) Sharon Shalom A Meeting of Two Brothers Who Had Been Separated for Two Thousand Years (2017) Einat Ramon Zionism: A Jewish Feminist-Womanist Appreciation (2017) Adam Milstein Israeliness Is the Answer (2016, 2017) Rachel Sharansky Danziger A New Kind of Zionist Hero (2015, 2017) 18. Torchbearers: Diaspora Zionism Jonathan Sacks Will We Have Jewish Grandchildren? (1994) Alan Dershowitz The Vanishing American Jew (1997) Yossi Beilin His Brother’s Keeper: Israel and Diaspora Jewry in the Twenty-First Century (2) Scott Shay Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry (2007) Donniel Hartman Israel and World Jewry: The Need for a New Paradigm (2011) Yossi Klein Halevi A Jewish Centrist Manifesto (2015) Ellen Willis Is There Still a Jewish Question? I’m an Anti-Anti-Zionist (2003) Theodore Sasson The New American Zionism (2013) Central Conference of American Rabbis A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism (1999) The World Zionist Organization Jerusalem Program (1951) Jerusalem Program (2004) Source Acknowledgments Sources
£25.19
Indiana University Press The Golden Age of the Lithuanian Yeshivas
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Recent decades have seen the yeshiva recreated as an institution for all Jewish men, and in some places for Jewish women as well. Yet in its origin the yeshiva was an elite institution, for men who were prepared to devote themselves to years of Torah study. The most outstanding of the yeshivas were found in Lithuania, and the period between the two World Wars saw important developments in these schools, developments that continue to reverberate in Orthodox society. Ben-Tsiyon Klibansky has made great use not merely of the memoir literature and academic sources, but has immersed himself in archives in order to offer us the first scholarly study of the yeshivas during the interwar years. For those seeking to understand where the yeshivas came from, how they functioned, what ideals guided them, and how unfortunately they came to their end in Eastern Europe, there is no better guide than Klibansky."—Marc B. Shapiro, Weinberg Chair in Judaic Studies, University of Scranton"Through a thorough and rigorous study of numerous sources, Ben Tsiyon Klibansky demonstrates that interwar Poland, rightly characterized as an age of decline to Orthodox Judaism, was an age of thriving to one of its major institutions: the Yeshiva. The complete destruction of the Lithuanian yeshivas in World War II, first by the Soviet occupation and then by the Nazi Holocaust, put an end to this thriving institution, but, as Klibansky concludes, they remained a source of inspiration to the renewed yeshivas of the postwar period."—Benjamin Brown, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem"Nowadays the term "Lithuanian Yeshiva" is used for a type of yeshivas that emerged in Lithuania in the nineteenth century and developed a special "school" of learning and a code of living and dressing, which is still existent. Yet, knowledge about yeshivas in Lithuania itself, especially in the twentieth century up till and into the Holocaust, is unknown. Ben-Tsiyon Klibansky's The Golden Age of the Lithuanian Yeshivas bridges this lack in knowledge and uncovers in a fascinating way and based on in-depth research the general picture of this period as well as its particulars. Klibansky successes in depicting and analyzing the renewal and vitality of the Yehiva world vis-à-vis the deep political, social, religious and cultural changes of the first decades of the twentieth century, and by doing so also re-emphasizes the enormous loss to Jewry, Judaism and Yiddishkeit caused by the Holocaust."—Dan Michman, Head, The International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem; Professor (Emeritus) of Modern Jewish History, Bar-Ilan Universit"Few institutions influenced the world of European Jewry as did the yeshivas. The fact that the yeshiva framework was 'emulated' in the United States, Israel, England, France, and elsewhere by newly coalescing traditionalist communities is proof of its lasting significance. At the same time, few institutions were so misunderstood as were the yeshivas. The pious attempts that were written to describe how they functioned missed the key points – usually out of ignorance. Klibansky's magnum opus transforms our understanding of how the traditionalist Jews created structures to maintain adherence. It is no less significant in explaining what the self-conscious modernists in Europe were responding to. In short, it is one of those transformative works that are basic texts for both understanding a world that was destroyed and a new world that was created."—Shaul Stampfer, Sandrow Professor of Soviet and East European Jewish History (emeritus), Hebrew University of Jerusalem"Ben-Tsiyon Klibansky has stepped into a historiographical void of the interwar East European Jewish experience with his The Golden Age of the Yeshivas, a study of all facets of the Lithuanian yeshiva world: leadership, student body, curriculum, economics, and self-image. Through a rare combination of historical empathy and judicious use of sources, Klibansky has reconstructed the interwar Lithuanian yeshivas in all their panoramic commonalities and granular specificities. In so doing, he has parsed the central paradox of the phenomenon of a golden age of the Lithuanian yeshivas, set against the background of Jewish secularization, educational practicality, and political and economic crisis."—Joshua Karlip, Herbert S. and Naomi Denenberg Associate Professor of Jewish History, Yeshiva UniversityTable of ContentsIntroductionSection I: Consolidation and Expansion1. The Renewal of the Yeshiva World after the First World War2. Expansion Trends in the Yeshiva WorldSection II: Aspects of the Yeshiva World3. Economy4. Studies5. Leadership6. The TalmidimSection III: The Beginning of the End7. Return to Wandering8. Under Soviet RuleEpilogueBrief BiographiesGlossaryBibliographyIndex
£33.30
University of California Press Wealth Poverty and Charity in Jewish Antiquity
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Gardner is able to shed new light on rabbinic poverty relief, and to let rabbinic poverty discourse illuminate other, related areas in rabbinics research." * The Journal of Religion *Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments Abbreviations and Conventions Introduction 1. The Wealth of the Early Rabbis 2. Harvest Allocations for the Poor 3. Charity Laws 4. Giving Mammon (Wealth) 5. Pay for the Giver 6. Charity as an Investment 7. Poverty Relief and the Anxiety of Wealth 8. Some Further Perspectives: Early Christian and Later Rabbinic Traditions Notes Bibliography Index of Ancient Sources General Index
£64.00
Kar-Ben Copies Ltd The Family with Two Front Doors
Book Synopsis
£6.99
Yale University Press Revelation and Authority
Book SynopsisWinner of the 2016 Goldstein-Goren Award for the best book in Jewish Thought At once a study of biblical theology and modern Jewish thought, this volume describes a participatory theory of revelation as it addresses the ways biblical authors and contemporary theologians alike understand the process of revelation and hence the authority of the law. Benjamin Sommer maintains that the Pentateuch's authors intend not only to convey God's will but to express Israel's interpretation of and response to that divine will. Thus Sommer's close readings of biblical texts bolster liberal theologies of modern Judaism, especially those of Abraham Joshua Heschel and Franz Rosenzweig. This bold view of revelation puts a premium on human agency and attests to the grandeur of a God who accomplishes a providential task through the free will of the human subjects under divine authority. Yet, even though the Pentateuch's authors hold diverse views of revelation, all of them regard the binding authority of the law as sacrosanct. Sommer's book demonstrates why a law-observant religious Jew can be open to discoveries about the Bible that seem nontraditional or even antireligious.
£23.75
