Menachem Kellner - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Menachem Kellner

Covenantal Thinking: Essays on the Philosophy of and Theology of David Novakeology of , 2024

Liverpool University Press eBooks, Sep 21, 2006

This book presents Maimonides against the religious background that informed his many innovative ... more This book presents Maimonides against the religious background that informed his many innovative and influential choices. The book not only analyses the thought of the great religious thinker but contextualizes it in terms of the ‘proto-kabbalistic’ Judaism that preceded him. The book shows how the Judaism that Maimonides knew had come to conceptualize the world as an enchanted universe, governed by occult affinities. It shows why Maimonides rejected this and how he went about doing it. The book argues that Maimonides' attempted reformation failed, the clearest proof of that being the success of the kabbalistic counter-reformation which his writings provoked. It shows how Maimonides rethought Judaism in different ways. It is in highlighting this and identifying Maimonides as a religious reformer that this book makes its key contribution. Maimonides created a new Judaism, ‘disenchanted’, depersonalized, and challenging; a religion that is at the same time elitist and universalist. The book's analysis also shows the deep configuration of Judaism in a new light. If Maimonides was able to reform so many aspects of rabbinic Judaism single-handedly, to enrich it by importing such dramatically different concepts, it shows that the profound structures of this religion are flexible enough to allow the emergence and success of astonishing reforms. The fact that, great as Maimonides was, he did not overcome the traditional forms of proto-kabbalism shows that the dynamic of religion is much more complex than subscribing to authorities, however widely accepted.

Oxford University Press eBooks, Feb 15, 2018

Two views of the nature of holiness are outlined in this chapter. According to one, which we may ... more Two views of the nature of holiness are outlined in this chapter. According to one, which we may call ontological or essentialist, holy places, persons, times, and objects are ontologically distinct from (and religiously superior to) profane places, persons, times, and objects. This distinction is part of the universe. On the second view, holy places, persons, times, and objects are in no objective way distinct from profane places, persons, times, and objects; holiness is a status, not a quality of existence. It is a challenge, not a given; normative, not descriptive. It is institutional (in the sense of being part of a system of laws) and hence contingent. This sort of holiness does not reflect objective reality, it helps constitute social reality. On this view, holy places, persons, times, and objects are indubitably holy, and must be treated with all due respect, but they are, in and of themselves, like all other places, persons, times, and objects. What is different about them is the way in which the Torah commands that they be treated. It is argued here that Maimonides adhered to the second, non-essentialist, view of holiness.

Liverpool University Press eBooks, Sep 21, 2006

This chapter assesses ritual purity and impurity, beginning with a discussion of two competing vi... more This chapter assesses ritual purity and impurity, beginning with a discussion of two competing views. The debate between the text from Heikhalot rabati and the story about Rabban Johanan ben Zakai is reflected in medieval Jewish thought. Judah Halevi seems close to the position reflected by the Heikhalot rabati text, while Maimonides adopts that expressed in the story of Rabban Johanan. The text from Heikhalot rabati sees the laws of ritual purity and impurity as reflecting an objective reality, while the story teaches that the laws of ritual purity and impurity do not reflect any objective reality, though they certainly create a halakhic reality. At the very beginning of his discussion of the laws of ritual purity and impurity, Maimonides indicates that the context of this discussion is the sacrificial cult.

Liverpool University Press eBooks, Mar 1, 1999

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Reinventing Maimonides in Contemporary Jewish Thought, 2019

Every work on Jewish thought and law since the twelfth century bears the imprint of Maimonides. A... more Every work on Jewish thought and law since the twelfth century bears the imprint of Maimonides. A. N. Whitehead's famous dictum that the entire European philosophical tradition ‘consists of a series of footnotes to Plato’ could equally characterize Maimonides' place in the Jewish tradition. The critical studies in this volume explore how Orthodox rabbis of different orientations — Shlomo Aviner, Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin (Netziv), Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, Joseph Kafih, Abraham Isaac Kook, Aaron Kotler, Joseph Soloveitchik, and Elhanan Wasserman — have read and provided footnotes to Maimonides in the long twentieth century. How well did they really understand Maimonides? And where do their arguments fit in the mainstream debates about him and his works? Each of the seven core chapters examines a particular approach. Some rabbis have tried to liberate themselves from the influence of his ideas. Others have sought to build on those ideas or expand them in ways which Maimonide...

Liverpool University Press eBooks, Apr 5, 2012

This chapter focuses on the rational and universalistic notion of metaphysical truth, which accor... more This chapter focuses on the rational and universalistic notion of metaphysical truth, which according to the authors' understandings of Maimonides and Jewish theology precludes accepting religious pluralism. Raphael Jospe's position consists of two claims: first, one can be a theological relativist (that is, a religious pluralist) without being an epistemological relativist; second, one can responsibly ground this position in normative Jewish sources. The chapter disputes these two claims and sketches out an alternative position: while not giving up on the idea that revelation teaches truth in some hard, exclusivist sense, putative addressees of revelation ought to be modest about how much of it they understand, and restrained in the claims they make on and about adherents of other religions. It argues that religious pluralism in a strong sense — that adherents of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam can each affirm the truth of the others' revelation — renders the notion of revelation, in any classic sense of the term, incoherent. There is nothing in Jospe's argument that refutes this claim. Rather, he argues that Jews, Christians, and Muslims can respect each other on the level of moral behaviour.

Jewish Theology and World Religions

This material is copyright-protected and may not be be reproduced in any form without the express... more This material is copyright-protected and may not be be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author of the article, the editor of the volume in which it was originally published, and the publisher of the volume.

Polemical and Exegetical Polarities in Medieval Jewish Cultures, 2021

International Studies in Philosophy, 1999

International Studies in Philosophy, 1991

Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought

This chapter focuses on Abraham Bibago (d. c.1489). He served as a rabbi, seminary head, and comm... more This chapter focuses on Abraham Bibago (d. c.1489). He served as a rabbi, seminary head, and communal leader in Huesca and Saragossa. Bibago was highly regarded by many of his contemporaries and successors, some of whom used extensive portions of his work without attribution. Bibago completed his most important work, Derekh Emunah (Path of Faith), about 1480. This work is based upon Bibago's contention that human felicity (haẓlaḥah) depends upon intellectual perfection and that there are two separate routes to that goal: the path of philosophic investigation and the path of faith. The path of faith, when coupled with the path of investigation, is superior to the path of investigation alone. On its own, the path of faith is not inferior to the path of investigation. The chapter shows here a position which, while resembling that of Maimonides on the surface, is actually far removed from it.

Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought

This chapter takes a look at Rabbi Isaac Abravanel (1437–1508). He was the last medieval Jewish t... more This chapter takes a look at Rabbi Isaac Abravanel (1437–1508). He was the last medieval Jewish thinker systematically and extensively to deal with the question of the principles of Judaism. Indeed, he devoted an entire book to the subject, the Rosh Amanah. This book is ostensibly devoted to defending Maimonides’ thirteen principles in the face of the criticisms levelled against them by Crescas and Albo. But, paradoxically, and despite its avowed aim, the Rosh Amanah is best known for Abravanel's claim that Judaism has no principles of faith at all. The chapter thus considers whether or not Abravanel truly rejects the claim that Judaism has principles of faith.

Covenantal Thinking: Essays on the Philosophy of and Theology of David Novakeology of , 2024

Liverpool University Press eBooks, Sep 21, 2006

This book presents Maimonides against the religious background that informed his many innovative ... more This book presents Maimonides against the religious background that informed his many innovative and influential choices. The book not only analyses the thought of the great religious thinker but contextualizes it in terms of the ‘proto-kabbalistic’ Judaism that preceded him. The book shows how the Judaism that Maimonides knew had come to conceptualize the world as an enchanted universe, governed by occult affinities. It shows why Maimonides rejected this and how he went about doing it. The book argues that Maimonides' attempted reformation failed, the clearest proof of that being the success of the kabbalistic counter-reformation which his writings provoked. It shows how Maimonides rethought Judaism in different ways. It is in highlighting this and identifying Maimonides as a religious reformer that this book makes its key contribution. Maimonides created a new Judaism, ‘disenchanted’, depersonalized, and challenging; a religion that is at the same time elitist and universalist. The book's analysis also shows the deep configuration of Judaism in a new light. If Maimonides was able to reform so many aspects of rabbinic Judaism single-handedly, to enrich it by importing such dramatically different concepts, it shows that the profound structures of this religion are flexible enough to allow the emergence and success of astonishing reforms. The fact that, great as Maimonides was, he did not overcome the traditional forms of proto-kabbalism shows that the dynamic of religion is much more complex than subscribing to authorities, however widely accepted.

Oxford University Press eBooks, Feb 15, 2018

Two views of the nature of holiness are outlined in this chapter. According to one, which we may ... more Two views of the nature of holiness are outlined in this chapter. According to one, which we may call ontological or essentialist, holy places, persons, times, and objects are ontologically distinct from (and religiously superior to) profane places, persons, times, and objects. This distinction is part of the universe. On the second view, holy places, persons, times, and objects are in no objective way distinct from profane places, persons, times, and objects; holiness is a status, not a quality of existence. It is a challenge, not a given; normative, not descriptive. It is institutional (in the sense of being part of a system of laws) and hence contingent. This sort of holiness does not reflect objective reality, it helps constitute social reality. On this view, holy places, persons, times, and objects are indubitably holy, and must be treated with all due respect, but they are, in and of themselves, like all other places, persons, times, and objects. What is different about them is the way in which the Torah commands that they be treated. It is argued here that Maimonides adhered to the second, non-essentialist, view of holiness.

Liverpool University Press eBooks, Sep 21, 2006

This chapter assesses ritual purity and impurity, beginning with a discussion of two competing vi... more This chapter assesses ritual purity and impurity, beginning with a discussion of two competing views. The debate between the text from Heikhalot rabati and the story about Rabban Johanan ben Zakai is reflected in medieval Jewish thought. Judah Halevi seems close to the position reflected by the Heikhalot rabati text, while Maimonides adopts that expressed in the story of Rabban Johanan. The text from Heikhalot rabati sees the laws of ritual purity and impurity as reflecting an objective reality, while the story teaches that the laws of ritual purity and impurity do not reflect any objective reality, though they certainly create a halakhic reality. At the very beginning of his discussion of the laws of ritual purity and impurity, Maimonides indicates that the context of this discussion is the sacrificial cult.

Liverpool University Press eBooks, Mar 1, 1999

An academic directory and search engine.

Reinventing Maimonides in Contemporary Jewish Thought, 2019

Every work on Jewish thought and law since the twelfth century bears the imprint of Maimonides. A... more Every work on Jewish thought and law since the twelfth century bears the imprint of Maimonides. A. N. Whitehead's famous dictum that the entire European philosophical tradition ‘consists of a series of footnotes to Plato’ could equally characterize Maimonides' place in the Jewish tradition. The critical studies in this volume explore how Orthodox rabbis of different orientations — Shlomo Aviner, Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin (Netziv), Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, Joseph Kafih, Abraham Isaac Kook, Aaron Kotler, Joseph Soloveitchik, and Elhanan Wasserman — have read and provided footnotes to Maimonides in the long twentieth century. How well did they really understand Maimonides? And where do their arguments fit in the mainstream debates about him and his works? Each of the seven core chapters examines a particular approach. Some rabbis have tried to liberate themselves from the influence of his ideas. Others have sought to build on those ideas or expand them in ways which Maimonide...

Liverpool University Press eBooks, Apr 5, 2012

This chapter focuses on the rational and universalistic notion of metaphysical truth, which accor... more This chapter focuses on the rational and universalistic notion of metaphysical truth, which according to the authors' understandings of Maimonides and Jewish theology precludes accepting religious pluralism. Raphael Jospe's position consists of two claims: first, one can be a theological relativist (that is, a religious pluralist) without being an epistemological relativist; second, one can responsibly ground this position in normative Jewish sources. The chapter disputes these two claims and sketches out an alternative position: while not giving up on the idea that revelation teaches truth in some hard, exclusivist sense, putative addressees of revelation ought to be modest about how much of it they understand, and restrained in the claims they make on and about adherents of other religions. It argues that religious pluralism in a strong sense — that adherents of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam can each affirm the truth of the others' revelation — renders the notion of revelation, in any classic sense of the term, incoherent. There is nothing in Jospe's argument that refutes this claim. Rather, he argues that Jews, Christians, and Muslims can respect each other on the level of moral behaviour.

Jewish Theology and World Religions

This material is copyright-protected and may not be be reproduced in any form without the express... more This material is copyright-protected and may not be be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author of the article, the editor of the volume in which it was originally published, and the publisher of the volume.

Polemical and Exegetical Polarities in Medieval Jewish Cultures, 2021

International Studies in Philosophy, 1999

International Studies in Philosophy, 1991

Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought

This chapter focuses on Abraham Bibago (d. c.1489). He served as a rabbi, seminary head, and comm... more This chapter focuses on Abraham Bibago (d. c.1489). He served as a rabbi, seminary head, and communal leader in Huesca and Saragossa. Bibago was highly regarded by many of his contemporaries and successors, some of whom used extensive portions of his work without attribution. Bibago completed his most important work, Derekh Emunah (Path of Faith), about 1480. This work is based upon Bibago's contention that human felicity (haẓlaḥah) depends upon intellectual perfection and that there are two separate routes to that goal: the path of philosophic investigation and the path of faith. The path of faith, when coupled with the path of investigation, is superior to the path of investigation alone. On its own, the path of faith is not inferior to the path of investigation. The chapter shows here a position which, while resembling that of Maimonides on the surface, is actually far removed from it.

Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought

This chapter takes a look at Rabbi Isaac Abravanel (1437–1508). He was the last medieval Jewish t... more This chapter takes a look at Rabbi Isaac Abravanel (1437–1508). He was the last medieval Jewish thinker systematically and extensively to deal with the question of the principles of Judaism. Indeed, he devoted an entire book to the subject, the Rosh Amanah. This book is ostensibly devoted to defending Maimonides’ thirteen principles in the face of the criticisms levelled against them by Crescas and Albo. But, paradoxically, and despite its avowed aim, the Rosh Amanah is best known for Abravanel's claim that Judaism has no principles of faith at all. The chapter thus considers whether or not Abravanel truly rejects the claim that Judaism has principles of faith.

We Are Not Alone: A Maimonidean Theology of the Other, 2021

Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed addressed Jews of his day who felt challenged by apparent cont... more Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed addressed Jews of his day who felt challenged by apparent contradictions between Torah and science. We Are Not Alone uses Maimonides’ writings to address Jews of today who are perplexed by apparent contradictions between the morality of the Torah and their conviction that all human beings are created in the image of God and are the object of divine concern, that other religions have value, that genocide is never justified, and that slavery is evil. Individuals who choose to emphasize the moral and universalist elements of Jewish tradition can often find support in positions explicitly held by Maimonides or implied by his teachings. We Are Not Alone offers an ethical and universalist vision of traditionalist Judaism.

Tradition, 2024

A rtScroll is the most important publisher of Judaica since the Soncino Family Press (Northern It... more A rtScroll is the most important publisher of Judaica since the Soncino Family Press (Northern Italy, fifteenth-sixteenth centuries) and Daniel Bomberg (Venice, died c. 1549). Both Soncino and Bomberg were motivated by commercial interests (in Bomberg's case, that was obvious: he was a Gentile with no apparent interest in converting the Jews to Christianity). ArtScroll, however, is different: while one assumes that it is not interested in losing money, 1 its publications not only express an ideology, but also seek to strengthen its readers' allegiance to that ideology. The ideology in question is that of the Haredi, non-Hasidic, largely Ashkenazi English-speaking "Yeshiva World," which lives adjacent to modernity, but at least officially, resists living in it fully. As is evident from the impressively high level of technical excellence found in all its publications, ArtScroll enthusiastically adopts the fruits of modern technology (such as production design, print technology, internet, audio, e-books, etc.) while resisting the broader culture that makes that technology possible. It reflects (and seeks to inculcate) a particular vision of pre-World War II Eastern European "Yiddishkeit." Let me state at the outset: ArtScroll's recently released Kisvei HaRambam is an important book. 2 It introduces Maimonides the theologian to