Federico Dal Bo | Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (original) (raw)

Books by Federico Dal Bo

Berlin: De Gruyter, 2024, 358 pp., 2024

Federico Dal Bo examines the design of early Hebrew books from the late fifteenth and sixteenth c... more Federico Dal Bo examines the design of early Hebrew books from the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, focusing not only on the words in these early books but also on how they were arranged on the page. He follows in the tradition of scholars such as Christopher de Hamel, Marvin J. Heller, and David Stern, who have explored the importance of these Hebrew books in influencing Jewish learning and attracting the interest of Christians.

The author discusses important prints, such as the first Talmud and rabbinical bibles, which marked a shift from being for Jewish readers only to being for both Jews and Christians. The collaboration between Jewish editors and Christian printers changed the way these books looked and the audience for whom they were intended. At first, these early prints copied the style of handwritten Hebrew manuscripts. The simple layout could be difficult to read, especially for long books like the Bible or Talmud. But over time, influenced by the humanism of the Italian Renaissance, the layout became more complex. The book also looks at how the layout changed from full-page commentaries to a more complicated design in which the main text and commentaries shared the same page. This shift challenged the idea of who was the primary author and emphasized the role of editors. The layout, with the main text in the center and the commentaries on the sides, created a kind of unwritten rule for how to read religious texts. Dal Bo's study also includes new information about a 1553 trial in which the Talmud was burned. Overall, it explores how the layout of these early Hebrew books shaped cultural power and influenced how people read.

Leiden: Brill, 2024, 320 pp., 2024

Between 1238 and 1239, the notorious Jewish convert Nicholas Donin persuaded Pope Gregory IX to c... more Between 1238 and 1239, the notorious Jewish convert Nicholas Donin persuaded Pope Gregory IX to condemn the Talmud, prompting European kings to intervene. Only King Louis IX of France agreed to a public disputation in 1240, subjecting the Talmud to scrutiny. Prominent Jewish and Christian figures debated Jesus in the Talmud. The Talmud was condemned between 1241 and 1242, but the Church of Paris, responding to Jewish pleas, allowed an appeal. Scholars were commissioned to translate portions of the Talmud, resulting in two anthologies titled Extractiones de Talmud—the first translation of this work. Still, this did not save the Talmud from burning.

Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2023, XVIII, 368 pp.

Analyzes the question of Heidegger’s anti-Semitism from a deconstructive point of view. Appeals n... more Analyzes the question of Heidegger’s anti-Semitism from a deconstructive point of view.
Appeals not only to philosophy but also to other psychoanalysis, gender studies, and critical studies.
Suggests that the question of his anti-Semitism shall be examined from the broader perspective— the end of metaphysics.

Barcelona, Los Libros del Tabano, 228 pp., 2023

Este trabajo sobre el Celan traductor nace del estudio filosófico de una paradoja: por mucho que ... more Este trabajo sobre el Celan traductor nace del estudio filosófico de una paradoja: por mucho que se postule su imposibilidad, siempre es posible traducir.
Poetas, novelistas, filósofos y teólogos han reivindicado repetidamente la imposibilidad de traducir. Al fin y al cabo, el dicho italiano traduttore traditore es quizá
la forma más conocida de ex- presar este sentimiento, como si sólo y exclusivamente se pudiera decir la verdad en primera persona, en la propia lengua materna. Y, sin embargo, esos mismos poetas, novelistas, filósofos y teólogos siempre han buscado – cuando no anhelado- que sus obras fueran traducidas. ¿Por qué? A veces por vanidad, pero frecuentemente, así me gusta pensar, para superar los confines de su propio mundo y abrirse a la universalidad. De hecho, un gran escritor italiano como Italo Calvino consideraba al traductor su mejor aliado. Entre otras cosas, la traducción ofrece a menudo la ocasión de mejorar el texto, de
revisarlo y corregirlo, aunque sólo sea porque obliga a alguien -a menudo el pobre traductor encargado de leer todo con pelos y señales –a enfrentarse a las inevitables deficiencias de un texto escrito que, a pesar de lo que sostiene Derrida, es a veces más frágil y débil que el discurso en primera persona. Este modesto estudio mío sobre Celan traductor, que ya fue publicado en italiano con el exquisito apoyo del Dr. Diego Arturo Giordano de la editorial Orthotes, se publica ahora también en castellano sólo gracias al amable interés de la editorial Los libros del tábano y del Prof. Francisco Caja, así como al inestimable trabajo del
traductor Marco Villalobos Valencia y del revisor Dr. Martino Sacchi. Todos ellos han leído mi trabajo con conmovedora atención, ofreciéndome incluso la oportunidad de corregir algunos errores de la edición italiana. A todos ellos va mi gratitud y mi más sentido agradecimiento por el honor de haber sido traducido a este espléndido idioma.

Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, 278 pp., 2021

Jewish Monotheism is built on a fundamental assumption: God has spoken to the Jews and commanded ... more Jewish Monotheism is built on a fundamental assumption: God has spoken to the Jews and commanded them to follow His law. But what exactly are – “God’s words”?
This monograph examines the notion of “word” in Ancient Judaism from the Bible to the Mishnah – from Scripture to this prominent Hebrew law handbook redacted at the beginning of 3rd century c.e. It explores the notion of human and divine “word” and its transformation in the narrative, legal, poetical, and theological pieces of Jewish literature. It pays particular attention to the semantic evolutions of all those substantives that designate a “word” or any other relevant element of speech that both humans and God use to communicate with each other.
The monograph offers an analysis of the word field of the substantives of “word” from a double perspective – a linguistic and a cultural one. On the one hand it relies on Eugenio Coseriu’s semantics and on the disseminated notion of “Hebrew functional languages.” It starts from the presupposition that every term has its own meaning only due to its connection with other terms – called “lexical field.” It also argues that Hebrew can be divided into several “functional languages” that have different social and communicative functions: a narrative, legal, poetical, and performative one.
On the other hand, the monograph also takes into account the reception history of Scripture through its main ancient translations into Greek, Aramaic, and Syriac. In doing so, the monograph examines the word field of the substantives of “word” also from a cultural perspective and shows the evolution of this fundamental portion of Jewish literature.

Milano, Corriere della Sera, 157 pp., 2021

L’ebraismo conosce la pratica della meditazione sin dai tempi remoti della Bibbia. Tuttavia è sop... more L’ebraismo conosce la pratica della meditazione sin dai tempi remoti della Bibbia. Tuttavia è soprattutto con lo sviluppo della mistica – la famosa Qabbalah – che la meditazione è diventata il fulcro fondamentale della vita spirituale ebraica, della pratica dei precetti e dell’osservanza dei riti religiosi. Queste pagine offrono una panoramica dal primo Medioevo ai giorni nostri, prestando particolare attenzione alla diffusione della Qabbalah nel mondo contemporaneo, dalla New Age alla mindfulness e all’incontro con il buddhismo, in una perenne dialettica tra io e collettività, tra messianesimo e laicismo, tra sentimento e ragione.

Bologna, Biblioteca Clueb, 152 pp., 2020

A prima vista sembra esserci una separazione netta tra linguaggio e violenza: colui che sa esprim... more A prima vista sembra esserci una separazione netta tra linguaggio e violenza: colui che sa esprimersi non ha bisogno di ricorrere alla violenza. Del resto, c’è il detto che molti conoscono: la violenza è l’ultima risorsa degli incapaci.
È veramente così? Questo testo parte da una considerazione meno confortante: linguaggio e violenza non si escludono a vicenda. Anzi, si possono associare in un legame pericoloso e minaccioso. Un’alleanza sinistra che permette la diffusione di propaganda, ideologia ed estremismo. E diversi sono i casi in cui linguaggio e violenza si accompagnano in diversi ambiti della società contemporanea: la politica, la cultura e la filosofia.
Attraverso i lavori di Walter Benjamin, Martin Heidegger, George Steiner e Sigmund Freud, il libro presenta un’analisi impietosa del legame tra linguaggio e violenza nella filosofia contemporanea, forse senza ambire ad una soluzione, ma segnalandone i pericoli e le derive autoritarie.

Salerno, Orthotes, 194 pp., 2019

Perché i poeti traducono poesia? Questo saggio cerca di offrire una risposta attraverso l’analisi... more Perché i poeti traducono poesia? Questo saggio cerca di offrire una risposta attraverso l’analisi dell’opera letteraria di Paul Celan (1920-1970), il più grande poeta in lingua tedesca del Novecento. Celan visse contemporaneamente due vite letterarie: scrisse poesia esclusivamente in tedesco ma tradusse in tedesco da molte lingue – inglese, francese, russo, italiano, ebraico e portoghese. Questo saggio esamina la biblioteca personale di Celan ma anche la sua fascinazione per la teoria della traduzione di Walter Benjamin e la storia del misticismo ebraico di Gershom Scholem. Celan sancì un’alleanza poetica tra qabbalah e traduzione, combinando l’idea di una lingua santa con l’idea di una lingua pura. Quest’alleanza aveva un fine supremo: redimere la lingua tedesca dal proprio tragico passato di essere stata l’idioma del nazionalsocialismo.

London-New York, Routledge, 254 pp., 2019

This monograph uses deconstruction―a philosophical movement originated by Jacques Derrida―to read... more This monograph uses deconstruction―a philosophical movement originated by Jacques Derrida―to read the most authoritative book in Judaism: the Talmud. Examining deconstruction in comparison with Kant’s and Hegel’s philosophies, the volume argues that the movement opens an innovative debate on Jewish Law.

First, the monograph interprets deconstruction within the major streams of continental philosophy; then, it criticizes many aspects of Foucault’s and Agamben’s philosophy, rejecting their notion of law. On these premises, the research delivers a close examination of many fundamental aspects of the Talmud. Consequently, it provides a short history of Rabbinic literature, a history of the dissemination of the Talmud from Babylon to Northern France, and an analysis of Talmudic vocabulary from a deconstructive perspective. Each key concept of the Talmud is analysed according to the deconstructive dialectics between orality and writing. Closing with a comparison between the Talmud and Derrida’s most enigmatic text, Glas, the study argues that deconstruction dismantles the traditional notion of the Talmud to outline a new approach to Jewish Law.

Reading the Talmud through deconstruction, this new angle makes the volume an essential resource for students and scholars interested in Jewish studies, continental philosophy, and the Middle East.

Los Angeles, Cherub Press, lxx+ 452 pp., 2019

Rabbi Joseph ben Abraham Giqatilla (1248 – c. 1325) is considered the most representative figure ... more Rabbi Joseph ben Abraham Giqatilla (1248 – c. 1325) is considered the most representative figure of a stream of Jewish mysticism devoted in particular to the investigation of the mysteries of the divine names. Giqatilla believes that any appellative which Scripture attributes to God represents the very matrix of the universe. The present monograph intends to provide a comprehensive illustration of his thought, his Rabbinical education, and his relationship with other prominent qabbalists in thirteenth-century Spain—Abraham Abulafia and Moshe de Leon. Most of the previous scholarship shares the problematic assumption that there would be a dramatic distinction between an ‘early’ and ‘later’ Giqatilla and that this would have reverberated into form, style, and content. On the contrary, the present monograph maintains the fundamental assumption that specific differences between the young and older Giqatilla shall not rule out the possibility of reading his entire speculation in a unitary, evolutionary perspective. Therefore, it argues that there are three periods in Giqatilla’s speculation—a ‘philosophical’ one, a ‘theosophical’ one, and a ‘theological-political’ one.

Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck, 487 pp., 2013

Bologna, Clueb, 140 pp., 2007

Florence, La Giuntina, 103 pp., 2004

Milan, Mimesis, 218 pp., 2002

Edited Books by Federico Dal Bo

Turnhout, Brepols, 2023, 412 pp., 2023

One of the most important thinkers of the Middle Ages, the Jewish philosopher Solomon Ibn Gabirol... more One of the most important thinkers of the Middle Ages, the Jewish philosopher Solomon Ibn Gabirol (known in the Latin Middle Ages as ‘Avicebron’) greatly contributed to the history of metaphysics. His most famous work, the Fons vitae, was the source of sophisticated, radical doctrines (like universal hylomorphism and the plurality of substantial forms) that were rigorously debated in the Latin world for centuries.

Breaking a long period of scholarly neglect of his thought, this volume scrutinises Ibn Gabirol’s philosophical contributions by disentangling his original theories from the misconceptions originated by his medieval readers and critics, like Thomas Aquinas and Albert the Great. The first part of the volume expands on the Latin translation of Ibn Gabirol’s philosophical work, the Fons vitae, from which many of these misconceptions seems to have originated. The second part focuses on the sources used by Ibn Gabirol and reconstructs the philosophical framework of his reflections. The final two parts of the volume are dedicated to the influence on Ibn Gabirol’s thought on the Latin and Hebrew traditions, respectively.

Authored by some of the most renowned worldwide experts on Hebrew and Latin philosophy, the cutting-edge contributions included in the volume give a lively picture of a complex yet fascinating medieval philosopher and his unique interpretation of the universe.

Berlin, ICI Berlin Press, 2023, 252 pp., 2023

Untying the Mother Tongue explores what it might mean today to speak of someone's attachment to a... more Untying the Mother Tongue explores what it might mean today to speak of someone's attachment to a particular, primary language. Traditional conceptions of mother tongue are often seen as an expression of the ideology of a European nation-state. Yet, current celebrations of multilingualism reflect the recent demands of global capitalism, raising other challenges. The contributions from international scholars on literature, philosophy, and culture, analyze and problematize the concept of ‘mother tongue’, rethinking affective and cognitive attachments to language while deconstructing its metaphysical, capitalist, and colonialist presuppositions.

Brescia, Queriniana, 2021, 424 pp.

Ferrara, Gallio Editori, 2007

Papers by Federico Dal Bo

Naharaim (2024), pp. 1-20, 2024

My paper examines Franz Rosenzweig’s and Paul Celan’s translations of Yehudah Halevi’s poems, app... more My paper examines Franz Rosenzweig’s and Paul Celan’s translations of Yehudah Halevi’s poems, approaching the topic from the perspectives of both translation studies and literary criticism. On the one hand, I will scrutinize Rosenzweig’s and Celan’s translations against the backdrop of their theological approaches. I will also attempt to articulate the translation technique that Celan typically employed throughout his life, while translating from multiple languages into German. On the other hand, I will explore Celan’s implicit departure from Rosenzweig and his choice to specifically translate these two poems in light of his poetics, his notion of exile, and his exclusive choice of using German as his only poetic language.

Jewish Studies Quarterly, 31, 4 (2024), 360-388, 2024

Sometime between 1677 and 1691, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz read Johann Buxtorf’s Latin translation... more Sometime between 1677 and 1691, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz read Johann Buxtorf’s Latin translation of Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed and made a series of personal notes in Latin, including relevant passages from the Guide, as well as philosophical and theological observations. This is a new English translation of this work, with philological and historical notes based on the 2006 edition of Leibniz’s Complete Works.

Berlin: De Gruyter, 2024, 358 pp., 2024

Federico Dal Bo examines the design of early Hebrew books from the late fifteenth and sixteenth c... more Federico Dal Bo examines the design of early Hebrew books from the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, focusing not only on the words in these early books but also on how they were arranged on the page. He follows in the tradition of scholars such as Christopher de Hamel, Marvin J. Heller, and David Stern, who have explored the importance of these Hebrew books in influencing Jewish learning and attracting the interest of Christians.

The author discusses important prints, such as the first Talmud and rabbinical bibles, which marked a shift from being for Jewish readers only to being for both Jews and Christians. The collaboration between Jewish editors and Christian printers changed the way these books looked and the audience for whom they were intended. At first, these early prints copied the style of handwritten Hebrew manuscripts. The simple layout could be difficult to read, especially for long books like the Bible or Talmud. But over time, influenced by the humanism of the Italian Renaissance, the layout became more complex. The book also looks at how the layout changed from full-page commentaries to a more complicated design in which the main text and commentaries shared the same page. This shift challenged the idea of who was the primary author and emphasized the role of editors. The layout, with the main text in the center and the commentaries on the sides, created a kind of unwritten rule for how to read religious texts. Dal Bo's study also includes new information about a 1553 trial in which the Talmud was burned. Overall, it explores how the layout of these early Hebrew books shaped cultural power and influenced how people read.

Leiden: Brill, 2024, 320 pp., 2024

Between 1238 and 1239, the notorious Jewish convert Nicholas Donin persuaded Pope Gregory IX to c... more Between 1238 and 1239, the notorious Jewish convert Nicholas Donin persuaded Pope Gregory IX to condemn the Talmud, prompting European kings to intervene. Only King Louis IX of France agreed to a public disputation in 1240, subjecting the Talmud to scrutiny. Prominent Jewish and Christian figures debated Jesus in the Talmud. The Talmud was condemned between 1241 and 1242, but the Church of Paris, responding to Jewish pleas, allowed an appeal. Scholars were commissioned to translate portions of the Talmud, resulting in two anthologies titled Extractiones de Talmud—the first translation of this work. Still, this did not save the Talmud from burning.

Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2023, XVIII, 368 pp.

Analyzes the question of Heidegger’s anti-Semitism from a deconstructive point of view. Appeals n... more Analyzes the question of Heidegger’s anti-Semitism from a deconstructive point of view.
Appeals not only to philosophy but also to other psychoanalysis, gender studies, and critical studies.
Suggests that the question of his anti-Semitism shall be examined from the broader perspective— the end of metaphysics.

Barcelona, Los Libros del Tabano, 228 pp., 2023

Este trabajo sobre el Celan traductor nace del estudio filosófico de una paradoja: por mucho que ... more Este trabajo sobre el Celan traductor nace del estudio filosófico de una paradoja: por mucho que se postule su imposibilidad, siempre es posible traducir.
Poetas, novelistas, filósofos y teólogos han reivindicado repetidamente la imposibilidad de traducir. Al fin y al cabo, el dicho italiano traduttore traditore es quizá
la forma más conocida de ex- presar este sentimiento, como si sólo y exclusivamente se pudiera decir la verdad en primera persona, en la propia lengua materna. Y, sin embargo, esos mismos poetas, novelistas, filósofos y teólogos siempre han buscado – cuando no anhelado- que sus obras fueran traducidas. ¿Por qué? A veces por vanidad, pero frecuentemente, así me gusta pensar, para superar los confines de su propio mundo y abrirse a la universalidad. De hecho, un gran escritor italiano como Italo Calvino consideraba al traductor su mejor aliado. Entre otras cosas, la traducción ofrece a menudo la ocasión de mejorar el texto, de
revisarlo y corregirlo, aunque sólo sea porque obliga a alguien -a menudo el pobre traductor encargado de leer todo con pelos y señales –a enfrentarse a las inevitables deficiencias de un texto escrito que, a pesar de lo que sostiene Derrida, es a veces más frágil y débil que el discurso en primera persona. Este modesto estudio mío sobre Celan traductor, que ya fue publicado en italiano con el exquisito apoyo del Dr. Diego Arturo Giordano de la editorial Orthotes, se publica ahora también en castellano sólo gracias al amable interés de la editorial Los libros del tábano y del Prof. Francisco Caja, así como al inestimable trabajo del
traductor Marco Villalobos Valencia y del revisor Dr. Martino Sacchi. Todos ellos han leído mi trabajo con conmovedora atención, ofreciéndome incluso la oportunidad de corregir algunos errores de la edición italiana. A todos ellos va mi gratitud y mi más sentido agradecimiento por el honor de haber sido traducido a este espléndido idioma.

Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, 278 pp., 2021

Jewish Monotheism is built on a fundamental assumption: God has spoken to the Jews and commanded ... more Jewish Monotheism is built on a fundamental assumption: God has spoken to the Jews and commanded them to follow His law. But what exactly are – “God’s words”?
This monograph examines the notion of “word” in Ancient Judaism from the Bible to the Mishnah – from Scripture to this prominent Hebrew law handbook redacted at the beginning of 3rd century c.e. It explores the notion of human and divine “word” and its transformation in the narrative, legal, poetical, and theological pieces of Jewish literature. It pays particular attention to the semantic evolutions of all those substantives that designate a “word” or any other relevant element of speech that both humans and God use to communicate with each other.
The monograph offers an analysis of the word field of the substantives of “word” from a double perspective – a linguistic and a cultural one. On the one hand it relies on Eugenio Coseriu’s semantics and on the disseminated notion of “Hebrew functional languages.” It starts from the presupposition that every term has its own meaning only due to its connection with other terms – called “lexical field.” It also argues that Hebrew can be divided into several “functional languages” that have different social and communicative functions: a narrative, legal, poetical, and performative one.
On the other hand, the monograph also takes into account the reception history of Scripture through its main ancient translations into Greek, Aramaic, and Syriac. In doing so, the monograph examines the word field of the substantives of “word” also from a cultural perspective and shows the evolution of this fundamental portion of Jewish literature.

Milano, Corriere della Sera, 157 pp., 2021

L’ebraismo conosce la pratica della meditazione sin dai tempi remoti della Bibbia. Tuttavia è sop... more L’ebraismo conosce la pratica della meditazione sin dai tempi remoti della Bibbia. Tuttavia è soprattutto con lo sviluppo della mistica – la famosa Qabbalah – che la meditazione è diventata il fulcro fondamentale della vita spirituale ebraica, della pratica dei precetti e dell’osservanza dei riti religiosi. Queste pagine offrono una panoramica dal primo Medioevo ai giorni nostri, prestando particolare attenzione alla diffusione della Qabbalah nel mondo contemporaneo, dalla New Age alla mindfulness e all’incontro con il buddhismo, in una perenne dialettica tra io e collettività, tra messianesimo e laicismo, tra sentimento e ragione.

Bologna, Biblioteca Clueb, 152 pp., 2020

A prima vista sembra esserci una separazione netta tra linguaggio e violenza: colui che sa esprim... more A prima vista sembra esserci una separazione netta tra linguaggio e violenza: colui che sa esprimersi non ha bisogno di ricorrere alla violenza. Del resto, c’è il detto che molti conoscono: la violenza è l’ultima risorsa degli incapaci.
È veramente così? Questo testo parte da una considerazione meno confortante: linguaggio e violenza non si escludono a vicenda. Anzi, si possono associare in un legame pericoloso e minaccioso. Un’alleanza sinistra che permette la diffusione di propaganda, ideologia ed estremismo. E diversi sono i casi in cui linguaggio e violenza si accompagnano in diversi ambiti della società contemporanea: la politica, la cultura e la filosofia.
Attraverso i lavori di Walter Benjamin, Martin Heidegger, George Steiner e Sigmund Freud, il libro presenta un’analisi impietosa del legame tra linguaggio e violenza nella filosofia contemporanea, forse senza ambire ad una soluzione, ma segnalandone i pericoli e le derive autoritarie.

Salerno, Orthotes, 194 pp., 2019

Perché i poeti traducono poesia? Questo saggio cerca di offrire una risposta attraverso l’analisi... more Perché i poeti traducono poesia? Questo saggio cerca di offrire una risposta attraverso l’analisi dell’opera letteraria di Paul Celan (1920-1970), il più grande poeta in lingua tedesca del Novecento. Celan visse contemporaneamente due vite letterarie: scrisse poesia esclusivamente in tedesco ma tradusse in tedesco da molte lingue – inglese, francese, russo, italiano, ebraico e portoghese. Questo saggio esamina la biblioteca personale di Celan ma anche la sua fascinazione per la teoria della traduzione di Walter Benjamin e la storia del misticismo ebraico di Gershom Scholem. Celan sancì un’alleanza poetica tra qabbalah e traduzione, combinando l’idea di una lingua santa con l’idea di una lingua pura. Quest’alleanza aveva un fine supremo: redimere la lingua tedesca dal proprio tragico passato di essere stata l’idioma del nazionalsocialismo.

London-New York, Routledge, 254 pp., 2019

This monograph uses deconstruction―a philosophical movement originated by Jacques Derrida―to read... more This monograph uses deconstruction―a philosophical movement originated by Jacques Derrida―to read the most authoritative book in Judaism: the Talmud. Examining deconstruction in comparison with Kant’s and Hegel’s philosophies, the volume argues that the movement opens an innovative debate on Jewish Law.

First, the monograph interprets deconstruction within the major streams of continental philosophy; then, it criticizes many aspects of Foucault’s and Agamben’s philosophy, rejecting their notion of law. On these premises, the research delivers a close examination of many fundamental aspects of the Talmud. Consequently, it provides a short history of Rabbinic literature, a history of the dissemination of the Talmud from Babylon to Northern France, and an analysis of Talmudic vocabulary from a deconstructive perspective. Each key concept of the Talmud is analysed according to the deconstructive dialectics between orality and writing. Closing with a comparison between the Talmud and Derrida’s most enigmatic text, Glas, the study argues that deconstruction dismantles the traditional notion of the Talmud to outline a new approach to Jewish Law.

Reading the Talmud through deconstruction, this new angle makes the volume an essential resource for students and scholars interested in Jewish studies, continental philosophy, and the Middle East.

Los Angeles, Cherub Press, lxx+ 452 pp., 2019

Rabbi Joseph ben Abraham Giqatilla (1248 – c. 1325) is considered the most representative figure ... more Rabbi Joseph ben Abraham Giqatilla (1248 – c. 1325) is considered the most representative figure of a stream of Jewish mysticism devoted in particular to the investigation of the mysteries of the divine names. Giqatilla believes that any appellative which Scripture attributes to God represents the very matrix of the universe. The present monograph intends to provide a comprehensive illustration of his thought, his Rabbinical education, and his relationship with other prominent qabbalists in thirteenth-century Spain—Abraham Abulafia and Moshe de Leon. Most of the previous scholarship shares the problematic assumption that there would be a dramatic distinction between an ‘early’ and ‘later’ Giqatilla and that this would have reverberated into form, style, and content. On the contrary, the present monograph maintains the fundamental assumption that specific differences between the young and older Giqatilla shall not rule out the possibility of reading his entire speculation in a unitary, evolutionary perspective. Therefore, it argues that there are three periods in Giqatilla’s speculation—a ‘philosophical’ one, a ‘theosophical’ one, and a ‘theological-political’ one.

Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck, 487 pp., 2013

Bologna, Clueb, 140 pp., 2007

Florence, La Giuntina, 103 pp., 2004

Milan, Mimesis, 218 pp., 2002

Turnhout, Brepols, 2023, 412 pp., 2023

One of the most important thinkers of the Middle Ages, the Jewish philosopher Solomon Ibn Gabirol... more One of the most important thinkers of the Middle Ages, the Jewish philosopher Solomon Ibn Gabirol (known in the Latin Middle Ages as ‘Avicebron’) greatly contributed to the history of metaphysics. His most famous work, the Fons vitae, was the source of sophisticated, radical doctrines (like universal hylomorphism and the plurality of substantial forms) that were rigorously debated in the Latin world for centuries.

Breaking a long period of scholarly neglect of his thought, this volume scrutinises Ibn Gabirol’s philosophical contributions by disentangling his original theories from the misconceptions originated by his medieval readers and critics, like Thomas Aquinas and Albert the Great. The first part of the volume expands on the Latin translation of Ibn Gabirol’s philosophical work, the Fons vitae, from which many of these misconceptions seems to have originated. The second part focuses on the sources used by Ibn Gabirol and reconstructs the philosophical framework of his reflections. The final two parts of the volume are dedicated to the influence on Ibn Gabirol’s thought on the Latin and Hebrew traditions, respectively.

Authored by some of the most renowned worldwide experts on Hebrew and Latin philosophy, the cutting-edge contributions included in the volume give a lively picture of a complex yet fascinating medieval philosopher and his unique interpretation of the universe.

Berlin, ICI Berlin Press, 2023, 252 pp., 2023

Untying the Mother Tongue explores what it might mean today to speak of someone's attachment to a... more Untying the Mother Tongue explores what it might mean today to speak of someone's attachment to a particular, primary language. Traditional conceptions of mother tongue are often seen as an expression of the ideology of a European nation-state. Yet, current celebrations of multilingualism reflect the recent demands of global capitalism, raising other challenges. The contributions from international scholars on literature, philosophy, and culture, analyze and problematize the concept of ‘mother tongue’, rethinking affective and cognitive attachments to language while deconstructing its metaphysical, capitalist, and colonialist presuppositions.

Brescia, Queriniana, 2021, 424 pp.

Ferrara, Gallio Editori, 2007

Naharaim (2024), pp. 1-20, 2024

My paper examines Franz Rosenzweig’s and Paul Celan’s translations of Yehudah Halevi’s poems, app... more My paper examines Franz Rosenzweig’s and Paul Celan’s translations of Yehudah Halevi’s poems, approaching the topic from the perspectives of both translation studies and literary criticism. On the one hand, I will scrutinize Rosenzweig’s and Celan’s translations against the backdrop of their theological approaches. I will also attempt to articulate the translation technique that Celan typically employed throughout his life, while translating from multiple languages into German. On the other hand, I will explore Celan’s implicit departure from Rosenzweig and his choice to specifically translate these two poems in light of his poetics, his notion of exile, and his exclusive choice of using German as his only poetic language.

Jewish Studies Quarterly, 31, 4 (2024), 360-388, 2024

Sometime between 1677 and 1691, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz read Johann Buxtorf’s Latin translation... more Sometime between 1677 and 1691, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz read Johann Buxtorf’s Latin translation of Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed and made a series of personal notes in Latin, including relevant passages from the Guide, as well as philosophical and theological observations. This is a new English translation of this work, with philological and historical notes based on the 2006 edition of Leibniz’s Complete Works.

in P. Branca – F. Dal Bo – V. Duca, Vie della meditazione. Ebraismo, cristianesimo, islam, Bari-Roma, Laterza, 2024, pp. 11-90, 2024

in S. Sheinfeld, J. Hoppe, and K. Ehrensperger (eds), Constructions of Gender in Religious Traditions of Late Antiquity, Lanham, Lexington Books / Fortress Academic, 2024, pp. 73-97, 2024

In this chapter, I address the notion of “incest” in Qumranic and Tannaitic literature as two vir... more In this chapter, I address the notion of “incest” in Qumranic and Tannaitic literature as two virtually contemporary textual and historical realities. Nev- ertheless, these two dimensions only marginally overlap and had a quite dif- ferent historical evolution.

in N. Polloni, M. Benedetto and F. Dal Bo (eds), Salomon Ibn Gabirol. Sources, Doctrines, and Influence on Medieval Philosophy, Turnhout, Brepols, 2023, pp. 359-381

N. Polloni, M. Benedetto and F. Dal Bo (eds), Salomon Ibn Gabirol. Sources, Doctrines, and Influence on Medieval Philosophy, Turnhout, Brepols, 2023, pp. 27-48

in A. Castore – F. Dal Bo (eds), Untying the Mother Tongue, Berlin, Berlin ICI Press, 2023, pp. 45-84, 2023

This chapter examines Edmond Jabès, who chose to write his oeuvre in French despite his Jewish-Ar... more This chapter examines Edmond Jabès, who chose to write his oeuvre in French despite his Jewish-Arabic origins and his being conversant in both Hebrew and Arabic. French was never a true ‘mother tongue’ to him but rather ‘a foreign one’. This poetical choice was also instrumental to his creation of a cosmos that is very clearly defined by la page blanche, or the ‘blank page’. His writing develops this idea, both literally and metaphorically. A blank sheet is the only thing a writer has to work with at the start of every writing act, therefore it represents a kind of material opposition that all writers must overcome. It represents in this context an existential nothingness that precedes and simultaneously escapes both human and divine creation. In Jabès’s writings, a blank page has two connotations at once: a condition for writing and nothingness. This ambivalent condition results in the paradoxical assumption that his ‘mother tongue is a foreign language’, because it cannot offer the same spiritual intimacy as another language, say, the Holy Language, and because the writer’s ‘mother tongue’ — and, by extension, human language — is always impure and infiltrated by foreignness.

in N. Dietrich – L. Lieb – N. Schneidereit (eds), Theorie und Systematik materialer Textkulturen, Berlin, De Gruyter, 2023, pp. 159-205, 2023

Studi e materiali di storia delle religioni, 88, 2 (2022), pp. 533-588, 2022

La Collezione Antonelli, stabilita dal canonico e bibliotecario don Giuseppe Antonelli, include q... more La Collezione Antonelli, stabilita dal canonico e bibliotecario don Giuseppe Antonelli, include quasi 1000 manoscritti, testi e documenti di varia natura. Tra essi figurano anche cinque testi qabbalistici di diversa provenienza, redatti prevalente- mente in italiano e occasionalmente in latino, analizzati qui per la prima volta. Si tratta di opere eterogenee, il cui contenuto è stato profondamente adattato alle esi- genze del lettore italiano, operando una vera e propria “traduzione transculturale” delle nozioni qabbalistiche di numerologia e permutazione.
The Antonelli Collection, established by canon and librarian Don Giuseppe Antonelli, includes nearly 1,000 manuscripts, texts, and documents of various kinds. They also include five kabbalistic texts from several origins, mostly written in Italian and occasionally written in Latin, which are analyzed here for the first time. These are heterogeneous works, whose content has been profoundly adapted to the needs of the Italian reader, operating a true “cross-cultural translation” of the kabbalistic notions of numerology and permutation.

in Christoph F. E. Holzhey – Arnd Wedemeyer (eds), Errans: Going Astray, Being Adrift, Coming to Nothing, Cultural Inquiry (Berlin, ICI Berlin Press, 2022), pp. 201–31, 2022

What is an exilic law? The Talmud was itself located ‘in exile’ without ever being considered ‘ex... more What is an exilic law? The Talmud was itself located ‘in exile’ without ever being considered ‘exilic’: the self-representation of the Talmud is consistent with the idea that Jewish law might be redacted in diaspora but is still centred on the Temple of Jerusalem. Yet the Zohar offers a unique representation of Jewish law as a central legal product and a metaphysically exiled reality. Hence, Jewish law has not only been born ‘in exile’ but also has an ‘exilic’ nature. An exilic law, then, is a tenebrous ‘path’ that inverts the ‘moral ways’ of Jewish law, as it departs from the ‘exilic centre’ of Babylon and installs a ‘non-exilic centre’ on Mount Moria, where Isaac was almost sacrificed and the Temple of Jerusalem was erected. When Scripture is brought out in an ‘exodus’, it departs from the solid terrain of an ‘exilic law’ and radicalizes the event of Abraham’s being called to sacrifice his own son by producing a notable inversion of the notion of ‘literal sense’. And yet this ‘literal sense’ that has always been there had almost been neglected, just like a ‘purloined letter’ — in every sense of the expression.

in A. Baggio – M. Galvani – A. Migliari – N. Rubbi (eds), Vivere in filosofia. Scritti in ricordo di Maurizio Malaguti, Rome, Tab Edizioni, 2022, pp. 103-114, 2022

in S. Brenjes (ed.), Narratives on Translation across Eurasia and Africa. From Babylonia to Colonial India, Turnhout, Brepols, 2022, pp. 249-259

in J. Zurawski (ed.), Torah: Functions, Meanings, and Diverse Manifestations in Early Judaism and Christianity, Atlanta, SBL, 2021, pp. 397-410, 2021

C. Bartlett and J, Schlör (eds), The Stranger in Early Modern and Modern Jewish Tradition, Leiden, Brill, 2021, pp. 117–132, 2021

Religions, 12, 554 (2021), pp. 1-20, 2021

In the present paper, I will examine Yosef ben Abraham Giqatilla’s philosophical poems on the Heb... more In the present paper, I will examine Yosef ben Abraham Giqatilla’s philosophical poems on the Hebrew vowels that are included in his three early works on “punctuation:” the third section from the larger Ginnat Egoz (“The Nut Garden”), the longer version of Sefer ha-Niqqud (“The Book of Punctuation”), and a short version of the latter. Scholarship on the chronology of these three texts has been inconclusive. I will argue that a textual comparison of Giqatilla’s philosophical poems and an analysis of their paratextual function allow for a solution, and therefore a possible chronology of their composition

Defining Jewish Medicine. Transfer of Medical Knowledge in Premodern Jewish Cultures and Traditions, Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, pp. 93-118, 2021

Journal of Jewish Studies, LXXI, 1 (2020), pp. 93-120

aBstract Mordekhay Dato was a prominent Italian Kabbalist, particularly active in the northern pa... more aBstract Mordekhay Dato was a prominent Italian Kabbalist, particularly active in the northern part of the Emilian region at the end of the sixteenth century. He was a prolific writer in Hebrew and Judeo-Italian, covering a wide range of topics – messianism, Kabbalah, poetry, liturgy and Halakhah. His mostly unpublished work opens an interesting window onto the intellectual laboratory of Renaissance Italy. In this article I address the changes in Dato’s messianic expectation for the Jewish year 5335 (1575 ce) and examine three works that manifest his creative use of religious texts to interpret contemporary events: Ora vien ò bella sposa (‘Come now, Lovely Bride’), an early sabbatical hymn; Ma’amar Mordekhay (‘An Essay of Mordekhay’), his unfinished commentary on the book of Esther; and Megillat Ester in Ottava Rima (‘The Roll of Esther in Octaves’), his later versification of the book of Esther in the Italian ottava rima.

J.S. Fermin (ed.), Kabbala Judía y Mística Carmelitana. Encuentros en Sefarad, Avila, Grupo Editorial Forte & CITeS – Universidad de la Mistica, pp. 169-193, 2020

in G. Kessler – N. Koltun-Fromm(eds), A Companion to Late Ancient Jews and Judaism: 3rd Century BCE - 7th Century CE, Hoboken, Wiley-Blackwell, 2020, pp. 307-321, 2020

Brescia, Queriniana, 2021

Rome in the Renaissance, John Cabot University, April 5-6, 2024, Rome

Department of History and Cultures, University of Bologna, December, 14-15, 2023, Bologna

University at Buffalo, October 25, 2023

Scholars interested to contribute to the discussion, are invited to contact Prof. Sergey Dolgopol... more Scholars interested to contribute to the discussion, are invited to contact Prof. Sergey Dolgopolski.

We cordially invite you to the public discussion of Federico Dal Bo's Deconstructing the Talmud. The Absolute Book (Routledge 2019), a scholarly exploration into the intricacies of the Talmud. In this monograph, the author employs deconstruction—a philosophical movement pioneered by Jacques Derrida—to analyze the Talmud, which is widely regarded as the most authoritative book in Judaism. By juxtaposing deconstruction with the philosophies of Kant and Hegel, the book contends that this approach introduces a fresh discourse on Jewish Law. Through a comprehensive examination, the volume explores the novel perspectives and thought-provoking discussions that emerge from this engagement with deconstruction.

We will begin with the author, Federico Dal Bo speaking about the main stakes in his book, followed by comments by Elad Lapidot (Lille), Daniel Weiss (Cambridge) and Sam Catlin (Buffalo) followed by Q&A and discussion. The event is planned for approximately 90 minutes.

Join us as we delve into the multifaceted layers of Talmudic scholarship from a philosophical and poststructural perspective. The event will provide an opportunity to delve deeper into the subject matter through insightful discussions and interactions with the author and three prominent responders from Philosophy and Jewish Studies.

Save the date on October 25, 2023 12 noon EST (New York) and join us on Zoom on to be a part of this insightful book launch event.

The event is open for public. Scholars interested to contribute to the discussion please be in touch with Prof. Sergey Dolgopolski

On the Discord Channel "Insurrecciones Apocalípticas." Organized by Dr Martino Sacchi (University of Barcelona). July 19, 2023 (online), 2023

Casa di Studio per Tutti i Popoli. Centro Culturale Veritas. May 3 and 10, 2023

The Medieval Afterlife of Hellenistic Judaism in Western Europe. A conference organized by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) project: Lege Josephum! Ways of Reading Josephus in the Latin Middle Ages, University of Bern, Bern, March 15-17, 2023

Publication Workshop, Centre March Bloch, January 20, 2023, Berlin, 2023

La Ragione degli altri. L'appello alla ratio nelle religioni abramitiche a confronto nel Medioevo Dipartimento di Studi sull'Asia e sull'Africa Mediterranea Università Ca' Foscari of Venice December 14, 2022, Venice

Politische Theologie im und im Ausgang des Deutschen Idealismus. Internationale Konferenz. Universität Basel. November 24-25, 2022

The Eranos Experience. Spirituality and the Arts from a Comparative Perspective, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, November 17-19, 2022, Venice

Ripensare la verità. Nuove frontiere del pensiero ermeneutico. Centro Studi filosofico-religiosi “Luigi Pareyson,” Torino, 10-11 Novembre 2022

Filosofía de la traducción. Traducción de la filosofía
Universitat Pompeu Fabra, September, 28-29, 2022, Barcelona

World Congress of Jewish Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, August 8, 2022, Jerusalem

Cultural Encounters between Israel and Germany. Literary Cross-Cultural Relations 1918-1922, University of Basel, May 31-1 June, 2022

Jewish Topographies. 5th International Congress on Jewish Architecture. Bet Tfila – Research Unit for Jewish Architecture & Technische Universität Braunschweig
March 28–31, 2022, Braunschweig (online)

Between Manuscript and Print. Transitions, Simultaneities, and the Question of Shifting Meanings. University of Heidelberg & SFB 933 “Material Text Cultures." February 21-23, 2022, Heidelberg

Violence, Care, Cure. (Self)perceptions Within the Medical Encounter
Symposium organized by Clio Nicastro and Marta-Laura Cenedese. ICI Berlin Institute for Cultural Inquiry, February 3-4, 2022, Berlin

November 8, 2021, Heidelberg (online)

With Constanza Cordoni, Federico Dal Bo, Saskia Dönitz, Amos Geula, Simon Haffner, Jan Hon, Miria... more With Constanza Cordoni, Federico Dal Bo, Saskia Dönitz, Amos Geula, Simon Haffner, Jan Hon, Miriam Lange, Gerhard Langer, Astrid Lembke, Ludger Lieb, Clemens Liedtke, Hanna Liss, Johannes Müller, Ronit Nikolsky, Lucia Raspe, Sebastian Seemann, and Lieve Teugels
Digital Workshop
Hochschule für Jüdische Studien
November 8, 2021, Heidelberg (online)

“Mistica e dialogo interreligioso nel contesto del Mediterraneo” Pontificia Facoltà dell’Italia Meridionale October 8-9, 2021, Neaples (online)

DAAD Brazil / Palestra online Com, July 20, 2021, 2021

PhD in Jewish Studies, 2009

PhD in Translation Studies, 2005

"Federico Dal Bo presenta una tesi, La poetica della trasformazione. Paul Celan traduttore dall’i... more "Federico Dal Bo presenta una tesi, La poetica della trasformazione. Paul Celan traduttore dall’italiano, dall’ebraico e dall’inglese, che vuole proporsi come tentativo di formalizzazione del lavoro traduttivo di un grandissimo poeta. Proprio perché opera che, ad una prima lettura, sembrerebbe sottrarsi a qualsivoglia griglia formale, il corpus di versioni celaniane offre al candidato un arduo, ma fruttuoso, banco di prova per verificare le proprie ipotesi. I risultati cui Dal Bo perviene sono di notevole interesse e dimostrano che anche ambiti, tradizionalmente ritenuti ‘non descrivibili’, sono i realtà suscettibili di indagini che ne illustrino, almeno parzialmente, le ‘regolarità’.

Nella prima sezione della tesi la tecnica traduttiva di Celan viene indagata in riferimento all’italiano, all’inglese e all’ebraico: da tutte e tre le lingue, e da altre ancora, infatti, il poeta della Bukowina ha volto in tedesco liriche e composizioni che per i più diversi motivi ha ritenuto congeniali. Dal Bo descrive con grande accuratezza le trasformazioni cui Celan sottopone i testi non mancando di operare continui rimandi all’opera poetica originale che viene così a costituire il tertium comparationis di questo originale confronto. Le più diverse trasformazioni di ordine lessicale, sintattico, stilistico e retorico, emerse nel corso dell’analisi empirica, sono quindi sottoposte a formalizzazione nella seconda parte del lavoro di tesi. Il percorso interpretativo e di trasposizione di Celan viene illustrato in tutta la sua articolata varietà e permette a Dal Bo di delineare un quadro complessivo che rimanda al personalissimo rapporto del poeta con il tedesco, con le altre lingue, con la lingua tout-court. Di tale sofferta relazione si legge nella terza parte della tesi, che delinea in forma assai convincente il tragico percorso compiuto da Celan, anche grazie alla pratica traduttiva, per recuperare al dire la lingua tedesca, sua lingua madre ed al tempo stesso lingua degli aguzzini, che l’avevano resa indegna di essere patria e strumento di testimonianza autentica.

Il corposo lavoro di dottorato ben documenta il notevole impegno che Dal Bo ha profuso sia a livello concettuale che di reperimento ed elaborazione dei materiali per pervenire a conclusioni di sicuro interesse sia per i critici di Celan che per gli studiosi di storia e teoria della traduzione letteraria."

Relatrice: Prof. Paola Maria Filippi Marsilli"

Yeschaiahu Leibowitz (1903-1994) war ein eklektischer litauischer Denker, der Chemie und Philosop... more Yeschaiahu Leibowitz (1903-1994) war ein eklektischer litauischer Denker, der Chemie und Philosophie in Berlin studiert hat. 1934 flüchtete er nach Palästina, wo er als Professor für Chemie und Physiologie an der Hebräischen Universität bis 1970 gearbeitet hat. Leibowitz gehörte zu Israels unbequemsten Denkern und trat für eine Trennung von Staat und Religion ein. Die "Sprüche der Väter" sind einer der 63 Traktate der Mischna, der im 3. Jh. v. Chr. nach heftigem Ringen niedergeschrieben wurde und einen Teil der "Mündlichen Lehre" bildet. Die "Sprüche der Väter" sind die bedeutendste Sammlung jüdischer Ethik. Leibowitz hat sie dem Rationalismus des Maimonides, des "jüdischen Aristoteles," entsprechend ausgelegt.

Im Seminar werden die religionsphilosophischen Auslegungen des Römerbriefs vorgestellt, die Jacob... more Im Seminar werden die religionsphilosophischen Auslegungen des Römerbriefs vorgestellt, die Jacob Taubes, Begründer des Institut für Judaistik in Berlin, und Giorgio Agamben, der berühmteste zeitgenössische italienische Philosoph, in den letzteren Jahren auch einem größeren Publikum bekannt gemacht haben.
Taubes und Agamben lesen den umstrittenen Römerbrief nicht als eine antijüdische Polemik, sondern als eine typisch jüdische Darstellung der messianischen Zeit. Die entscheidende Frage, die sich für den Gläubigen stellt, lautet, was mit "der Zeit, die bleibt" zu tun sei.
Lit.: J. Taubes: Die politische Theologie des Paulus, Wilhelm Fink. München (1993) 2003; G. Agamben: Die Zeit, die bleibt. Ein Kommentar zum Römerbrief, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 2006.

Paul Celan (1920-1970), der grösste deutschsprachige DIchter des Neunzehnten Jahrhundert, hat sei... more Paul Celan (1920-1970), der grösste deutschsprachige DIchter des Neunzehnten Jahrhundert, hat seine ganze poetische Tätigkeit der Erinnerung des Holocaust gewidmet. Seine DIchtung hat mit der jüdischen Mystik eine besondere Beziehung, seine Gedichte wurden von Nelly Sachs mit dem Zohar verglichen. In diesem Kurs wird Celans Auseinandersetzung mit der jüdischen Mystik auf den Basis seiner persönlichen Lesungen, Anmerkungen, Notizien und Briefwechsel analysiert.
Bibliographie:
P. Celan - N. Sachs, Briefwechsel
P. Celan, Der Meridian
G. Scholem, Die jüdische Mystik in ihrer Hauptströmungen

Dieser Kurs wird unterschiedliche Figuren der jüdischen Geschichte beleuchten, die von Teilen der... more Dieser Kurs wird unterschiedliche Figuren der jüdischen Geschichte beleuchten, die von Teilen der jüdischen Bevölkerung als messianische Erlöser angesehen wurden und sich selbst als solche ansahen. Dabei werden Quellen, wie z.B. das Buch Zerubavel, der Babylonische Talmud, und Zeitzeugenberichte zur messianischen Bewegung des Shabbatai Zvi gelesen. Hebräischkenntnisse sind für diesen Kurs erwünscht, aber nicht unbedingt erforderlich.

Rav Joseph Soloveitchik-a member of one of the most prominent Rabbinic dynasties in the 20 th cen... more Rav Joseph Soloveitchik-a member of one of the most prominent Rabbinic dynasties in the 20 th century-elaborated a distinctive speculative system that harmonized Orthodox Judaism with philosophy under the presupposition that Jewish Law is inherently compatible with rationalism, and therefore potentially universal, especially given its ethical tenets. Despite his prominence in 20thcentury philosophy, Rav Soloveitchik's thought is deeply studied in the Anglo-Saxon world but is relatively unknown in Italy. Therefore, Massimo Giulianiassociate professor in Jewish thought at the University of Trento-has embarked upon the task to fill this gap and wrote the first Italian monograph on Joseph Soloveitchik. Giuliani's Antropologia Halakhica. Saggi sul Pensiero di Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, has the merit to offer a brief but poignant introduction to Soloveitchik's thought, by paying particular attention to the oral dimension of his teachings, according to a distinctive trope of Orthodox Judaism. The title of this monograph, Antropologia Halakhica, clearly alludes to Soloveitchik's seminal work Ish Halakhah ("The Man of Halakhah"), an epic phenomenological study of the personality of a Jewish man who is bound to the tenets of Jewish Law. This important work is based on a main assumption: there is an ambivalence or, if one prefers, a bipartition between particular and universal law. This bipartition can never be solved in dialectical terms, nor can it be sublimated in a sort of "radical ethics" that would virtually transcend Jewish Law, as was eloquently suggested by the famous Lithuanian French Jewish philosopher and Talmudist Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995). Despite his apparent interest in Talmudic Judaism, his philosophical commentaries on the Talmud, published in several volumes, inspired generation of French intellectuals. Similarly to Levinas, with whom he was acquainted, Soloveitchik too was interested in interpreting the Talmud on the basis of philosophical presuppositions, mostly by combining neo-Kantianism and Phenomenology. Therefore, there is an important continuity between Soloveitchik and Levinas, especially because they both genuinely claim the importance of Jewish ethics. And yet, there is also an important difference between them, especially in the appreciation of Jewish Law and its actual social power. Joseph Soloveitchik operates with respect to the dimensions of faith based on these philosophical presuppositions. As a complex human dimension, faith has to be "reduced" to its essential components that include both the observance of Jewish commandments and the connection with Holiness. This reduction is operated in exquisite phenomenological terms by pointing both to the eidetic or "essential representation" of Jewish Law and to the potentially mystical dimension of Holiness. The monograph is structured in five chapters: Chapter One ("L'antropologia halakhica di Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik e la sua influenza sul giudaismo modern orthodox," 7-30) on the general context of Soloveitchik's thought; Chapter Two

The Kabbalistic Tree è un testo straordinario sulla storia del disegno mistico dai primordi della... more The Kabbalistic Tree è un testo straordinario sulla storia del disegno mistico dai primordi della Qabbalah fino ai giorni nostri che Yossi Chajes – direttore del Centro di Studi Ebraici e professore associato di Storia Ebraica all’Università di Haifa – ha scritto dopo anni di paziente ricerca sulla sterminata letteratura della mistica ebraica, spesso tramandata solo in forma manoscritta, da cui ha raccolto e catalogato centinaia di diagrammi, poi digitalizzati e generosamente messi a disposizione sul suo sito Ilanot. Maps of God.

Correspondences 10, no. 2 (2022): 1–4

Revista Española de Filosofia Medieval 28/2 (2021), pp. 145-150, 2021

Annali d'Italianistica, 39 (2021), pp. 677-680

Annali di Italianistica 38 (2020) 421-423

Annali di Italianistica 37 (2019), pp. 566-567

Tamid 14 (2019), pp. 225-226

Arcadia. International Journal of Literary Culture/ Internationale Zeitschrift für literarische Kultur, 53, 2 (2018) pp. 432-435

, in Annali d'Italianistica "The New Italy and the Jews: From Massimo D'Azeglio to Primo Levi" 36 (2018) pp. 494-496

Annali d'Italianistica "The New Italy and the Jews: From Massimo D'Azeglio to Primo Levi" 36 (2018) pp. 505-508

Book review of Vivian Liska's “German-Jewish Thought and its Afterlife."

Speculum 93, 1 (2018) pp. 281-283, 2018

Journal of Jewish Studies, 59, 2 (2008) 335-343

On line articles for “Ferrara Italia”

Traditional Jewish texts present different approaches to wealth, poverty, and money. The purpose ... more Traditional Jewish texts present different approaches to wealth, poverty, and money. The purpose of this conference is both to identify these texts and to explore the diversity of their ideas. Accordingly, the conference will be organized around particular texts dealing with specific issues. Conference time will be spent primarily in study of and conversation about these texts. Our ultimate goal is to produce a volume that includes the texts (in original translations) with short commentaries.

Mistakes are typically tolerated as long as they are contained within a margin of error. What wou... more Mistakes are typically tolerated as long as they are contained within a margin of error. What would it mean for error to stray from these margins, to escape routine procedures of error correction? Can error be thought against the very norms that seek to correct for it—that is, according to a marginality that would be error’s own?

Workshop with Proff. Daniel Boyarin, Lorenzo Di Tommaso, and Elliot Wolfson, under the guidance o... more Workshop with Proff. Daniel Boyarin, Lorenzo Di Tommaso, and Elliot Wolfson, under the guidance of Prof. Gabriele Boccaccini

Workshop with Proff. Jonathan Boyarin, Mark Geller, Sylvie-Anne Goldberg, Lukas Mühlethaler, Beat... more Workshop with Proff. Jonathan Boyarin, Mark Geller, Sylvie-Anne Goldberg, Lukas Mühlethaler, Beate Ulrike La Sala, Oded Schechter, Hillel Ben Sasson

Workshop with Prof. Manuele Gragnolati

Workshop with Prof. Sergio Givone

CFP, 2022

Italian Thought has recently emerged as a meaningful alternative to German nihilism and French bi... more Italian Thought has recently emerged as a meaningful alternative to German nihilism and French biopolitics for deepening our understanding of the dynamics of globalization and immaterial production that characterize the postmodern world. According to authors such as Lorenzo Chiesa, Alberto Toscano, and Roberto Esposito, Italian Thought neutralizes the antinomic tendencies of Continental Philosophy and allows for a negotiation between power, history, and life.

CFP

Italian Thought has recently emerged as a meaningful alternative to German nihilism and French bi... more Italian Thought has recently emerged as a meaningful alternative to German nihilism and French biopolitics for deepening our understanding of the dynamics of globalization and immaterial production that characterize the postmodern world. According to authors such as Lorenzo Chiesa, Alberto Toscano, and Roberto Esposito, Italian Thought neutralizes the antinomic tendencies of Continental Philosophy and allows for a negotiation between power, history, and life. Yet, interestingly, these theorists' understanding of Italian Thought fails to take into account the contributions of the great Italian metaphysicians such as

The term we still use to designate someone’s attachment to a particular language, her potentially... more The term we still use to designate someone’s attachment to a particular language, her potentially flawless competence, or the very “place” for her thoughts to emerge in coherent form, is “mother tongue”. We take it to be a natural condition of language acquisition, equally valid for every individual speaker, and thus forget that it is a mere metaphorical reference to the “first” language, spoken by what is referred to, with an even more misleading metaphor, a “native” speaker. Throughout history, the use and connotations of the expression “mother tongue” have undergone several changes. In the Middle Ages and Early Modern period, the Latin “lingua materna” referred to the vernaculars in opposition to the learned Latin. In the eighteenth century, “mother tongue” became an emotionally charged term: establishing a more intimate, allegedly natural and privileged relationship between the speaker and her primary language, it lent authority to the Romantic aesthetics of originality and authenticity. The new emphasis on the “maternal” element in the metaphor inscribed the speaker into broader networks of relationships, from kin to nation. Carrying gendered and political meanings, the term “mother tongue” thus links its fortune to a “monolingual paradigm” coeval with the historical constellation of the emerging nation-states.

The conference intends to re-think affective and cognitive attachments to language by deconstructing their metaphysical, capitalist, and colonialist presuppositions. If traditional conceptions of the monolingual, pure “mother tongue” reveal the ideology of the European nation-state, then today’s celebration of multilingual competencies simply reflects the rise of global capitalism and its demand for transnational labor markets.

French poststructuralist thought has problematized the notion of a “mother tongue” by dividing it into two discrete elements—the “maternal” and the “linguistic”—and by exposing their metaphysical and colonialist presuppositions. Thus, Derrida has exposed the metaphysical implications of the dream of a “mother tongue”: a desire for origin, purity, and identity. In his Monolingualism of the Other—permeated with reflections about his affective relation to French—, Derrida has maintained that “the language called maternal is never purely natural, nor proper, nor inhabitable”. Julia Kristeva, on the other hand, has addressed the relationship between “maternal” and “language” in her elaborations on Plato’s concept of chora—a sort of pre-ontological condition of reality. While the Platonic chora is a formless matrix of space, in Kristeva it becomes “a non-expressive totality”: that is, paradoxically, both a generative principle through which meaning constitutes itself and a force subverting any established linguistic or epistemological system.

The conference asks what can be salvaged of the notion of a mother tongue: what are the remains, traces, or vestiges of a language no longer directly tied to the mother yet resounding with a maternal echo and at the same time manifesting itself as a primary idiom with respect to its affective and aesthetic dimensions. This “residual notion” of a mother tongue supposes that language is indeed a basic human need (like food, shelter, or clothing), since it provides an indispensible access to a symbolic dimension shaping affectivity and knowledge.

Keynotes by Daniel Boyarin and Hélène Cixous
11-12 May 2016
In English

Please send an abstract of no more than 500 words and a short bio to
mothertongue(at)ici-berlin.org

Deadline for abstracts: 15 October 2015

For further details please see PDF

Organized by Federico Dal Bo and Antonio Castore

Ha-Keihillah. Bimestrale Ebraico Torinese, 3, Jul 2013