Modern Jewish Philosophy Research Papers (original) (raw)

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- by
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- Jewish Studies, Israel Studies, Israel/Palestine, Modern Jewish Philosophy
- by Shaul Magid
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- Jewish Studies, Jewish Mysticism, Mysticism, Spirituality & Mysticism
- by David Biale
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- Gender Studies, Jewish Studies, Sexuality, Gender and Sexuality
- by Arthur Green
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- Jewish Studies, Modern Jewish Philosophy, Hasidism, Modern Jewish History
- by Andrea Yaakov Lattes
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- History, Intellectual History, Cultural History, Economic History

Generations of Hebrew (Teachers) College students studied with Dr. Arnold A. Wieder (1921-2013); beloved teacher of Bible and Rabbinic Literature, who served on the faculty from 1958 to 1991. Alone among the full-time Hebrew College faculty of his day, he was often known by his rabbinic title ("Rabbi Wieder") for he was an ordained Orthodox rabbi who had previously served such Boston-area congregations as Linas Hazedek of Dorchester, Young Israel of Brookline, and Chai Odom in Brighton. He was also the commimity moheh

- by Jonathan Sarna
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- Jewish Studies, Modern Jewish Philosophy, Modern Jewish History, History of Boston

Grazie all’opera di artisti e intellettuali, nel Rinascimento emerge una consapevolezza inedita del divenire storico che favorisce il culto del nuovo nelle arti, in letteratura, in filologia e nelle scienze. Il nuovo prendeva il posto del culto, una liturgia umana subentrava a quella divina. Questa rivoluzione tocca anche la cultura ebraica, motore e agente di un rinnovamento senza precedenti. Lo studio di Giuseppe Veltri ricostruisce la vita intellettuale ebraica nel Rinascimento italiano ed europeo, mettendo in luce momenti salienti del dibattito del tempo: la coscienza storica del divenire e la secolarizzazione, la funzione della poesia dantesca come ponte fra mondo ebraico e mondo cristiano, l’uso del volgare come simbolo del connubio delle diverse tradizioni, la nascita del criticismo, l’atteggiamento scettico come strategia e sintomo della crisi politica e intellettuale, il dibattito sull’immortalità dell’anima.

- by Giuseppe Veltri
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- Jewish Studies, Renaissance Studies, Renaissance Humanism, Italian Literature

AU rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of... more

- by Michael J. Broyde
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- Jewish Law, Jewish Studies, Modern Jewish Philosophy, Modern Jewish History
- by Daniel Sperber
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- Jewish Studies, Rabbinics, Rabbinic Literature, Modern Jewish Philosophy
- by Jacob J. Schacter
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- Jewish Studies, Early Modern Europe, Rabbinics, Rabbinic Literature
- by Shaul Magid
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- Christianity, Jewish Studies, New Testament, History of Christianity
- by Shaul Magid
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- Jewish Studies, Rabbinics, Rabbinic Literature, Modern Jewish Philosophy

R. Nahman's sermons, like classical midrash, are comprised of texts reading texts. Theological speculation is always contextual, emerging via imaginative interpretation rather than via pure philosophical argumentation. Yet, while it may be true that R. Nahman's use of Scripture in Likkutei MoHaRan resembles earlier models of classical midrash and Kabbala, these models serve quite a different purpose in his Hasidic imagination. 23 Unlike midrash, R. Nahman is not focused on opening the text for purposes of reading (or rereading) Scripture. Unlike classical Kabbala, R. Nahman does not exegetically construct his homilies in order to facilitate a mystical experience, reenact the historical event of Sinai, or convey esoteric knowledge. 24 He is interested in accomplishing at least three basic objectives: (1) to create a textual representation of his own inner life, the life of the zaddik of the generation, 25 disclosing and enveloping his imagination in the garments of midrashic reading and kabbalistic imagery (his is accomplished through the complex hermeneutical scheme of his homilies in Likkutei MoHaRan); (2) to transmit his advice regarding the ways of worship, both existentially and practically, in order to enable his disciples to embody his innovative understanding of devotion, enacted within the confines of the halakhic system but not identical to it 26 (this is accomplished in Sefer Kizur Likkutei MoHaRan, 27 Likkutei Ezot, Shivhei Ha-Ran, and other advice literature including R. Nathan Sternherz of Bratslav's multivolume Likkutei Halakhot); and (3) to transcend normative modes of Torah discourse by conveying its essential messages in the garments of fable narratives. This third objective serves three distinct functions all of which have messianic implications: (a) to perfect the imaginative faculty as a prerequisite of prophecy and the necessary precursor to the messianic era; 28 (b) to "awaken the masses from slumber," an allusion to the depth of exile where the exiled lose consciousness of their exilic state; and (c) to universalize Torah by transcending its external (rabbinic) framework, i.e., text and exegesis, making way for a return to the institution of prophecy. 29 This is accomplished in his interpretations of the Raba Bar bar Hana agadot in Likkutei MoHaRan and later in his thirteen tales. 30

- by Shaul Magid
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- Jewish Studies, Jewish Mysticism, Mysticism, Midrash

A lthough not usually viewed as a manifestation of modern spirituality, hasidism strikingly resembles a product of the spiritual and ideological reorientation of Western religion in the post-Copernican world.2 Largely unaware of the philosophical and theological changes in European intellectual culture, many of the hasidic masters exhibited a sensitivity to the existential plight of humankind in the modern world. tUnless otherwise indicated, translations and italics throughout the article are mine.

- by Shaul Magid
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- Jewish Studies, Modern Jewish Philosophy, Hasidism, Modern Jewish History

N.B. The interested reader is invited to turn to the expanded and more fully annotated Hebrew version of this article, to appear in the volume Ma'or va-Shemesh: History, Philosophy, Lore and Legacy, edited by Levi Cooper, Ariel Evan Mayse... more

- by Ariel Evan Mayse
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- Jewish Law, Theology, Spirituality, Philosophy Of Law
- by Shaul Magid
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- Jewish Studies, Modern Jewish Philosophy, Hasidism, Modern Jewish History
- by Ariel Evan Mayse
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- Talmud, Jewish Mysticism, Modern Jewish Philosophy, Kabbalah

Each of the three great religions of the Western tradition is based upon a narrative that stands at the centre of its faith. For Judaism, it is the Exodus from Egypt and the receiving of Torah at Mount Sinai; for Christianity, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ; for Islam, the hijra and the revelation to Muhammad. Each sees its own narrative as standing at the centre of human history as the 'greatest story ever told', and its truth (however that term is conceived) is vital to all the faithful. Each of these faiths also bears a long history of more abstract theological truth claims, involving such issues as the unity (or trinity) of God, providence, divine authority for the rule of law, the importance of good works, and so forth. In these, the traditions may be shown to have much in common with one another, making for interesting conversation across religious lines. But the core narratives seem to stand in eternal competition with one another, and it is in their utter loyalty to them that the faiths and their faithful remain most deeply divided.

- by Arthur Green
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- Jewish Studies, Modern Jewish Philosophy, Hasidism, Modern Jewish History
- by Arthur Green
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- Jewish Studies, Historiography, History of Historiography, Modern Jewish Philosophy

This publication has been typeset in the multilingual "Brill" typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, IPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see... more

- by Ariel Evan Mayse
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- Jewish Studies, Theology, Spirituality, Jewish Mysticism

Rabbi Yitshak Hutner (1906-1980) was a remarkable scholar, an enigmatic religious intellectual and a charismatic teacher. Drawing upon his public discourses and his written letters, I argue that Hutner's vocabulary-which remained rooted almost entirely in the vocabulary of traditional Talmudism-afforded him a ready garment in which to clothe a syncretic educational theory, which combines Hasidic approaches to spiritual instruction and remakes the traditions of Lithuanian piety and study for his new American audience. The present study interrogates a series of key themes that appear in Hutner's teachings, all of which pertain to issues of pedagogy and the construction of religious education. The essay advances a historical argument by examining the works of an important and influential modern Jewish thinker, but it is also driven by a constructive question: What does Hutner's vision of Jewish religious teaching and learning have to contribute to today's Jewish education, and to the broader world of higher education in North America in particular?

- by Ariel Evan Mayse
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- Jewish American Literature, Religious Education, Talmud, Jewish History
- by Shaul Magid
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- Jewish Studies, Rabbinic Literature, Modern Jewish Philosophy, Modern Jewish History

This essay interrogates the legal discourse of Shulḥan ha-Tahor, a curious-and curiously understudied-work of Hasidic halakhah written by Rabbi Yitzḥak Ayzik Yehudah Yehiel Safrin of Komarno. The book is, at heart, a systematic reformulation of Jewish law in light of Kabbalah, Hasidism, and the quest for personal mystical experience. Shulḥan ha-Tahor offers a rare case study for the interface of mystical experience , Hasidic devotional values, and kabbalistic doctrine as they explicitly shape the codified forms-and norms-of halakhah. The essay reveals a different side of Jewish modernity through a close reading of an exceptional nineteenth-century legal code.

- by Ariel Evan Mayse
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- Eastern European Studies, Jewish Studies, Theology, Spirituality

The doctrine of the �addiq stands as the very epicenter of Hasidic spirituality. Described by Arthur Green as an axis mundi Hasidism's �addiqism is considered by many to be the most, perhaps only, truly innovative dimension of Hasidic mysticism. 1 Linking the �addiq with 'yesod'in both its literal and later kabbalistic meaningsbegins in rabbinic literature, reading the verse ve Saddik yesod 'olam ( .. .. and the Saddiq is the foundation of the world, Proverbs 10:25). This linkage continues as kabbalistic nomenclature (yesod marking the ninth sefirah) is applied to biblical verses and rabbinic dicta.2 • 2 I would like to thank Nathaniel Berman for our l;avruta in Koppel's writings See, Arthur Green, 'The Zaddiq as Axis Mun di' Journal of the American Academy of Religion 45 (1997), pp. 327-347. In terms of the doctrine of the saddiq as the only real innovation of Hasidism, see Mendel Pierkarz, Be-Yemei Zemikhat ha-lfasidut, Jerusalem' 1978, pp. 28-304 and idem, lfasidut Polin, .

- by Shaul Magid
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- Jewish Studies, Jewish Mysticism, Mysticism, Spirituality & Mysticism
- by Ariel Evan Mayse
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- Eastern European Studies, Medieval History, Spirituality, Jewish Mysticism

When Kabbalah came, it made of God a human; when Hasidism came, it made of the human a God. -Rashbatz [The Jew] is not an independent being; rather, all of his existence is the existence of the Holy One, Blessed be He! -Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Hitva'aduyot Tashmav (5746), 515 ‫גט‬ ‫שטיקל‬ ‫א‬ ‫איז‬ ‫ייד‬ ‫א‬ ‫ט(‬ ‫ל"ב‬ ‫)דברים‬ ‫עמו‬ ‫ה"‬ ‫חלק‬ ‫כי‬ -Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Yishmaru Da'at, 44

- by Shaul Magid
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- Jewish Studies, Messianism, Modern Jewish Philosophy, Jewish Messianism
- by Shaul Magid
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- Jewish Studies, Early Modern History, Modern Jewish Philosophy, Modern Jewish History
- by Alexander Altmann ז״ל
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- Philosophy, Jewish Studies, Jewish Thought, Modern Jewish Philosophy

Society doesn't exist, and the Jew is its symptom. Slavoj Zizek, The Sublime Object of Ideology An assumption common in Jewish feminist studies is that feminists study the his tory, activities, and images of women, or, at the very least, gender as a social con struction. Feminists who turn to examine other issues, such as the case of Jewish-Christian relations discussed here, may find themselves accused of aban doning feminist scholarship.' But feminist theory can be applied to issues other than the explicidy gendered. In this essay I ask what happens when scholars engage in just such a move. Can there be a Jewish feminist scholarship that addresses a broad range of issues, themes, and topics? Some years ago, at the same dme that I was studying modern Jewish views of Je sus, I read Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar's now-classic study of nineteenth-cen tury British women novelists. The Madwoman in the Attic. I noticed some striking parallels between the situation of women entering the English literary tradition and Jews entering the Christian theological tradition. I realized that feminist theorizing about women might fmitfiilly be applied to the experience of Jews. Gubar and Gilbert argued that in order to generate the language needed to produce their own literature, women were required to kill the "angel in the house," the aesthetic ideal ^ of the female promoted in male literature.^ Similarly, it seemed to me, the extensive project of modern Jewish theologians to clarify the origins of Christianity reflected ^ a Jewish effort to destabilize Christian theolo^ and create a space for Jewish theo logical self-definition. Nina Auerbach has observed in connection with women writers in Victorian England who appropriate male-authored misogynous myths that the power of

sided over the "Wolfson in the Harvard Faculty Club, which included many outstanding university professors. Numerous honors were showered upon him, but no more than were his due. Throughout his life, Wolfson found security in his Hypothetico-Deductive Method of Text Study developed by him in his twenties, when he wrote his doctoral dissertation at Harvard.