Download or read book The Democratic Evolution of Halakhah written by David Raab and published by . This book was released on 2018-07-17 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book sets out to provide a new perspective on the evolution of halakhah. According to David Raab, halakhah should be seen through a "people-centric" narrative, where the community of observant Jews - the People - drive the refinement, redefinition, change in, and, finally, acceptance of halakhah. In a word, the corpus of halakhah and the details of its observance as it is practiced today is what the people have decided it to be. This people-centric evolution of Jewish law should be characterized as democratic.
Download or read book Evolving Halakhah written by Rabbi Dr. Moshe Zemer and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2012-07-13 with total page 510 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An essential reference work for any thinking student of religion. Innovative and provocative, Evolving Halakhah affirms the system of traditional Jewish law, Halakhah, as a developing and moral structure, flexible enough to accommodate the changing realities of each generation. In this accessible analysis of Halakhah, Moshe Zemer issues a clarion call to follow the ancient and modern principles of evolving Halakhah, which demands ethical deeds, the discovery of holiness in the Commandments, a critical approach to the Tradition, and responsibility of the entire Community of Israel. These principles are viewed as the framework in which the other commandments are applied. To Jews who sometimes see no choices but those of fundamentalist rigidity on the one hand, or total rejection of tradition on the other, Zemer argues instead for awareness of the inherent flexibility of the halakhic system. Halakhah, he argues, has had many voices, and has changed to meet every generation’s needs. Equipped with this view, liberal Jews can reclaim their tradition from a conservative rabbinic establishment that all too often—especially in Israel—has seen the voice of strictness as more authentic than the voice of lovingkindness. The product of Zemer’s thirty-five years of work in the Israel Movement of Progressive Judaism, Evolving Halakhah includes chapters on matters ranging from personal status, especially marriage and conversion, through the “political” Halakhah of a response to the intifada. It shows that the traditional framework for understanding the Torah’s commandments can be the living heart of Jewish life for all Jews—including Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative, and Modern Orthodox.
Download or read book Democracy and Halakhah written by Eliezer Schweid and published by Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs/Center for Jewish Community Studies Series. This book was released on 1994 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eliezer Schweid in Democracy and the Halakhah analyzes the writings of Rabbi Haim Hirschensohn, one of the early Hebrew cultural pioneers who laid the foundation for the Zionist enterprise. Born in Safed Eretz Israel in 1857, Hirschensohn was pushed out of the fanatic Ashkenazi religious community and ended up as an Orthodox rabbi in Hoboken, New Jersey. His writings focus on finding a philosophic basis that could reconcile the Torah with the transformation forced upon the Jewish people by modernity so as to come out with a coherent systematic system of political thought that could encompass both. Co-published with the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
Download or read book Halakhah and Politics written by Sol Roth and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Evolution of Halakha written by Avishai Blau and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2023-04-11 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Evolution of Halakha: How Orthodox Judaism Adapts to Modern Times is a comprehensive exploration of the Orthodox Jewish legal system and its ongoing adaptation to the challenges and opportunities of modernity. In this book, the author delves into the rich history of halakha, tracing its evolution from its earliest origins to the present day. Along the way, the book examines the key debates and controversies that have shaped the Orthodox Jewish community, including the role of women in the synagogue, the acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals, and the ongoing tension between tradition and modernity. Through in-depth analysis and engaging storytelling, the book offers a nuanced and thoughtful perspective on the ways in which the Orthodox Jewish community has navigated the complexities of modern times. It presents a range of perspectives and voices, drawing on the insights of rabbis, scholars, and community members to paint a complex and multifaceted picture of this dynamic legal system. Ultimately, The Evolution of Halakha offers a powerful testament to the resilience and adaptability of the Orthodox Jewish community. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of tradition and modernity, and in the ongoing evolution of one of the world's most fascinating legal systems.
Download or read book Halakhah written by Chaim N. Saiman and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-09-29 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How the rabbis of the Talmud transformed Jewish law into a way of thinking and talking about everything Typically translated as "Jewish law," halakhah is not an easy match for what is usually thought of as law. This is because the rabbinic legal system has rarely wielded the political power to enforce its rules, nor has it ever been the law of any state. Even more idiosyncratically, the talmudic rabbis claim the study of halakhah is a holy endeavor that brings a person closer to God—a claim no country makes of its law. Chaim Saiman traces how generations of rabbis have used concepts forged in talmudic disputation to do the work that other societies assign not only to philosophy, political theory, theology, and ethics but also to art, drama, and literature. Guiding readers across two millennia of richly illuminating perspectives, this panoramic book shows how halakhah is not just "law" but an entire way of thinking, being, and knowing.
Download or read book The Invention of Jewish Theocracy written by Alexander Kaye and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2020 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book is about the attempt of Orthodox Jewish Zionists to implement traditional Jewish law (halakha) as the law of the State of Israel. These religious Zionists began their quest for a halakhic sate immediately after Israel's establishment in 1948 and competed for legal supremacy with the majority of Israeli Jews who wanted Israel to be a secular democracy. Although Israel never became a halachic state, the conflict over legal authority became the backdrop for a pervasive culture war, whose consequences are felt throughout Israeli society until today. The book traces the origins of the legal ideology of religious Zionists and shows how it emerged in the middle of the twentieth century. It further shows that the ideology, far from being endemic to Jewish religious tradition as its proponents claim, is a version of modern European jurisprudence, in which a centralized state asserts total control over the legal hierarchy within its borders. The book shows how the adoption (conscious or not) of modern jurisprudence has shaped religious attitudes to many aspects of Israeli society and politics, created an ongoing antagonism with the state's civil courts, and led to the creation of a new and increasingly powerful state rabbinate. This account is placed into wider conversations about the place of religion in democracies and the fate of secularism in the modern world. It concludes with suggestions about how a better knowledge of the history of religion and law in Israel may help ease tensions between its religious and secular citizens"--
Download or read book Social Change and Halakhic Evolution in American Orthodoxy written by Chaim I. Waxman and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2017-08-01 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chaim Waxman, a prominent sociologist of contemporary Orthodoxy, is one of the keenest observers of American Jewish society. In illustration of how Orthodoxy is adapting to modernity, he presents a detailed discussion of halakhic developments, particularly regarding women’s greater participation in ritual practices and other areas of communal life. He shows that the direction of change is not uniform: there is both greater stringency and greater leniency, and he discusses the many reasons for this, both in the Jewish community and in the wider society. Relations between the various sectors of American Orthodoxy over the past several decades are also considered.
Download or read book The Cambridge Companion to Judaism and Law written by Christine Hayes and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-02-17 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Cambridge Companion to Judaism and Law provides a conceptual and historical account of the Jewish understanding of law.
Download or read book The Origin of the Jews written by Steven Weitzman and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-04-02 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The scholarly quest to answer the question of Jewish origins The Jews have one of the longest continuously recorded histories of any people in the world, but what do we actually know about their origins? While many think the answer to this question can be found in the Bible, others look to archaeology or genetics. Some skeptics have even sought to debunk the very idea that the Jews have a common origin. Steven Weitzman takes a learned and lively look at what we know—or think we know—about where the Jews came from, when they arose, and how they came to be. He sheds new light on the assumptions and biases of those seeking answers—and the religious and political agendas that have made finding answers so elusive. Introducing many approaches and theories, The Origin of the Jews brings needed clarity and historical context to this enduring and divisive topic.
Download or read book Saving One s Own written by Mordecai Paldiel and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2017-02 with total page 893 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this remarkable, historically significant book, Mordecai Paldiel recounts in vivid detail the many ways in which, at great risk to their own lives, Jews rescued other Jews during the Holocaust. In so doing he puts to rest the widely held belief that all Jews in Nazi-dominated Europe wore blinders and allowed themselves to be led like "lambs to the slaughter." Paldiel documents how brave Jewish men and women saved thousands of their fellow Jews through efforts unprecedented in Jewish history. Encyclopedic in scope and organized by country, Saving One's Own tells the stories of hundreds of Jewish activists who created rescue networks, escape routes, safe havens, and partisan fighting groups to save beleaguered Jewish men, women, and children from the Nazis. The rescuers' dramatic stories are often shared in their own words, and Paldiel provides extensive historical background and documentation. The untold story of these Jewish heroes, who displayed inventiveness and courage in outwitting the enemy--and in saving literally thousands of Jews--is finally revealed.
Download or read book Rupture and Reconstruction written by Haym Soloveitchik and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2021-09-10 with total page 149 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essay that forms the core of this book is an attempt to understand the developments that have occurred in Orthodox Jewry in America in the last seventy years, and to analyse their implications. The prime change is what is often described as ‘the swing to the right’, a marked increase in ritual stringency, a rupture in patterns of behaviour that has had major consequences not only for Jewish society but also for the nature of Jewish spirituality. For Haym Soloveitchik, the key feature at the root of this change is that, as a result of migration to the ‘New Worlds’ of England, the US, and Israel and acculturation to its new surroundings, American Jewry—indeed, much of the Jewish world— had to reconstruct religious practice from normative texts: observance could no longer be transmitted mimetically, on the basis of practices observed in home and street. In consequence, behaviour once governed by habit is now governed by rule. This new edition allows the author to deal with criticisms raised since the essay, long established as a classic in the field, was originally published, and enables readers to gain a fuller perspective on a topic central to today’s Jewish world and its development.
Download or read book Historical Atlas of Hasidism written by Marcin Wodziński and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2018-07-24 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first cartographic reference book on one of today’s most important religious movements Historical Atlas of Hasidism is the very first cartographic reference book on one of the modern era's most vibrant and important mystical movements. Featuring sixty-one large-format maps and a wealth of illustrations, charts, and tables, this one-of-a-kind atlas charts Hasidism's emergence and expansion; its dynasties, courts, and prayer houses; its spread to the New World; the crisis of the two world wars and the Holocaust; and Hasidism's remarkable postwar rebirth. Historical Atlas of Hasidism demonstrates how geography has influenced not only the social organization of Hasidism but also its spiritual life, types of religious leadership, and cultural articulation. It focuses not only on Hasidic leaders but also on their thousands of followers living far from Hasidic centers. It examines Hasidism in its historical entirety, from its beginnings in the eighteenth century until today, and draws on extensive GIS-processed databases of historical and contemporary records to present the most complete picture yet of this thriving and diverse religious movement. Historical Atlas of Hasidism is visually stunning and easy to use, a magnificent resource for anyone seeking to understand Hasidism's spatial and spiritual dimensions, or indeed anybody interested in geographies of religious movements past and present. Provides the first cartographic interpretation of Hasidism Features sixty-one maps and numerous illustrations Covers Hasidism in its historical entirety, from its eighteenth-century origins to today Charts Hasidism's emergence and expansion, courts and prayer houses, modern resurgence, and much more Offers the first in-depth analysis of Hasidism's egalitarian--not elitist—dimensions Draws on extensive GIS-processed databases of historical and contemporary records
Download or read book A History of Judaism written by Martin Goodman and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-11-19 with total page 656 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world, and it has preserved its distinctive identity despite the extraordinarily diverse forms and beliefs it has embodied over the course of more than three millennia. A History of Judaism provides the first truly comprehensive look in one volume at how this great religion came to be, how it has evolved from one age to the next, and how its various strains, sects, and traditions have related to each other. In this magisterial and elegantly written book, Martin Goodman takes readers from Judaism's origins in the polytheistic world of the second and first millennia BCE to the temple cult at the time of Jesus. He tells the stories of the rabbis, mystics, and messiahs of the medieval and early modern periods and guides us through the many varieties of Judaism today. Goodman's compelling narrative spans the globe, from the Middle East, Europe, and America to North Africa, China, and India. He explains the institutions and ideas on which all forms of Judaism are based, and masterfully weaves together the different threads of doctrinal and philosophical debate that run throughout its history."--
Download or read book The Lonely Man of Faith written by Joseph B. Soloveitchik and published by Image. This book was released on 2009-07-01 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joseph B. Soloveitchik, the rabbi known as “The Rav” by his followers worldwide, was a leading authority on the meaning of Jewish law and prominent force in building bridges between traditional Orthodox Judaism and the modern world. In THE LONELY MAN OF FAITH, a soaring, eloquent essay first published in Tradition magazine in 1965, Soloveitchik investigates the essential loneliness of the person of faith in our narcissistic, materially oriented, utilitarian society. In this modern classic, Soloveitchik uses the story of Adam and Eve as a springboard, interweaving insights from such important Western philosophers as Kierkegaard and Kant with innovative readings of Genesis to provide guidance for the faithful in today’s world. He explains prayer as “the harbinger of moral reformation,” and discusses with empathy and understanding the despair and exasperation of individuals who seek personal redemption through direct knowledge of a God who seems remote and unapproachable. He shows that while the faithful may become members of a religious community, their true home is “the abode of loneliness.” In a moving personal testimony, Soloveitchik demonstrates a deep-seated commitment, intellectual courage, and integrity that people of all religions will respond to.
Download or read book Isaiah Horowitz s Shnei Luhot Ha Berit and the Pietistic Transformation of Jewish Theology written by Joseph Citron and published by Studies in Jewish History and. This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In this book, Joseph Citron offers the first comprehensive analysis of Prague Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz's (1565-1629) magnum opus of Jewish ethical literature, the Shnei Luhot Ha-Berit. Citron's close philological analysis reveals the pioneering nature of the work in creating an organic Jewish theological system rooted in the mystical structures of Kabbalah, cultivating an orthodoxy in thought and legal practice based upon its principles. Emotion, psychology, self-actualisation and joy are all presented as essential facets of religious life, significantly influencing the 17th-century Sabbatean movement, the 18th-century Hasidic movement, and the Orthodox movement of the 19th century. The book is essential for scholars and laypeople alike wishing to understand the evolution of European Judaism in the early modern period"--
Download or read book The Cambridge History of Judaism Volume 2 The Hellenistic Age written by William David Davies and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1984 with total page 766 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vol. 4 covers the late Roman period to the rise of Islam. Focuses especially on the growth and development of rabbinic Judaism and of the major classical rabbinic sources such as the Mishnah, Jerusalem Talmud, Babylonian Talmud and various Midrashic collections.
