Download or read book Open Minded Torah written by William Kolbrener and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2011-05-19 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In essays as likely to turn to baseball, Denzel Washington, and the NASDAQ as to Macbeth, quantum physics and psychoanalysis, William Kolbrener provides powerful - and often surprising - insights into how open mindedness allows for authentic Jewish commitment in an age otherwise defined by fundamentalism and unbelief. Open Minded Torah presents - on topics ranging from parenting a son with Down syndrome to Biblical criticism to Talmudic interpretation of dreams - a perspective on Torah which emphasizes scepticism, creativity and the need to embrace difference. Through a personal synthesis of Western and Jewish learning, popular culture and philosophy, Kolbrener offers a compelling new vision where being open minded allows for a non-dogmatic and committed Jewish life. Informed by Kolbrener's considerable erudition, but always accessible, the essays show that scepticism informs belief, commitment grounds creativity, and non-defensive receptiveness makes individual autonomy possible. For every person, it is said, there is a corresponding letter in the Torah: this innovative collection shows Kolbrener writing his letter, and providing the inspiration for others to write their own.
Download or read book Open Minded Torah written by William Kolbrener and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2011-03-17 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: >
Download or read book Maimonides written by Moshe Halbertal and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-11-24 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive and accessible account of the life and thought of Judaism's most celebrated philosopher Maimonides was the greatest Jewish philosopher and legal scholar of the medieval period, a towering figure who has had a profound and lasting influence on Jewish law, philosophy, and religious consciousness. This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to his life and work, revealing how his philosophical sensibility and outlook informed his interpretation of Jewish tradition. Moshe Halbertal vividly describes Maimonides's childhood in Muslim Spain, his family's flight to North Africa to escape persecution, and their eventual resettling in Egypt. He draws on Maimonides's letters and the testimonies of his contemporaries, both Muslims and Jews, to offer new insights into his personality and the circumstances that shaped his thinking. Halbertal then turns to Maimonides's legal and philosophical work, analyzing his three great books—Commentary on the Mishnah, the Mishneh Torah, and the Guide of the Perplexed. He discusses Maimonides's battle against all attempts to personify God, his conviction that God's presence in the world is mediated through the natural order rather than through miracles, and his locating of philosophy and science at the summit of the religious life of Torah. Halbertal examines Maimonides's philosophical positions on fundamental questions such as the nature and limits of religious language, creation and nature, prophecy, providence, the problem of evil, and the meaning of the commandments. A stunning achievement, Maimonides offers an unparalleled look at the life and thought of this important Jewish philosopher, scholar, and theologian.
Download or read book The The Story Behind the Bible Trilogy Book I The Torah Book II The Prophets Book III The New Covenant written by J. K. Alexander and published by Yorkshire Publishing. This book was released on 2019-11-27 with total page 675 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With facts and information, insightful commentary, and even a few flights of fantasy, The Story Behind the Bible trilogy weaves a magnetic journey through the ancient texts of the Bible for believers and non-believers alike. It's a journey that can draw readers into a universe that is larger and more incredible than they ever thought possible. A highly comprehensive overview of the entire Bible, the trilogy also proves that the prophets of scripture made impossible and miraculous predictions and prophecies concerning future events, including our current era, and virtually proves that God's hand steers the broad stream of world history. Now, over two thousand years hence, much of scripture has been misinterpreted, misapplied, or simply lost to traditions and folklore. The books address those issues with commentary and doctrine, and, through the elegant story and amazing people of the New Testament, bring the biblical story to a triumphant end.
Download or read book Essential Torah written by George Robinson and published by Schocken. This book was released on 2006-10-31 with total page 621 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether you are studying the Bible for the first time or you're simply curious about its history and contents, you will find everything you need in this "accessible, well-written handbook to Jewish belief as set forth in the Torah" (The Jerusalem Post). George Robinson, author of the acclaimed Essential Judaism, begins by recounting the various theories of the origins of the Torah and goes on to explain its importance as the core element in Jewish belief and practice. He discusses the basics of Jewish theology and Jewish history as they are derived from the Torah, and he outlines how the Dead Sea Scrolls and other archaeological discoveries have enhanced our understanding of the Bible. He introduces us to the vast literature of biblical commentary, chronicles the evolution of the Torah’s place in the synagogue service, offers an illuminating discussion of women and the Bible, and provides a study guide as a companion for individual or group Bible study. In the book’s centerpiece, Robinson summarizes all fifty-four portions that make up the Torah and gives us a brilliant distillation of two thousand years of biblical commentaries—from the rabbis of the Mishnah and the Talmud to medieval commentators such as Rashi, Maimonides, and ibn Ezra to contemporary scholars such as Nahum Sarna, Nechama Leibowitz, Robert Alter, and Everett Fox. This extraordinary volume—which includes a listing of the Torah reading cycles, a Bible time line, glossaries of terms and biblical commentators, and a bibliography—will stand as the essential sourcebook on the Torah for years to come.
Download or read book Torahism written by R. L. Solberg and published by Williamson College Press. This book was released on 2019-10-22 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: www.TorahismBook.com - Are Christians required to keep the Law of Moses? How about the Ten Commandments? Was Jesus divine? Join R. L. Solberg in his new book, TORAHISM, where he confronts a modern heresy and dives into these and other critical questions related to the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. "It all began with a series of Facebook posts that an old friend posted just after Thanksgiving. He was aggressively taking Christians to task for celebrating the 'pagan' holiday of Christmas. This struck me as odd because I'd always known he and his wife to be strong Christians. And while I've debated with plenty of atheists over the alleged pagan roots of Christmas, I'd never heard this charge leveled by a fellow Christian. So I decided to chime in on his posts and soon discovered that I had stepped into a mystery of, well, biblical proportions..." ENDORSEMENTS: "Over a decade ago, I came to know Rob Solberg. He impressed me back then with his searching heart, scholarly mind, and passion for apologetics. He has now offered a masterful work, well researched and very well-argued. Were I still a seminary professor, I would require my students to write reviews on this volume." Dr. Stephen Drake, Former Professor of Ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary "Impressively written and researched! Aberrant theologies have existed throughout time, requiring trusted biblical guides to bring much-needed reproof. Rob Solberg does this superbly in his book, Torahism. And, he accomplishes this task with much 'gentleness and respect' (1 Peter 3:15). Even if you are not immediately confronted with this heresy, a careful reading of Rob's book will deepen your understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ." Ed Smith, Ph.D., President, Williamson College "Engaging and well-developed content on a tough topic. Rob addresses lofty theological issues with incredible accessibility and application. He reminds us to not just stay in our heads and win arguments but to love people well as we fight for what is true." Derek Bareman, Lead Pastor, Church of the City Spring Hill "This is an excellent, balanced, scholarly refutation of the heretical teaching of Torahism. Solberg does so with a wide array of Scripture, great Christian writers across the centuries, and impeccable logic. Not only does it address and answer the challenge of this new heresy, it serves as an apologetic in the best tradition of Christian scholarship. Exceptional work. I have reviewed thousands of books in 30 years. This book deserves to be read!" Reverend David "Doc" Kirby (retired), Host of the On The Bookshelf podcast FROM THE FORWARD BY PAUL WILKINSON, Ph.D. - "The best conversations are those that happen spontaneously amongst sincere, passionate seekers wanting to learn, mature, and progress in their faith and life. R. L. Solberg has blessed us by inviting us into just such a conversation . . . This book is a read that flows because it originates in genuine conversations between friends and passionate believers. It is reminiscent of the ancient dialogues with questions, points, and counterpoints. But be sure to catch this truth: Solberg's work is not about how to do the least work for the most grace, nor is it about how to avoid obligations, duties, and work. No, much more than that, Solberg's question is about how we who claim to be children of God best glorify, worship, and obey him . . . Solberg wants to know what it means to be "godly" and "righteous" in light of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. I invite you into Rob and his friends' conversation. I was challenged, encouraged, and taught by the insights he brings to the fore. I pray that you heed his call to take seriously what it means for the Christian to live the godly life; to be like Jesus."
Download or read book Thinking about the Torah written by Kenneth Seeskin and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2016-11-01 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bible is an enduring source of inspiration for the human heart and mind, and readers of Thinking about the Torah will be rewarded with an enhanced understanding of this great work’s deeper meanings. Drawing on Western philosophy and particularly Jewish philosophy, Kenneth Seeskin delves into ten core biblical verses and the powerful ideas that emerge from them. He speaks to readers on every page and invites conversation about topics central to human existence: how finite beings can relate to the infinite, what love is, the role of ethics in religion, and the meaning of holiness. Seeskin raises questions we all ask and responds to them with curiosity and compassion, weaving into his own perceptive commentary insights from great Jewish thinkers such as Maimonides, Spinoza, Buber, Rosenzweig, and Levinas, as well as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Luther, Kant, and Kierkegaard. The Bible is concerned with how we think as well as how we follow the commandments, rituals, and customs. Seeskin inspires us to read the Torah with an open mind and think about the lessons it teaches us.
Download or read book Go and Study written by Joseph Meszler and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-03-12 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Who is wise? The person who learns from everyone, as it is said, 'From all of my teachers I have gained wisdom' (Psalm 119:99)" (Pirkei Avot 4:3). This quotation of Shimon Ben Zoma can be extended to mean that everyone has something to teach and something to learn. If this is true on an individual level, it also is sound for Jewish students of different denominations and backgrounds and people of different faith traditions learning from one another as well. This guide invites you to take advantage of the embarrassment of riches presented to the learner of Torah (the Five Books of Moses) in the 21st century. Orthodox Jews can learn from Reform and Feminist Torah commentaries, and Progressive Jews can grow in consciousness from studying Hasidic texts and Rashi. Today, there are many kinds of Torah commentaries available in English, and the most open-minded and open-hearted way to approach Torah learning is an "all of the above" approach. This guide will help the person who wants to engage in the study of the Torah portion of the week and use multiple Torah commentaries from different backgrounds. This approach has been tested in a Jewish Day School setting as well as synagogue and has been found to be deeply rewarding. In this guide are selections in Hebrew and English of a section of each week's Torah portion and guide questions, directing you to the Jewish denominations' main Torah commentaries you will commonly see in the pews. It also directs you to other mainstream Torah commentaries (even one written specifically for teens), and it includes page numbers to make looking up answers efficient. The idea is that you will sit with a friend, this guide, and the volumes referenced here and look up different the guide questions in the various books. You will then have your own questions and probably become distracted by other topics as they come up. Next thing you know, an hour will have gone by as you have been lost in Torah study. You will then hopefully gain new appreciation that people of different Jewish religious backgrounds all have something to to teach each other, and we can increase ahavat yisrael - love of the people Israel - in the world. And we can all be united by Torah study. We can follow Hillel's direction: "Love your neighbor as yourself. That is the whole Torah, now go and study!" (Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 21a) All translations are from Sefaria.org and are in the public domain.
Download or read book Jewish Day Schools Jewish Communities written by Alex Pomson and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2009-02-01 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cross-cultural and genuinely comparative, this consideration of Jewish day-schools around the world reframes day-school research and policy-making and offers original insights into faith-based schooling and the public good.
Download or read book The Story Behind The Bible written by J K Alexander and published by Yorkshire Publishing. This book was released on 2019-08-16 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bible contains answers to the most pertinent and intriguing questions of our time. The book you are holding not only contains a highly comprehensive overview of the entire Old Testament but also proves that the prophets of the Bible made impossible and miraculous predictions and prophecies concerning future events, including our current era.
Download or read book Seek My Face Speak My Name written by Arthur Green and published by Jason Aronson. This book was released on 1992 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contemporary Jews. The book is at once a beginner's invitation to the profundity of Jewish spirituality and a rich rethinking of texts and positions for those who have already walked some distance along the Jewish path.
Download or read book Search the Scriptures with an Open Mind written by Bob Snider and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2017-01-26 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religion and science do not disagree. Disagreeable people use one to discredit the other. Learn how not to be a disagreeable person. Find what relativity and quantum mechanics say about God. Read the biblical account of evolution and learn your churchs interpretation of it. Locate the Garden of Eden. What is meant by the image of God? Find Neanderthal men mentioned in the Bible. Trace the course of Noahs ark. Where was the Tower of Babel and who built it? Find the stories of Joseph and Moses in hieroglyphics. What caused the plagues of Egypt, and how did it affect the rest of the world? What caused the sea to part, and where did it happen? Name the star that shone over Bethlehem. When was Jesus born (not in December)? What did Jesus say about miracles, dogma, liturgy, and authority? What happened to the forbidden gospels, and what do they tell us? Why are there so many Christian denominations? Learn how conmen use antievolution to steal your money and your vote. A faith healer may cure you, or he may kill you. Know the difference. Do current events suggest that the four horsemen of the apocalypse are not far away?
Download or read book American Jewish Year Book 2016 written by Arnold Dashefsky and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-02-20 with total page 828 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The American Jewish Year Book, now in its 116th year, is the annual record of the North American Jewish communities and provides insight into their major trends. Part I presents a forum on the Pew Survey, “A Portrait of American Orthodox Jews.” Part II begins with Chapter 13, "The Jewish Family." Chapter 14 examines “American Jews and the International Arena (April 1, 2015 – April 15, 2016), which focuses on US–Israel Relations. Chapters 15-17 analyze the demography and geography of the US, Canadian, and world Jewish populations. In Part III, Chapter 18 provides lists of Jewish institutions, including federations, community centers, social service agencies, national organizations, synagogues, Hillels, day schools, camps, museums, and Israeli consulates. In the final chapters, Chapter 19 presents national and local Jewish periodicals and broadcast media; Chapter 20 provides academic resources, including Jewish Studies programs, books, articles, websites, and research libraries; and Chapter 21 presents lists of major events in the past year, Jewish honorees, and obituaries. An invaluable record of Jewish life, the American Jewish Year Book illuminates contemporary issues with insight and breadth. It is a window into a complex and ever-changing world. Deborah Dash Moore, Frederick G. L. Huetwell Professor of History and Judaic Studies, and Director Emerita of the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, University of Michigan A century from now and more, the stately volumes of the American Jewish Year Book will stand as the authoritative record of Jewish life since 1900. For anyone interested in tracing the long-term evolution of Jewish social, political, religious, and cultural trends from an objective yet passionately Jewish perspective, there simply is no substitute. Lawrence Grossman, American Jewish Year Book Editor (1999-2008) and Contributor (1988-2015)
Download or read book Bearing God s Name written by Carmen Joy Imes and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2019-12-10 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does the Old Testament—especially the law—have to do with your Christian life? In this warm, accessible volume, Carmen Joy Imes takes readers back to Sinai, arguing that we've misunderstood the command about "taking the Lord's name in vain." Instead, Imes says that this command is really about "bearing God's name," a theme that continues throughout the rest of Scripture.
Download or read book Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism written by Geoffrey Cantor and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-09-15 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Darwin’s theory of evolution transformed the life sciences and made profound claims about human origins and the human condition, topics often viewed as the prerogative of religion. As a result, evolution has provoked a wide variety of religious responses, ranging from angry rejection to enthusiastic acceptance. While Christian responses to evolution have been studied extensively, little scholarly attention has been paid to Jewish reactions. Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism is the first extended meditation on the Jewish engagement with this crucial and controversial theory. The contributors to Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism—from several academic disciplines and two branches of the rabbinate—present case studies showing how Jewish discussions of evolution have been shaped by the intersections of faith, science, philosophy, and ideology in specific historical contexts. Furthermore, they examine how evolutionary theory has been deployed when characterizing Jews as a race, both by Zionists and by anti-Semites. Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism addresses historical and contemporary, as well as progressive and Orthodox, responses to evolution in America, Europe, and Israel, ultimately extending the history of Darwinism into new religious domains.
Download or read book The Last Rabbi written by William Kolbrener and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2016-09-19 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joseph Soloveitchik (1903–1993) was a major American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, philosopher, and theologian. In this new work, William Kolbrener takes on Soloveitchik's controversial legacy and shows how he was torn between the traditionalist demands of his European ancestors and the trajectory of his own radical and often pluralist philosophy. A portrait of this self-professed "lonely man of faith" reveals him to be a reluctant modern who responds to the catastrophic trauma of personal and historical loss by underwriting an idiosyncratic, highly conservative conception of law that is distinct from his Talmudic predecessors, and also paves the way for a return to tradition that hinges on the ethical embrace of multiplicity. As Kolbrener melds these contradictions, he presents Soloveitchik as a good deal more complicated and conflicted than others have suggested. The Last Rabbi affords new perspective on the thought of this major Jewish philosopher and his ideas on the nature of religious authority, knowledge, and pluralism.
Download or read book Anthonius Margaritha and the Jewish Faith written by Michael Thomson Walton and published by Wayne State University Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A biography of Anthonius Margaritha, convert to Christianity and reporter on Jewish life and religious practices. Born in the 1490s, Anthonius Margaritha was the grandson, son, and brother of noted rabbis and was perhaps the best-known Jew of his generation in Germany to convert to Christianity. When he became a Christian in 1521, he began a series of writings that were built on his Jewish life and learning but were intended to reveal the defects of his former faith. These writings, including a translation of the Hebrew prayer book into German and a refutation of the faith, The Entire Jewish Faith (Der gantz Jüdisch glaub), are well known to scholars, but Margaritha himself has been studied largely as an ethnographic type. In Anthonius Margaritha and the Jewish Faith: Jewish Life and Conversion in Sixteenth-Century Germany, author Michael T. Walton looks more closely at Margaritha's life with the help of archival research and Margaritha's own writings. To present a full picture of Margaritha, Walton examines his life both before and after conversion. Walton details Margaritha's family history and Jewish life in a Christian Germany, including social customs and worship practices. After conversion, Walton examines Margaritha's time spent as a Hebrew teacher, polemicist, and paterfamilias and analyzes Margaritha's various works for their ethnographic and scholarly-polemical content. One thread that runs through Margaritha's life and writings, detailed here, is the importance to him of his debate with noted rabbi Joseph of Rosheim. Margaritha lost the debate and was imprisoned, but he continually referred to the issues raised and defended the correctness of his position in his treatises. Ultimately, this biography reveals Margaritha as a man who converted out of genuine conviction, but whose life thereafter must have been much different from what he anticipated. Scholars of Jewish and Christian history as well as those interested in German history, Hebrew pedagogy, and religious conversion will appreciate this thorough study.
