Library of Jewish Ideas

Alan L. Mittleman is professor of modern Jewish thought at the Jewish Theological Seminary. His books include A Short History of Jewish Ethics and Hope in a Democratic Age. What Jewish tradition can teach us about human dignity in a scientific age This book explores one of the great questions of our time: How can we preserve our sense of what it means to be a person while at the same time accepting what science tells us to be true-namely, that human nature is continuous with the rest of nature? What, in other words, does it mean to be a person in a world of things? Alan Mittleman shows how the Jewish tradition provides rich ways of understanding human nature and personhood that preserve human dignity and distinction in a world of neuroscience, evolutionary biology, biotechnology, and pervasive scientism. These ancient resources can speak to Jewish, non-Jewish, and secular readers alike. Science may tell us what we are, Mittleman says, but it cannot tell us who we are, how we should live, or why we matter. Traditional Jewish thought, in open-minded dialogue with contemporary scientific perspectives, can help us answer these questions. Mittleman shows how, using sources ranging across the Jewish tradition, from the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud to more than a millennium of Jewish philosophy. Among the many subjects the book addresses are sexuality, birth and death, violence and evil, moral agency, and politics and economics. Throughout, Mittleman demonstrates how Jewish tradition brings new perspectives to-and challenges many current assumptions about-these central aspects of human nature. A study of human nature in Jewish thought and an original contribution to Jewish philosophy, this is a book for anyone interested in what it means to be human in a scientific age. "This concise and accessible exploration of personhood and its moral and spiritual implications will appeal to religious and secular thinkers, Jewish or otherwise." "Though this content is dense, Mittleman conveys it with astonishing vivacity and nearly no philosophical jargon, producing a compelling, cogent rejoinder to the New Atheists that saves the baby--science--while dumping the bathwater--scientism--of antimetaphysical debates." "Every so often . . . a book comes along which deals with an important philosophical concept and is written in a style that is at once academically rigorous and accessible to the non-philosophers among us. Human Nature & Jewish Thought is such a volume, thanks to Alan L. Mittleman's lucid writing and clear articulation of his positions." "[P]rovocative and compelling. . . . This deeply insightful and readable volume exemplifies how, even in a scientific age, religious writings--in this case, the sources of Judaism--have much to add to contemporary philosophical and scientific debate." "Mittleman presents an erudite and elegant brief for human dignity. . . . This passionate and evocative book illustrates some of the challenges confronting projects to introduce Jewish texts into Western philosophical discourse."---Julie E. Cooper, Review of Politics "[An] excellent new book."---Dr. Erica Brown, Jewish World Review "The book remains a thoughtful study and a masterful demonstration of how traditional Jewish sources may be rendered accessible and brought to bear on enduring questions of meaning."---Ariel Evan Mayse, Religious Studies Review "This book is lucid, deeply erudite, and significant. In bringing Jewish sources into conversation with contemporary scientific claims about human nature, Alan Mittleman makes a strong and lively argument for the enduring centrality of human dignity, the profound possibilities of human life, and the importance of considering Jewish voices in ongoing debates about human nature. Anyone interested in Jewish thought, what it means to be human, or both, will benefit and learn a great deal from this wonderful work."-Leora F. Batnitzky, Princeton University "Human Nature & Jewish Thought is a per

"Long-listed for the 2017 Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize" Hillel Halkin is an author, translator, critic, and journalist. His books include Jabotinsky: A Life and Yehuda Halevi, which won the National Jewish Book Award. A deeply personal look at death, mourning, and the afterlife in Jewish tradition After One-Hundred-and-Twenty provides a richly nuanced and deeply personal look at Jewish attitudes and practices regarding death, mourning, and the afterlife as they have existed and evolved from biblical times to today. Taking its title from the Hebrew and Yiddish blessing to live to a ripe old age-Moses is said to have been 120 years old when he died-the book explores how the Bible's original reticence about an afterlife gave way to views about personal judgment and reward after death, the resurrection of the body, and even reincarnation. It examines Talmudic perspectives on grief, burial, and the afterlife, shows how Jewish approaches to death changed in the Middle Ages with thinkers like Maimonides and in the mystical writings of the Zohar, and delves into such things as the origins of the custom of reciting Kaddish for the deceased and beliefs about encountering the dead in visions and dreams. After One-Hundred-and-Twenty is also Hillel Halkin's eloquent and disarmingly candid reflection on his own mortality, the deaths of those he has known and loved, and the comfort he has and has not derived from Jewish tradition. "It's refreshing to read a Jewish book on death that does not presume to offer guidance, either through that dark portal, or around it. Instead, Hillel Halkin . . . has written a brief, pellucid account of the role death has played in Jewish texts, law, thought and lives--including his own."---Esther Schor, Wall Street Journal "Halkin combines an accessible and trenchant exploration of Judaism's evolving concepts of death with his own struggle with understanding it. He leavens what could be a depressing read with humor. . . . Halkin's frankness about his own difficulties . . . help make this nuanced quest for meaning personal and affecting." "Well-rounded and thoroughly readable."---Jeff Fleischer, ForeWord "Deeply moving."---Ray Olson, Booklist "A very user-friendly historical account of Jewish ideas about death . . . and how those ideas change. . . . [Halkin] is a master at 'popularisation' in the best sense of that term, bringing to a non-academic audience what are, in essence, some very complicated ideas."---David Hillel-Ruben, Jewish Chronicle "Hillel Halkin, an American-born Israeli scholar and novelist, poignantly explores his own experiences while providing a history of Jewish thought."---Amy Frykholm, Christian Century "Instructive and thought-provoking. . . . One would be hard-pressed to find a more knowledgeable or astute guide through the vast literature of Jewish thanatology than Hillel Halkin. . . . The Biggest of Mysteries being tackled by one of our best and brightest."---Matt Nesvisky, Jerusalem Post "Learned and beautifully written." "At once scholarly and passionate, secular and religious, detached and autobiographical."---Edward Alexander, Chicago Jewish Star "Charming, frankly vulnerable, and deceptively deep."---Abraham Socher, Jewish Review of Books "In this important new book, Hillel Halkin explores Jewish attitudes towards death and the world to come. . . . A highly readable book which provokes reflection on an often uncomfortable subject. It would prove a valuable resource for all those involved in the field of pastoral care."---Randall C. Belinfante, Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews "Hillel Halkin is an uncommon and essential figure in Jewish intellectual life-a man at home in the entirety of the tradition and its languages, a secularist fascinated by religion, a scholar in the thick of the world, a critic with an insatiable appetite for exploration. All his writing is informed by a princely pride, wholly justified, in the resources of Jewish literature for the under

"One of Mosaic's Best Books of 2018 (Moshe Koppel)" Chaim N. Saiman is professor in the Charles Widger School of Law at Villanova University. He lives with his wife and three daughters in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. How the rabbis of the Talmud transformed everything into a legal question-and Jewish law into a way of thinking and talking about everything Though typically translated as "Jewish law," the term 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 many detailed rules, nor has it ever been the law of any state. Even more idiosyncratically, the talmudic rabbis claim that the study of halakhah is a holy endeavor that brings a person closer to God-a claim no country makes of its law. In this panoramic book, 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. In the multifaceted world of halakhah where everything is law, law is also everything, and even laws that serve no practical purpose can, when properly studied, provide surprising insights into timeless questions about the very nature of human existence. What does it mean for legal analysis to connect humans to God? Can spiritual teachings remain meaningful and at the same time rigidly codified? Can a modern state be governed by such law? Guiding readers across two millennia of richly illuminating perspectives, this book shows how halakhah is not just "law" but an entire way of thinking, being, and knowing. "Highly recommended."---Jonathan Schofer, Reading Religion "Saiman's book is a compelling and original exposition of the unique nature of halakhah as a legal system, providing both a larger picture of what halakhah is and brilliant particular readings of its diverse genres and periods. Saiman's vast erudition and conceptual depth shines through every page of this wonderful book."-Moshe Halbertal, author of Maimonides: Life and Thought "Chaim Saiman has written a genuinely enthralling book about a concept central to rabbinic Judaism: the study of Jewish law, not only as a guide to life but as ongoing encounter with the divine. A superb, much-needed, and enlightening work."-Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks "In this pellucid and captivating book, Chaim Saiman provides a new understanding of halakhah that takes as axiomatic its seamless integration of regulatory and expressive modalities into a discourse that not only conveys legal norms but also shapes thought, communicates social and religious values, and explores enduring human questions. At stake is our very conception of what law is and could be."-Christine Hayes, author of What's Divine about Divine Law? "In the best halakhic tradition, this enlightening book informs the beginner by providing a concise introduction in a lucid and engaging style, yet also provokes the experienced halakhist to deep thought and self-reflection on the meaning and development of the halakhic system. Saiman expresses an undiminished youthful passion for his subject, distilled through the prism of mature legal scholarship."-Mosheh Lichtenstein, dean of Yeshivat Har Etzion, Israel "Saiman provides an academically sophisticated introduction to Jewish law as a historical and lived practice and proposes an original and even surprising thesis about the nature of rabbinic legal discourse-that it is less about governance of conduct and more about the exploration of religious values and ideals. This is a terrific book."-Noah Feldman, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Harvard University "Halakhah not only succeeds wonderfully as an introductory text but brims with ideas, formulations, interpretations, and perspectives that will stimulate, enrich, and catalyze scholars as well. Saiman's sma

Jon D. Levenson is the Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard University. His many books include Resurrection and the Restoration of Israel, which won the National Jewish Book Award, and Inheriting Abraham and Creation and the Persistence of Evil (both Princeton). The love of God is perhaps the most essential element in Judaism-but also one of the most confounding. In biblical and rabbinic literature, the obligation to love God appears as a formal commandment. Yet most people today think of love as a feeling. How can an emotion be commanded? How could one ever fulfill such a requirement? The Love of God places these scholarly and existential questions in a new light. Jon Levenson traces the origins of the concept to the ancient institution of covenant, showing how covenantal love is a matter neither of sentiment nor of dry legalism. The love of God is instead a deeply personal two-way relationship that finds expression in God's mysterious love for the people of Israel, who in turn observe God's laws out of profound gratitude for his acts of deliverance. Levenson explores how this bond has survived episodes in which God's love appears to be painfully absent-as in the brutal persecutions of Talmudic times-and describes the intensely erotic portrayals of the relationship by biblical prophets and rabbinic interpreters of the Song of Songs. He examines the love of God as a spiritual discipline in the Middle Ages as well as efforts by two influential modern Jewish thinkers-Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig-to recover this vital but endangered aspect of their tradition. A breathtaking work of scholarship and spirituality alike that is certain to provoke debate, The Love of God develops fascinating insights into the foundations of religious life in the classical Jewish tradition. "Our debt to Levenson is enormous. Here we receive the benefit of his attentive perception, which permits both Jewish and Christian readers of the Bible to see how much is shared, even given our formidable differences." "Jon Levenson's explication of these ideas is a miracle of organization, precision, and clarity. He writes accessibly and conversationally, belying his immense scholarship. The Love of God can be read for its original point of view, as a history of ideas, or as a way of finding new meaning in familiar ways of talking about God. It succeeds brilliantly on all counts." "An important, sober, and rewarding work that will find an audience among academic readers." "A profound and erudite book that made me think about the love between God and the Jewish people in a whole new way. Prayers that will be familiar to most observant Jews--the Shma, Lekha Dodi, Yedid Nefesh, the phrase from Hosea that is said when wrapping tefillin on one's finger--take on deeper meaning with Levenson's guidance. . . . Exquisitely crafted. . . . If you are Jewish and/or interested in what the biblical commandment to love God means, go read it!"---Ira Stoll, former Washington correspondent and managing editor, The Forward "[Levenson] skillfully weaves together a wealth of biblical passages that demonstrate that love of God entails a mutual relationship between God and Israel. . . . This book admirably demonstrates the impact of changing social realities, on Israel and on the Jewish people, amid which affection for God perseveres." "Highly readable and engaging. Levenson's lifelong scholarship, like that of the best of popular theological writers, has refined his ability to write theologically rigorous books accessible to the lay reader."---Clint Schnekloth, Word & World "The Love of God is compelling. L.'s presentation of the subject is a masterpiece of clarity and precision. His decision not to offer a comprehensive study of the subject makes the work highly readable to all audiences. It is valuable also because it can be approached as the history of ideas surrounding God's love or as the story of God's mysterious love for the people

"Honorable Mention for the 2013 PROSE Award in Language & Linguistics, Association of American Publishers" "Shortlisted for the 2014 Sophie Brody Medal, Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of the American Library Association" Ruth R. Wisse is the Martin Peretz Professor of Yiddish Literature and professor of comparative literature at Harvard University. She is the author of The Modern Jewish Canon: A Journey through Language and Culture, which won a National Jewish Book Award. Her other books include Jews and Power (Schocken) and The Schlemiel as Modern Hero. Why the genius of Jewish humor runs risks as well as rewards Humor is the most celebrated of all Jewish responses to modernity. In this book, Ruth Wisse evokes and applauds the genius of spontaneous Jewish joking-as well as the brilliance of comic masterworks by writers like Heinrich Heine, Sholem Aleichem, Isaac Babel, S. Y. Agnon, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Philip Roth. At the same time, Wisse draws attention to the precarious conditions that call Jewish humor into being-and the price it may exact from its practitioners and audience. Wisse broadly traces modern Jewish humor around the world, teasing out its implications as she explores memorable and telling examples from German, Yiddish, English, Russian, and Hebrew. Among other topics, the book looks at how Jewish humor channeled Jewish learning and wordsmanship into new avenues of creativity, brought relief to liberal non-Jews in repressive societies, and enriched popular culture in the United States. Even as it invites readers to consider the pleasures and profits of Jewish humor, the book asks difficult but fascinating questions: Can the excess and extreme self-ridicule of Jewish humor go too far and backfire in the process? And is "leave 'em laughing" the wisest motto for a people that others have intended to sweep off the stage of history? "[S]ubtle and provocative."---Anthony Gottlieb, New York Times Book Review "Ms. Wisse provides a rich assortment of mordant wit at the threshold of extinction."---Edward Kosner, Wall Street Journal "Accessible to nonacademic audiences as well as scholars, this cultural history is a welcome addition to the study of humor in a sociopolitical context." "[E]xcellent. . . . I applaud the intellectual courage of this book, the breadth of Wisse's learning, the comprehensiveness of her ambitions, her unembarrassed declarations of pleasure in what she finds funny (and if we don't, that's tough on us), her unapologetic references to such serious students of comedy as Freud, whose writing on jokes it is easy to deride, and the confidence with which she moves from rabbis to writers to jesters, from literature to music hall and back. Comedy is comedy is comedy."---Howard Jacobson, Standpoint "In the delightful book No Joke: Making Jewish Humor (Princeton University Press) Harvard professor Ruth Wisse evokes and applauds the genius of Jewish joking--as well as the brilliance of comic masterworks by writers like Heinrich Heine, Sholem Aleichem, Isaac Babel, S.Y. Agnon, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Philip Roth. Wisse broadly traces modern Jewish humour around the world, teasing out its implications as she explores memorable and telling examples from German, Yiddish, English, Russian and Hebrew." "[A] rare work of cultural scholarship that is also laugh-out-loud-funny."---Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles "Wisse, Martin Peretz Professor of Yiddish Literature and professor of comparative literature at Harvard, surveys Jewish humor from Heinrich Heine and Franz Kafka to Larry David and Howard Jacobson, displaying its wit and comic genius at the same time that she looks behind its surface at the often painful and dangerous experiences it reflects."---Maron L. Waxman, Jewish Book Council "Seriously funny, humorously serious, scholarly, witty and wise." "[S]harp and thoughtful. . . . To her credit, Ms. Wisse offers no general theory of Jewish humour in her b

"Finalist for the 2017 National Jewish Book Award in History (Gerrard and Ella Berman Memorial Award)" "One of CHOICE's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2017" Lewis Glinert is Professor of Hebrew Studies at Dartmouth College, where he is also affiliated with the Program in Linguistics. His books include The Grammar of Modern Hebrew and The Joys of Hebrew. A unique history of the Hebrew language from biblical times to the modern Jewish state This book explores the extraordinary hold that Hebrew has had on Jews and Christians, who have invested it with a symbolic power far beyond that of any other language in history. Preserved by the Jews across two millennia, Hebrew endured long after it ceased to be a mother tongue, resulting in one of the most intense textual cultures ever known. It was a bridge to Greek and Arab science. It unlocked the biblical sources for Jerome and the Reformation. Kabbalists and humanists sought philosophical truth in it, and Colonial Americans used it to shape their own Israelite political identity. Today, it is the first language of millions of Israelis. The Story of Hebrew takes readers from the opening verses of Genesis-which seemingly describe the creation of Hebrew itself-to the reincarnation of Hebrew as the everyday language of the Jewish state. Lewis Glinert explains the uses and meanings of Hebrew in ancient Israel and its role as a medium for wisdom and prayer. He describes the early rabbis' preservation of Hebrew following the Babylonian exile, the challenges posed by Arabic, and the prolific use of Hebrew in Diaspora art, spirituality, and science. Glinert looks at the conflicted relationship Christians had with Hebrew from the Renaissance to the Counter-Reformation, the language's fatal rivalry with Yiddish, the dreamers and schemers that made modern Hebrew a reality, and how a lost pre-Holocaust textual ethos is being renewed today by Orthodox Jews. A major work of scholarship, The Story of Hebrew is an unforgettable account of what one language has meant to those possessing it. "Elegant. . . . The Story of Hebrew covers a great deal of ground in a readable style, studded with stories and quotations that make clear how astonishing it is that out of the fossil DNA of this sacred language, a new creation has arisen."---David Wolpe, Weekly Standard "Witty and learned. . . . I thought that I was well versed in the history of Hebrew, but there was hardly a page in this book on which I didn't learn something new. And Glinert is a pleasure to spend time with; his authorial voice in The Story of Hebrew reminds me of those famous BBC radio talks given by enormously erudite Oxbridge dons: authoritative, amusing, and crystal clear."---Alan Mintz, Jewish Review of Books "The Story of Hebrew does not require even a rusty knowledge of the language. Glinert's writing is compelling for anyone who has some background in the Jewish scriptures and the history of the people who preserved the holy tongue--from ancient Israel to diaspora Judaism and back to Israel again in recent decades. Glinert also explores the role of Hebrew in the Christian imagination, including the way the language shaped American colonial life." "Glinert, a talented storyteller, writes a modern, even colloquial, history of Hebrew, recounting the language's flourishing and what he sees as its inevitable decline over several centuries."---Joseph Lowin, Jewish Book Council "Glinert brings the Hebrew story to life with such a wealth of intriguing cultural detail in so astonishingly few pages of lively, engaging exposition that his account is must reading for all who revel in the history and elasticity of languages."---Ray Olson, Booklist "The most ambitious attempt since William Chomsky's groundbreaking 1957 study, Hebrew: The Eternal Language, Mr. Glinert's biography of Hebrew succeeds in representing the language not just as a vehicle of communication but as a crucible of national cohesion. To read [this book] is to ap

"Best Nonfiction Jewish Book of 2012, Jewish Ideas Daily.com" "One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2013" Jon D. Levenson is the Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard University. His many books include Resurrection and the Restoration of Israel: The Ultimate Victory of the God of Life, which won the National Jewish Book Award, and Creation and the Persistence of Evil (Princeton). How Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have reimagined Abraham in their own images Jews, Christians, and Muslims supposedly share a common religious heritage in the patriarch Abraham, and the idea that he should serve only as a source of unity among the three traditions has become widespread in both scholarly and popular circles. But in Inheriting Abraham, Jon Levenson reveals how the increasingly conventional notion of the three equally "Abrahamic" religions derives from a dangerous misunderstanding of key biblical and Qur'anic texts, fails to do full justice to any of the traditions, and is often biased against Judaism in subtle and pernicious ways. "[T]he figure of Abraham has more often been a battleground than a meeting place. This is the brilliantly elaborated theme of Levenson's book, which retells the Abraham story while examining the use made of Abraham in later Jewish, Christian, and (to a lesser extent) Muslim thought."---Adam Kirsch, New York Review of Books "Levenson, a well-known biblical studies scholar and professor of Jewish studies at Harvard, makes a contrarian argument against those who would oversimplify the differences between the three religions that claim Abraham as a seminal figure. . . . Educated general readers interested in biblical studies may be awed by how closely Levenson reads the text." "Levenson's book will be acutely sobering for those who favor easy accommodation between traditions. . . . And no one has been more effective than Levenson in calling Christian interpreters to a more honest self-awareness." "[A] learned, lucid and luminous examination of the distinctive character of Abraham."---Glenn C. Altschuler, Jerusalem Post "Written very well, argued delightfully, with deep insights, . . . Inheriting Abraham makes a superb contribution to our understanding and perception, opinion and insight, of the figure of Prophet Abraham."---Tauseef Ahmad Parray, Islam and Muslim Societies "Levenson's literary skill and encyclopedic grasp of the exegetical traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam makes this volume a valuable exercise in comparison. But the book also makes a strong and controversial argument about what that comparison actually reveals about the role of Abraham in the relationship between the three 'Abrahamic' religions. . . . [Levenson's] study encourages us to look unflinchingly at the limits of difference and commonality within and across religious traditions."---Martin S. Jaffee, Jewish Review of Books "The best Jewish book in each category this past year? Inheriting Abraham is the most impressive work of Jewish scholarship published during 2012. For more than three decades, Jon Levenson has been quietly developing a biblical theology that would revolutionize Jewish understanding and worship, if only more Jews were to learn of it. Inheriting Abraham is his most accessible book yet--a model of how exacting scholarship can be written for the well-educated layman."---D.G. Myers, Jewish Ideas Daily "[E]xcellent. . . . Inheriting Abraham is informed throughout by Levenson's characteristically great learning. . . . [G]raceful and clear."---Hillel Fradkin, Commentary "Jon Levenson's superb book demonstrates that despite some simplistic and ill-conceived attempts to harmonize the three Abrahamic faiths, and some lingering supersessionist antagonisms, we live in a period remarkable for serious and thoughtful dialogue among these cousin religions. It is a dialogue grounded in responsible awareness of the complexity, beauty, and defining commitments of each one. Working from this aw